THE LAST PARAGON IN THE APOCALYPSEC477 The Strongest Entity On Earth
"First, we have to talk about the Zombies since they are the easiest to understand." Instructor Simon tapped on his tracker, and a projection appeared on the whiteboard.
"The Zombie species is made up of 69 different races. However, over the years, we have fought against them, and after countless battles, we managed to eradicate 39 of those races.
"You even participated in two of those battles: the Voltox Zombies and the DarkBlood Demon Zombies. It was a great feat worthy of reward. However, those are just the tip of the iceberg.
The true danger lies in the remaining races of Zombies. Currently, there are two factions of zombies, each led by an Overlord-level Zombie.
And while this might sound arrogant, these two Ascended are incredibly powerful, even more powerful than most of our own Overlords."
Klaus turned and looked at Nari, who was paying close attention to him.
"Looks like I have to make friends with these Zombies to deal with you, my little Nari," Klaus taunted. Nari, quick-tempered as ever, took the bait. A second later, a knock landed on Klaus's head.
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"Don't compare me to those creatures," Nari said as she moved to sit beside him.
"Tsk." Klaus just chuckled and turned back to the lecture.
"How powerful are they, Instructor Simon?" Klaus asked.
"Very powerful. However, while they may not be able to do everything themselves, the armies they command tell the real story.
You see, the Zombie species now has two factions. One is led by a Zombie Empress, and the other by a Zombie Emperor. Of course, these are the titles they chose for themselves; they don't necessarily reflect their actual power levels.
Still, the danger they pose is immense. Thankfully, humans don't have to worry about the Zombie Empress. We have a good relationship with her."
"Say what now?" Klaus's eyebrow shot up at the revelation.
The idea of humans having a relationship with Zombies was unheard of. Yet, in a strange way, Klaus wasn't shocked. It almost felt like he had expected something like that all along.
"Don't be alarmed. It's only natural for evolution to change things. Naturally, developments like this are bound to happen," Instructor Simon explained.
"At first, Zombies were just mindless savages, but as they evolved, they began to develop awareness—or at least, some of them did.
The faction that isn't as hostile to us humans is the Vampiric Faction. They are led by a Zombie Empress who has ensured that the nine factions under her, out of the 30 remaining, are far more grounded than the Demon Faction led by the other Overlord.
Right now, humans are at war with the Demon Faction. In fact, once you become a Sage, you will be deployed there for a few months to help defend the unions from these savages."
"I see. So does that mean the Zombies from the Vampiric Faction no longer harm humans?" Klaus asked.
"That was the agreement. In fact, they don't need to eat humans anymore since these Zombies only rely on blood to stay strong. In a way, they are much more relatable than the Demon Faction.
But that doesn't mean they aren't hostile toward our kind. They simply choose to remain on their side of the world while we stay on ours. It works for both sides.
However, the Demon Faction still eats humans and even goes to attack the various unions. We'll soon be in an all-out war with them if we're not careful. But for now, the Earth's warriors are ensuring that doesn't happen."
"Good to know. Another question, though—if there's only one Ascendent from the Demon Faction of the Zombie race, why haven't the Overlords taken care of them? I'm sure our dear old Nari here can handle them," Klaus asked teasingly.
"Whack."
"Stupid head, do you think those human-eaters are the only danger on Earth?" Nari smacked his head.
"Indeed, what Overlord Nari said is true. While there is only one Zombie Ascendent from the demon faction, several Ascendent monsters are hiding, waiting for humans to make a mistake.
You see, while there are both Good and Bad Zombies, there are also Good Beasts and Corrupted Beasts."
"Are you saying there are more Ascendent Beasts than what the humans have now?" Klaus could feel a headache coming on.
One might say that with Earth having 7 Ascendents and 1 Void Stage warriors, they should have already rid the planet of the monsters, but the reality is that the humans don't hold the power here.
In fact, humans can be considered the ones in danger in this scenario.
"There are dozens of monster and beast factions. In fact, if you know the number of Ascendent-level monsters and beasts, you'd start to wonder why the Earth hasn't been overrun yet."
Nari gave him a slight nod.
"Klaus, on Earth, the strongest aren't from the human race, the ice race, the water race, the zombie race, or the beast race.
"The strongest is from the Monster race, and when I say monsters, I mean those that haven't become true beasts because of their corrupted nature."
"How strong are we talking?" Klaus asked.
"Several times stronger than Big Sister Queenie," Nari answered this time. Instructor Simon nodded.
He was already aware that the humans had recorded their first Void Stage expert, and it was none other than Queenie, the leader of the overlords.
"I think I want to know more about this so-called strongest monster on Earth," Klaus said, subconsciously radiating battle intent. Nari and Instructor Simon smiled.
Normally, all those who knew about this monster would shudder in fear, but Klaus looked ecstatic. He seemed eager to go head-to-head with this monster.
'He is just like her. If not for her worrying about me, she would have long attacked that monster.' A picture of Klaus and Queenie appeared in her head as she giggled inwardly.
"As I said, there are monsters that can't become true beasts, so they choose the corrupted path and become savages. The strongest monster is a corrupted beast if you want to frame it that way.
However, while it's just a single monster, It has 12 subordinates that we know of, and they are all on the same level as the Overlords.
We don't really have a name for it, but for now, you can just call it the two-headed, 14-legged spider demon.
Yes, the strongest monster is a spider with 14 indestructible legs and two heads, each holding different powers."
"Fourteen legs that can't be chopped off and heads with two different powers. Sounds like a handful," Klaus muttered.
"Indeed. We are still gathering information on them, but so far, we only know of one ability: Poison Spray. It has a very potent poison that can melt anything it comes into contact with.
Also, under its command are 12 Ascendent-level monsters and several Transcendent-level monsters. In a way, we lack the firepower to handle them."
Somehow, deep within, Klaus could tell he would soon be facing this monster. He had to because, while on the surface, everything may seemed alright, the heavens had already made their move, and soon, different forms of danger would strike the Earth in ways nobody would expect.
A world housing a Paragon is a world destined to die.
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THE LAST PARAGON IN THE APOCALYPSEC478 Sudden Warning From The Senior
"I can't believe there's a monster that strong on Earth. Fourteen legs that can't be cut and two heads that hold different powers. I feel like this monster is the true definition of terror," Klaus muttered, walking beside Nari as they headed to the cafeteria after finishing the lectures with Instructor Simon.
"It's indeed very strong, but Big Sister Queenie said that when her mom and the Moonborns arrive on Earth, she'll go and kill it," Nari said with a proud smile.
"So she told you about her origin, huh?" Klaus asked.
"Of course! I'm her little sister; it's only natural for her to tell me things like this. She even told me about her twin sister. I can't believe Lady Ohema was her twin sister all this time."
"Lady Ohema, huh? But hey, why can't you believe she was her sister? Can't you tell by their resemblance?" Klaus asked.
Ohema, the owner of the Gold Reserve Bank, was known by everyone, yet none knew her as the twin sister of the strongest Overlord. That seemed strange.
"That's because the Lady Ohema I knew looks different," Nari replied, pulling up a picture of a blonde-haired beauty and showing it to Klaus, whose brow furrowed when he saw it.
"I guess her disguise abilities are that good," Klaus smiled.
Only recently did he see Ohema's true appearance, so he wasn't shocked when he saw her other disguise.
"I can't believe you've seduced both sisters. Just how shameless can you be?" Nari muttered as they walked side by side.
"Hey, it was you who pushed her toward the handsome me. Yes, Queenie told me it was your idea. Thank you, by the way.
But still, you made me meet her in the first place. And oh, having two beauties as my women is good. You should try it sometime," Klaus flashed a smug look at her.
"Shameless pervert."
"Don't worry, dear, I won't chase after you if you don't want me to. But keep making my life hard, and I might just claim you for myself," Klaus gave her a teasing smile.
"In your dreams."
"Indeed. In my dreams, I might get the chance to do things I can't do with you in—ouch!" Klaus wasn't even finished when a smack landed on the back of his head.
This action didn't escape the shocked eyes of the disciples, who watched the two walk toward the cafeteria like best friends.
"Be a lady and show some elegance, Nari. Sometimes, it seems like you don't have feelings at all. Why don't you know how to love and feel?" Klaus glared at her and sped up, walking ahead.
Deep inside, her heartbeat quickened when she heard Klaus's words. It might have come out a little harsh.
"Sorry I said those harsh words," Klaus said, returning to hold her hand.
For some reason, he regretted saying that. It wasn't the best choice of words to say to a lady who, indeed, doesn't know what love is. Klaus, however, didn't know that.
But the truth is, Nari may seem confident and even push Queenie toward Klaus. But the fact of the matter is, she herself doesn't know what love is.
Scratch that—she doesn't know what feelings are. The Peacock lady doesn't have feelings.
She was born that way, and had it not been for Queenie, who had been setting her straight long before the apocalypse descended, she would have long become like the monsters in the wild.
Naturally, she could burn a whole city but wouldn't feel a thing.
"It's my fault for hitting you. But if you don't say the right words next time, I'll smack you silly," Nari smiled, placing Klaus's hand on her shoulder.
