The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

”Battle Androids.” Klaus’s eyes widened as he looked at hundreds of androids of all shapes and sizes.

There were Early Immortal battle droids, Real Immortals, True Immortals, and it went all the way to Immortal Lords. Many are humanoids, demons, dragons, elves, phoenixes, and all kinds of battle droids in various shapes.

”This is unreal.” Klaus was left stunned and unsure how to make sense of what he was looking at.

[Welcome to the Training Hall, Master. In here, you will have access to hundreds of training droids that are indestructible, perfectly tuned for combat, and adapt to your needs. Death inside this place is not permanent, and most importantly, everything is customizable.]

”Elaborate more, Icon.”

[Basically, the Master now has access to perfect warriors, if I am to describe the droids in simple terms. They are perfect in all kinds of combat. However, if the Master has a specific preference, he can customise the droids to suit him.

The Master can go as far as adding more Immortal Rings, bestowing unique techniques, battle styles, and even innate talents. The best part is that the droid takes what you give it and comes up with a unique way to implement it.

And even better, if the Master were to give it the God of War Art, since the Master has access to only the first form, the droid would learn it and achieve 100% mastery in an instant.

So if the Master wants to see how powerful his techniques can become once fully mastered, this is the best way to find out.]

”This is so much better than using a virtual environment to simulate the battles. With this, I can easily hone my skills by channelling the pain from the attacks.

I can even expand my understanding to a whole new level without too much worry.”

Klaus was both happy and intrigued. The Training Hall was a bit special and very dangerous. In the virtual space, he would feel the pain, but once he was out of there, it would be gone.

But with this one, he would feel the pain for real, and regardless of what he came up with, he would always be at the stage where pain would be his teacher.

”The pain is undeniable,” Klaus grinned.

But with this pain, he can improve his combat skills. The droids can teach him how best to use his techniques or even improve his close combat skills.

Most battles happen in a close combat format, so honing such a skill to the most perfect level is what he would be aiming for this time around.

There is just no way he would be letting go of this chance, not when he can literally assign a body to only grind here for as long as he wants.

He walked toward a dual-wielding human swordsman droid. It is human in appearance but metallic in nature.

He had not even considered the fact that the droid was a Real Immortal.

Klaus just wanted to test something, so the moment he approached it, he pressed his palm against its chest, and it came to life.

”Greetings, Master Klaus. How can I be of help today?”

”Oh.” Klaus furrowed his brow, a hint of shock and amusement appearing on his face. He didn’t expect the droid to actually talk.

But it did, and it sounded just like a human. That was a bit soothing, since he could converse with it and even make adjustments mid-battle.

”How about we have a short duel to see what you can do?”

”Okay, Master Klaus.” It pulled its swords and stood at the ready.

[One more thing. The Master can upgrade the droids. This one can be upgraded to True Immortal, and if the master wants, it can even go to the Immortal Lord stage and higher.

After all, there is only one of each, so the Master must be careful not to destroy them. It would take some time to self-repair.]

”Okay.”

Klaus pulled out his scythe and also stood at the ready. On the walls, a red light appeared, then turned yellow, and before long, it turned green.

That was when they moved. Klaus closed the distance between them and went off on a wide swing. However, the droid ducked and rolled sideways, using its left sword to support its body.

It pivoted as it rolled, and with one sword free, it attacked from Klaus’s left.

Klaus took a step forward, and he was free from the attack of the droid. However, before he could move his body back to attack again, the droid used a movement technique to go around him and attack from behind.

Klaus was caught off guard. He never expected the droid to make such a move. However, he didn’t give in, not when this move made by the droid had ignited his battle spirit.

Klaus twisted his waist at the last second, his scythe flashing backward in a reverse arc. The blade met one of the droid’s swords with a sharp metallic clang, sparks bursting between them.

The impact forced him a step forward, but the droid didn’t relent. Its second blade came from below, aiming to sever his Achilles tendon in one clean motion.

”Interesting...”

Klaus smiled happily, his battle spirit rising even more. It was as if he had finally met someone who was incapable of ever making mistakes in executing their battle moves.

Every attack was precise, and the timing was out of this world.

However, Klaus was also no simple person. With 500 minds working in sync, he could be considered a droid too. His processors were firing at insane speed.

Klaus kicked off the ground, flipping over the sweeping strike. Mid-air, he rotated his scythe and brought it down in a vertical cleave. The droid crossed both swords above its head and blocked.

Boom.

The floor beneath the droid cracked slightly from the force of Klaus’s descent, yet the android’s posture remained flawless.

No trembling arms. No unstable footing. Perfect balance.

”This is really interesting,” Klaus muttered.

The droid disengaged with a smooth spin, its twin blades moving in a flowing pattern. It stepped in again, this time chaining three rapid thrusts aimed at Klaus’s throat, heart, and lower abdomen.

Clang. Clang. Clang.

Klaus deflected all three, but he was forced back several steps. The droid made three moves that, while he managed to defend against them, he found a bit hard to handle.

It was a flawless display of swordsmanship, one that he never expected to be that smooth.

The rhythm of the droid’s attacks was clean—precise angles, no wasted motion, each strike flowing seamlessly into the next.

It was both beautiful and a bit disturbing to think that a droid could do such a thing. Klaus couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if he were to meet such a droid, but in an Immortal Lord version.

His expression changed as he finally understood why this era would be terrible.

The droid shifted again, activating a short burst movement technique. Its figure blurred, reappearing at Klaus’s right flank in an instant.

A blade flashed toward his ribs at a blurry angle.

It was just too fast for him to do anything. Even his classic ’Intangible Me’ skill wouldn’t save him.

The edge of the sword grazed him.

Pain shot through Klaus’s side, real and sharp.

Blood seeped through his robe almost instantly. He had sustained the first cut in the battle, and that showed how much effort he had to put in if he wanted to end this battle with a win.

He grinned.