Abyssal Sovereign: The Demon's Dominion-Chapter 165: Story of the predator (last Chapter for the year)

At the deep layer of space (9th layer of space)...

"So, it takes a Rank 6 being to kill the Predator?" one of the survivors asked, his breath ragged and uneven.

A few scattered figures were visible, their auras strong yet faltering. Each of them was at Rank 5, and though their strength was undeniable, their breaths were labored. Their bodies bore wounds of varying severity—some shallow, others deep enough to expose bone.

"Kill?" one of them laughed bitterly. "Hah! Even ten more Rank 6 beings couldn’t kill him." His voice carried the weight of experience, for he had faced the Predator himself.

"So strong… what is it?" the survivor asked, disbelief etched on his face.

"Haha, the story of that being is quite tragic, you know," the knowledgeable one replied, his voice laced with sorrow.

"It all happened eons ago," he began, his tone somber. The others listened in silence.

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The Predator’s Origin

"From the moment this being was young, he was tormented. His frail, thin body made him an easy target for bullies, yet he always wore a smile. His mother—a widow at a young age—was his only family. They were poor, shunned by relatives who should have helped but didn’t.

"Her husband had died mysteriously in his sleep, and whispers of witchcraft followed her everywhere. Even her own family abandoned her, calling her cursed. Anyone close to her seemed to meet misfortune or death. But her husband had loved her fiercely, ignoring the rumors to marry her.

"The boy, however, bore the brunt of it all. Every day brought new taunts and insults, yet he greeted everyone with a smile. Only in solitude—in bathrooms or hidden corners—did he cry, overwhelmed by questions he couldn’t answer: Why was his mother cursed? Why did his father have to die? Why was he so weak?

"And so, he endured, bottling his pain until he finished school.

"When he grew older, he found solace in his mother’s unwavering love. She was his joy, his anchor. Their world was ordinary—no powers, no strength, just technological advancement. It was a Zero Civilization.

"He excelled in his studies, making his mother proud. For a while, life seemed to improve. He made friends and felt, for the first time, that he belonged. But then, fate turned against him.

"One day, he fell ill. His breaths grew shallow, and everyone around him was deeply concerned. For the first time, he felt genuine care and vowed to cherish it if he survived.

"He did survive, but his mother’s heart broke. She blamed herself, claiming her curse had afflicted him. He comforted her, reminding her she was all he had in this world.

"But that was only the beginning.

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The Descent into Misery

"He got a job, but the company went bankrupt shortly after hiring him. Their landlord raised the rent. Scammers preyed on him, draining what little he had. His misfortune began to affect those around him, and one by one, his friends walked away.

"Alone, he clung to a fragile hope, forcing himself to smile through the pain. He didn’t let his mother see his despair. To her, he was always cheerful, joking and laughing, even as his world crumbled.

"When they lost everything, he became a pauper. His only source of comfort was his girlfriend. She cared for him deeply, even taking loans to support him. But her family’s wealth vanished because of him. Her father fell ill, and the only way to save him was to marry a wealthy man.

"Heartbroken and desperate, she made her choice. She left him.

"A year later, he saw her again—happy, thriving—and he forced a smile, walking away without a word. By then, debt collectors hounded him relentlessly.

"His mother knew the truth. One day, he came home, tired and overwhelmed. He couldn’t fake it anymore. He broke down in front of her, tears streaming down his face. For the first time, he cried openly, and his mother’s heart shattered.

"A month later, she passed away.

"Strangely, after her death, his life turned around. He became successful, wealthy beyond measure. Only then did he uncover the truth about his mother’s curse.

"While pregnant with him, she had touched a glowing black orb—a cursed artifact. Its effects lingered, damning her and everyone close to her. To this day, no one knows what became of the orb.

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The Betrayal of Trust

"With his newfound wealth, those who had abandoned him returned. He welcomed them back, forgiving their past transgressions. Even his ex became his friend again. For a while, life seemed good.

"But greed poisons the heart.

"Those people—the ones he trusted—betrayed him again. They used him, taking shares of his company until he lost everything.

"Terrified and disillusioned, he learned the cruel truth: the greed of living beings knows no bounds.

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The Final Fall

"Despite it all, he remained kind. He forgave them, thinking it was a way to repay the help they had once offered. But his kindness was his downfall.

"He fell for his ex again, unable to let go of the past. She manipulated him, destroyed him piece by piece. He lost what little he had left, reduced to nothing.

"In the end, they called him a ’simp,’ ridiculing him for his love and loyalty.

