The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

The last time they fought, Klaus had been under the enhancement of the Blood Moon Transformation. This transformation gave him a sixfold power upgrade, which gave him an edge temporarily in that battle.

Klaus had wanted nothing more than to use his own strength alone to defeat them. But alas, you can't always get what you want—or, more accurately, you can't always fight what's already dead.

Yet, if you're someone the heavens despise so much that they dig into your past and summon the enemies you've already slain, then there's no telling what might come your way.

Klaus, in a twisted sense, was fortunate. What had nearly been his ultimate defeat had now reappeared in his tribulation like some kind of heart demon—seven of them. They charged at him and before long…

The fight was underway.

***

Ohema kept watching the tribulation, her expressions shifting from shock to awe. She just couldn't wrap her mind around it. In her perspective, Klaus was simply too abnormal.

He had gone from killing a swarm of lightning pythons to defending against and destroying countless spears. And just when it seemed things might settle down, monsters and zombies began popping up.

But when humans started appearing, she was taken aback.

"Are these the people who've tried to kill him at some point?" she wondered. Then her heartbeat slowed, a new anger simmering within.

"How dare they? Why can't they just leave him alone?"

Her rage began to build as she watched the humans come back a second time, determined to finish what they'd started. Yet, as she continued watching, she could see that Klaus didn't even acknowledge them.
Experience exclusive tales on empire

Instead, he sat calmly, as if he owned the place, controlling his spirit weapons with his mind to do the killing.

"What are those?" Her eyes narrowed as she saw the seven dangerous-looking zombies appear. She quickly looked toward Klaus, who had finally stepped up and retrieved his sword. Soon, the battle was underway.

Klaus clashed with the zombies, relying solely on his strength this time. He had been amplified before, but not anymore. However, he showed no signs of fear.

A blood prince attacked from behind, but Klaus moved, leaving a lightning trail as he weaved between the attacks. The lightning awakening made his speed much faster. However, that wasn't what Klaus was focusing on; he was after the offensive power of the element.

He slashed his lightning-infused sword, releasing an arc of lightning that immediately struck the target. Before the blood prince could defend itself, the arc burst apart, sending bolts of lightning through its body.

"How sinister," Klaus muttered, watching as the holed blood prince dissipated into lightning runes that flowed into his body.

"Senior, am I close to awakening the true form of lightning?" Klaus asked, deflecting a club attack from one of the blood princes.

[No, brat. However, if you manage to awaken that thing you borrowed from the heavens, your chances would be very high,] the senior replied.

"That is reassuring. But I didn't borrow it; I just took back what belonged to me in the first place." Although Number Three never told him how he created it or why it was with the heavens, Klaus knew for a fact that it belonged to him.

[Just be careful, brat. Whether it was yours in the first place or not, some things are meant to belong to the heavens. You cannot just use it as easily as you took it,]" the senior warned.

"I know that, but with what I have in mind, the heavens will have to brace themselves for a heartbreak," Klaus replied with a smile.

[Brat, what are you planning?] The senior sensed a bad premonition.

"You'll have to wait and see, senior; it'll be spectacular," Klaus said, just as he landed a kick on the Blood Queen, sending her flying.

Klaus wasn't using any active skills yet since the zombies weren't posing much of a threat.

"Looks like my sword has become quite lethal," he murmured, slashing at the claw of one of the Blood Princes.

"Phantom Steps," Klaus invoked one of the many movement techniques Yuying had acquired for him. The fox lady had showered Fruity with so many gifts that even Klaus didn't fully understand why.

After joining the Witch Temple in the Tormented World, Yuying often disappeared for days, weeks, or even months at a time. However, whenever she returned, Fruity always received exceptional treatment.

The [Phantom Steps] is just the first form of a movement technique called [Ghostly Nine Ultimate Steps]. It has nine levels, and Phantom Steps is the first form, the only one he could master at his current level.

Perhaps he could move on to the second step, [Vanishing Steps], after breaking through to the Grandmaster stage.

His steps appeared ghostly as he closed the gap between himself and the zombie. Before it could react, sparks of runes flew into the air, entering Klaus's body.

"Killed two in under four minutes. That's too slow. Let's pick up the pace," Klaus murmured, his movement becoming ghostly as he instantly appeared in front of another zombie, which quickly dispersed into runes.

Soon, all six Blood Princes were killed, leaving only the Blood Queen, who charged at Klaus with all the energy she could muster.

Klaus simply dodged her attack, then moved to evade a vine attack from the ground. The heavens sure knew how to contradict themselves; sending a wood cultivator into a fight with a lightning user was just too low.

But Klaus wasn't complaining. Instead, he was more than happy to greet the heavens with all his might.

"You nearly killed me the last time, lady. This time, let me take your head."

"Phantom Steps." Klaus moved, and before the Blood Queen could react, her head fell. Tribulation runes floated up and began entering his body.

"The sword has become several times stronger. I can even feel it's enhanced my strength and speed slightly," Klaus said, looking at the lightning-infused sword with a smile.

"If I had known lightning would be this powerful, I would have forced myself to awaken it much earlier," Klaus sighed.

Although Ice and Fire were still devastating—especially Fire—he could tell that within the tribulation, the lightning element had a greater effect.

His speed was boosted slightly by the sword, and now the lightning was also making him even faster. The more runes entered his body, the stronger he became.

"Looks like I am nearing the Grandmaster stage," Klaus said, watching the clouds churn for the fourth stage of the tribulation.

His strength continued to rise, and even his Star Qi grew stronger. Klaus knew he was approaching the Grandmaster stage. However, even from a distance, he could feel a powerful energy building up within.

[Brat, the fourth stage is coming; you better be prepared,] the senior warned. Klaus didn't need reminding—his eyes were already fixed on the churning clouds. The lightning within them illuminated the entire area.

Ohema, who was 20 kilometers away, sensed a strange but powerful energy emanating from the clouds. She moved back an additional 2 kilometers to stay safe. Although she wanted to help Klaus, getting hurt was the last thing he wanted.

Klaus would be furious if that happened.

"I know, senior. I've been waiting for this moment. When I give the signal, extend the Tribulation Prison to cover 70% of my soul sea."

[Are you sure?]

"We'll know soon enough," Klaus replied, just as the heavens rumbled. From within the ominous dark clouds, the base of an enormous tower began to emerge.

"It's finally here," Klaus smiled, then began forming a hand seal.