[Brat, pay close attention to what I am about to say. No matter what happens, this lady cannot be allowed to break through to the next stage.]
[I'm not 100 percent sure, but I think she's a reincarnator. A very powerful one. Things might go bad for your world if she breaks through now.]
[Yes, like you. However, I am concerned about the type of person she was in her past life. I don't know for certain, but for some reason, I can't give you a random name that might add to your Karma.
I can only say she shouldn't break through to the next stage. Not just yet. I'll need to understand her more to know for sure.]
[She seems to lack empathy. For now, do things that make her heart skip a beat. Anytime her emotions flare, I'll be able to get closer to figuring her out.]
[It is indeed a bad idea. You might suffer since her emotions are almost nonexistent. In a way, you'll be teaching her how to feel, which will likely backfire on you in many ways. But you're doing it for a cause, and I'm sure you'll be alright.]
"Tsk." Klaus chuckled, knowing she would be a handful.
He could tell this was going to be very hard. But for now, he decided to play it cool and pretend she wasn't a threat to Earth. Once he became a Saint, he would start dealing with her.
Who knows? He might even be able to influence some of her feelings.
They continued their journey toward the cafeteria, with Nari's hand now resting on Klaus's shoulder, making the two of them look like old friends reunited after many years.
Are they dating?
Did they know each other before the apocalypse?
Is she his sister?
Questions upon questions rose in the minds of onlookers as they watched Klaus and Nari walk together. Even the instructors who knew who Nari was couldn't help but wonder the same things.
Far from the academy, Queenie, who had been standing atop a mountain for the past hour, sighed as she watched Klaus and Nari walking with their hands on each other's shoulders.
"I hope you succeed this time, Nari, because next time, I will be forced to put you down, and I do not want to kill my own sister."
After saying that, she vanished, heading toward the Northern Union, specifically Ross City. It was time for her to learn from her eldest sister.
Meanwhile, Nari and Klaus reached the cafeteria, where Hanna and Lily were already done with their lectures and having a bite.
Anna wasn't there yet. After finishing her Water Mage class earlier, Anna still had to attend Ice Mage class.
"Ladies," Klaus greeted, pulling out a chair for Nari, who gave him a look before sitting down.
"How were your first days?" Klaus asked.
"It went better than I'd hoped," Lily replied.
"Same here," Hanna added, agreeing with Lily.
"Do you have any plans for the day?" Klaus asked, hoping they didn't so he could drag them away and ditch Nari. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side.
"I have two duels in an hour," Lily replied. Read exclusive adventures at My Virtual Library Empire
"I have three today, three tomorrow, and four on Friday," Hanna said.
"Maybe you and big sister Nari should come and watch. We leave in 30," Hanna proposed, and Klaus sighed.
Thirty minutes later, they arrived at the Battlegrounds, where dozens of Arena were built.
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THE LAST PARAGON IN THE APOCALYPSEC479 To The Duels (1)
Klaus was currently seated with Nari, doing his best not to shout at the countless gazes directed at him. Clearly, everyone was curious about who he was and how he managed to have all these beauties by his side.
Of course, his answer would likely be along the lines of, "It's not my fault I'm handsome and awesome."
However, Klaus wasn't thinking about that at the moment. His mind was occupied with what the senior had told him.
He was struggling to wrap his head around the fact that Nari was essentially a ticking time bomb.
The revelation that she didn't have feelings was another thing he was trying hard to comprehend. The Nari he met at Stone Valley had been lively and pushy, but she had also shown emotions to some extent beyond those traits.
For fuck's sake, she was the one who helped Queenie navigate her feelings about whether she wanted to make advances toward him.
If anything, Queenie should have been the one who lacked feelings, empathy, and emotion. But to think that the lively Nari was the one without them? Klaus was blown away.
Then he remembered Queenie's case, where she couldn't recall her blood family after 24 hours. Klaus could tell something wasn't right, but he just didn't know what.
'Aah, what a headache. Does this have something to do with me? Because as far as I remember, Queenie, Lucy, Anna, and Hanna are somehow linked to me. Who's to say she isn't?'
Klaus exhaled and chose to focus on the duel. It was Lily's turn to fight.
Lily was ranked 10th, so naturally, she could challenge and be challenged. In this match, however, she was the one initiating the challenge.
Her opponent was also a swordsman, hailing from the Mason Great Clans. Ezekiel Blackson, the 4th ranker in the Southern Union during the Union Trials, was naturally confident in his abilities.
The two stepped into the arena, and like any third-rate villain, Ezekiel's behavior was vulgar.
"So, you're one of the sluts following Klaus around, huh?" Ezekiel said with a disdainful expression.
"If I were you, I'd stop following him and bury my face somewhere. Just being close to you makes me feel disgusted," he added, his words drawing attention from the spectators, who were there to watch and study their fellow disciples and potential opponents.
"I don't need to bury my face. I'm too beautiful for that—unlike you, who would lose a beauty contest to a baboon," Lily replied with a teasing smile.
The moment she delivered her retort, the crowd erupted in laughter. Lily might have been quiet before, but she grew a pair after tasting the Star Juice.
"Instructor, can we start so I can shut this bitch up?" Ezekiel snapped, his anger flaring like any predictable side character.
The instructor overseeing the duel sighed and started the match. He was no stranger to such exchanges between opponents.
"Die, bitch!" Ezekiel shouted, lunging at Lily in an attempt to end the battle quickly and secure his moment of glory.
Lily, however, stood still, calmly watching as Ezekiel charged toward her. His weapon thrust forward, aiming for a decisive strike, but she vanished before his blade could even graze Lily's armor.
Ezekiel's sword freely stabbed the air.
Suddenly, an agonizing cry echoed across the arena as Ezekiel was sent flying, landing outside the ring with a resounding thud.
In the spot where Ezekiel stood, Lily's slender legs touched the ground. She hadn't used any sword skills or technique.
She just used sheer speed to dodge Ezekiel's attack and land her own attack using her leg, breaking a few of his ribs in the process.
"The winner of the duel is Lily Felin. Congratulations, you have claimed the 9th rank on the outer disciple Ranking chart," the instructor announced with a small smile. Lily nodded and walked toward Ezekiel.
"Go train for another hundred years; maybe then you won't scream like a coward when I land another strike." With those words, she turned and walked toward Klaus, who welcomed her with the kiss he had promised.
The ladies around could only watch with jealous expressions.
However, they also seemed uneasy. Nobody saw when Lily moved or when she attacked. By the time they realized what had happened, it was already over.
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In truth, Lily saw Ezekiel's movements in slow motion. Klaus had given her three powerful techniques, two of which were designed to harness her wind affinity in ways even gods would envy.
She had begun cultivating the [Immortal Wind], transforming her core into a wind-type core. This had boosted her speed several times over.
But the real game-changer was the [One with the Wind] technique, meant for movement. She had just started cultivating its first form, allowing her to use the wind to move incredibly fast with minimal effort.
Ezekiel never stood a chance. Even a dozen of him wouldn't have been enough.
Lily and Anna had been pushing themselves relentlessly in their training, trying to catch up to Hanna. The results were already starting to show.
"You did well, Lily," Klaus said, patting her head. Her next opponent was ranked 7th on the chart, and from what she knew, this person was both a hater and a legacy. Naturally, she had to take her down.
Anna was ranked 8th, so Lily wouldn't challenge her. If she reached 3rd before Anna, she wouldn't contest her position. That was the agreement between them.
"Look, it's Hanna's turn," Lily said, pointing toward a particular arena.
A young man with short, dark hair and athletic features stepped onto the stage. In his grip was a spear, and the air around him was cold and freezing.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that he had the ice element and was a spearman.
He was the third ranker before Klaus and the new batch arrived.
This made him a veteran, and now he was here to claim the second spot since the previous first and second-rankers had chosen to climb the stairs, knowing they wouldn't be able to suppress Klaus.
In the past two weeks, 70% of the veterans had climbed the stairs, fully aware that the tasks given to them by their faction leaders were doomed to fail.
The outer section now has a new Overlord, and this Overlord was friends with a true Overlord of Earth. That fact alone instilled fear in everyone.
None of them wanted to provoke him. Their only options were to avoid him entirely or insult him secretly, praying he wouldn't find out.
Hanna walked toward the arena, her beauty drawing every gaze. Her blue hair had started to grow longer, cascading down her back, but that didn't get their attention.
Hanna's armor seemed almost alive, clinging to her like a second skin and accentuating her curves.
If she weren't Klaus, the madman's sister, suitors would already be lining up with proposals. But with the tiger prowling nearby, no one dared to make a move.
Klaus smiled as he watched his sister step into the arena.
"Damn, she's beautiful," Klaus laughed, only to be silenced by a smack to the back of his head.
"Pervert," Lily muttered, and Nari gave her a thumbs up.
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THE LAST PARAGON IN THE APOCALYPSEC480 To The Duels (2)
Hanna and Javier stepped into the arena, each ready for battle. One was defending her ranking, while the other sought to snatch it away.
"Little sister, you are Big Brother Klaus's sibling, so I won't make things hard for you. You can concede now and make things easier for the both of us," Javier said with a confident smirk.
Hanna used all her willpower to suppress the twitching at the corners of her lips. 'Little sister? Really?'
