The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

Karsha asked the other question that had been on his mind since the tribulation. During the last stages of the tribulation, he had used a skill he hadn’t seen or used before, at least not that he could remember. Had it not been for this skill, he would have died or, worse, been injured beyond repair.

However, with the Asura Crazy Sword Strike, he had been able to kill the gatekeeper, which, according to the Senior, could have several implications for him in the future… though he wasn’t sure, as he had never witnessed anything like that before.

Now, he just wanted to know about the skill’s origin.

[The Asura Crazy Sword Strike is the first form of one of the strongest sword techniques ever created: the Asura God Sword Judgement]

‘Asura God Sword Judgement… why does it sound so familiar yet terrifying?’ Klaus thought inwardly.

‘…Maybe it has something to do with Number Three; he is the crazy one,’ Klaus said to himself.

‘But then again, who was it that provoked the Lightning Tower into sending down the Gatekeeper?’ Klaus wondered again.

The tribulation was supposed to end after the third level, but because he attacked the tower, he had to endure the fourth level, which only sent down the lone Gatekeeper he had killed.

‘It wasn’t me, and I know it wasn’t Fruity, so then who was it? Does it mean Number Three can disguise himself? Because as far as I know, he’s the crazy one—crazy enough to do something like that,’ Klaus thought to himself.

‘But then again, the feeling I got wasn’t that of Number Three, so it can only mean one thing: somewhere in the past, I awakened as someone who could even put a maniac like Number Three to shame.’

Klaus could only conclude one thing—a third incarnation had appeared, and instead of leaving him in peace or saving him, it had put him in danger by provoking the already wrathful heavens.

‘But something good did come out of it… Asura Crazy Sword Strike, huh… and Asura God Sword Judgement.’ Klaus smiled faintly.

“Senior, can you tell me more about it? I want to know more about the Asura God Sword Judgement,” Klaus asked the senior.

[There is little I can say, as even I don’t know much about it….]

“Go ahead, Senior.”

[Many years ago, before the Asura clan was wiped out, there was a powerful swordsman widely known at one point as Blood Sword. It was said he was the son of a very powerful king.

According to legend, he was so fascinated with the sword that he traveled across the starry sky, challenging swordsmen. He fought millions in sword duels simply to feel something.

They said he never lost a sword fight—until one day, he met a certain sword lady who, with a single move, overpowered him. However, instead of killing him, she left him with a single sentence: “Stop wasting your potential.”

After that encounter, Blood Sword vanished from the universe, only to reappear thousands of years later. When he returned, he seemed like a completely different person.

It was also at this time that he introduced the universe to the legendary sword technique known only to him—Blood Sword, or as he would later be known, Asura God.

When he unleashed the Asura God Sword Judgement, the entire universe went into a frenzy. As I said, I don’t know much, but from what I’ve learned, the Asura God Sword Judgement has seven forms.

The first was the Asura Crazy Sword Strike.]

“Interesting. This fella seems like an interesting guy…” Klaus said, sounding rather happy for unknown reasons.

[That he was. There are bits of knowledge about him, but from what I gathered, he achieved many great things after becoming the Asura God. However, as you may suspect, no one knew why the Asura Clan had been wiped out, so I can only say this much.]

“Good enough. But I’d like to understand more about this Asura Crazy Sword Strike… It’s my strongest move at the moment,” Klaus said, recalling how it felt when he used the skill.

“I feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface yet, and it’s already this powerful.”

[It’s indeed powerful, but to fully unleash its might, you need to understand something first… The skill isn’t something you can use frequently. I know you see it as your strongest move right now, but using it without advancing your sword qi to Enhanced Sword Qi and awakening Sword Intent would do more harm than good.]

“Well, my sword qi is already at the adept stage… but what is Sword Intent?” Klaus asked.

Thanks to his nightly training with Miriam, his sword aura had risen from Common to Adept, just a step away from becoming Enhanced Sword Aura.

But Sword Intent—this was his first time hearing about it.

[Sword Intent is a manifestation of a swordsman’s will, spirit, and understanding of the sword. Basically, it has everything to do with your comprehension of the sword itself. Sword Intent differs greatly from Sword Aura.

Unlike sword aura, which is the tangible energy emitted by a skilled swordsman—usually involving the release of qi through their sword—Sword Intent is more like the will of the swordsman. Facing an opponent with strong Sword Intent means you’re already halfway to losing, as their will alone exerts an oppressive force.

And unlike Sword Aura, which is the same for everyone in a similar way, Sword Intent is unique to each individual.]

“How different?” Klaus asked.

[Take the Asura God, for example. They said that when he exerted his Sword Intent, a feeling of death and slaughter overwhelmed his opponents. That was because his understanding of the sword was rooted in slaughter.

An ice swordsman might have an icy type of Sword Intent, while a fire swordsman would emit a fiery Sword Intent. It all depends on how you understand your sword.]

“Interesting… This seems important. I guess this Sword Intent is something I’ll need to focus on,” Klaus said, appearing intrigued.

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[That you should. Luckily for you, that lady of yours seems to have grasped a small understanding of Sword Intent. Although you can’t learn her Sword Intent directly, you can still learn something from her,] the senior said.

“Wait, Miriam knew Sword Intent?” Klaus asked, clearly taken aback.

[Why are you shocked? I don’t know what you see in them before going near these ladies, but so far, I can tell they all have potential. The one with the light energy and the other with the Wind element are brimming with potential. If nurtured well, they could unleash terrifying prowess with the sword.]

“Interesting… I only saw beauty,” Klaus said with a proud smile.

[Then you should look beyond their skirts because even the one called Nadia has one of the most powerful Puppeteer Classes I’ve ever seen.]

“Say what…” This time, Klaus was truly taken aback. Nadia, the fashion lady, even has powerful potential. Just what happens to having normal friends?

“Senior, do you have a way for me to see the status page of my friends?” Klaus could only ask.

Even though he planned on helping his friends, he didn’t want to harm their potential by giving them just any cultivation technique or martial techniques.

[I do.] The senior replied, making Klaus smile happily.