The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse Chapter 1417: Bro

When Klaus heard a voice call out from behind him, he braced himself to face the furious gaze of Supreme Elder Juo. After all, despite knowing that he and the Renegade Hunter were entirely different individuals, the Elder remained the only person actively hunting him.

The mere thought sent a shiver down his spine, causing cold sweat to erupt along his back.

However, when his eyes finally fell upon the rather handsome young man standing there, his expression turned sharp and guarded.

The man appeared human save for his three eyes—two set horizontally and one vertical one embedded in his forehead. He seemed unassuming, yet Klaus’s senses screamed that he was in the presence of a true Supreme.

Icon confirmed this immediately after completing a scan of the stranger.

For a brief moment, Klaus remained frozen, completely bewildered by the sudden turn of events.

One heartbeat he was relishing his victory, and the next, he was being ambushed by a Supreme. Regardless of where this master had materialized from, Klaus knew that as an Early Immortal, this spelled nothing but trouble.

To make matters worse, the young man flashed him a grin.

As the Paragon, Klaus had encountered countless terrifying entities, but even he felt an existential threat radiating from this smile. Despite his formidable mental fortitude, standing before a Supreme, he had no choice but to experience genuine fear.

Without warning, the Supreme flicked his wrist, sending a streak of red light toward Klaus, which instantly merged with his forehead.

Nothing happened for a second; then, all at once, his senses went pitch black, forcing him to lose his footing and collapse onto a nearby chair.

It took several moments for him to regain consciousness.

When his eyelids finally fluttered open, he felt as if he had been struck by a crushing blow. His head throbbed rhythmically like a drum, and for some reason, his physical body felt drained and fragile.

He turned to address the Supreme. Recognizing him as the source of his misery, he offered a piercing look before a simple inquiry escaped his lips...

"How did you figure it out?"

The young man smiled. "Isn’t it obvious? The moment you began manipulating the Supremes, I suspected you had returned. I only know one person with the sheer audacity to treat Supremes like mere pawns in a game."

"Although, I must admit, the incident with the body switch threw me off for a while."

"Still, I knew I had to uncover the truth, so I traveled to Planet Stella, only to be met with the shock of my life. The individual I suspected to be the real you turned out to be a fake—or at least, that is what anyone else would assume."

"He is a decent lad, but he is certainly not you. The Paragon is notoriously devious, crafting schemes so intricate that even Celestials would question their own sanity."

"This implied that if a Supreme suspected you, it was only because you wanted them to. Yet, when I arrived here, I began to doubt myself again."

"You aren’t exactly how I remember. You used to be far more subtle and calculating. You seem somewhat evil and arrogant this time around. It reeks about 50 percent of the Paragon, so I decided to stick around and observe."

He gestured with his hand, projecting a video into the air. The footage displayed a hooded figure moving through the shadows, disposing of hidden assassins in a hilariously casual fashion.

"This is clearly you, Shadow. It has been billions of years, but I could never forget your signature mastery of the void."

He ended the projection and looked toward Klaus with a grin... "Bro."

Klaus sat silently for several minutes before a genuine smile graced his face. "Bro."

The Supreme lunged from the bed, enveloping Klaus in a tight embrace.

Eons ago, long before the universe crowned him the Paragon of Shadows, he was known as Rhazor—one of the most skilled criminals and con artists to walk the stars.

His feats were legendary, and his methods defied the laws of logic. Even today, budding con artists study his old records to refine their own craft.

Throughout his many escapades, he crossed paths with countless people, but none were as significant as a three-eyed orphan named Blue. He had found the boy beaten to the brink of death, saved him, and raised him as his own for years.

Once Blue matured, he was trained in the art of the con, which defined their existence for ages. Even when Rhazor rose to become the Paragon and found the entire universe hunting him, Blue never abandoned him.

Today, they had finally reunited.

Klaus was no longer troubled by the hand of destiny bringing his past back to him. Unlike his former life, where he had to hunt down his own origins, it seemed he simply needed to remain stationary while his past eventually reached him.

Just as his wives had found their way back to him, his old comrades and kin were reappearing one by one.

The two men held their embrace for five full minutes before pulling apart.

"Whatever con you are currently running, I demand to be included," Blue pleaded with a hopeful look. "Ever since you vanished, I haven't pulled a decent job—especially with the Heaven’s Court and the Warrior Tower hounding my every step."

Klaus smirked. "I am not running any kind of con. Even if I were, what makes you think I would let you join? The last time, your error got us caught, nearly costing us both our lives."

Blue’s face flushed a deep shade of red with shame. "Bro, I apologized for that ages ago! I even carried out that con solo afterward, successfully retrieving the Genesis Necklace and that ring you ended up gifting to your playthings."

Klaus scoffed, prompting a laugh from Blue.

"Speaking of playthings—if you are well and truly back, you better make sure they don't find you. The last time the Moon Sisters and I crossed paths, they were absolutely livid. I spent a million years in the Moon Prison for your misdeeds, so you owe me some compensation."

Klaus chuckled and rested a hand on Blue’s shoulder. "You did good work, brother. That is what we do for one another."

"Oh, please, as if you ever concerned yourself with my happiness when you were busy enjoying your nights with them!"

"It is hardly my fault you let yourself get infatuated with that Drow Queen," Klaus grinned. "By the way, what of that fairy? Is she still among the living, or have you finally succeeded in stealing her heart?"

Klaus felt a sudden, sharp pang in his chest upon speaking those words. A sense of unease washed over him, as if something vital was slipping from his memory. Glancing at Blue, he noticed a matching flicker of confusion on his friend's face. This only deepened his frown.

Klaus attempted to sift through the recovered memories of his life as the Paragon of Shadows. Even after employing Icon to scan every fragment, there was no logical reason for his sudden pain, as he had never genuinely sought to steal anyone's heart in such a way.

Well, he had charmed many, but not in a manner that should trigger such a visceral reaction. It made him wonder what buried events in their shared history resulted in both of them suffering from the same memory gaps.

Klaus sighed, pushing the thought aside for now. Being aware of his memory loss provided no comfort, so he decided to shelf the mystery for the moment.

"I still can't believe you returned without trying to contact me," Blue remarked, clearly feeling betrayed after missing his friend for billions of years.

"I am even more amazed that a coward like you actually climbed the ranks to become a Supreme."