She was older than Klaus, her brother, so why was she suddenly the "little sister," while Klaus was now the "big brother"?
She glanced at Klaus, who was grinning at her with a teasing expression. Shaking her head, she turned back to Javier.
"I'm not that little. If you don't believe me, we can fight, and you'll see for yourself," Hanna replied, stepping into a fighting stance.
"Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you." Javier mirrored her, his spear exuding potent ice qi.
"Klaus, do you think Hanna can win? She doesn't know anything about her opponent," Lily asked, her voice tinged with worry.
If Hanna lost, she would have to swap her rank with Javier, who had recently risen to the 45th rank after defeating the previous holder just hours ago.
Now, he was aiming for the second spot. He was feeling confident because he felt like this new batch was not worth paying much attention to.
The only person they fear is Klaus.
"I don't know about the dude who's trying so hard not to be arrogant, but Big Sister will handle him in a way that'll make him think twice before challenging her again," Klaus said, unfazed.
He wasn't worried. Hanna had confided in him about the Lightning Seal within her soul sea and the benefits she had already begun to reap from it.
"START"
The instructor gave the order, and ten ice arcs immediately sliced out of Javier's spear, appearing in front of Hanna.
Javier followed swiftly, closing the distance and entering the attack zone the next second. However, before his attacks could land, a sharp whizzing filled the air, and Hanna reappeared four meters away.
The attacks struck her—but only on her afterimage, a flicker of lightning left in her wake.
"What?"
Javier was stunned but quickly recovered, spinning around to charge at Hanna again. This time, he unleashed a flurry of strikes, each one sending ice bullets hurtling toward her.
Yet, just as he prepared to land a decisive blow, Hanna vanished again, leaving behind another shimmering afterimage crackling with lightning.
"Looks like she's started to master the technique," Klaus muttered, a proud smile playing on his lips.
He had transferred a movement technique called [Lightning Steps] to her seven days ago, forgetting to give her one when he distributed the techniques the last time.
But he hadn't expected her to master it to this level so quickly. She was using the first form, [Afterimage Steps], to evade Javier's attacks effortlessly.
"Is she not going to use her bow?" Lily asked curiously.
Hanna, however, continued to dodge, moving gracefully away from Javier, who was growing visibly frustrated as his attacks failed to connect.
His irritation simmered, but in an effort to maintain his composed image, he refrained from lashing out.
His restraint turned out to be his mistake.
Hanna's next move stunned everyone.
After creating a distance between them, she parted her middle and index fingers, forming a V-shape. Then, as though pulling back the string of a slingshot, she drew in lightning, which instantly locked onto Javier.
"Lightning Slingshot." Her fingers cracked with blue lightning, "Exploding Bullets," the lightning bullet escaped the slingshot like a fired gun.
BOOM!
The lightning bullet that shot out from her makeshift lightning slingshot appeared in front of Javier in the blink of an eye.
But rather than piercing his body, Hanna snapped her fingers, and the bullet exploded into a three-meter-wide burst of crackling lightning.
Javier was blasted out of the arena, landing heavily with a few lightning burns marking his body.
"The winner of the duel is Hanna Kendrick. Congratulations! You have retained your rank and earned 1,000 Celestial Points for defending your position.
Challenger Javier Diego has dropped to level 47 after losing to Hanna Kendrick. You may challenge her again in two weeks."
Hanna gave Klaus a small smile before walking over.
"You did well, big sister. I never knew you'd dropped the bow and decided to take up the slingshot. What an unruly girl," Klaus joked, glancing at Nari, who was now holding onto Hanna.
The two women were part of the same team—two determined ladies set on reforming Klaus and steering him away from his shameless self.
In plain terms, they plan to make his life a living hell in order to force him to train instead of lazing around.
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"If I had used the bow, I might have accidentally killed him," Hanna replied calmly.
"Don't worry; this arena is designed so nobody can truly die. The Archmage who created it is a Transcendent with exceptional mastery over a field called Runic Magic.
Even if he's burned, as long as he's inside the arena, he won't die—unless you attack him outside," Nari explained, prompting Klaus to nod in understanding.
He wasn't surprised, considering he'd used a similar arena in his past life. Back then, Fruity had single-handedly challenged a hundred demons to quickly rise through the ranks and enter the Bloodline Awakening Trial.
Even if you died, you would simply respawn outside.
"Who are the next targets on your list?" Klaus asked.
"One is ranked 34, and the other is 28."
"Okay. Do well to win, big sis. Losing is not an option."
Klaus couldn't understand why nobody dared challenge him, especially since Nari wasn't the one who would fight on his behalf.
It was like they all thought he would fight with Nari on his team or assumed Nari would fight for him. Long story short, they are not challenging him.
Twenty minutes later, Lily won her next match, pushing her to the 7th rank after defeating Madison—a legacy from the Southern Union who hated Klaus for obvious reasons.
Hanna also secured a victory in her second match, which lasted only a few seconds. Her opponent, who was also a bow user, failed to land even a single arrow. In the end, Hanna delivered a powerful blow to his ribs, sending him flying.
Two hours later, Klaus's other friends arrived for their duels.
"Anna, who will you be battling today?" Klaus asked. Feeling increasingly bored, he wanted something exciting to stir his mood.
"I challenge Ruby, the so-called Ice Princess from the Ice Union," Anna responded with a frown. For some reason, the title annoyed her deeply.
It felt personal—so much so that she was determined to defeat Ruby before the girl could become widely known by that title.
"I like the spirit. Go kick her butt and claim your rightful title as the Ice Princess. It'll suit you perfectly," Klaus said, giving her a playful wink.
In his past life as Fruity, he had been infatuated with an Ice Princess to the extent that he sneaked onto the carriage his Uncle Monks were using to transport goods to the city—just for a chance to meet her.
Ultimately, their meeting was brief, after which his life turned upside down. He didn't know when—or if—she would recover her memories, but he hoped Anna would claim the title in this life, too.
"Then I'll be going now. I need to put that bitch in her place," Anna declared, walking away clad in the ice-green armor Nadia had crafted for her.
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THE LAST PARAGON IN THE APOCALYPSEC481 The True Ice Princess (1)
Watching Anna leave, Klaus couldn't help but recall his past life as Fruity, the renegade monk. He had only met the Ice Princess once, and it had been a fleeting encounter.
After that meeting, his life had turned upside down. So far, he couldn't remember enough to know whether they ever crossed paths again or if that single moment was all they shared.
Although he wasn't sure if Anna was her reincarnation, he knew one thing: if he couldn't have her in his past life, at least he had someone who looked like her in this one.
That would be enough, especially if he ever saw her again in one of his memories. For now, though, he could only focus on the present and be content with what he had.
'I really hope this is you, my Ice Princess,' Klaus thought inwardly.
Anna entered the arena holding her magic staff. Her opponent, Ruby, also stepped in, gripping her staff tightly. Both radiated ice Qi, their eyes locked in a fierce stare.
The arena seemed to freeze over with the cold aura emanating from the two combatants.
"Who are they?" a veteran disciple asked.
"The one in green armor is Anna Ross. She's from the Northern Union and the younger sister of the Wood Queen—Klaus's girlfriend."
"And the blue-haired beauty?"
"She's Ruby, a genius from the Ice Union. Among the new disciples who use ice, she's the only one who has awakened her Ice Element.
"That means she's likely to win this match easily since Anna hasn't awakened hers yet. Ruby even defeated Gideon, and he's already awakened his Ice element."
The two veterans continued their discussion while, in the arena, Ruby—known for her arrogance born from her exceptional talent—decided to open the match with some classic insults.
"I heard you are one of the sluts parading around with Klaus Hanson," Ruby commented, expecting Anna to fire back. But Anna said nothing and continued to stare at her.
"Can't talk, huh? I guess I'll have to defeat you and push you down the chart. Maybe that will knock some sense into you and make you realize not everyone beside him is worthy of being noticed."
"Oh, so you're jealous Klaus isn't paying attention to you. Now I remember—you're one of those legacies who think they're better than everyone else," Anna replied calmly.
"Hmm. Don't worry, Klaus doesn't like bitches like you. But even if he did, after I drag your face through the mud, he'll wipe that thought right out of his head.
"And just because you've awakened your ice element doesn't mean you're unbeatable. But don't worry, I'll go easy on you. Fragile creatures like you tend to break easily," Anna added, deliberately holding back her more profane insults.
Her words seemed to strike a nerve in Ruby. But before Ruby could retort, Anna gestured for the instructor to begin.
"You can start now, Instructor. If we keep paying attention to this nonsense for too long, I'm afraid our brains might freeze for no reason."
"Begin,"
The instructor gave the order, clearly uninterested in hearing more of their bickering.
"Ice Bullets!" Ruby waved her staff, sending shards of ice shooting down at Anna.
"Water Wall," Anna countered, summoning a water barrier around her.
The icy projectiles melted upon contact, their force dissipating harmlessly. This was just the opening stage of their battle—a simple display of elemental manipulation.
Both fighters were merely testing the waters, manipulating their elements as they saw fit. Neither had unleashed their full power yet, preferring to gauge each other's skills first.
