The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

“How was your time on the moon, honey?” Klaus’s mother asked, holding his hand. It had been four whole weeks since he left, and she had been worried the entire time.

“It was great, Mom. I had fun and made some friends. That place is very beautiful,” Klaus replied with a smile.

“Glad you had fun.”

“I can’t believe there are people on the moon. How come we haven’t known about this all these years?” Anna asked, looking rather shocked.

Ohema had already revealed her true identity to them, so they knew she was a moon-born. What shocked them, however, was the revelation that people were living on Earth’s closest celestial body, yet humanity had no idea they existed.

“We are advanced in technology—very advanced—so unless we want to reveal ourselves to someone, you wouldn’t know we exist,” Ohema said with a small smile.

“I can’t believe you’re not human, Sister Ohema. You look so human to me.”

“Scratch that. I can’t believe you’re an Ascendant and a sister to the leader of the Overlords at that. You’re awesome!” Miriam said, practically glowing like a fangirl.

“Relax, my War Goddess. Your big sister will be coming to visit soon enough,” Klaus said with a grin. Miriam and Queenie were sworn sisters, and seeing Ohema, who bore the same face as Queenie, only made her happier. Find exclusive stories on empire

“So, what is the moon like?” Danny asked.

“From what I’ve seen, it’s very beautiful. The place isn’t that big, but it’s charming enough to make you want to stay there forever. Of course, with your current strength, you’d stand out.”

“The weakest person I met there was a Grandmaster, and they’re about to break through to the Saint stage,” Klaus said, shaking his head.

After witnessing the strength of the Moonborn, Klaus began to question whether Earth truly had a hopeful future. The number of Sovereigns he saw on the moon easily numbered in the hundreds if not thousands.

That alone made it clear how far behind humans were. Humanity might have the advantage in numbers, but would that be enough?

“Good thing they’re reaching an agreement with us now. Otherwise, who knows how many lives would’ve been lost?” Kilian said, shaking his head.

“By the way, how was your training?” Klaus asked.

“We’ve learned the cultivation techniques, so now we can start forming the star core whenever you give the order,” Anna replied, sounding rather happy.

“Good. Since you’ve all come this far, why not push yourselves to grow even stronger? That said, you’ll need to form your cores using the monster cores that match your elemental affinity.” Klaus paused before adding, “Everyone except Danny.”

“Why not me?” Danny asked, frowning.

“You have the light element, which is quite rare,” Klaus explained. “Until we find monsters with that affinity, you’ll have to rely on treasures and regular cores. Of course, I’ll do my best to get you some Light-elemental cores when we find them.”

Klaus had researched and discovered that Light-elemental monsters were exceedingly rare. Danny would have to make do with ordinary cores for now since there simply weren’t many Light-Elemental monster cores available.

Well, at least not on Earth…

“I can get him as many Light-elemental cores as he needs,” Ohema said casually. “Most of the Lunar Beasts have Light affinities.”

Danny’s face lit up instantly. “You’re the best, Sister Ohema!” he exclaimed, beaming with excitement.

Klaus didn’t mind where the cores came from; he just wanted his friends to grow stronger. Meeting Lycos and the others on the moon had been a sobering experience.

It made him realize that even though his friends were among the strongest of their generation on Earth, they were still far behind the Moonborn elites.

“What about the news? Anything interesting going on these days?” Klaus asked. It had been four weeks since he wiped out every assassin in the Northern Union, so there was bound to be some buzz by now.

“Yes, a lot has been happening since you’ve been away,” Miriam began. “First, the Three Legacies issued a statement. They declared that as long as you’re alive, there will never be peace between you and the Duncan Legacy family.”

Klaus’s expression darkened slightly, but he remained silent as Miriam continued.

“Their father supported their statement. A few days after you left, he issued his own declaration, demanding that you appear before a tribunal to stand trial for killing and injuring ‘innocent’ people. He even sent warriors here but, well…” Miriam scratched her head awkwardly.

“But what?” Klaus asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Your rowdy uncles killed them all,” Miriam said, shaking her head in exasperation.

“Good. I guess they’re indeed qualified to be my uncles,” Klaus said with a grin, clearly approving of their actions. He would have done the same if he’d been there.

“Unbelievable…” Miriam muttered, shaking her head, knowing Klaus meant every word.

“That incident made things worse,” she continued. “The Three Legacies issued another statement, this time with the Duncan Legacy family fully supporting it. Strangely, three of the Five Great Clans, including my family, stepped forward to back them.” Miriam sighed heavily, her voice filled with bitterness.

“I see…” Klaus sighed, too, his mood somber. He wasn’t sure how to approach this. It was her family they were talking about, and even though they’d disowned her, she was still a Nabil.

“Don’t think too much about it, Klaus,” Miriam said, reassuringly touching his arm.

“They’ve disowned me, which means we share no bond whatsoever anymore. You can do whatever you want to them; I don’t mind. Just one thing—don’t kill the servants, especially the women. They’re innocent. Of course, if they raise their weapons against you, do whatever you must.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll know my limits when the time comes,” Klaus said, holding her hand firmly.

“That aside, the Dark Order seems to be on edge,” Miriam said. “They haven’t issued any statements, but my sources tell me they’ve been making underground moves recently. It’s clear they’re starting to notice the disappearance of their operatives in the Northern Union.”

“Oh, them?” Klaus chuckled darkly. “I’ll make sure they understand the tiger they’ve provoked. After all, it wouldn’t be any fun if I didn’t get under their skin, force them to reveal themselves, and take them out once and for all.”

“So, are you going to show yourself as the one killing their people?” Ohema asked, her tone curious.

“No,” Klaus replied, shaking his head. “But my name will be known. I plan to keep it that way until I can show myself confidently—without anyone having the strength to hurt me or those close to me.”

With him leaving for the academy in ten days, Klaus couldn’t afford to leave his mother and wives exposed to potential retaliation in his absence. It was too risky.

“You know you don’t have to worry about our safety, right?” Ohema said. “Sister Miriam and I can ensure Mother is protected. By showing what you’re capable of, you’ll make anyone with strange ideas think twice before acting.”

Miriam nodded in agreement.

“I know,” Klaus said, his voice softening, “but I still wouldn’t put you all through that. You need the time to cultivate, not stand guard, because I chose to make a name for myself. That’s not the burden I want to place on you both.”

He paused, his gaze hardening. “Plus, I want to keep my enemies on edge, never knowing where or how I’ll strike. I want them desperate—unable to find a target—until I come for their heads myself.”

Klaus’s cold smile sent a chill through the room, making his friends shudder involuntarily.

Even his mother felt an uneasy knot tighten in her chest.