"He stood at a crossroads: remain a good man and be destroyed, or become the villain the world deserved."

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The being paused, his breath a cold mist in the air. His fists clenched, anger and sorrow mingling in his expression.

"The Predator chose. And that choice has haunted the universe ever since."

He chose to be a good guy—the greatest mistake of his life. Giving up everything, including his memories, he moved to a new country by sea. He started afresh, made friends, and like a lucky child, found success again—this time, even bigger than before.

When those friends faltered, unable to manage their lives like he had, they came crying to him. He forgave them, helped them a little, and asked them to leave, which they did happily. After all, why should he become a villain because of the outside world’s actions? Everyone has a choice. Smile and move on.

"Being a villain is a choice. The world doesn’t make you one," he told himself.

What a joke.

This time, betrayal landed him in a cell. He laughed, his voice echoing through the cold walls. The cops thought he had lost his mind—and perhaps he had. Despite his good intentions, greed had taken root among those he trusted, mistaking his kindness for weakness.

As he was chained, about to enter the cell, he asked them one final question.

"Why?"

"For personal gain," they replied.

Why were they so greedy? Was fame and money not enough? When he questioned their ingratitude, they simply retorted, "Did we ask you to help us? Did we force you?"

That broke him.

Ten years passed. Now fifty years old, his beard unkempt and dirty, he was finally released from prison. Broken and defeated, he decided to leave for the countryside to live out the rest of his days in solitude and die in peace.

In the countryside, he found a community of kind-hearted people. At first, they didn’t accept him, but in time, they grew to care for him. A young girl, no older than twenty, often took care of him despite his initial resistance.

Sighing, he decided to contribute to the village. He taught them a few things, and under his guidance, the village prospered. The sense of belonging was comforting. He even grew fond of the girl, though the age gap made him hesitant. Eventually, he married her.

Life seemed sweet at last.

But happiness was fleeting. His wife murdered him with a knife.

It turned out that those who had betrayed him before were still searching for him. They viewed his existence as a threat and decided to eliminate him. His wife claimed she was threatened into doing it.

As he lay dying, blood pooling around him, he smiled weakly. Holding her face, he whispered, "It’s not your fault. It’s their greed."

But just before the darkness consumed him, he heard her mutter something chilling:

"I’ll finally be able to take care of myself and my family with the money they gave me."

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The realization struck him. She was overwhelmed by greed too.

Unable to fight back, he embraced the darkness.

When he thought it was over, he found himself in a dark void, confronted by an orb—a strange, black bead. Memories of his mother surfaced. She had once told him about this mysterious artifact. The orb was him. It had resided in his mother, infecting her before his birth.

The orb was a rule, a force tied to misfortune. Everything that happened to him—every betrayal—was because of this orb, which meant it was because of him.

Anger consumed him. Why? Why? Why?

The orb urged him to wake up, but he refused. For what purpose? It wasn’t until the orb revealed a terrifying truth that he stirred.

"I never interfered with your family or friends. Their actions were their fate, their destiny."

At first, he denied it, clinging to his ideals. But the more he thought about it, the more the truth unraveled, breaking him.

Finally, the predator within was born.

"If this world is consumed by greed, I will devour it all. Purge it all. Kill them all. Villain? No, I am evil itself."

He awoke, no longer the man he once was, but a predator. The first thing he did was annihilate the village—every single person, innocent or not. Then he destroyed his planet, consumed it, and moved on.

"It’s been a long time, and we are suffering for it," the being finished, exhaling a heavy breath.

The rest of the audience felt a surge of emotions—pain, sadness, anger, and killing intent. The story was too much to bear. To realize that you were the cause of your own misery, to know your curse spared your friends, who betrayed you of their own free will, only to be betrayed again by your wife—for money.

Suddenly, a bone-chilling roar echoed across existence.

"ROAAAR... MOM!"

It was a sound drenched in pain, sadness, and rage. The predator’s voice reverberated throughout the cosmos.

"Quasi-Rank 7."

The being battling the predator froze. Any more attacks and he would die. The predator—the evil terror—had broken through to that realm.

The roar shattered everything, rippling through the cosmos, from the Void to the Archangels. All heard it, but the memory of it vanished, leaving only the remnants of the last battle. The predator disappeared, perhaps to devour others or pursue an unknown goal.

Thus, the terror, the Plague God, the God of Disaster, the Bearer of Misfortune, was gone—forgotten by those who once knew him.

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And we say goodbye to the year 2024