However, this could only last so long. The longer they spent on minor attacks, the more energy they wasted.
"Call of the Morning Ice: Ice Shard!" Ruby invoked one of her ice mage spells. A massive shard of ice, nearly three meters long, materialized in midair.
"You claim you'll drag my face through the mud; why don't you defend against this?" Ruby taunted, sweeping her staff forward.
The ice shard shot toward Anna with deadly speed. But Anna didn't stand idle. Instead, she tapped into her water element, ignoring ice entirely, and began to chant her own spell.
"Rising Tide: Water Serpent!" Anna chanted, her voice steady.
The water around her surged upward, forming into the shape of a massive serpent. The serpent coiled and roared, its liquid body glistening under the sunlight.
The Ice Shard raced toward her, but the serpent struck with precision. Its powerful jaws clamped down on the shard, shattering it into countless fragments that melted instantly within its watery form.
"From the ice I call, may thy call be heeded: Rise, Scorpio!" Ruby chanted, her voice cold.
A cold mist swirled around her as the air crackled with icy energy.
Slowly, a massive scorpion-like creature began to form from the ice, its claws sharp and gleaming, its tail curved menacingly with a frozen stinger.
Ruby's expression hardened. She had underestimated Anna, but no more.
Seeing Anna effortlessly using her water element to nullify her attack felt like an insult. They are both Ice Mages, but Anna was using the water element instead.
That is a plain disrespect.
"You think you're better just because you can wield water too?" Ruby hissed. "Let's see how you handle this!"
Anna remained calm, her gaze fixed on the towering ice scorpion.
The scorpion screeched and lunged toward Anna, its massive claws crashing down. Anna stepped back. She channeled her water element once more, summoning streams of water to weave around her.
"Torrent Cage!" she shouted, raising her staff.
The water spiraled upward, forming a dome-like barrier. The scorpion's claw struck the cage, causing a shockwave of icy mist and splashing water. The cage held, rippling but intact. Experience more tales on My Virtual Library Empire
Ruby smirked. "Let's see how long you can keep that up." She pointed her staff, and the scorpion lunged again, its stinger striking with deadly precision.
The cage held firm, but the scorpion continued its relentless strikes. Each blow was aimed at breaking through the dome and reaching its target.
Anna focused her water qi inside the dome, reinforcing the barrier. A small smirk played on her lips.
'You think I'll fall for your tricks,' she thought, her confidence steady. She knew better than to get careless. Losing focus just to show off would be a mistake.
Anna had done her homework.
She had someone gather information about Ruby's previous match. The report confirmed that Ruby hadn't used any powerful spells to defeat her opponent. This could only mean one thing—Ruby was hiding her true strength.
Anna had a variety of spells at her disposal, but her spiritual qi was limited. She couldn't afford to waste energy on flashy attacks. Instead, she stayed calm, countering Ruby's efforts with minimal effort.
Fifteen minutes passed. Despite the scorpion's persistent attacks, the water dome remained unbroken. Frustration flickered in Ruby's eyes. She had had enough.
Raising her staff high, she channeled her energy. Her ice began to glow an ocean-blue hue, radiating a chilling aura. The temperature in the arena dropped sharply, and frost spread across the ground, freezing everything it touched.
The air crackled as Ruby spoke, her voice cold and sharp.
"Awakened Ice: Frost Sovereign."
A wave of energy burst from her staff, and the arena was plunged into a frozen storm. Her awakened ice element was now fully unleashed.
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THE LAST PARAGON IN THE APOCALYPSEC482 The True Ice Princess (2)
Immediately, she activated her Ice, and the entire arena and Anna's water dome were frozen solid. But it didn't stop there; the other arena beside theirs began to be affected, causing the ongoing battles to be halted.
"You may be arrogant, thinking your water can counter my ice, but you underestimate me, bitch. I have awakened my ice, and it's the Frost Sovereign."
"Now feel my ice."
"Heed my call and answer thy master, Ice Lizard," Ruby spoke her spell, and immediately, a 5-meter-long lizard made of blue ice appeared, radiating an ice-cold, freezing qi.
"Go."
The lizard lunged at the ice dome, ready to slam Anna to the ground. The ground began shaking as the Lizard charged at the frozen dome.
However, a chilling voice spoke from within just when the lizard was a meter away from the dome.
"Eternal Ice: Ice Possession, take over thy foe." A spell circle appeared beneath the lizard, causing it to stop in its tracks.
Ruby, who was commanding the lizard, frowned. She had lost connection with it. This could mean only one thing: Anna had taken possession of her ice lizard.
To confirm it, the lizard turned around and faced her.
"You can have your toy back. Charge!" Anna commanded, and like a brute, the lizard charged forward, sending the attack back at its master.
"Bitch, you dare?" Ruby's eyes narrowed, radiating coldness. She raised her staff and activated ice spears, which decimated the lizard before it could get within a meter of her.
Then she charged forward, stabbing her spear at the ice dome.
Anna smirked as she watched Ruby charge forward at her. She knew she shouldn't underestimate her ice, but she also didn't want to look weak even though her own ice hadn't awakened yet.
But as Klaus's woman, she had to show some finesse, so she waited for her to draw near. She focused on the ice dome, feeling the energy within it.
"Let's see how you handle this," Anna muttered to herself.
The ice began to crack, building pressure from within. Runy was speeding toward her when suddenly...
"Boom!" Anna shouted.
In an instant, the dome exploded, sending shards of ice flying outward. The force blasted Ruby off her feet, sending her flying back across the arena.
Ruby landed hard, sliding across the ground, but she quickly regained her footing, her eyes full of fury.
Inside the spectator area, Klaus, Nari, and the others continued to watch Anna's battle with great interest.
"I think Anna will win, seeing as she has the upper hand even without using any powerful spells yet," Lily said, watching her friend and sister with a happy smile.
"You are underestimating her opponent, Lily. So far, she has only used two strong spells, but her energy level hasn't dropped yet. I'm afraid Anna might lose this battle," Klaus said.
With his eye of malevolence, she could see the energy level of an opponent, and right now, he could tell Ruby was still packing too much punch for her size.
Watching as Anna raised her staff and unleashed a barrage of ice shards, Klaus could only smile and hope she realized her opponent had hidden her strength pretty well.
Ruby defended against the attack and unleashed her own. However, Anna also defended it.
Suddenly, Ruby activated a spell that immediately changed everything for Anna.
"From my essence, let the frost weave and form ice shadows to mirror my might. Ice Clones!" A spell circle appeared behind Ruby, causing the already freezing arena to grow even colder.
Three ocean-blue replicas of Ruby appeared. However, instead of wielding staffs, one held a bow, another a sword, and the last a dagger.
"Show your powers," Ruby said, bursting into resounding laughter as her three clones charged at Anna.
"Winds of the frozen north, heed my call—unleash your fury upon my foes: Cryo Tempest!"
Anna finally got serious as she unleashed a spell that instantly conjured a massive snowstorm and icy gales, creating hazardous terrain in the Arena.
The storm pushed back the clones charging at her, but the one wielding the dagger managed to pass through.
"Ice Rhino!" Anna unleashed the first skill Klaus had given her. A four-meter-tall rhino made of ice appeared and charged at the two clones.
Another rhino appeared and charged at Ruby.
However, just as Anna was about to summon a new one, the dagger-wielding clone appeared behind her and thrust the dagger forward.
Luckily, Anna was ready for something like that, and since the rhino had taken Ruby's attention off controlling her Ice clones. This momentarily delayed the clone's attack, giving Anna a chance to defend.
Anna stabbed her staff at the clone backward, destroying it.
At the same time, the sword- and bow-wielding clones were also destroyed. But the two rhinos perished as well.
"Futile," Ruby sneered. At the same time, the spell circle behind her glowed, and six clones appeared.
Two wielded swords, two bows, and two daggers.
Ruby sneered.
"All you have to do is destroy these clones, and their numbers will only increase. Keep destroying them, and more will come. Let's see how long you can hold on." Her laughter echoed across the arena.
Then, the clones began their assault. The two wielding bows fired ice arrows while the sword-wielding ones charged into action. The dagger-wielders, however, circled menacingly, looking for an opening.
This spell was like having different forms of clones that could be controlled with the mind. However, Ruby's version was slightly different.
Her clones performed preset actions dictated by the spell, but she still had to control their movements manually. Explore new worlds at My Virtual Library Empire
This adjustment significantly reduced the mental strain on Ruby, but the pressure would increase as the number of clones multiplied.
All Anna had to do was keep destroying them, and eventually, Ruby would be forced to stop using the spell. But doing so would require Anna to go all out, and at the moment, her ice abilities were far weaker than Ruby's.
However, Anna had something Ruby didn't. Thanks to Klaus's generosity, she possessed a powerful cultivation technique.
In addition to that, she had a vast arsenal of spells—hundreds of them. With enough Qi, she could unleash utter devastation on the battlefield.
The only thing holding her back was her lack of Star Qi. She was halfway there but still fell short. Meanwhile, Ruby was at the third level of core formation, making the gap between them even more apparent.
Naturally, Anna stood little chance. In terms of ice potency, she was outmatched. In terms of stamina, she fell short again. But in terms of spells, she had the upper hand with her vast array of techniques.
