The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

On the last floor of the dungeon, Lissa looked at Alida and sighed.

"So this is the trial the master has left behind, huh? Why would he do something like this?" she asked, her gaze fixed on the projection of the trial Klaus was pulled into.

While the dungeon had 30 floors, as Queenie had mentioned, those were merely contingency plans designed to ensure that the 30 floors would appear as a diversion if the dungeon were discovered before Klaus entered it.

"The master doesn't do anything without reason; you said that yourself, Lissa. We can only trust him and play our part well. Even though the Paragon Timeline the master spoke of has been altered, he's still the master. We have to believe in him," Alida said.

They had awakened with cultivation bases at the Chaos Stage—the stage after the Void Stage. However, after opening the trial, their power had dropped to the peak of the Void Stage.

"I guess you're right. After all, this is his trial of passage, left behind to secure his inheritance and safeguard his homeworld."

__________

<Welcome to the Tower of Inheritance, Paragon of the Nine Stars.>

Klaus turned around to see if the voice had a tangible form, but after looking around and seeing nothing, he sighed.

"Senior, do you know what is happening?" he asked, but strangely, the connection between him and the senior was severed. It was like he wasn't there.

"Strange," Klaus muttered.

"Where am I?" Klaus asked, knowing there was no need to dwell on something he had no control over.

<You are inside the Nine Trials of Hell. This trial is left behind so that one day, the Paragon of the Nine Stars can regain a part of himself. You are currently in the first trial. Do you want to know the structure and rules?>

"Please." Klaus had already seen worse, so he wasn't surprised by this. Since he was born in this world, it was only natural for him to have a much more intimate connection with it.

Sure, he had questions, but he wasn't about to dive into them just yet. For some reason, knowing something was left behind by one of his past selves here only confirmed that this Earth was a world of cultivators.

And he was sure it hadn't been 51 years ago when the apocalypse descended. So it could only mean one thing: thousands of years ago, the apocalypse had descended on Earth. But looking at things now, it seemed Earth hadn't survived.

His intelligence stat was more than enough for him to be dumb.

<You are now in the Nine Trials of Hell. In this trial, you will face the Nine Hell Demons of the Tormented World. These Nine Hell Demons are the Savages who once terrorized the Tormented World and killed millions.

Each demon possesses a unique aspect that the Master needs to reclaim a part of his power. To pass the trial, you must defeat all nine.>

Rules & Structure:

-- You must absorb its Core, Soul Crystal, and Blood Essence after killing a Hell Demon. This process will be automated upon the demon's death.

-- Once the challenge begins, you cannot back down. Retreating is not an option.

-- After completing each challenge, you will be automatically transported to the domain of the next target if you will it.

-- A detailed insight into your next target will be provided immediately after you defeat the previous one.

-- You will earn one Life Point after each kill. Currently, you have three Life Points.

<Life Points>

-- If you are killed, one Life Point will be deducted, granting you a temporary death. Once all Life Points are exhausted, you will die permanently.

-- During the trial, you will be completely cut off from the rest of the world.

-- Secondary powers, such as a beast companion or battle doll, cannot be used in this trial.

<Do you have any questions?>

"Yes, I do. Can I choose which target to face next?" Klaus asked.

<No. The trial is automated and static. There is no changing it.>

"How about deciding when to start the next trial?"

<Yes. After killing your target, you can relax and recuperate. Only when you are ready will you be allowed to enter the next trial?>

"What if I break through and need to undergo my tribulation? Will I be transported outside to have it?" Klaus asked, his tone serious. This was crucial to him.

After falling asleep on Hanna's lap, he had woken up three days later, shocked to find his eighth core fully formed and the ninth nearing completion.

He was certain that if Nari hadn't forcibly woken him up, the ninth core would have already been formed. This made it imperative to clarify things before matters got out of hand.

<You will face your tribulation within the trial tower under the rules of the Tower of Inheritance.>

"I see. One last question: will the heavens influence the tribulation?" Klaus pressed. This was the most critical aspect for him.

<No. However, for every tribulation you undergo, one Life Point will be deducted. You may not think much of these Life Points now, but they are incredibly valuable, and having as many as possible is imperative.

Also, if you pass the trials, all remaining points will be void. They cannot be used again.>

Klaus smiled upon hearing that. At least without the heavens having a chance to interfere, he could face a fair tribulation.

If only he knew how angry the heavens were at that moment. All connections to him had vanished, including the threads of karma surrounding him. It was as though he had ceased to exist in their eyes.
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"Then I'll need to break through to the Saint stage before taking the first trial," Klaus concluded. He wasn't naïve enough to think appearing in the Tormented World was going to be a walk in the park.

No, Klaus knew he was in deep shit. As someone constantly surrounded by danger, he wasn't about to risk his life recklessly here.

He was transported to a mountain range, where the first thing he did was inform Queenie and his ladies that he would be going dark for a few months and that they shouldn't worry.

Afterwards, he began absorbing monster cores to fill his next and final core. When he becomes a Saint, he can start.

After all, once he becomes a Saint, he will receive unique skills for his classes, and as someone who has two, and they are all OP, he knew he was up for a huge promotion.

__________

Lissa looked at Alida and smiled.

"Looks like the heavens took the wrong turn this time. Knowing Master, his greed will get the best of him and use this tower to push his strength to the highest level."

"True. He is very shameless for that. But isn't that why we have to sacrifice our cultivation so he could have it easy for while it lasted." Alida said with a cute smile.

"We can just ask for compensation once he gets here. I trust his blood is still that heavenly; if we can get a bite just once, I wouldn't complain," Lissa giggled.

"That is true, we need to get compensated for this. I don't mind sinking my teeth in his arm for just one time."

While the two cats were drooling, Klaus's ninth core formed 14 hours after he started. He expected the lightning to form and start bombarding him.

But what happened next left him...speechless.