The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

The humanoid vine figure stared at Rhazor in silence for a few seconds. Clearly, it was offended by Rhazor’s question. Of course, it had to be, considering it had come to kill him.

But as it stared at him eerily, Rhazor sensed the danger growing even more chilling. It was like the vine god was thinking of all the ways it would kill him.

Suddenly, the entire forest trembled.

BOOOOOOM!!!

Thousands of vines erupted from every direction like dragons breaking free from the earth itself. The sheer pressure distorted the atmosphere as the gigantic flower beneath the humanoid opened its horrifying mouth even wider.

Rhazor’s grin disappeared instantly. Then, like a madman, he smiled.

”Oh, so talking failed.”

He smirked. ”The one who said communication solves all problems should be sent to the gulag and whipped a million times.”

SHIIIIING! SHIIIIING! SHIIIIING!

The vines pierced through space itself, attacking from impossible angles. Their speeds were several times faster than before.

Rhazor knew simple evasion wouldn’t work, so he instantly vanished.

He used Void Shift, allowing his body to travel through the void.

His body flickered between dimensions as dozens of vines tore through his afterimages. The moment he reappeared, he swung his sword violently, channeling an overwhelming power.

”Flame Sword Art: Infernal Wheel!”

A gigantic flaming wheel exploded outward from his blade, expanding wide as searing heat filled the forest.

BOOOOOOOOM!!!

Hundreds of vines were instantly incinerated as the attack ripped through the forest like a storm of destruction.

The destruction was significant.

But the next second...

The burning vines regenerated almost as if he hadn’t just destroyed hundreds of them.

They not only regenerated, but also split apart into even more vines.

”Seriously?” Rhazor muttered, sensing a shift in the air. His focus snapped toward the Vine God.

The humanoid Vine God finally moved.

Its hand slowly rose, and in that instant, waves of divine essence poured into the forest. Rhazor knew this bastard wasn’t the original version of the forest, but merely an incarnation. But even so, he couldn’t deny the overwhelming presence oozing from the Vine God.

The entire forest responded to its action.

RUMBLE!!!

Massive roots erupted from beneath the earth like world serpents. Trees twisted violently as flower monsters screamed across the skies.

As the screams grew louder, Rhazor felt it.

Space itself was being sealed by an invisible force, a discovery that made his brain tingle.

A chill instantly ran down his spine.

His eyes narrowed sharply.

”The forest can affect void movement, too?”

He wasn’t even done cursing his bad luck when the Vine God suddenly disappeared, almost as though it had also tapped into the void.

Rhazor’s instincts exploded instantly, his body reacting as if it were automated.

He crossed his sword over his chest immediately.

BOOOOOOM!!!

A fist made entirely of compressed vines slammed into him with catastrophic force, launching his body flying back.

The surrounding space shattered, and a terrible pressure descended upon him.

Rhazor coughed blood as his body shot backward like a cannonball, smashing through mountain-sized flowers before crashing into the earth below.

BOOOOOOM!!!

A crater thousands of meters wide exploded apart, and his body slid across the ground for several hundred meters before finally coming to a stop. By then, he could already feel that some of his bones had broken.

’Fighting against a godlike forest is no joke.’

Rhazor lay at the center, blood flowing from his forehead.

”Damn...” he coughed violently. ”That hit was disgusting.”

Before he could recover or get back up from the ground...

SHIIIIING!!!

Several black vines pierced through his shoulders, legs, and abdomen, pinning him to the ground.

”GUH!”

The corrosive venom instantly entered his body, spreading deep into his organs and core.

Rhazor’s expression finally changed. Even with his poison immunity, this corrosive venom wasn’t being fully neutralized. Even Icon couldn’t hold it back.

Of course, Rhazor knew Atomic could devour it. However, he wanted to train his poison immunity so that the venom would no longer corrode his body, and he knew death would not come from being poisoned.

In the future, if atomic isn’t able to handle it and his immunity isn’t powerful enough, he may find himself at a disadvantage. So he wanted to fix that early.

He wanted to develop a corrosive trait for his poison affinity, so he was intentionally limiting himself. Of course, it was easier said than done. Even so, he remained strong, making sure that no matter what, he wouldn’t die.