And so, Anna decided to rely on her spells, tapping into her arsenal and hoping for the best.
She began by raising a crystal barrier around herself. Ruby responded in kind.
"By the whispers of winter and the ice's edge, let the frost shards take flight: Frostbound Arrowcraft."
A two-layered spell circle appeared behind Anna, mirroring the one behind Ruby. But instead of clones, two-meter-long ice spears materialized and began raining down.
The clones were quickly decimated, but more emerged to take their place, multiplying their numbers.
"Hahaha, let's see how long you can keep this up, slut," Ruby sneered again.
This time, Anna's anger flared.
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THE LAST PARAGON IN THE APOCALYPSEC483 The True Ice Princess (3)
"Oh my god, is this just a ranked battle or a fight to the death?" a disciple exclaimed, shivering from the cold that spread far and wide.
"Don't you know? The two are like mortal enemies. From what I've heard, both are referred to as the Ice Princess within their respective Unions. But there can only be one Ice Princess."
"So, this is a battle to determine who becomes the True Ice Princess?"
"Exactly. While it might look like a Ranked Match to everyone else, it's really a battle for the title."
"Too bad they'll never be friends. If they worked together, this world could have two powerful Ice Mages to rely on."
"Indeed. But that's also what makes this so exciting."
All around, disciples murmured about the chilling battle that had turned the arena into a frozen wasteland. More and more of them gathered as they felt the bone-chilling cold emanating from the arena.
Klaus watched calmly, his eyes fixed on Anna as she struggled to maintain her spell. Now entirely frozen, the arena was littered with the remains of dozens of clones, which died and respawned in an endless cycle.
Whenever a clone perished, two more would take its place.
Because Anna wasn't holding back, the battlefield was teeming with over 12 sword-wielding clones, 12 bow-wielding clones firing ice arrows, and 12 dagger-wielding clones circling like predators.
Anna was encased in a crystal dome, her primary defense. Ruby stood opposite her, surrounded by a similar dome, a small smirk playing on her lips.
It had become a battle of attrition. Whoever ran out of energy first would lose. Anna was running low, but Ruby wasn't faring much better.
Still, Anna was far from defeat. She continued summoning spears, making her spell circle relentlessly rained down spears.
"Ice Rhino," Anna called out, unleashing the juggernaut to shatter Ruby's dome and create an opening for her spears. However, a massive scorpion appeared, intercepting the rhino and destroying it.
Another rhino was summoned, but the outcome remained the same.
"Just give up. With my Ice element awakened, I need only a fraction of the energy to cast my spells. You never stood a chance," Ruby said, her smile widening.
She aimed to provoke Anna, hoping to make her lose focus.
But Anna was no stranger to such tactics. Her experience leading Klaus's friends through forbidden zones and the trials in Oracle had taught her the value of keeping her composure.
"The winner hasn't been decided yet. And be careful—losing after awakening your Ice element won't look good on your record," Anna retorted with a calm smile.
She knew when to strike back with words. Her taunt hit its mark—Ruby's grip on her emotions was far from steady, though she was undeniably stronger.
"Let's see how long you can keep this up," Ruby said, her smirk fading as she waved her staff, summoning ten scorpions at once.
"Die, bitch!" Ruby snarled as the scorpions, accompanied by her clones, surged toward Anna.
In response, Anna increased the rate at which her spears shot forth. She also summoned five massive rhinos, hoping to turn the tide.
"Big Sister Nari, do you think Anna will win?" Lily asked worriedly.
She and Anna had made a pact: Anna would challenge the fourth ranker, Ruby, since she was a mage, while Lily would take on the third ranker.
The plan was crafted because both Lily and Mason Cole, the third ranker, used the wind element. However, Mason fought with a spear while Lily wielded a sword.
He was called the fastest among the younger generation, but Lily didn't believe it. She was determined to claim that title for herself.
Yet, seeing Anna struggling and possibly on the verge of losing, she sought reassurance from an expert.
Unfortunately for her, she asked the wrong one.
"She'll lose. Judging by how pale she's getting and that her opponent has awakened her Ice element, it's a miracle she hasn't passed out yet. Don't pin your hopes on her," Nari replied with a calm expression, her tone matter-of-fact and resolute.
Lily clenched her fists upon hearing the raw truth. Klaus could only shake his head at her painful yet honest take on the battle unfolding in the Arena.
"Nari, next time, don't answer questions like that. You could have sugarcoated it a little," Klaus said, starting to understand why the senior said she lacked empathy.
The battle continued for a while, with only one ending in sight—Anna's defeat. The fight had reached its climax, and Anna was turning pale—but so was Ruby.
"I have to hand it to you, slut, but you don't have what it takes to be called the Ice Princess. There can only be one Ice Princess, and that's me," Ruby sneered, unleashing another spell that sent dozens of ice bombs hurtling toward Anna.
"Now die, bitch."
The bombs exploded, encasing Anna in a frost-covered prison that rose several feet into the air.
Everyone gasped at the devastating power of the attack. The thick, icy structure enveloped Anna completely, blocking her from view. It was so dense that no one doubted Anna had been defeated.
There was no coming back from that—or so it seemed.
The next moment shocked everyone. A voice echoed from within the icy fortress, a voice so chilling that, as it resonated, Ruby felt her body freeze with terror.
And it wasn't just her—everyone in the arena began to feel the chill. Even Nari subconsciously started exuding her fire, warming herself and the ladies around her.
On the other hand, Klaus held a faint smile on his face, a smile that seemed to carry countless emotions buried deep within.
From the arena, Anna spoke.
"You are right, Ruby. There can only be one Ice Princess, and that is me."
Crack.
The ice structure encasing Anna splintered and then shattered, sending an icy mist spiraling into the air. When the mist cleared, an otherworldly beauty emerged, her features regal and striking—truly befitting a princess.
She was Anna but far more radiant. Her whitish-green hair cascaded down her back, nearly touching the ground.
"Ice Princess Manifestation: Ice Staff Blast," Anna declared, activating a spell. Behind her, a towering manifestation—a mirror image of herself—appeared, clutching a staff forged of pure ice.
The ethereal figure raised the staff high and slammed it into the ground. A powerful explosion erupted, hurling Ruby out of the arena.
Yet the devastation did not stop there—the entire 13-kilometer-wide arena was engulfed in a frozen blast, encasing everything in ice.
Still, it wasn't enough. The glasses blocking the spectators' rooms froze and started to crack. Every disciple inside shivered as a chilling cold traveled down their spines.
Fortunately, Nari acted swiftly. A wave of fire qi swept across the arena, melting the ice around the spectators' area. However, her flames were unable to affect the ice within the arena itself.
Klaus, who had been seated, suddenly felt a connection form within him. In an instant, as if through teleportation, he appeared before Anna.
Klaus immediately held Anna's hand, knowing she was about to pass out. Anna looked back at her, and a small smile appeared on her face before her eyes rolled and passed out.
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However, before passing out, she called out a name that made Klaus's emotions flare.
"Fruity..."
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THE LAST PARAGON IN THE APOCALYPSEC484 : New Ability, Teleportation
"Ahh!" Klaus screamed, jumping down from his bed.
"Nari, what are you doing?" he asked, staring wide-eyed at Nari, who stood with fire coiling around her arm, her gaze fixed on him as if he'd done something wrong.
It had been five days since the battle between Anna and Ruby. Over those days, Klaus had spent most of his energy healing Anna, who had remained unconscious for four days.
She had suffered a backlash from her final attack during the duel, forcing Klaus to use his superior energy—Star Qi—to heal her. He had worked tirelessly for four days straight, only stopping when she finally woke up.
Exhausted, he'd come back to his room to rest, only to wake up to the sight of Nari crazily looking at him while he slept. The look in her eyes wasn't friendly at all.
"Calm down. I was just checking to see if you were still alive," Nari replied, her expression unbothered and vaguely righteous.
"I'm fine. Now, can you put the fire away?" Klaus said warily.
He wasn't entirely sure why she was staring daggers at his sleeping face, but one thing was certain—if he hadn't woken up when he did, he probably would have regretted it.
"A new rule: never stare at someone while they're sleeping. It's creepy," Klaus muttered as he shuffled into the bathroom.
"Tsk, what an uptight person," Nari huffed, crossing her arms. "I guess I made the right choice pairing him with Big Sister—they're both uptight."
Minutes later, Klaus walked out and started dressing.
"Hey, Klaus, what are those tattoos on your back? Every time I see them, they seem to change somehow," Nari asked, moving closer to him and brushing her fingers across the tattoos on his back.
"They're not normal tattoos, that's all I can say. And please, stop brushing your hands on my back. Also, go put some clothes on; nobody wants to stare at you half-naked all day," Klaus replied, hurriedly putting on his clothes.
"I'm going to visit Anna now." Before Nari could protest, Klaus vanished from the room, leaving her gritting her teeth.
"What a hateful brat. Ah, I'll get him in his sleep tonight," Nari muttered before entering the bathroom.
Klaus reappeared at Anna's apartment, where Hanna, Lily, and Lucy tended to her while he was asleep. He stood outside the room momentarily, sighed, and let a small smile cross his face before stepping inside.
