The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

[Celestial Council – Tower of Chaos]

Far in the universe, several billion light-years from Earth, a furnace sitting at the peak of a tower lit up, pouring out red smoke.

Alarms started blaring.

In under a second, powerful warriors started appearing, each a force to behold. Most are gods, with a few Supremes.

There were no Celestials, but it was safe to assume they were there, for the location of this tower is in the Celestial Council, the stronghold of the Heavens Faction.

In the universe, there are three factions.

The first is the Heavens Faction that claims to follow the will of the heavens. It is headed by the Heavens cult, a powerful cult that no Paragon has been able to destroy in the many lives they’ve lived.

The second is the Devils Faction; they are the ones that sided with the creatures from beyond. They are not numerous, but they pose a danger, as they have managed to collude with creatures from outside the universe.

Those creatures are a Threat to this universe, and that alone makes them dangerous.

Then there is the Neutral Faction, comprising those who choose not to take sides and prefer to live on their own terms.

The Heavens cult, nor the Devils cult, doesn’t have much hold on them, for most Neutral worlds are home to some of the most dangerous beings in the universe.

However, at the moment, as the red smoke started pouring out, every last one of the three factions knew what it meant.

“The Paragon has awakened. He must be hunted down and killed alongside all Paragon sympathizers.”

The order was given just like they did in all the many lives the Paragon had lived.

In under an hour, words spread everywhere.

—

[Human Universe – Planet Tempest – Celestial Palace]

Inside the elegant palace of the Celestial Emperor, a handsome Supreme human sat on his throne, looking at the projection of the red smoke with a grim expression.

Sitting not far from him are a few Celestials, each a force to reckon with.

Not even one was a Supreme.

They have all reached the pinnacle of the universe, attaining Celestial status, but for such people to wear grim looks on their faces, that explains a great deal.

“Your orders, Emperor,” one of them asked.

“We follow the orders of the Supreme Celestial. Relay the order. The Paragon must be hunted down and killed, no matter the cost. He cannot be allowed to grow.

Double the rewards of a Black mission and strengthen the defense everywhere. Contact the hunters and deploy them all. I want everyone hunting him down.”

“Your orders will be carried out, Emperor.”

—

[Dragon Universe – Planet Drogan – Dragon Emperor’s Palace]

Just like what happened in the Human Universe, the Dragon Emperor was also watching the red smoke with a grim expression.

He also had dragon subjects, each with the same expression.

“Looks like the peace will be threatened once again,” the Dragon Emperor, a handsome man with golden hair, said.

“What are your orders, Dragon Emperor?”

“What else? The Paragon has awakened, a clear sign of impending danger. The only option now is to eliminate him before he poses a threat.”

“Then we will get right on it.”

“Don’t rush it. Our situation with the Devil faction is still fragile, so deploy only a few Immortals to liaise with humans and other races to hunt the Paragon down.

As the main defenders of the strongest Doom Gate, we cannot afford to spread our forces too thin.”

The Dragon Celestials nodded. However, one of them made a suggestion that every last one of them nodded at.

“My Dragon Emperor, since we can’t use our men more actively to hunt down the Paragon, why don’t we use external force?

We already know that a few races chose to become a Neutral force in the universe. They are cowards for sure; however, with the right reward presented, I am sure they will comply.

As it happens, the Dark Flame Chaos Dragons have an issue with the 4th Paragon and, since then, have been doing their best to kill every incarnation of him.

They didn’t join the Dragon Universe, but they have powerful warriors. I recently learned they are after something I believe we have.

What if we give it to them and use them as a dummy to flush out the Paragon?”

“What do they want?” the Dragon Emperor asked, liking the idea.

“They are after the Dagger of the Mad Hunter.”

“Give it to them and be sure to let them know I am watching. They cannot fail because, Neutral or not, I don’t mind laying waste to their members.”

—

All over the universe, all kinds of arrangements were being made for when the Paragon would be caught, and this time, it would end for good.

They all knew the moment the red smoke appeared, the danger to the entire Heavens Cult had emerged, and the killing must be done swiftly before more Paragons started to light up.

Meanwhile, as the Heavens Cult was freaking out, the Devil’s Faction was even freaking out more than them.

While the Heaven’s Cult branded the Paragon as a danger to the rest of the universe, deep within them, they all knew it was the Heavens that first went against the Paragon, and every generation, it was they who tormented the Paragon, then later, when he snapped, they used the lives lost to paint him black.

However, the Devil Faction knew the Paragons were their one true enemy. He always attacks them whenever a new incarnation appears, and no matter what they do, he always wins, each time making them bleed more than the last.

So the red smoke was a wake-up call.

—

[Devil’s Headquarters – Planet Ron]

The Devil Faction is led by the Dark Celestial, a being of ancient origin and one that the Heavens Faction dare not torment. They may be able to fight, but all their battles are fought in moderation, for nobody wants to incur his wrath.

“Finally, he has awakened again,” a silver-skinned man, the one known as the Dark Celestial, said.

“I suppose the heavens’ propaganda has already been set in motion. While that is good for us, knowing them, they have already started scheming against each other.

We can use that to our advantage.

Deploy the best warriors and let them do two things. If they have the chance, they must kill as many warriors of the Heavens Faction as they can.

If possible, eliminate their prodigies that are currently accessible, and we will consider the hidden ones later.

Also, when the Paragon appears, he must do as much damage as he can to the Heavens Faction before we intervene. He must kill many and ensure the Heavens Faction gets their propaganda machine up and running.

When all that is done, we will handle the aftermath.

We will use the Heavens Faction as pawns this time around, and knowing what we know, we will succeed in killing the Paragon, our one and only enemy.

This time we will end his reign and ensure the entire universe know. Then when they get comfortable with us, we will carry out our main plans.”

There is a saying that taking the heat of the moment for one’s own gain can be both a good fortune and a grave disaster. The Devil Faction made a gamble, and the outcome is yet to be decided by one person.