But the forest had no plans to keep him alive.

It had killed thousands of humans. Rhazor was next on its menu.

The flower monsters above suddenly released massive clouds of green spores that descended like a poisonous sea. More corrosive energy filled the air.

At the same time, the humanoid Vine God raised both hands.

The forest answered.

BOOOOOOOM!!!

Gigantic trees uprooted themselves entirely and began walking toward Rhazor like ancient giants. Every stomp was powerful enough to cause the entire forest to tremble.

Every direction became a death zone.

Rhazor gritted his teeth and released flames from his body.

BOOOOOOM!!!

The vines pinning him exploded apart.

Even now, he was still holding himself back. He knew he could not kill the forest, but he also could not reveal his trump cards just yet.

If he managed to gain his freedom and become strong enough, he would return and attempt to kill it. For now, his training continued. Though at this rate, calling him a masochist would only be accurate.

The moment he was free, he flapped his dragon wings violently and shot upward.

However—

A gigantic flower mouth suddenly appeared above him like a ghost.

Its spiraling teeth rotated at a terrifying speed.

CHOMP!!!

The flower bit downward like a glutton.

Rhazor barely managed to dodge in time, but the rotating teeth still tore through part of his left side.

Blood exploded into the air.

”ARGH!” Rhazor screamed as pain surged through his body.

His flesh was shredded instantly.

The poison entered the wound immediately. However, his healing abilities kicked in, and he began regenerating. Even so, he didn’t get hurt and poisoned for nothing.

Rhazor’s breathing became heavier as blood dripped from his body.

The humanoid Vine God looked down at him coldly.

”You cannot escape this forest.”

Rhazor wiped the blood from his mouth and smirked despite his injuries.

”You know...” flames slowly ignited around his sword, ”...this is the first time in a while I’ve been beaten this badly.”

The Vine God said nothing and pointed downward instead.

The entire forest roared.

Then everything attacked at once.

Thousands of vines.

Hundreds of flower monsters.

Walking trees.

Poisonous spores.

All of it converged upon Rhazor simultaneously.

The sky itself disappeared beneath the attack. The forest was finally making a desperate move to end the bug that just wouldn’t die.

Rhazor’s eyes sharpened, and then he unleashed a trump card.

”Void Flame Domain!”

BOOOOOOOOM!!!

A black-and-crimson explosion erupted from his body.

Void and flame fused together as an enormous domain expanded outward, instantly incinerating countless vines while warping the nearby space.

This technique was something he had personally developed while on his way to the Devil’s Maw. He was bored since Maud left to travel with the Paragon incarnation. For him to be bored said a lot about his character, considering he was part of a five-person team.

Klaus was basically the same person living five lives. The five lives were synchronized. Even though he was bored, Klaus and Kaden were having fun. That should have cheered him up.

But that was just another mystery only Klaus could explain.

The Void Flame Domain expanded widely.

But even then...

Cracks started appearing throughout the domain.

The sheer number of attacks slamming into it was overwhelming.

Rhazor’s expression finally became ugly.

’At this rate... I might actually die here if I don’t go all out.’

The gigantic flower above him suddenly opened its mouth again.

This time, a beam of corrosive green light began gathering inside it.

The pressure alone made Rhazor’s skin crawl.

’I guess I should take Gods in here seriously.’

The humanoid Vine God spoke coldly.

”Become nourishment for the forest.”

The beam fired.

At the same time, the entire forest attacked again.

Death closed in from every direction, and Rhazor, who knew what death felt like thanks to his understanding of the Law of Death, sensed his life truly in danger now.

Then suddenly, a message appeared before his vision, followed by a sweet voice.

[Route mapping complete.]

Icon’s voice echoed calmly inside his head.

Rhazor’s eyes widened.

[Emergency survival route found.]

[Probability of escape: 7%.]

[Probability of survival if you remain here: 0.3%.]

A glowing blue pathway instantly appeared within Rhazor’s vision, weaving through the forest like a thread of life hidden amidst certain death.

Rhazor grinned wildly.

”Hah... seven percent?”

The beam of destruction was already inches away from him.

Rhazor raised his burning sword.

”That’s more than enough.”