When Anna used her final move during the duel, something strange happened to Klaus. The Paragon Mark, which had been dormant for a while, suddenly activated a new ability: teleportation.
So far, he had only used this ability to teleport near Anna. Despite not having the Paragon Mark, he could teleport within 100 meters of her.
He racked his brain for a possible explanation, but nothing made sense. He hadn't had sex with Anna yet, so she shouldn't possess the Paragon Mark.
This meant she couldn't use telepathic communication or benefit from the other perks associated with the mark.
Yet, he was able to use Anna as an anchor for teleportation. Naturally, he sensed three other anchors, which was expected since he had already been intimate with them.
With Anna, however, he had not crossed that threshold, meaning she shouldn't function as an anchor. Klaus knew it wouldn't be that simple, so he continued puzzling over the anomaly until the answer finally clicked.
The fact that he hadn't had sex with Anna in this life didn't mean it hadn't happened in his past one. This could only mean that Anna became an anchor and awakened this ability for him because they had been intimate somewhere in the past.
It also meant Fruity wasn't the monk Klaus had thought him to be.
"That old bastard," Klaus muttered with a smirk as he walked into the room where Lucy, Lily, Hanna, and Anna were chatting.
"Ladies," Klaus called out, prompting three of them to leap toward him.
"It's good to see you're doing well, Anna," Klaus said, holding her close.
The past few days had been dark for him. According to the healers, she had suffered from severe qi deprivation, and they estimated it would take her months to wake up.
Fortunately, the senior had found a way. This accelerated her recovery significantly by tapping into Klaus's infinite expanse of Star Qi.
"Thank you, Klaus. Whatever you did to me, I feel stronger. I've even advanced to the third stage. Just one more, and I'll become a Saint!" Anna said with a determined smile.
"Congratulations, Anna," Klaus said, kissing her cheek.
"Ruby has declared she will challenge me again in two weeks," Anna muttered with a slight smirk. "Next time, I will indeed drag her face through the mud," she added, puffing her chest proudly.
"Yeah, well, take it easy on her. She might lose it if she gets defeated again," Klaus replied, smiling before turning to Lily.
"I heard the third ranker challenged me before you got the chance to face him. Don't worry, I'll defeat him and push him down two levels. This will make Anna the third ranker. Then you can challenge him and take the fifth spot."
"Okay," Lily sighed.
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"Of course, if you can defeat Paula, the summoner girl, you can go for the fourth-ranked. That would also be good."
"She has one Tier 7 and three Tier 6 intelligent monsters under her command. I don't think I can handle her," Lily replied.
"She challenged me yesterday. I'll wait until you reach fifth before defeating her. That way, you'll climb to fourth. But after two weeks, she'll probably rechallenge you," Hanna said casually.
"Don't worry; in two weeks' time, I'll make sure you two are prepared to handle anything," Klaus said in a tone that only Lucy seemed to understand. It made her blush slightly.
"Lily, let's give these two lovebirds some alone time," Anna teased as she dragged Lily and Hanna away, leaving Klaus and Lucy alone in the room.
"Finally, some alone time," Lucy said, jumping on Klaus. It took just a few minutes for their clothes to come undone.
Soon, Klaus Paragon Rod entered her body and began thrusting.
Her sweet moans filled the room. Klaus hadn't had much time on his hands during the two weeks they spent together, so now that she was around, he could only use the time to have fun.
Lucy, who hadn't had Klaus touch for months, has been hungry for his divine rod since arriving in the academy. So now that he had some time with him, she wouldn't let him go for the next 8 hours.
In the end, the two fell asleep after the intense bonding session. Klaus, who seemed to have been cursed to fall asleep, easily entered a deep state of sleep, only waking up the next day when he felt Lucy's lips around his dragon.
After exchanging greetings, they resumed their bonding session for another three hours until it was time for both of them to go to class.
Klaus left for Spirit Master Class, and Lucy returned to the Inner Section with a satisfied smile, which made a certain Dagger Queen jealous, forcing her to gather the courage and take the next step with Klaus.
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THE LAST PARAGON IN THE APOCALYPSEC485 : Let Him Cook
"You look happy. Tell me, what happened?" Nia asked immediately as Lucy appeared in her apartment in the Inner Section.
"Oh, it's nothing," Lucy giggled and entered her room. She wasn't about to tell Nia about her freaking time with Klaus. If Nia wanted to know, she could find out herself.
"I think something happened between them. Wait, did she do 'that' with him?" Her cheeks turned deep red as she said that.
She had spent a day with Klaus during their two weeks together after he arrived at the academy. In those 24 hours, she got to know him better, and Klaus had also focused on understanding her more.
Since his ladies had already welcomed her into the fold, it was only natural for the two of them to get along. However, they never went beyond kissing.
Klaus didn't want to rush into anything. He wanted to know more about her first.
He wasn't sure where this obsession of his had come from, but he was increasingly inclined to understand the women he was interested in before taking the relationship further.
He had done the same with Aoi and Lulu, who were delighted to learn more about him. In the end, he told them not to rush things.
Although they hadn't consummated their relationship, he assured them he recognized them as his women.
This filled them with great happiness. But seeing Lucy cheerful and humming some tunes, Nia was tempted to get to the bottom of it.
Thus, she decided to torment Lucy for the next few days to uncover what had happened during Lucy's "marathon" with Klaus.
***
Klaus, on the other hand, attended the Spirit Master class, which turned out to be more informative than he had expected.
Although he had low expectations going in, he found the theories they explained to be fascinating. This piqued his interest and made him want to visit the library for further research.
From what he learned in the class, Spirit Masters focused primarily on the mind and soul—something he was already familiar with.
However, he also discovered that Spirit Mastery extends beyond just the mind and soul; it also emphasizes the importance of the heart.
According to the teachings, without a stable heart, one risks losing control over their weapons during combat.
He consulted with the senior, who advised him to rely on his world knowledge and conduct his research. In other words, the senior encouraged him to become a dedicated student and avoid seeking shortcuts.
After leaving the library, Klaus ran into his friends, who were heading toward the Arena for their duels.
Everyone wanted to top the charts, so they were busy strategizing on defeating their opponents and claiming their positions.
"Daniel, you're up first," Klaus said as they sat in the spectator's room. Today, he, too, would be fighting Mason Cole.
Mason had accused Klaus of using Nari to intimidate others, so he planned to challenge Klaus and show everyone that he was a nobody.
Daniel stood up, slinging his massive hammer over his shoulder as he walked toward the Arena. It was his first battle, and he was determined to leave a lasting impression on the souls of everyone watching.
The opponent Daniel had challenged was ranked 21st. Unlike Anna and Lily, Daniel wasn't particularly ambitious.
He didn't care much about climbing the ranks but wanted to make an impact. With his hammer, he intended to prove that he wasn't weak.
Of course, his ultimate goal was to break into the top 20.
His opponent, Fredrick, was a mage specializing in earth magic. The two seemed destined to clash.
"My name is Daniel. I'll give you a chance to surrender now because things will get ugly for you if you don't.
There's no shame in admitting defeat when you know you can't win," Daniel said arrogantly, standing tall with confidence.
"Just because you're friends with Klaus doesn't make you a monster like him," Fredrick shot back, gripping his staff tightly.
"You're right—I'm not Klaus. But that doesn't change anything. Step back now while you still can."
"Over my dead body," Fredrick growled, taking a firm stance that made it clear he was done talking.
"Your choice," Daniel replied as he swung his hammer to the ground, sending a tremor through the arena.
Fredrick's eyes narrowed at the heavy thud, a bad premonition settling in his gut before the fight began.
"Are you two ready?" The instructor asked.
""Yes""
They both answered.
"You may begin the duel."
Immediately, the instructor gave the order; Daniel leaped high into the air, his hammer raised. Knowing what was coming, Fredrick quickly raised four layers of earth defense and shielded himself.
"Futile attempt," Daniel muttered as his hammer tripled in size, its weight multiplying by five. Then, like a demon's weapon, the massive hammer ignited in flames.
"Let him cook!" Sitting among the spectators, Klaus shouted just as Daniel descended with his devastating attack.
"Let him cook! I said, let him—Boom!"
A powerful explosion shook the arena as Daniel's hammer smashed through the earth's defenses. The barrier shattered, and Fredrick, hidden within his protective dome, was launched like a cannonball, hurtling out of the arena.
Fortunately, he wouldn't die; the arena's defenses had been reinforced after Anna's duel with Ruby.
However, that didn't stop the arena itself from sustaining significant damage. It would be out of commission for a few days before being usable again.
Daniel's attack completely destroyed the Arena, taking it out of commission for a few days.
Everybody who witnesses the violent attack seems to have taken in yet another monster on Klaus's side.
Daniel walked out of the Arena like a mountain barbarian with his Hammer back on his shoulder.
In a room somewhere within the arena, Head Instructor Victor watched a projection of the battle, showing Daniel walking away from the wreckage. He let out a heavy sigh.
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"Just Grandmasters, and they're already this strong. What kind of monsters did we admit into the academy this year?"
Three more arenas were destroyed a few hours later after Danny and Miguel defeated their opponents.
Klaus gave Miguel a technique, but he wrote it down on paper before handing it over.
