The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

Chapter 126: Chaotic Battle (1)

A masked man in dark armor with sharp spikes on his shoulders could be seen sitting quietly in a dimly lit room, holding a small device in his hand. The room was quiet until the device suddenly beeped, and a hologram of a masked man appeared, projected from the screen.

"My Lord," the masked figure said with a slight bow.

"Has he appeared?" the armored man, referred to as Lord, asked.

"Yes, he has. He is currently fighting in the last stand against the Zombies," the man on the screen replied.

"Good. How is the arrangement? I trust everything is in order," the Lord inquired.

"Yes, my Lord. Everything is in place, just waiting for your command," the masked man confirmed.

"Good. Ensure there are no mistakes. The moment I give the order, execute the plan. There must be no room for error," the Lord warned, his voice cold and firm.

"Understood. I will await your orders," the masked man bowed again before ending the transmission. As the screen dimmed, the Lord sighed and muttered to himself, "It's just business."

---

Back on the battlefield, Klaus and the others clashed with the Zombies in a chaotic symphony of slashes, swings, and stabs. Klaus had manifested the Lotus flower once again, but this time, he was pouring even more energy into it than before.

The Zombies they faced now were far stronger than the earlier ones, and the Absolute Ice Domain struggled to slow them down. However, Klaus, who had just leveled up, could sense an endless sea of star qi waiting to be unleashed.

Knowing they had to cut through thousands of these Zombies, he didn't hold back. He burned through his star qi like it was paper, and it was working perfectly. The Zombies entering the domain began to lose their mobility, their movements slowing as the ice took hold. Klaus took full advantage, rampaging through them like a demon.

He wasn't holding back anymore. This time, he was using his full strength, and it was terrifying, especially within the Lotus flower's domain. It felt as if he could teleport. One moment he was here, the next he was there, cutting down enemies before they even realized what was happening.

The ice mist in the air allowed Klaus to move with fluid grace. His talent, which made him an Overlord of all elements, granted him far more power than he ever could have hoped for. Even the thinnest ice particles in the air were weapons at his command, and now, he was swimming through a domain filled with them.

Inside the domain, however, his fire abilities had less impact, which was understandable. Ice and fire were natural opposites, but there was no need to worry. The ice was doing its job perfectly. The real challenge lay in the sheer number of Zombies. Thousands were swarming the battlefield, and the sages and Saints were struggling more than Klaus had hoped.

Although Klaus wasn't underestimating the Sages, he knew not to rely too heavily on them. That didn't mean they weren't pulling their weight. These warriors had fought countless battles, and even though they were at a disadvantage, the Zombies weren't overwhelming them entirely.

The Saints, however, were faring much worse. In just five minutes of battle, many had already suffered injuries. But knowing they were no match for these Zombies forced them to adapt, as humans always do. They teamed up, with two or three Saints taking on a single Zombie at a time. Thanks to Klaus's ice domain handling most of the horde, they were managing to thin down the numbers bit by bit.

Still, ten thousand Zombie Generals were no laughing matter. Despite everything, they were holding on—just barely.

Boom!

Suddenly, a thunderous explosion shook the battlefield. Klaus, in the midst of beheading a Zombie General, was forced to turn his gaze toward the source of the noise.

Ahead, he saw Uncle Xian, his grip tight on his massive axe, charging toward a Zombie King. The Zombie King, wielding an enormous metal club, charged right back at him. The two clashed with such force that the ground trembled beneath them.

"Hahaha! You've got some strength, but it's not enough!" Uncle Xian laughed, even as he was pushed back several meters by the impact. Without hesitation, he charged again, meeting the Zombie King head-on. Both were brute warriors, relying purely on raw power, and it showed in the way their weapons collided.

Neither of them was using any skills or techniques—just sheer strength. Yet, the force of their clashes was enough to kill a few Zombie Generals who had been too close to their battlefield.

Zombie Kings, much like humans, had the ability to use skills and techniques. It was unsettling but true. When the spiritual energy descended upon the world, it wasn't only humans who began to evolve. The humans who turned into Zombies were also granted this evolution.

Just like humans, who grew stronger and often more handsome, some even reversing in age, Zombies also undergo similar changes. They became stronger, awakened new abilities, and developed Classes and Talents. However, these powers only began to manifest when they formed their Devil Core or King Core, marking their terrifying evolution.

Tier 7 Zombies or Monsters are comparable to Great Sage-level humans. For a human to reach that stage, they first need to form a Star Core. After that, the next step is to form a Sage Core. This involves saturating the Star Core, either by gaining experience points through Kills, absorbing energy from Monster cores, or directly taking in the spiritual energy from the air.

Once the Star Core becomes fully saturated, it will shatter. This triggers a heavenly tribulation, a dangerous test of strength and will. If the human taking the tribulation survives, they will form a Sage Core, marking their ascension to the next level of power. The process continues from there as they aim for even greater heights.

But for monsters and Zombies, the path is different. They don't gain strength from tribulations the way humans do. Instead, they evolve naturally through their Devil Core or King Core, skipping the need for heavenly approval. This makes their growth more unpredictable—and often more dangerous.

They have free reign to evolve, continuing their growth until the heavens take notice. At that point, a monster may be called a Beast, and a Zombie can be referred to as an Undead.

But before reaching these stages, they are just as terrifying as they are formidable. Uncle Xian and the others were experiencing this firsthand. Klaus observed the brutes battle for a brief moment before turning his attention to Uncle Ziggy, who had managed to make the Zombie King seem like a practice target.

Uncle Ziggy's lightning bullets rained down like a plague on the Zombie King, who wielded a long spear. The Zombie King used a skill that spun the spear around it like a shield, but the bullets still found their marks.

But even so, the bullets weren't enough to pierce the Zombie King's head just yet. Klaus could see that Uncle Ziggy was preparing something with his second revolver, as he had only been using one in battle so far.

Suddenly, a powerful sword light flashed, striking another Zombie King, who wielded a long, flat metal sword. Klaus was forced to look over, only to see Kofi radiating intense fire energy. His sword was glowing with a mix of fire essence and sword qi.

'What the fuck, Kofi is this powerful?' Klaus thought, surprised but secretly smiling at his Chief of Security.

On one side, Henry was acting as bait, drawing the Zombie King's attention while Kofi dealt the damage. It was a perfect team-up. But the battle was far from over, and the fight raged on with no end in sight.