The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

All Kaden knew was that he had come close to the dark portal after ending his talk with the Storm Master, Natasha, and the next thing he knew, he had passed out. When he opened his eyes, the only thing he saw was ash.

The entire air was virtually filled with ash.

As he exhaled, ash particles moved with his breath, causing Kaden to cough a few times. He tried to lift his body and sit upright. But then his eyes widened when his bones answered him.

”Ah, my back.” Yes, his spine had shattered alongside so many other bones.

Basically, his body had turned into jelly. And as if the heavens had followed him here, the gravity crashing down on him was just too much. He couldn’t even lift a finger.

Instinctively, he activated his Gravity Law, allowing his body to relax a bit. But still, he couldn’t lift his fingers. But at least his bones were healing, and most importantly, his comprehension of the Gravity Law was also increasing.

He also tried to get in contact with his other bodies, but he soon discovered he couldn’t, not by a long shot. But he didn’t panic since he had already anticipated that.

Still, he tried to get in contact with them just to be sure.

After making sure he was all alone in this place, he allowed himself a little rest, then focused on the next objective: finding a way to mend his body faster.

The last thing he wanted was to be in such a broken state, only to be attacked. While his mind was active and he could focus on using his Spirit Master Class, he wouldn’t underestimate this place by thinking his mind would be enough to handle everything.

So he focused most of his energy on healing himself as quickly as possible.

But while that was happening, he reached out to Icon, who, despite losing connection with his other incarnations, had apparently created a copy of herself just for him. So she had arrived here with him.

’Icon, are we in the Elemental Garden yet?’

[Yes, Master.]

’How long has it been since we arrived?’

[Ten days.]

’Oh, it has already been ten days, and I am only now opening my eyes, huh? How disappointing.’ A smile appeared on his face.

[Master shouldn’t be too hard on himself. You were supposed to wake up 100 days from now, at least by my calculations. Waking up within 10 days is already a miracle.]

’Well, thanks for the compliment. But I will be happier if I know where we are now.’

[I have already surveyed the landscape, and all I saw suggests we are in a Bone Ash Valley. That is virtually the nature of this place, hence the name. As for danger, we are pretty far from it. But I have sensed some God-level beasts in this place, most of them hidden underground.

I will call them Ash Beasts, or perhaps Bone Ash Beasts. As for the gravity here, it is ten times greater than what most worlds have in the Primus Universe.

Under normal circumstances, you were supposed to be crushed into a meat paste, but your Gravity Law seems to have softened the effect.]

Kaden’s comprehension of the Law of Gravity was already at the Perfect Stage, so he was able to withstand it. But that didn’t mean he could handle it just yet.

Right now, he needed to train his Gravity Law to a higher level before he could move or even fight here. This also meant he couldn’t bring out his people for now, at least not until he managed to figure out this place.

Learning that there were beasts here was also a factor in his inability to bring them out. Perhaps the gravity was only this intense here, so once he got used to it and managed to leave, he would bring them out.

’How about the messages that appeared before my eyes the very second before I was teleported here? More importantly, were you the one who teleported me or someone else?’

[It wasn’t me. However, I think I have a clue, and it may have to do with the nature of this place and your true nature as the Paragon.]

’Are you insinuating that I may have lived here before?’

[Not really. But I think it has to do with your nature as the Paragon. I am only saying this after gathering enough data about you.

The first clue came when you met the Dragon Ancestor. He maintained a calm demeanor when addressing you, but I could sense the reverence buried deep within his soul.

Naturally, that pointed to a sense of familiarity and respect that could only be earned through personal interaction. Somehow, someone who had lived during the Third Reincarnation Cycle knew you.

This suggests you may have lived back then and interacted with him.

The second clue came during the review of the memories your incarnation obtained during the God Ascension Trial. I asked myself, how can one comprehend their own Dao when it hasn’t been given to them?

It is impossible to do that without first cultivating a Dao Seed. Inside those memories, it appears you inherited that Dao Seed. Basically, that meant you had cultivated it yourself and placed it inside the Ascension Trial to be inherited by you.

If that was the case, then naturally, you had lived long before this Reincarnation Cycle, and this place was one of the places you had lived in. I honestly don’t know what kind of existence you were before the Fourth Reincarnation Cycle, but the system that teleported you and welcomed you appears to be me in a way, albeit a much more advanced version of me.

So you can say this place is your home, but also not your home, considering your welcome ceremony consisted of all your bones shattering and your body being reduced to jelly for ten days.]

Kaden grinned, not expecting Icon to tease him at the end. But from what she had said, he himself had already suspected as much.

He could tell his reincarnations had a much deeper connection to this place. All nine reincarnations pointed to a much deeper truth he wasn’t yet privy to.

Rhazor inheriting his own Dao was one clue. As for the events with the Dragon Ancestor, this was the first time he had heard about them.

[Also, I have received a map showing where we have to go. I don’t know what is there, but we have to go there.]

Icon dropped the bombshell, and Kaden, forgetting he was still broken, tried to stand up, only to realize his body was still beyond repair.

’Really? That is wonderful then.’

[Indeed, but I believe we should prepare for something much worse. I have a feeling this place exists outside the Primus Universe, so nothing here is regulated. You might find yourself at death’s door before you even realize what happened.]

Kaden smiled, but he took Icon’s words to heart.

The last thing he wanted was to become complacent just because he was no longer under the scope of the Heavenly Dao.

’But how are we going to find Pickle Berry’s family?’ he asked. It was important because they had come here to find and rescue Pickle Berry’s family, who had been banished here.

[One step at a time, Master. Heal first, and then we will plan what to do next. More importantly, I have a feeling time runs much faster here, so we have all the time in the world to get things done.

But even if we don’t finish early, you have other incarnations out there, so it isn’t as though you would lack manpower.]

’That is true. In that case, I will focus on healing myself and comprehending the Gravity Law first.’