He wasn't sure what kind of person Miguel was at heart, but from what he had seen over the past few weeks, spending time with him and his friends, he knew Miguel was a good person.
Klaus wasn't ready to make him part of his inner circle just yet. He still had some reservations, but he trusted his intuition. Based on what he sensed from Miguel, Klaus knew he was someone he could trust.
More and more battles took place until, finally, it was the one everyone had been waiting for.
Mason Cole challenged him instead of Hanna. He was an ambitious bastard who couldn't gauge his opponent's strength.
Klaus walked to the arena, standing face-to-face with the dark-haired, henpecked boyfriend of a legacy. Klaus looked at him for a few more seconds before smiling.
"What are you smiling about, bastard?" Mason asked with a frown. He can feel Klaus wasn't taking him seriously.
"Not much. I just have one question for you," Klaus said. "Are you doing this because you think you can defeat me, or is it because you're following the direction of the legacies?"
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THE LAST PARAGON IN THE APOCALYPSEC486 Klaus vs Mason
"That is none of your business," Mason said, brushing off the question.
"But it is my business," Klaus replied.
"You see when facing an opponent, you must understand their motivation and how best to deal with them. I would have gone easy on you if you had said this was your own decision. However, you're just another henpecked boyfriend the so-called legacies are relying on. What a pity."
"Such talent, and you choose to bow down to some nobodies just because they promised you their daughter. Truly a pity. But don't worry, I will show you how insignificant you are.
"When I'm done with you, the idea of being that stupid will be wiped out of your brain."
The others listening felt a chill run down their spines as Klaus spoke. The thought of being used simply because of unknown grievances with him made no sense.
In truth, Klaus didn't understand where their hatred was coming from.
He had only clashed with the legacies from the Northern Union, so why were the legacies from the Southern Union also targeting him?
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He couldn't comprehend their actions. He wasn't the kind of person to go around provoking others for no reason, so why were they coming after him without cause?
"Instructor, you can begin," Klaus said firmly. He figured this would be a good way to show these so-called legacies and their lackeys that he was no pushover.
'I can't kill him, but I can show him what real terror feels like,' he thought.
"Begin"
The instructor gave the command, and the two sprang into action.
Mason immediately lunged forward, appearing in front of Klaus in the blink of an eye. However, before he could land a blow, Klaus vanished, reappearing exactly where Mason had started.
Without hesitation, Mason pressed forward again, but the same thing happened. Each time he thrust his spear forward, Klaus would disappear and reappear in the opposite direction, effortlessly evading him.
Five minutes passed, and the pattern remained unchanged. Mason's fury was rising, but Klaus seemed just out of reach no matter how fast he moved.
"Stop running and fight me like a man!" Mason growled, frustration evident in his voice as he realized he hadn't managed to land a single blow.
"You're not a man, Mason," Klaus replied, his tone sharp. "A real man makes his own decisions. You, my friend, are what we call a puppet. You chose to become a tool for the legacies. So, you don't deserve much of my attention. But go on—keep attacking. Who knows? You might get lucky."
Another five minutes passed, yet Mason's efforts were futile. He came close to landing a strike a few times, but like clockwork, Klaus would vanish and reappear in the opposite direction.
"Bastard!" Mason shouted, his anger boiling over, but Klaus remained just out of reach.
"With this level of strength, you think you're on top of the world? Even my mom could land a blow or two on you before you'd realize what happened. Don't believe me? Watch this."
Klaus vanished, and in the next instant, a resounding slap echoed across the arena. Mason was sent flying as the slap connected with a brutal force.
The print mark of Klaus's fingers printed on his cheek.
Klaus smirked and moved again. In a flash, he appeared in front of Mason, who was just starting to stand up, dazed from the first strike.
Another slap landed, sending Mason flying once more. Before he could fully process what had happened, Klaus was in front of him again, delivering a third slap that sent him sprawling.
Subconsciously, everyone in the audience reached up to touch their own cheeks when the three slaps rang out.
Their eyes were glued to the arena, where Mason's cheeks had turned bright red, swelling visibly with each blow.
Two minutes later, Mason lay outside the arena, passed out. Klaus sighed and walked away. Initially, he had considered using the [Night of Terror] skill on him but decided against it. Using that would have broken him.
He wouldn't want that, not after everything he started to know about the earth.
From what Queenie had told him and what he had been learning in the Monster and Beast Anatomy class, he knew he didn't want to destroy a talent Earth could rely on.
Slapping him silly was a wake-up call. But if Mason wanted to continue walking in the shadow of legacies. That was his own cup of tea.
"You let him off easy," Hanna said.
"Well, we're all disciples, and while I may hate the legacies and the clans for their foolishness, he was just being used. In fact, I might have gone overboard back in Union City, but that's in the past now.
I won't hold back if he comes at me again next time...outside this place."
Klaus wasn't angry at Mason; his frustration was directed at the legacies for using a talent like Mason to do their dirty work.
"Do you think they'll stop targeting you?" Anna asked.
"I don't think so, but don't worry. I'll climb up there soon and put them in their place. For now, they can keep playing their childish games."
"So, what now? I don't have any classes for the rest of the day, and since I don't want to go back to Nari, why don't we go see if we can buy some stuff?" Klaus proposed. But before he could finish, he felt a threatening presence appear behind him.
"I am here," Nari said, materializing behind him like a ghost.
Klaus gave her a guilty smile, realizing she had heard what he said. Twenty minutes later, Klaus's ears were burning hot as they walked toward the mission hall to take on missions.
Nari had suggested they take on missions early, giving them the next two months for themselves. She handed them a generous amount of cores, ensuring that during those two months, most of them would ascend to the rank of Saints—especially Hanna and Anna.
Each of them selected high-level missions. Anna chose three solo missions, and Lily and Hanna followed suit. The guys each picked two solo missions.
Klaus, however, went all out and selected five solo missions. Then, they formed a team and picked five additional team missions.
The ladies would earn between 100,000 and 150,000 Celestial Points if they completed all their missions, while the guys would make close to 100,000 each. Klaus, on the other hand, stood to earn somewhere around 200,000.
"All of our missions are in the Tier 6 Forbidden Zone, where most of the strongest monsters are on the same level as Sovereigns—and there will be plenty of them. Each of you should prepare. We leave tomorrow," Nari instructed.
After parting ways, Klaus went to rest, knowing he and his friends would head into the wild the following day.
Since most of the competitions take place in the inner section, everyone was eager to enter as quickly as possible.
Miguel and his group would also go for their missions the next day following Klaus's instruction.
The next day, they departed for their missions, which were expected to last the next two weeks—if everything went according to plan.
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THE LAST PARAGON IN THE APOCALYPSEC487 Red Stripe Crimson Wolves
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Boom!
An explosion rocked a grassy field, sending a figure wielding a large hammer flying several meters away.
"Daniel, are you okay?" Danny called out as he swung his axe at a two-meter-tall Red-Striped Crimson Wolf, a Tier 6 monster with an agile body and deadly attacks.
"I'm fine, Danny, don't worry. We won't die." Daniel propped himself up and began hammering at the monsters. Danny sighed in relief and focused back on his battle.
"Damn it!" Kilian exclaimed as he slashed his flaming sword at a Tier 7 Crimson Wolf. Beside him, Mark thrust his spear forward, aiming for the neck of another Tier 7 Crimson Wolf.
On another side of the battlefield, Anna was surrounded by chilling ice as huge rhinos wreaked havoc. She did her best to send out ice spears at Tier 6 and 7 Crimson Wolves, shooting fire with every swipe.
Kay was bathed in flames as one arrow after another rained down on the monsters. He moved swiftly, dispatching them one by one.
As for Lily, she was flashing across the battlefield, ensuring her friends weren't attacked from behind. With her agile body and the aid of her wind element, her movements were lightning-fast.
On the other hand, Hanna was dealing with three Peak Tier 7 monsters that seemed to have entered the next phase of their evolution, making them early-stage pseudo-beasts.
They couldn't take on humanoid forms yet, but their battle power was devastating, to say the least.
She shot lightning arrow after lightning arrow, each release delivering a deadly strike to the three wolves, who stubbornly refused to die.
The battlefield was utterly chaotic.
However, the most chaotic scene of all was unfolding 2 kilometers away. Klaus was clashing with two humanoid beasts, each thick and muscular.
They have wolves' heads with red stripes on one side of their faces and humanoid bodies covered in fur. Each wielded a bone club engulfed in flames as they attacked Klaus with lethal intent.
"Die, human!" one of them roared, lunging at him and clashing with his spear. Klaus was pushed back a few steps, a smile tugging at his lips.
'Finally, the thrill, the adrenaline, the feeling of not knowing whether I'm going to live or die. I can feel it all,'
Klaus thought as he sidestepped a deadly swing from one of the Tier 8 half-beasts, which called itself Aldrick.
A few hours ago, Klaus and his pals arrived in the Tier 6 Forbidden Zone called Monster's Den. It is a place packed with different types of monsters and beasts alike. Most are pseudo-beasts, but there are loads of them.
It's a very dangerous place, but it's also where their missions were. Klaus knew his friends couldn't traverse the place without his help, so they all decided to complete the team missions before starting their individual ones.
