The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

Chapter 1677: Bet

“Your father is a terrible advisor,” Storm Master said, staring back at Kaden after finally digesting his response.

All Kaden had said was too shameless and borderline nonsensical, yet he claimed he had received such advice from his father.

It spoke volumes about who his father was.

Then again, Hunter had never said any of those words, so they were purely Kaden’s own.

Still, he grinned and said,

“I beg to differ, Storm Master. I think he was a great father, and he still is. That said, I know you are having a busy day, so I will go straight to the point.” He took a deep breath, then added, “My reason for coming here today is because of that gateway.”

Kaden pointed at the dark, swirling mass of darkness, causing Storm Master to turn and look at it. Her brow furrowed slightly as she stared at the large portal that nobody, not even she herself, dared to approach.

She knew where it led, and over the past millions of years, she had seen many beasts accidentally vanish into its dark maw. Of course, she had personally thrown some savage beasts inside as a form of punishment, so she had a vivid, firsthand understanding of what it was capable of.

A mere demigod claiming he had come for such a portal was bound to stir some sort of emotion within her.

She had never expected Kaden to come here because of that. In fact, she would never expect anyone to come here because of such a gateway.

“I am going to the Elemental Garden, and I would love it if you could allow me to pass.”

“But why? While I am not obligated to stop you from going to such a place, I am curious. And no, I am not busy, so why don’t you tell me the reason a demigod would dare venture into the Elemental Garden?”

Storm Master asked with a calm expression, but Kaden had lived with millions of beasts, so he could sense her deep curiosity.

He smiled and answered,

“A friend of mine lost her family to a spell that pulled them into the Elemental Garden. Now, I would like to stress the fact that this friend of mine is very important to me, so important that if she becomes sad, I do too.

So, with her family banished there, I had to help her get them back, and to do so, I needed to enter the place through this portal, since the first one holds so much importance to the Elemental Empress and her goons.”

Storm Master studied Kaden for a while, unsure of what to say.

She had lived long enough to witness even powerful beasts, some close to her own strength, cry tears of anguish when the gateway took them to the Elemental Garden.

She was aware of the insidious nature of that place, which seemed determined to keep everything it took and never spit anything back out.

Nobody had ever survived that place and returned alive. So naturally, even she feared it. She wouldn’t dare go there, not without a guaranteed way to return.

But for the first time in her long life, she had met someone confident enough to willingly enter a place even she dared not venture into.

“I don’t know if you are overconfident or just stupid, but I admire your bravery and loyalty, which is why I will allow you to pass. However, humans have this thing called a bet. I want us to bet on something.”

Kaden furrowed his brow, not expecting to hear Storm Master propose a bet. Of course, she had called him stupid, and she wasn’t wrong. Kaden was indeed stupid for even considering going to the Elemental Garden willingly.

But he was also brave for doing so, and she acknowledged that before proposing a bet.

Kaden was overjoyed, for he planned to return. In fact, he knew he could return simply because, unlike his connection to his wives, which might be severed once he reached the other side—the Elemental Garden—the chances of him losing his connection to his other incarnations were much lower.

If that were the case, then even if he couldn’t teleport back to the land of the living, he could simply kill himself and create a new body.

But before doing so, he would stash Pickle Berry’s family inside the Demon Bead, which he was taking with him. He would still have access to his soul sea, so he could store it there, kill himself, and then take it out once he had a new body.

Atomic still possessed some of the cosmic energy he had absorbed when Asmodeus’s first Primordial Undead Warrior departed for the Cosmic Sea.

Getting a new body was as simple as thinking about it.

So Kaden wasn’t too worried about how he would get out. Of course, if he were to lose his connection to his other bodies, then killing himself would be fatal, meaning he would have to find a manual way to leave.

He had been in many dangerous places in the past, and each time, he had prevailed. So he trusted himself enough to prevail here, too.

“I am intrigued to hear what kind of bet you propose,” Kaden replied, and Storm Master nodded.

“The bet is simple. I will allow you entry into the gateway without anyone blocking your path. In return, you must enter, explore, and return alive with at least two pieces of proof to show that you indeed survived that place.

I can tell you are a person in your own right, but judging by how vast your soul is, I am inclined to believe you are a clone. I don’t want your main body, if that is the case, to come here and claim they survived. So you must bring proof that you were indeed there.

If you survive, I will grant you one wish. If not, then, as the humans used to say, rest in peace.”

Kaden grinned and accepted her bet. “Just prepare to become one of my Beast Generals. I have long lusted after making you my subordinate, and this bet will surely go a long way toward making that happen.”

Kaden laughed before turning to look at the gateway.

Storm Master, however, frowned slightly upon hearing Kaden’s plans for her.

“I don’t know how you plan to return, but maybe think about how to survive there first. That said, I will stand by my word, so survive, and I will grant you your wish.”

Kaden nodded and took a deep breath.

“In that case, why don’t we introduce ourselves? My name is Kaden, just an ordinary explorer and a good friend.”

Storm Master looked at him for a few seconds before introducing herself as well.

“My name is Natasha, Guardian of the Storm Sea. Nice meeting you, human.”

“Likewise.” Kaden looked at the gateway again, and with a deep breath, he said, “I suppose it is time for me to leave. I will return in one piece, so don’t miss me too much.”

“Why would I miss you?” Natasha looked at him with a flat expression.

“You know what? Forget about it. Missing me would surely make me happy, knowing there is someone out there who cares about my mental health and safety.”

He moved, and before long, he was only a few meters away from the portal. Just as he was getting close, a green message instead of the usual blue appeared before his eyes.

[You have discovered the Elemental Dao Garden. Preparing teleportation: 5…4…3…2…1.]

Kaden’s vision blurred, but before he lost consciousness, he saw a message that made him try to widen his eyes, but he failed.

[Welcome back to the Elemental Dao Garden, Lord Paragon.]