The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

The heavens roared, and Klaus, seated in a lotus posture, smiled. The first stage was the Lightning Pythons, which he dealt with using the Void Piercing Needles and the Crescent Disc.

The second stage brought the spears, which Klaus handled easily with the Bell of Harrows. It wasn’t particularly challenging, especially considering that the last time, the spears had been the second-to-last stage of his tribulation.

However, the moment the spears stopped, Klaus knew the real fun was about to begin.

“After this stage, I’m sure my body will be strong enough to start the awakening of the Lightning Source Diagram,” he muttered, still seated calmly.

His spirit weapons hovered before him just outside the Bell of Harrows. Thunder rumbled through the clouds, and from the ominous dark dimension, the first monster appeared. It was a Tier 5 Earth Lizard, one of the many creatures Klaus had slain before.

‘Looks like they didn’t want to gift me more lightning energy, so they started with Tier 5 monsters,’ Klaus thought, eyeing the hundreds of creatures emerging from the dark clouds.

“Ah, what a headache,” Klaus muttered as he directed his spirit weapons forward.

Soon enough, the monsters began exploding. He wasn’t exerting much effort; while the heavens had indeed amplified the monsters’ strength, he had also grown even stronger, compared to his last tribulation.

Under normal circumstances, any cultivator would have panicked in the face of such overwhelming odds. But Klaus was different.

Not only did he possess memories from his past, but he also held techniques from that time—techniques so grand and powerful that powerhouses would literally go to war over.

The more he killed, the more the heavens sent in. However, Klaus noticed a pattern; the heavens weren’t sending in all the monsters he had killed. Although he didn’t recognize all the monsters, Klaus still had some way of referencing them.

So he wasn’t exactly concerned with how many they sent—his only concern was what they were planning to do with the ones they were omitting.

A while later, Tier 5 monsters ceased coming, and Tier 6 monsters poured in. Klaus wasted no time overwhelming them as well. Some managed to get past the spirit weapons, but they didn’t survive the sonic attacks from the Bell Of Harrows.

‘Senior, does it mean that every time I face my tribulations, the heavens will send down the beings I’ve killed in the past?’ Klaus suddenly asked while controlling the Void Piercing Needle and the Crescent Disc.

“Indeed,” the senior replied. “It’s a type of tribulation called the Trial of the Past. However, under normal circumstances, it would have been less harsh. Your situation is quite different, which is why they’re making it harder for you.”

“So what’s the purpose for those who go through this type of tribulation?” Klaus asked again. He was absorbing enough lightning energy to strengthen his body, but that was all—no other benefits.

In his case, it felt more like a trap the heavens were using to kill him. The tribulation was meant to temper a person’s will, but in Klaus’s case, they wanted him dead, so they were making it especially difficult for him.

“The Trial of the Past is usually meant to test one’s strength and resolve. For most, it helps them grow stronger. But for you, the heavens want something else.” The senior said.

Klaus could only sigh.

He didn’t really quarrel with the heavens. If they wanted him dead, they could at least send down a challenger in human form. Using a tribulation felt like a low blow.

“Stupid heavens.”

“Oh, they’ve supercharged that brat and sent him again,” Klaus muttered, watching Matin Guan approach. Matin was the first human he’d killed.

It was when he had just awakened and it was to save Anna.

At this point, the zombies started pouring in. From the white zombies, he’d killed back in the Zombie Forest to the Voltox zombies from the Arcadian Mine Invasion. Then came those from Ruin City, and finally, his latest kills from the Demon’s Abode.

“At this rate, I’ll soon be fighting an army of Tier 8 zombies and monsters in my next tribulation,” Klaus thought to himself.

“How exciting.”

Despite the overwhelming numbers, he was having fun. His mind processed hundreds of decisions every second, and with each one, hundreds of monsters and zombies fell.

“You’re lucky I’m in the middle of something extremely important; otherwise, I’d take my time with you,” Klaus said, casting a glance at Matin speeding toward him. “But for now, you can die. Next time, I’ll do it fist-to-fist.”

The Crescent Disc flashed, and before Matin could react, his head hit the ground. Last time, Klaus had suffered at the hands of Matin and the Mutated Zombie. Now, he’d managed to kill the brat, but since they hadn’t sent the zombie, he’d save that fight for a real battle later.

Rumble

The heavens quaked as more monsters and zombies continued to pour in. Suddenly, humans started flooding out as well.

“The Dark Order assassins, the mercenaries I killed in Union City, and oh, the other Dark Order assassins I took down with Anna’s mom,” Klaus thought.

“About her, I never checked up on how she was faring after our intimate moment. I guess I’ll visit her after I break through,” he said with a smile.

Would he make a move after her? Probably not. But would he tease her? Definitely. Their time together had been rather intimate for a mere distraction. Even to this day, Klaus found himself having flashbacks of their moments together.

“I hope she is alright.”

With that resolve, the humans—regardless of their strength—started dying for the second time. Klaus was also gaining the runes he needed before the big guns appeared.

“Just a few more, then I can unleash the Diagram for the awakening,” Klaus said, watching the lightning dance around his arm. He had unlocked the lightning element and was now strengthening it.

He would need it for when he was out of the Bell of Harrows.

Twenty minutes passed, but the monsters never stopped pouring in.

One could say Klaus had indeed killed his fair share of monsters. They were now pouring in like a tide. Suddenly, five fiery monsters emerged from the clouds, lighting up the area.

“What the hell? Senior, why are there fire-type monsters in a lightning tribulation?” Klaus asked.

“It’s normal if the tribulation contains 100% destructive will. In other words, a day will come when all types of monsters, regardless of element, will show up. However, just like you were able to use lightning to enhance the Ice Lotus Bloom, you will still receive the same runes.”

“And these runes are called…?”

“Tribulation Runes,” the senior replied, causing Klaus to nod.

“Oh, they’re finally here!” Klaus almost shouted as he watched seven powerful zombies appear. The moment they emerged, he looked beyond them and saw her—the Zombie that had come close to killing him.

Ding.

The bell rang loudly, so much so that Ohema, who was many kilometers away, felt it. This, of course, meant the weaker monsters under the tribulation cloud felt it too.

The Needle shot forward, and before anyone could blink a couple of times, thousands of monsters burst into Tribulation Runes.

The bell vanished, and Klaus stood up. Lightning flashed in his eyes.

“What a nice feeling,” Klaus said, turning his hand to watch the lightning dance around his arm. He smiled and then gazed at the seven figures making their way toward him.

“Looks like my past came calling just when I needed it.”

His sword appeared in his hand for the first time since becoming a soul weapon, lightning dancing around it.

“That’s more like it.” With that, Klaus lunged at the six Blood Princes and the Blood Queen. The same abominations he had killed in the Demon’s Abode forbidden Zone.