For their first mission, they were to go to a valley south of the Monster's Den and retrieve the Thunderberry fruit.
The Thunderberry is a rare fruit that can be used to enhance lightning-based abilities. Eating it will boost one's control over lightning, making attacks faster and more powerful.
It's also said to help heal injuries caused by lightning burns.
Per the mission, the Thunderberry is protected by a Tier 8 Lightning Hawk. Of course, Klaus was confident they could take down the Lightning Hawk.
However, they failed to realize that the path they were taking led through the den of the Red-Striped Crimson Wolves.
These wolves are among the Overlords in the Forbidden Zone, mainly due to their fighting force and two Tier 8 Pseudo-Beast leaders, male and female.
The male, called Aldrick, is the Alpha, and the second-in-command is the female named Lyra.
They are in the final phase of evolution, where they will soon receive the heavenly tribulations and become true beasts.
Unfortunately, nine tiny humans disturbed their peace this fine morning.
Klaus sensed them, but what he didn't know was that the wolves also sensed them, and they laid an ambush for them.
Now, 30 Tier 6, 10 Tier 7, and two Tier 8 Crimson wolves were attacking with the force that suggested they wanted them down.
Klaus, who hadn't had a good fight in a while, was already joyful as he attacked and defended against the assaults from Aldrick and Lyra.
This was his first time fighting an intelligent monster. The past had been against brutes and zombies. Now, with 6 cores formed and the 7th almost there, Klaus felt like a champ.
He could kill the two at any moment, but he wasn't about to do that. He brought his friends along to drill into them the experience they needed.
Right now, they were cornered, but they weren't at the helpless stage. Of course, his senses covered the battlefield, ready to intervene if they needed help.
But since they were holding on, as long as there were no Tier 9 (Transcendent) level threats on the battlefield, he was fine.
He might be strong, but he wasn't that strong.
"Colossal Giant Hammer Descent!" Daniel shouted as he jumped high into the air and descended with a huge hammer, immediately blasting three Tier 6 and one Tier 7 wolf away.
"Wind Slash," Lily flashed past Daniel, and before the three Tier 6 wolves could get back up, her attack claimed their lives and injured the Tier 7 wolf.
"Finish it, Daniel," Lily commanded, and Daniel obeyed. The next second, his hammer descended on the Tier 7 wolf, instantly claiming its life.
"None of you should use your techniques yet. Let's see how far we can go with our normal skills and techniques," Anna commanded, channeling more ice spears as she rained them down on the monsters.
Anna and the others knew Klaus wouldn't let any harm come to them, so she was counting on that to ensure they could see their limits despite the danger surrounding them.
Right now, they were lacking one thing: battle experience. They had little of it, and Klaus, who noticed this, told Anna to prioritize fighting extended battles to see how far they could go.
Of course, he also told them he would protect them only when they were at death's door, so in case the situation wasn't favorable, they shouldn't do anything reckless.
This didn't seem dangerous enough, so they used the chance to address their lack of experience.
Thirty minutes later, Klaus killed one of the Tier 8 Crimson wolves and was toying with the last one.
Anna had also dispatched all three Tier 7 monsters and went ahead to help Anna deal with five more.
As for Lily, she managed to do her job well, ensuring none of them got attacked from the rear while also delivering the final blow.
This also meant she earned more experience points than her friends, but they said nothing. In the end, that was the formation Anna had come up with.
She would control, Hanna would protect her while killing, Danny and Daniel would act as shields, and Mark, Kilian, and Kay would be the all-rounders.
Lily, on the other hand, was meant to support all of them and kill at the same time.
Forty-five minutes later, the battle ended.
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THE LAST PARAGON IN THE APOCALYPSEC488 Evaluation
"Good job, everyone," Klaus said, walking toward his friends, who were catching their breath after the intense battle.
The dead bodies of the Crimson Wolves littered the battlefield. The battle had lasted less than an hour, but it gave Klaus a good sense of his friends' fighting power and styles.
Klaus collected the cores before stopping in front of his friends.
"There's a cave a few kilometers that way. It belonged to the Alpha wolves I just killed. We can rest there and evaluate our performances," Klaus suggested.
His friends accepted his suggestion and soon began moving toward the cave.
"Interesting. It seems the wolves are much more humanlike than we thought," Mark commented, observing how well-maintained the cave was.
"The two I killed and some of the Tier 7s you took down are in the phase of becoming beasts. This means they've started to gain human-like intelligence. So it's only natural for them to have such a clean place."
Klaus, who had witnessed the true nature of beasts multiple times in his past life, knew it wouldn't be long before his friends' perspectives on monsters began to change.
"Klaus, what's the difference between monsters and beasts?" Anna asked.
"Monsters are brutes," Klaus began. "They only know how to destroy. They don't have the intelligence to act with purpose. You could say monsters are mad and insane.
"Beasts, on the other hand, are just like us humans—intelligent, cunning, and very powerful. If you can take down a Tier 7 monster at your current level, you wouldn't even be able to land ten blows on a Tier 7 beast.
"That said, beasts can also take human form. However, the moment you see them, you'll know. Despite having human shapes, they still retain some part of their beast nature. But they can talk and think like intelligent humans."
"Sounds scary," Hanna commented.
"Very scary," Klaus agreed. "I have a feeling the Lightning Hawk we're going to face for the Thunder Berry has already stepped into the True Beast stage."
"How do you know that?" Kay, the quiet one in the group, asked.
"Because the missions were only posted three days ago, and the Crimson Wolves we just dealt with were in the medium stage. But you saw how dangerous they were. This only means the one we're going after is either already a True Beast or very close to becoming one."
"I see. I just hope we can complete this mission so we can focus on the rest," Kay said with a nod. The others followed suit.
"Don't worry," Klaus reassured them. "If we can't take it down, we can always negotiate. I doubt it chose to guard the Thunder Berry instead of taking it for itself if it weren't reasonable.
"Then again, we could always tame it. I think it would make a good companion for fighting and training." Klaus smiled slightly.
"Well, we're not beast tamers, so that's out of the question," Lily sighed. "Though I'd love to have a flying beast as a mount."
"Who said you have to be a beast tamer to tame a mount?" Klaus asked. "I can do it in my sleep. The only advantage beast tamers have is the ability to create Beast Space in the Sea of Consciousness.
"But I can do that too. In fact, I was already thinking of creating two or three spaces for you guys and helping you tame a few beasts. That way, I wouldn't have to worry about your safety when you go on solo missions."
"You can do that?" Lily's face lit up.
"Of course. I am not only handsome, cool, and strong, I am also very capable. In fact, in one of my past lives, I had a beast companion who was a Nine-Tail Demon Fox. She was the best," Klaus said with a smug expression.
"Tsk. I wonder who's going to believe that," Anna chuckled. His friends wore similar expressions after hearing his shameless comment.
Hanna, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes when she heard Klaus talk about his past life. But, of course, she said nothing.
"You guys should just relax. I promise that after this mission, you'll all find where your strengths lie and work on them.
However, I think our team will be complete once we add Lucy, Nia, Asha, Aoi, and Lulu. For now, Anna will play the role of control, but once Lucy joins us, you can switch to support."
"Wait, I won't be controlling the flow of the battle anymore?" Anna frowned at hearing that.
"Yes," Klaus said plainly, not wanting to hide anything.
"Why?" she asked.
"It's simple. While your water element is good for controlling the battlefield, I think it will be better suited for support, such as healing. Just imagine healing your teammates by letting them step into the water.
Also, I want you to switch to support because Lucy's wood element is meant for control. She can reach places on the battlefield you wouldn't be able to.
Plus, she has the ice element, perfect for protecting herself without needing Lily and Hanna to do that. This works out best for you, too, because aside from supporting, you can fight more actively with your ice.
And with you and your sister working together, you can control and support each other far better than one person doing the job alone."
"I see. I guess I'll have to talk to my big sister and see if she'll allow me to be her support." Anna was disappointed, but she knew Klaus was right.
She really wasn't suited to control the battlefield.
At first, Klaus had wanted her to handle control, but after learning of her ice element, he realized she would simultaneously be better suited for support and offense.
Klaus wanted to prepare them for when things went bad. After attending Instructor Simon's class a few times, Klaus started to see that Earth was far more vulnerable than anyone might think.
If and when things went south, he wouldn't have to worry about his friends and could fight more actively. Right now, Klaus wanted nothing more than to grow stronger, and one way of doing that was by having capable friends.
While they were away farming beast cores, he could simply absorb them. In fact, he wanted to turn them into his beast core mules.
But to do that, he first had to dig into their potential and bring out their best. It was also one of the reasons he wanted to help them tame a few beasts.
Since the legacies and clans were after him, he knew it was only a matter of time before they set their sights on him. The last thing he wanted was to worry about his friends when they were away on missions.
"Let's relax for now. In a few hours, we'll visit the ThunderBerry tree and see if we can pluck one with or without resorting to violence," Klaus said, retrieving the cores from their recent battle.
"Since these are fire-type cores, only I, Kilian, and Kay can absorb them." He divided the cores equally and handed them over.
Three hours later, they were ready for their first mission.
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