The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

The moment the voice came from the portal, everyone felt their bodies loosen, emotions flaring, and even before Klaus stepped out, tears started rolling down Elysia’s face.

This voice, no matter the circumstances she had found herself in, she would never forget.

She had heard it countless times, as had the five uncles.

Even Hunter, who had only heard Klaus speak until he was 10, still recognized his son’s voice.

So when he stepped out from the portal, everyone’s emotional sac suddenly broke.

Klaus’s mom lunged at him, not to attack but to hug him. Klaus smiled weakly, knowing she wouldn’t be able to do anything.

However, to his shock, just as his mom hugged him, Maud pressed her hand against his back, and, though he should be a mere illusion, he became tangible, allowing his mother to hug him.

She planted her face in his chest and started sobbing like a child. This was just too much for any of the seven people on the ship to handle.

Even Hunter, the Crown Prince of the Blood Demon Race, couldn’t help wiping tears from his eyes. Watching his son rub his mom’s back, Hunter wanted nothing more than that for her.

He was a man, so he could handle missing his son. However, watching Elysia cry whenever a thought about Klaus entered her mind always broke his heart.

Now, in a strange way that he never saw coming, his son was standing right before him, hugging his worried mother. That was more than anyone could handle.

“This is so embarrassing… even you, Uncle Jojo, I thought you said emotions don’t affect you,” Klaus said with a grin, watching his gauntlet-wielding brute uncle wipe tears from his eyes.

“Shut up, brat, these are called tears of joy,” Uncle Jojo said with a happy smile on his face.

“Sure… if you say so, I guess,” Klaus laughed and then focused his attention on his old man.

“Good to see you are not dead, Pops. Though I have to say, you look much more different now… have you been skipping leg day since the last time we met?”

Klaus’s uncles broke out in resounding laughter upon hearing Klaus tease his father. They know the brat missed his father dearly, but with his mom taking all the space, he can only tease him.

Men don’t need to hug to convey their emotions. Of course, hugging is much more healing, but Klaus had a no-male-hugging policy, so aside from his mom, he had no plans to entertain his father or his uncles.

Hunter just smiled and put away his swords.

“Good to see you are well, Klaus… how about a hug?” Hunter said, opening his arms with a smile. However, Elysia had no plans of letting go of Klaus. In fact, she was still crying on Klaus’s chest…

“Be considerate, Pops, Mom, and I are having a moment here,” Klaus grinned.

Klaus patted his mom on the back and whispered into her ear, “Stop crying, Mom, I am here now.”

It took her five whole minutes to calm down before pulling her head back to look at Klaus and check if it was indeed him.

“Klaus, is that really you?” she asked, knowing full well it was indeed her son she was holding. However, hearing him say it was more logical to her.

“Yes, Mom, it’s me, Klaus.” Klaus cupped her cheeks and wiped the tears from her eyes. “I miss you, Mom.”

“I miss you too…” Elysia buried her face back into his chest and started the second round of sobbing.

Hunter rolled his eyes, something Klaus also did.

Thankfully, this time, it lasted for only a few seconds before she pulled back.

“Let’s settle down first. I don’t have much time, and we have a lot of ground to cover before leaving,” Klaus said, and his mom nodded. They settled down, and Hunter quickly got close and held Klaus’s hand.

Klaus didn’t know how Maud did it, but he was tangible now, so he could feel his father’s touch and his uncle’s. After they all checked if he was indeed real, they settled down.

Inasmuch as they would love to keep holding him, they knew Klaus wouldn’t come this long way just to let them hold him.

Klaus was practically being hugged from behind by his mom. Maud was seated on his left, holding his left hand, while Hunter was on his right, holding his right hand.

“This is nice,” Klaus said with a smile.

He turned to Maud. “Everyone, this is Maud. She is the sole reason I am here now.”

“Hello, Maud. Thank you for taking care of my son,” Klaus’s mom said, very thankful to the dark-clothed lady whose eyes were the only thing visible.

“My pleasure, Lady Elysia,” Maud responded in a sweet yet eerie tone.

She was a mystery that even Klaus hadn’t figured out yet.

Initially, she was a possessed puppet in Nadia’s puppet legion. Klaus didn’t know whether the real Maud was the puppet or the demon spirit possessing it. However, he knew at the exact moment their gaze met that they shared a destiny.

Now, thanks to her, he got to say goodbye to his parents and even rescue them from impending doom.

“So, I met Grandma… she is a wonderful woman.” Klaus didn’t know where to start, so he decided to start with his encounter with Goddess Nivara.

“You met Mother?” Elysia asked, her eyes wide open.

“I did. I came here right after I parted ways with her.”

Hunter and Elysia smiled. However, the answer to Hunter’s question left them all sad, angry, and emotional…

“How is she?”

“Broken.”

“WHAT?” all seven of them shouted.

“W-what do you mean broken? Mother is the strongest person I have ever met. Not even Celestials can shake her resolve.” That was how much Elysia adored her mother. She was her biggest fan.

So hearing that such a person was broken made her both skeptical and extremely angry.

Klaus sighed, hearing and watching the expressions on everyone’s faces.

“She told me to say nothing about her situation. However, you are bound to find out soon enough, and I know you will do something reckless—you are my parents, so I know what I am talking about.”

Klaus laughed. He knew he would do something reckless if he found out something like what happened to his grandma had happened to his parents. As his parents, he knew his traits came from them.

So he wants to ensure they don’t do anything reckless…

“Here is what happened…”

Klaus narrated how he entered the Lost Realm of Death and discovered the Origin Marks of Death. Then, using the marks, he discovered what had happened to his grandma, how he rescued her, and how he sent her the human universe.

He also made it known who her captor was and what led to her capture.

When he finished his narration, his mother, father, and five uncles were boiling like a hot kettle.

Goddess Nivara had helped them more times than they could count back when they were on the run from the Heavenly Court. She stood in the face of danger, allowing them to slip away safely.

To them, she was someone they owed their lives to. So, hearing that she had been imprisoned and that her Law Core had been ripped out, Klaus finally saw how dangerous his parents and uncles were.

The looks in their eyes and the killing air around them told him everything…

“Chill, you all. I didn’t come all this way to see these ugly expressions on your faces. Grandma is safe, and that is what matters now.”