The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

”The Mad Titan once said, ’You couldn’t live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me.’”

Klaus stood up and stretched lazily as if he wasn’t being stared at by an immortal Lord. He then added...

”I thought by eliminating the ten cats you have sent after me, the rest of you would thrive and be thankful. But you’ve shown me… that’s impossible. You are incapable of accepting defeat.”

”As long as there are those who remember what had happened, there will always be those who are unable to accept that their foolishness had caused this. They will resist.”

Klaus grabbed hold of Bloodwork and rested it on his shoulder. ”So this time, I am going to make it plain to you that coming here is a bad idea, and it would end in failure and pain.”

Blood Shadow pursed her lips and pointed her slender finger at Klaus. ”You are the Renegade Hunter?”

”That is what is written on my Hunter ID.”

”I am willing to grant you a chance to live if you accept becoming my slave for all eternity. Resist, and I will kill you in the most painful way possible.” Blood Shadow narrowed her eyes at Klaus, her body radiating danger.

”I am afraid I cannot do that, Lady Blood Shadow. I have a life ahead of me that I would love to live to the fullest, so becoming a slave is not something I would accept.” Klaus smiled and then added, ”However, killing me is also something I cannot allow to happen.

”My death will make a lot of beauties extremely sad, and I cannot bear to leave them in such a sorry state.

This is why I would advise you to back away now and save yourself the pain and humiliation that would come after.”

Blood Shadow narrowed her eyes further, Klaus’ relaxed demeanour making her feel insulted. But before she could say anything, Klaus spoke again.

”Why don’t I tell you a short story?” Klaus took a deep sigh and began, not minding the deep frown that had appeared on Blood Shadow’s face.

”There were two friends, Puffy and Curtis, both promising musicians. One day, Puffy texted Curtis that he wanted to take him shopping.

Curtis rejected the offer and forgot about it. However, Puffy isn’t one to give up easily, so he tried many times to force Curtis. Eventually, Curtis took offense, and that ignited a feud that spanned decades.

As the years passed, Curtis’s hatred grew to the point that he seized any chance to slander Puffy. He made it his part-time job to slander him.

Eventually, Puffy’s past caught up to him, and he was imprisoned. However, while many who hated him seemed happy he was put away, what did Curtis do?

He made a full-on documentary about all the hidden little dirty secrets Puffy had under his sleeves, and it blew up. He took his hatred to the next level.”

Klaus paused and smiled at Blood Shadow. ”Do you wanna know the moral of this story?”

”Don’t worry, I will tell you...”

”It means while you have no baby oil on you now, it would be best if you don’t go buy one. Don’t become enemies with me. Let’s end it at the ten dead assassins and go our separate ways.

They took a bounty and failed to clear it, so let’s not make a big deal out of this. Of course, if you attack me, then just like Curtis, I would take offense, and until every last one of you is dead, I would never stop.

And guess what, I will take a page out of Curtis’s book and record every last kill I will make, making sure the entire universe witnesses how the Mighty Blood Shadows fell to the scythe of a Hunter.”

Blood Shadow said nothing and just pointed her dagger at Klaus.

”I take that you are choosing death,” Klaus sighed and lifted the scythe off his shoulder.

Blood Shadow tapped into the unfathomable power at her disposal. However, instead of attacking, she turned to her left...

”Old James, Banabas, and Phobas, I hope you are not here to interfere with my business,” she asked, her voice spreading millions of miles wide.

At the same time, Icon spoke into Klaus’s head.

[Master, it looks like you have some audience. However, as to whether they have ulterior motives, I have no idea.]

Three SSS-class spaceships stopped 4 million kilometers away, housing three Immortal Lords. Hearing Blood Shadow’s question, all three of them smiled...

”Rest assured, Old Shadow, we are merely here as spectators.”

”Good.”

Blood Shadow turned to Klaus, and her eyes ignited into dark flames. ”Die, bastard.”

She moved, and before Klaus could blink, she was standing before him, her dagger embedded in his chest.

Cough.

Blood drooled from the corner of Klaus’s lips, a weak smile playing at the corner of his mouth. ”Well, fuck.” Klaus shook his head in defeat.

However, Blood Shadow, who had her dagger embedded in Klaus’s chest, sensed something was amiss, so she pulled back her dagger—well, she attempted to pull.

However, before she could, Klaus grabbed hold of her hand and gave her a wink. ”Breathe it in.”

His body exploded into mist, and as he intended, Blood Shadow inhaled, or more like the mist entered her nostrils.

In an instant, she frowned, her expression turning pale. 1 km away, Klaus stepped out of the void, Bloodwork resting on his shoulder.

”I believe that is the Innate Foundation Devouring Poison, rumoured to have only existed during the Renegade Era. You dont have to thank me, I merely wanted you to smell it.

However, know that it eats away at your foundation the more you use your immortal energy.

Even worse, if you dare use your Immortal Rings, the effect intensifies by the same amount of boost your Immortal Rings give you,” Klaus grinned. ”So why don’t you lock half your strength away, using it to fight the poison, while you fight me with the other half?”

”Minus the immortal rings, of course.”

Klaus could hear her grit her teeth, unaware that he had to sacrifice three cores just to pull off his perfect poison attack.

However, inside his ninth core, there is a poison plant that bears the flowers used to make the Innate Foundation Devouring Poison. Efad (the 9th soul body) cooked the poison, and Klaus used it as his first move.

Obviously, when he said he would fight dirty, he meant every word. Now, Blood Shadow had no choice but to forgo her Immortal Rings and 50% of her power.

She had no choice but to do as Klaus said.

But even so, she was still stronger than an Immortal Monarch. However, to Klaus, those were better odds than facing someone with five Immortal Rings while also sitting at the peak of the Immortal Lord stage.

Inside the three spaceships, the three Immortal Lords furrowed their brows, their interest piqued by the battle to come.

Blood Shadow moved, and when her dagger landed on Klaus’s scythe, he was pushed back several kilometres. However, he charged forward, and the battle had just begun.