The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

Chapter 1702: Blood Refinement

Fighting a Pseudo-Primordial turned out to be the most difficult thing a demigod could do. In terms of speed, strength, and stamina, Blood Savage outclassed Kaden in every aspect.

His speed was on another level.

Every attack left Kaden rattled and pushed him closer to defeat.

As the minutes passed, his stamina, which had seemed endless at first, began to drain, bringing him closer to complete exhaustion. In essence, he was approaching the point where, if he failed to find a way out, he would truly regret it.

But despite all the glaring warnings before him and the fatigue coursing through his body, Kaden remained locked in, defending and doing his best to keep up with Blood Savage’s speed.

It was impossible to match such speed, but it was possible to match his attack patterns, something Kaden had already accomplished.

He had adapted to Blood Savage’s attack patterns, so even though he wasn’t as fast, his body had become fast enough to react whenever the attacks came.

But he was losing, with the only thing keeping him alive being the Forbidden Elemental Overlord Transformation.

The sixteen elements were keeping him alive, and because each had already awakened into a sentient elemental spirit, they too were adapting to Blood Savage’s attacks.

But for now, Kaden was losing…

‘This is indeed an eye-opener. I knew there were dangers out there that couldn’t be ignored, but who would have expected this bastard to be such a monster? If only I can make him a surbordinate’

He smiled and crossed his spear over his chest, receiving a deadly strike from Blood Savage’s sabre.

‘Come to think of it, killing a Pseudo-Primordial with a single arrow could be considered normal since it was powered by sixteen elements, four of which were Primordial Flame Spirits.

But thinking about that arrow now, my body should be on the same level as that arrow, so why am I losing?’

The question made sense, but Kaden had no time to dwell on it.

His body moved, narrowly evading a swing aimed at his neck. Then, the moment he landed on his heels, he spun around and evaded another slash directed at his torso before his right foot stepped onto the flat of Blood Savage’s sabre.

This sequence of movements caused Blood Savage to lose his momentum for a split second, and Kaden immediately seized the opportunity. His left arm moved, and he pointed forward.

The next second, a bolt of Golden Soul Forbidden Lightning erupted forth and struck Blood Savage squarely in the chest. The blast sent him flying backward.

Kaden used the opportunity to retreat, his body arching wildly as he created distance.

He looked toward Blood Savage, who had already risen to his feet and was staring daggers at him, almost unable to believe that a mere demigod was contending with him in close combat.

It should have been impossible.

Well, it was impossible in so many ways.

Everything that should have made sense no longer did. There was also the fact that Kaden still had the audacity to wear a smile.

The most chilling part was that Blood Savage could sense Kaden wielding different forms of the same element.

Take flame, for example. Whenever their weapons collided, he could feel some of the flames seeping into his soul, mind, and body while simultaneously scorching his flesh.

That, coupled with the fact that Kaden had already mastered all these elements, told Blood Savage that he had to be careful. Otherwise, he might end up like the Blood Hound, who had entered the battle believing brute strength alone would guarantee victory while completely underestimating its opponent’s true power.

So he changed his approach… he had to wipe that smug look off Kaden’s face.

He moved, and the Blood Sea Domain responded.

Kaden, still smiling, bit his lip as his elements surged.

They clashed again, and Kaden was overpowered once more. But, as before, he found a way to compensate and held his ground.

‘Icon, sweetheart, have you found a way to kill this bastard yet?’ Kaden asked after another twenty minutes of relentless battle.

A few seconds later, Icon responded,

[Not really. Killing it would require you to overpower him, and right now, not even your incarnation as Rhazor, who is already a god, can do that. However, I have found a way that gives us a twenty percent chance of success. Do you want to hear it?]

‘At this rate, who am I to reject any idea, even if it has the smallest chance of success?’

[That is true. Master is indeed at a crossroads here, so every idea counts.]

‘I know that, so why don’t you tell me what I can do?’

[If Master recalls vividly, a while back during your time in the Jade Nest, the Doomsday Cauldron imprisoned several people inside its Doomsday Domain.]

Kaden nodded while blocking and pushing back another attack.

He recalled that time very well. It was perhaps his first time witnessing the devouring power of the Doomsday Cauldron in action against humanoids.

[Here is what happened. After devouring them, the item spirit extracted their souls and refined them into Soul Runes. Honestly, I don’t know how he managed it, but we just had a discussion, and according to him, we can do the same to this guy.

Now, before you jump to conclusions, know that we have no power here—or anywhere else—that can help us extract the soul of a Pseudo-Primordial.

However, we have someone who can help us harness the power of blood to refine this bastard. I have already discussed the plan with Bloodwork, and he is ready whenever you are. The only problem is finding a way to get him into the Doomsday Cauldron.]

Kaden said nothing for three long minutes, doing his best to survive. When he finally replied, his words made Icon beam with joy.

‘Taking him into the Doomsday Cauldron is the easy part. But how sure are you that we can refine him?’

[Well, it will drain you considerably, and you might even be unconscious for a week. But if we can get him into the cauldron, he will become your Blood Puppet in no time.

This will also greatly boost our combat strength and help us traverse the remaining distance much more easily.]

‘Then let’s do it…’