The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

In a dark, lifeless room, a dark-haired figure wearing a mask could be seen sitting quietly, resting his chin on his fist. However, despite his calm demeanor, there was this unsettling aura surrounding him giving him the presence of danger. Suddenly, a device in the room began beeping.

"My Lord, it is done," a masked face appeared on the screen after he answered. "Number 92 has been taken care of."

"Good. Now, move to the next phase. He failed to complete the job. I hope you won't," the lord said, his voice calm but commanding.

"Arrangements have been made, my Lord. He will be moving out in a few days," the masked figure replied.

"Good. Make sure he succeeds. I don't think I need to remind you of the consequences of failure," the lord added.

"My Lord." The masked figure bowed before the projection faded from the screen.

"What a headache," the masked man muttered, his tone devoid of emotion. Not that it mattered—his mask hid any possible expression.

Moments later, the device beeped again. This time, upon answering, another masked figure appeared on the screen. But instead of remaining seated, the man in the room stood and bowed slightly.

"Dark Lord," he greeted with a soft bow. The mask worn by the figure on the screen was different, It has been marked with a golden line beneath the left eye, clearly signifying higher authority.

"I trust you've made the necessary provisions. This must be completed within two weeks. The damage is more severe than we anticipated," the golden-marked mask figure said, her voice unmistakably female.

"Yes, Dark Lord. Everything is in order. Klaus Hanson will be dead within the next two weeks" the masked man replied, his tone respectful.

"Good. Know that failure this time will bring severe consequences," she said coldly before the screen went dark again.

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After setting his bait, Klaus turned his attention back to the main task. The brief memory of his past self had given him more than he had hoped for. Though it wasn't all rainbows and sunshine, he had certainly gained something valuable.

His mind was now filled with a myriad of techniques, each more terrifying than the last. All the techniques his past self had learned from the Soul Temple were now within his grasp. He could use any of them if he wished. However, he first has to access them and see which ones will best suit him.

Most of the techniques were suited for spear and staff wielders, but there were also some for swords, bows, and even mages.

He had everything he could need within his mind, and he was eager to learn it all. However, before he made that decision, he wanted to see if he could awaken the Nine Divine Soul Bead Art technique he had received from the Old Monk. He wanted to see if he could awaken the Pentaface Bead.

Klaus was curious to learn more about it. Observing how Fruity used it, Klaus saw its potential. All of Fruity's tribulations involved sitting back and letting the bell handle the work. Klaus wanted the same ease, so he planned to see if he could manifest it in his current life.

Klaus knew his soul sea was far stronger than Fruity's, and with his powerful energy source, he was confident he could awaken the Nine Divine Soul Bead Art. But his real struggle lay within his heart.

From Fruity's memories, he knew that to awaken the technique, one needed a certain level of inner peace. In that aspect, Fruity had to be commended—his heart, even if only for a moment, was pure enough to achieve it.

Klaus, on the other hand, didn't have a peaceful heart right now. Anger boiled inside him, clouding his spirit. That was why he had spent days quietly with his mother and Hanna, trying to center himself.

He was learning how to stay calm in the face of chaos, and he had made some progress. Most of that was thanks to Lucy, who spent nights with him, offering a more... intimate form of comfort.

But now, sitting here, all Klaus could think about was how he was going to kill every member of the Dark Order. The various cruel ways he was going to do that and how he planned to go about it. His mind is in chaos.

"Well, that's one way to calm my heart, I guess," he muttered to himself. If slaughter was a path to inner peace, did that mean psychopaths were the most at peace with themselves? The thought was disturbing, though Klaus barely realized how much it reflected his own state of mind.

Sitting in a lotus posture, he forced his heart to calm. The anger still simmered, but he pushed it down. He began chanting the incantations for the Nine Divine Soul Bead Art. He had memorized them by heart, and the words flowed easily from his lips without any trouble.

The moment Klaus began chanting, he felt something shift deep inside him. It was subtle at first, but soon he could sense a presence rising within him. He didn't understand how or why, but it was as though something long dormant was awakening, trying to come toward him.

---

Far away, perhaps outside the bounds of time itself, a massive faceless statue stood atop a mountain. Its imposing figure cast a dark, torturous shadow over the land as if doom itself was descending from the heavens. If Klaus were there, he would've said something like, "This is one large motherf*cker." The statue was colossal, towering high into the sky.

Suddenly, it began to tremble. No, it didn't just tremble—it shook violently. The entire space around it quaked, and cracks began forming in the ground beneath it. The once steadfast statue now had fractures running along its surface.

Then, a strange chanting filled the air, echoing throughout the space. The moment the chanting started, the statue began to slowly rise into the air. It wasn't gentle—the rising was accompanied by more shaking as if the statue resisted.

In a sudden burst, the statue shattered into pieces, sending debris flying everywhere. Dust clouded the area, making the sky and earth lose their color for a brief moment. The explosion was chaotic and monstrous.

When the dust settled, a pentagon-shaped bead hovered in the air, pulsating with a dark aura. Each pulse of the bead was like a heartbeat, and with every beat, a hum vibrated through the space, causing it to warp and distort.

The chanting grew louder and darker, and from the swirling clouds above, a portal slowly opened, casting an eerie shadow. A powerful suction force began pulling at the bead. At first, the bead resisted, but as the chanting deepened in tone, it surrendered and flew obediently into the dark portal.

---

Back in Klaus's training room, he remained seated, chanting softly. Suddenly, he felt something foreign enter his soul sea—a dark, pulsing presence unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

Klaus's body shuddered as his consciousness suddenly slipped into his soul sea. The instant he arrived, another shudder coursed through him. His eyes widened as he took in the sight before him. Inside his soul sea, next to the familiar nine doors, was a massive dark-violet bead, floating ominously.

Five faces—emotionless yet disturbingly expressive—were etched into its surface, their eerie gaze fixed on him.

He swallowed hard, his throat dry. The object was imposing, far more real, and terrifying than anything he had seen in Fruity's memories. It loomed over him, radiating a sense of dread. He doesn't know where the fear is coming from, but he sure was scared shitless looking at the bead.

"Why the hell am I scared of this thing?" Klaus muttered under his breath, unsettled by the bead's presence.

"You should be scared, brat," Suddenly, the senior inside his soul sea said making Klaus look toward the first door "That thing... that's one of the Nine Forbidden Relics. Having it here is both a blessing and a curse."

Klaus raised an eyebrow, half curious, half alarmed. These days, he just doesn't get a breather about so many things wrong with things around him. He was about to ask what a Forbidden Relic was when the entire soul sea began to shake violently.

"Senior! What's happening?" Klaus panicked, feeling the space around him tremble.

"How... how is this possible?" His senior's voice, usually calm and wise, was now filled with shock. It was the first time Klaus had ever heard him sound unsettled. This made him feel something is wrong, but what...?.