The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

Kay nodded, and his bow ignited in flames. Unlike the others, he didn't have the physical endurance to match Klaus, but he made up for it with speed.

Before anyone could blink, a flaming arrow shot from his bow, streaking through the air and arriving in front of Klaus in an instant. Stay updated through empire

Klaus calmly raised his sword, slicing the arrow in half with a swift motion. He took a single step forward, closing the gap. The distance between them was 200 meters, and for Kay to win, he had to find a way to push Klaus back.

Another arrow left Kay's bow, fierce and blazing. Klaus cut it down effortlessly and stepped forward again. Kay's eyes narrowed, his focus sharpening.

Without hesitation, he locked multiple arrows onto his bow and let them loose in rapid succession. A storm of flaming arrows filled the air, each one aimed precisely at Klaus.

"That was quite the speed there, Kay, but you will have to be faster," Klaus said, cutting the arrows as they came.

"Flame Barrage unleashed," Kay responded, unleashing another barrage of attacks. But Klaus kept cutting them as they came. It took just 20 minutes for him to move 50 meters, closing in on the 200-meter gap he had set.

Kay knew he was running out of time, but he also didn't want to use his strongest move just yet. The skill Klaus had given him, the Lion's Roar Pierce, was his strongest move, and in order to have a chance, he wanted to use it when the gap between them was not that wide.

With an attack that could turn his flaming arrow into a lion's head with a long Pointed flaming horn, he was certainly counting on it.

Klaus's eyes narrowed. He could feel Kay's hesitation. The real fight was just beginning.

Kay steadied his breath. He aimed another arrow, flames swirling around the tip. He released it, but this time with a twist. The arrow split into five, each one racing toward Klaus with fiery trails.

Klaus grinned, his sword flashing as he deflected each one with precision. Sparks flew around him, lighting up the ground.

"Is that all you've got?" Klaus taunted, taking a step closer.

Kay's heart pounded. He couldn't hold back any longer. He drew a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. When they snapped open, they were burning with fiery determination.

"Lion's Roar Pierce!" he shouted.

A flaming arrow formed in his hands, glowing brighter than any before. He locked the arrow in the bow. Kay wasn't holding back anymore. He could tell any more delay and he would regret not using his strongest move.

Klaus's smile faded. He sensed the danger and steadied his stance.

Kay released the arrow. The lion roared as it surged forward, heat waves distorting the air around it. The ground cracked under its power.

Klaus swung his sword, channeling energy into the blade. He met the lion head-on. The clash exploded in a burst of light and heat.

When the smoke cleared, Klaus stood with his sword glowing red. He had coated it with his fire element just before defending against the Lion's Roar Pierce.

"Kay, you must know that in a fight where you have no chance against your opponent, use your strongest move first," Klaus said his tone calm. "If you're lucky, you might get an opening you can exploit. But even if you stand no chance, you can still run away."

He paused, studying Kay's face, then continued, "Just now, I was blinded for a moment. You could have used that advantage to unleash another attack. I know for a fact it would have pushed me back, making it your win. You could have been the first to win among your friends."

Klaus smiled. "So, if you still have some energy, don't make the same mistake. But I doubt I'd also make the same mistake defending up close."

He raised his sword, fire flickering along the blade. "But hey, take your best shot, and let's see what happens."

They resumed their battle for another 35 minutes before Klaus finally closed the gap between them and disarmed Kay. Luckily for Kay, Klaus didn't send him flying, as he had managed to gain some upper hand during the fight after all.

"Next time, don't hold back against stronger opponents," Klaus said.

Kay nodded and walked over to sit beside the others, who were recovering. Even Daniel had regained consciousness and was now sitting up.

Klaus looked at the group and sighed. With a flick of his wrist, he made the ice lotus move and hover above them. The lotus has some recovery qualities that would help them quickly recover their energies.

"Thanks, Klaus," Kay said.

Klaus nodded, then turned to the three ladies.

"Well, ladies, who wants to go first?" Klaus asked with a smile. Anna, Lily, and Hanna exchanged glances. After a brief pause, Anna stepped forward.

"Oh, I thought Lily would go first, considering she wanted to show off her sword qi to Klaus," Miriam said, raising an eyebrow.

"Wait, she has also unlocked sword qi?" Klaus's mother asked.

"Yes, she was the first to unlock it. Her sword qi is even stronger than her brother's," Miriam replied, a smile playing on her lips. She had been giving Lily some pointers over the past few days and was eager to see how much she had grown.

"But I want to witness Anna. This young lady seems to have a rather strong affinity for the Ice element," another voice suddenly spoke.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"You two do know it's creepy to lurk in the shadows like that?" Miriam turned to a particular shadow where Nuna's voice had come from. The shadow flickered, and Nuna appeared, followed by her twin sister, Luna.

"Sorry about that, Sister Miriam," Luna said with a guilty smile. The twins had always preferred staying in the shadows since they had spent much of their lives alone. Now, even though they were surrounded by people they considered friends, old habits seem to die hard.

"Tsk," Miriam chuckled, turning her attention back to the arena.

"Don't worry, girls. She's just having a hard time coming to terms with her emotions," Klaus's mother said with a smile, watching Miriam's antics.

The twins nodded. They had been staying with Klaus's family now. However, while that might seem unusual, they hadn't stopped their work—taking out the assassins sent after Klaus.

This had helped them remain unsuspected, as their mother, who was also their former slave master, was concerned. They simply told her that someone powerful was protecting Klaus and that they would need more time.

Klaus looked at Anna, now gripping her staff as she looked back at him with her icy green eyes. She also seemed to be radiating a green, icy energy that was immediately freezing the space around her.

[Interesting, this young lady is on the verge of awakening her Ice element] the senior suddenly said from Klaus's soul sea.

"Senior, do you know the type of ice element she will be awakening?" Klaus asked, curious.

[From the aura, only one ice element comes to mind: Infinity Freezing Ice] the senior replied.

[It's number 7 on the Absolute Heavenly Ice Chart.]