The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

Although they were not that common, it was widely known that soul weapons were not casually handed to just anyone since they were directly linked to the soul.

If someone wanted to harm you, attacking your soul weapon would directly affect your soul.

So, soul weapons were not easily entrusted to others, especially those who you can truly trust with your life. However, between Klaus and Hanna, Klaus didn’t even need to ask. Hanna had already planned to let him examine it.

When he asked, Hanna didn’t hesitate to hand it over. Klaus gently reached for the bow, but as soon as he touched it, he felt something move from the bow into his mind.

Instantly, his consciousness was pulled away, and he dropped onto his back, firmly holding the bow.

“Brother…”

“Klaus…”

Everyone shouted, rushing toward him. Hanna, being the closest, reached out to take back the bow. But before she could touch it, a voice invaded her mind.

[Don’t.]

She jumped back, startled by the commanding tone. “Nobody should touch him,” she said, halting everyone in their tracks.

“Why?” Klaus’s mom asked, worry etched on her face.

“Don’t worry, Mom. He’s not in any trouble.” Though the voice was harsh, Hanna sensed it was more concerned for them than for Klaus. This meant Klaus wasn’t in any real danger. They all nodded, but none of them stepped back.

***

Klaus, immediately after he touched the bow, felt something shift within it, sending his consciousness away. But unlike the others who panicked, Klaus didn’t.

That was because the pull was so familiar, so unlike how panicked he was when Number Three and Fruity visited. This time, he wasn’t scared.

However, when he appeared in the place he was pulled to, a cold sweat broke out on his back.

“What the fuck is this place?” Klaus muttered, ready to run. But he knew it wasn’t possible. But he sure damn would have like a good sprint right now.

Standing inside a raging storm, he couldn’t believe himself. Well, he could perfectly believe himself, after all, it was his past self that came calling.

The landscape appeared to be a valley with a storm raging above. The storm was so intense that Klaus immediately felt his hair being pulled. His white hair stood up as if he had been electrocuted.

“Mesmerizing, isn’t it? This was one of the places we came to train and unwind.” Suddenly, a voice spoke from behind him, prompting him to turn around.

Turning, he was greeted by a bare-chested man with the best physique he had ever seen. Between him and Fruity, the handsome man standing before him looked much more refined. His abs were cleanly cut as if he had been meticulously sculpted from the finest clay.

He also had an unusual set of whitish-blue hair, thick and twisted into 16 strands that seemed to possess a life of their own, extending as if the lightning ahead was calling them.

He had blue eyes and a handsome face, and at least he was wearing simple trousers and old mythological sandals like those only a deity would wear.

“Damn, another handsome bastard,” Klaus sighed, looking at the face staring back at him—his own face, but much more handsome. But at least, this one was smiling a genuine smile, or so it seemed.

“Let me guess, you are the second incarnation,” Klaus said.

“Smart. I guess I didn’t reincarnate into an idiot this time,” the blue-haired man said with a mocking smile. “By the way, you can call me Knox. Pleasure meeting you.”

Klaus stared at the man for a full minute before chuckling. “I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything different.”

“But why am I here? If it’s another set of memories, let me have them. I don’t really need a lecture on how important my past memories are meant to help me,” Klaus said with a defeated smile.

He had even stopped thinking about it. Somehow, the incarnations he had met were almost lifelike, as if they had never died. It was bizarre in a way he just couldn’t put his finger on.

“You don’t seem pleased meeting your past self,” Knox asked with a slight smile.

“No shit, Sherlock… Although I don’t know how you guys are doing it, next time you take possession of my body, try not to use it to anger the heavens, and then run off, leaving me to deal with the fallout,” Klaus glared at Knox.

Knox was the one who had taken possession of Klaus’s body during the tribulation and struck the base of the Lightning Tower, angering the heavens enough to send down a gatekeeper.

“Sorry about that… I just wanted to have some fun,” Knox said, maintaining his smile.

“Well, you’re dead, so maybe act like a dead person next time,” Klaus fired back.

“Dead, huh? It’s been a long time since I heard that word,” Knox muttered, appearing as if he had forgotten what death was.

“By the way, congratulations on awakening Skybound,” Knox said. With a quick wave, the bow Hanna had awakened appeared in his hands.

“I wasn’t the one who awakened it, it was my sister,” Klaus said.

“I know, the Star Light,” Knox responded, making Klaus frown.

“You knew about the Star Lights?” Klaus asked. Number Three had already mentioned them, but a fresh perspective was always welcome.

“Well, duh, I am the second incarnation, remember?” Knox said, making Klaus sigh.

“So, if you are the second incarnation, does that mean you have already found your Star Light?” Klaus asked.

“I mean, if there are nine Paragon Stars left to awaken, there would be nine Star Lights, right? And since it was our mission to find all nine Star Lights, that could only mean each incarnation has already found one.”

Klaus’s question made Knox sigh. This deepened Klaus’s frown. “Well, what am I missing, Knox?”

“It’s not as easy and simple as it seems. We indeed need the Star Lights to unlock the Paragon Stars so we can accomplish what we want, but that doesn’t mean each incarnation will birth a Star Light,” Knox said.

“I don’t understand,” Klaus frowned.

“Think of it this way: the first incarnation, our original self, was the one who discovered the existence of the Star Lights. However, he never figured out how they would appear. You could be considered the first to actually meet a Star Light.

I reincarnated during the Chaos Era, but even after thousands of years, I never found the Star Lights, which could only mean my era wasn’t destined to birth a Star Light.

That being said, the other incarnations failed in one way or another. But that was to be expected, considering we had already foreseen such outcomes.”

“Foreseen as in seeing into the future?” Klaus asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Well, our first self was a rather unusual monster, I must say. You don’t remember yet, but when you do, you’ll understand one thing: our original self wasn’t just a psycho, he was also a maniac and a genius.

He was the strongest of his era and, well, he was also a playboy—something I see you’ve picked up as well,” Knox said with a smile.

“Seriously, who are you people? How is it that all of you seem to know more about me than I do myself?” Klaus asked, clearly disturbed by the situation he found himself in.

“Duh, have you ever heard of ‘me, myself, and I’…”