The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

Klaus lost consciousness on the outside, but inside, he stood atop a mountain overlooking a battlefield where death and destruction could be seen everywhere.

Both sides were killing, and as more died, more arrived, each eager to kill someone before being killed themselves.

Klaus didn’t know how much time had passed.

But he knew he had been standing there for a very long time, simply watching as people continued to die, slaughtering each other.

At first, he saw nothing aside from sharp spears piercing heads and drawing blood. However, as time passed, he began to notice faint streams of golden energy escaping from the battlefield.

He discovered that whenever somebody died, a faint golden aura escaped from their body. However, as he paid closer attention, he also noticed that the aura varied from person to person.

Depending on how many people someone had killed before dying, the golden aura they released became denser and brighter than the faint golden wisps released by ordinary soldiers.

He even saw one of the leaders release a reddish-gold energy after being killed.

At first, he paid little attention to it since his focus was mainly on the various fighting styles. However, as he stood there watching everything unfold, something suddenly clicked in his mind.

He quickly assumed a lotus posture and began drawing in the golden energy.

A few minutes later, he successfully guided a strand of golden energy into his body.

The moment the energy entered him, a message appeared before his eyes.

Klaus felt it immediately.

The energy that had entered his body was the purest form of Death Qi he had ever absorbed. It felt as though this aura was something that simply could not be obtained anywhere in the vast universe.

Understanding this, he delved deeper into the sensation and began drawing in more of the golden death energy.

It started slowly, but as time passed, the amount of death energy he absorbed steadily increased.

An hour later, the message changed again.

By then, Klaus could sense his understanding of Death expanding. Along with that expansion, his ability to absorb the golden death energy also increased.

The battle showed no signs of stopping.

Another hour passed in the blink of an eye, but Klaus never paused, not even for a second. His entire focus was devoted to the absorption process.

More and more golden streams flowed toward him from every corner of the battlefield, gathering around him like rivers converging into an endless sea.

His aura grew heavier.

His understanding deepened.

The mysteries of Death that had once seemed incomprehensible now began revealing themselves before him.

Suddenly, the message changed again.

BOOOM!

On the outside, an even denser wave of Death Qi erupted from Klaus’s body.

All around him, the flowers and trees withered away, leaving behind nothing but barren land. Everything ceased to exist just like that.

Lucy could have restored the Royal Garden, but she knew Klaus was not finished. So she chose to wait and see what he was up to this time.

By attaining Super Death Affinity, Klaus felt his comprehension expand tremendously. With that expansion came a greater capacity to absorb Death Qi.

This time, the amount of Death Qi he absorbed was far greater than before. It was thicker, denser, and purer.

But the most shocking part was that as his comprehension increased, so did the intensity of the battle unfolding before him.

The battlefield had become so chaotic that Klaus began to wonder whether his actions were somehow influencing it. After all, the more death qi he absorbed, the more chaotic the battle grew.

However, considering everything he was gaining from the experience, Klaus chose to stop dwelling on the matters beyond his understanding and focus entirely on the absorption process.

Streams of golden Death Qi surged into his body endlessly.

As more death energy is being absorbed, his understanding deepens.

His affinity strengthened.

His connection to Death became increasingly profound.

Four hours quickly passed in the blink of an eye.

Then another breakthrough arrived.

BOOOM!

The battlefield suddenly froze, almost like his breakthrough had halted everything.

The countless warriors stopped moving.

The screams of battle vanished.

The sounds of clashing weapons disappeared.

Even the wind ceased to blow.

Everything became eerily silent.

Then the entire battlefield shattered like glass.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Countless fractures spread across the sky, snaking around for a few seconds before the world collapsed into darkness.

Klaus felt his consciousness being pulled away.

The next moment, he opened his eyes.

His consciousness had returned to his body.

The process had ended the moment he attained Perfect Death Affinity, causing his comprehension of the Law of Death to rise by several levels.

The Death Qi surrounding him slowly settled, though traces of it still lingered throughout the Royal Garden. The once-beautiful garden had become barren.

The barren land around him served as proof of what had occurred.

However, Klaus paid no attention to any of that.

His focus had already shifted to the notification floating before him.

***

[Death Harvest]

[Grade: unknown]

[Description: Death is not an ending but a return. Every fallen life leaves behind traces of Death Essence. Through Death Harvest, the user can gather and refine this essence, converting it into Death Qi, lifespan, vitality, soul energy, or cultivation energy.]

[Passive Effect: Every death within your perception range generates Death Essence.]

[Active Effect: Instantly harvest all Death Essence within range.]

[Special Effect 1: The greater the strength of the deceased, the greater the rewards.]

[Special Effect 2: Harvested Death Essence can be stored indefinitely.]

[Special Effect 3: Death Essence may be used to empower Death-based skills and abilities.]

[Special Effect 4: The user may glimpse fragments of a target’s final moments.]

***

Klaus stared at the description of the skill for a few minutes, then a grin formed at the corner of his lips.

”Well, well, looks like I have slowly started to become the Heir of Death.”

His happiness was simply out of this world, and that was because he could already sense his understanding of Death had grown far beyond what he had ever imagined.

He opened his eyes and scanned the barren garden around him.

”Let me try it and see.”

He extended his hand, feeling the death energy covering the entire barren land.

Tapping into the [Death Harvest] skill, he muttered quietly, ”Transform.”

The death energy that had consumed all the flowers’ and trees’ vitality, reducing them to nothing, transformed into life energy. From it, the flowers started to sprout.

In no time, the garden was filled with greenery, and before anyone could ask what was happening, the barren garden was no more. Surrounding them now was the once-green and beautiful garden they knew and loved.

”What in the...” Queen Leah muttered, her expression showing her shock.

”Did he just revive a garden?” King Alric asked, equally shocked.

Lady Elysia and Maud, whose understanding of the Law of Death was also profound, however, smiled.