The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

“Oh my god, is this just a ranked battle or a fight to the death?” a disciple exclaimed, shivering from the cold that spread far and wide.

“Don’t you know? The two are like mortal enemies. From what I’ve heard, both are referred to as the Ice Princess within their respective Unions. But there can only be one Ice Princess.”

“So, this is a battle to determine who becomes the True Ice Princess?”

“Exactly. While it might look like a Ranked Match to everyone else, it’s really a battle for the title.”

“Too bad they’ll never be friends. If they worked together, this world could have two powerful Ice Mages to rely on.”

“Indeed. But that’s also what makes this so exciting.”

All around, disciples murmured about the chilling battle that had turned the arena into a frozen wasteland. More and more of them gathered as they felt the bone-chilling cold emanating from the arena.

Klaus watched calmly, his eyes fixed on Anna as she struggled to maintain her spell. Now entirely frozen, the arena was littered with the remains of dozens of clones, which died and respawned in an endless cycle.

Whenever a clone perished, two more would take its place.

Because Anna wasn’t holding back, the battlefield was teeming with over 12 sword-wielding clones, 12 bow-wielding clones firing ice arrows, and 12 dagger-wielding clones circling like predators.

Anna was encased in a crystal dome, her primary defense. Ruby stood opposite her, surrounded by a similar dome, a small smirk playing on her lips.

It had become a battle of attrition. Whoever ran out of energy first would lose. Anna was running low, but Ruby wasn’t faring much better.

Still, Anna was far from defeat. She continued summoning spears, making her spell circle relentlessly rained down spears.

“Ice Rhino,” Anna called out, unleashing the juggernaut to shatter Ruby’s dome and create an opening for her spears. However, a massive scorpion appeared, intercepting the rhino and destroying it.

Another rhino was summoned, but the outcome remained the same.

“Just give up. With my Ice element awakened, I need only a fraction of the energy to cast my spells. You never stood a chance,” Ruby said, her smile widening.

She aimed to provoke Anna, hoping to make her lose focus.

But Anna was no stranger to such tactics. Her experience leading Klaus’s friends through forbidden zones and the trials in Oracle had taught her the value of keeping her composure.

“The winner hasn’t been decided yet. And be careful—losing after awakening your Ice element won’t look good on your record,” Anna retorted with a calm smile.

She knew when to strike back with words. Her taunt hit its mark—Ruby’s grip on her emotions was far from steady, though she was undeniably stronger.

“Let’s see how long you can keep this up,” Ruby said, her smirk fading as she waved her staff, summoning ten scorpions at once.

“Die, bitch!” Ruby snarled as the scorpions, accompanied by her clones, surged toward Anna.

In response, Anna increased the rate at which her spears shot forth. She also summoned five massive rhinos, hoping to turn the tide.

“Big Sister Nari, do you think Anna will win?” Lily asked worriedly.

She and Anna had made a pact: Anna would challenge the fourth ranker, Ruby, since she was a mage, while Lily would take on the third ranker.

The plan was crafted because both Lily and Mason Cole, the third ranker, used the wind element. However, Mason fought with a spear while Lily wielded a sword.

He was called the fastest among the younger generation, but Lily didn’t believe it. She was determined to claim that title for herself.

Yet, seeing Anna struggling and possibly on the verge of losing, she sought reassurance from an expert.

Unfortunately for her, she asked the wrong one.

“She’ll lose. Judging by how pale she’s getting and that her opponent has awakened her Ice element, it’s a miracle she hasn’t passed out yet. Don’t pin your hopes on her,” Nari replied with a calm expression, her tone matter-of-fact and resolute.

Lily clenched her fists upon hearing the raw truth. Klaus could only shake his head at her painful yet honest take on the battle unfolding in the Arena.

“Nari, next time, don’t answer questions like that. You could have sugarcoated it a little,” Klaus said, starting to understand why the senior said she lacked empathy.

The battle continued for a while, with only one ending in sight—Anna’s defeat. The fight had reached its climax, and Anna was turning pale—but so was Ruby.

“I have to hand it to you, slut, but you don’t have what it takes to be called the Ice Princess. There can only be one Ice Princess, and that’s me,” Ruby sneered, unleashing another spell that sent dozens of ice bombs hurtling toward Anna.

“Now die, bitch.”

The bombs exploded, encasing Anna in a frost-covered prison that rose several feet into the air.

Everyone gasped at the devastating power of the attack. The thick, icy structure enveloped Anna completely, blocking her from view. It was so dense that no one doubted Anna had been defeated.

There was no coming back from that—or so it seemed.

The next moment shocked everyone. A voice echoed from within the icy fortress, a voice so chilling that, as it resonated, Ruby felt her body freeze with terror.

And it wasn’t just her—everyone in the arena began to feel the chill. Even Nari subconsciously started exuding her fire, warming herself and the ladies around her.

On the other hand, Klaus held a faint smile on his face, a smile that seemed to carry countless emotions buried deep within.

From the arena, Anna spoke.

“You are right, Ruby. There can only be one Ice Princess, and that is me.”

Crack.

The ice structure encasing Anna splintered and then shattered, sending an icy mist spiraling into the air. When the mist cleared, an otherworldly beauty emerged, her features regal and striking—truly befitting a princess.

She was Anna but far more radiant. Her whitish-green hair cascaded down her back, nearly touching the ground.

“Ice Princess Manifestation: Ice Staff Blast,” Anna declared, activating a spell. Behind her, a towering manifestation—a mirror image of herself—appeared, clutching a staff forged of pure ice.

The ethereal figure raised the staff high and slammed it into the ground. A powerful explosion erupted, hurling Ruby out of the arena.

Yet the devastation did not stop there—the entire 13-kilometer-wide arena was engulfed in a frozen blast, encasing everything in ice.

Still, it wasn’t enough. The glasses blocking the spectators’ rooms froze and started to crack. Every disciple inside shivered as a chilling cold traveled down their spines.

Fortunately, Nari acted swiftly. A wave of fire qi swept across the arena, melting the ice around the spectators’ area. However, her flames were unable to affect the ice within the arena itself.

Klaus, who had been seated, suddenly felt a connection form within him. In an instant, as if through teleportation, he appeared before Anna.

Klaus immediately held Anna’s hand, knowing she was about to pass out. Anna looked back at her, and a small smile appeared on her face before her eyes rolled and passed out.

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However, before passing out, she called out a name that made Klaus’s emotions flare.

“Fruity…”