THE LAST PARAGON IN THE APOCALYPSE

Five days after the battle with Zarok, Klaus finally opened his eyes from his meditative state. Thanks to the two doors inside his soul sea, all seven Sage Cores and two Saint Cores had been restored to their previous state. The battle hadn't gone as planned, but he had gained one more Life Point, bringing his total to three now. Yes... Klaus had never been confident of victory, as he never intended to use the [Runic Spellblade] technique with the Eye of Despair.

Well, it came back to him when he activated the Runic Spellblade technique, so he had to go with the flow, which allowed him to win at a great cost. Luckily, what should have taken weeks lasted only five days. "Fuck... I am not using that technique again." Klaus stretched his arms. "Well, until I need it again, that is." The pain rocking his body had started to subside now that his healing was at full capacity. Twelve hours later, he was good as new and finally ready to proceed to the next step. "Three items.

I guess these two are the Soul Crystal and Blood Essence," Kent muttered, watching the three items hovering before him. He recognized one since he had seen it multiple times before; however, the two beside it were new to him. Nevertheless, since the trial structure had stated he would receive a Core, a Soul Crystal, and a Blood Essence, he could only assume the other two were the remaining items. Klaus heard the voice and sighed.

He prepared himself, knowing the power emanating from the three items was far more potent than anything he had sensed from Zarok. It could only mean these items were not as simple as they seemed to most. He had to be prepared. Mentally, he was ready, but physically, he needed to let his body accept the pain that was coming. "Let's do it." Then it began. Klaus's scream filled the first trial area as the three items were absorbed into his body. Immediately, runes began to form, dancing around him for a full five hours.

In the end, all the runes fused into one large rune, appearing like a tattoo inside one of the stars on his back. Only eight stars remained now. It was ironic, considering he had nine-star tattoos and had to complete nine trials. In a way, it made sense-this was something he had planned for himself. "So, I didn't die, but it hurt like hell," Klaus muttered. "Huh?" Klaus flinched when he sensed something approaching him. It was sudden, but by the time he turned around, a stream of liquid metal was already entering his body.

His senses dulled for a moment, but when he regained them, his body exploded with energy. He immediately pulled up his stats, and damn-his strength and defense had skyrocketed. His mouth widened, jaw nearly hitting the floor. _____________ ===> STATs