The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse Chapter 1498: Jade Ant Queen’s Rebirth (11)

A grin spread across Klaus's face as he presented his left hand, causing an Immortal Ring to detach and hover in front of him.

Every god and demigod alike braced themselves, eager for the chance to claim the prize. Yet, they held back, observing Klaus's next move with bated breath.

Perhaps this hesitation was a mistake, for in the very next instant, chaos erupted...

"Shatter," Klaus uttered.

He clenched his fist, and the Immortal Ring imploded.

*BOOM*

A formidable aura erupted from his being, its sheer power causing both demigods and some of the gods to feel their bodies tremble.

"Kaz, Beyhos, Reis, Merle, unleash your bloodlines and engage the four gods. Leave the one with the white eye on his mask," Klaus commanded the four beast gods.

A silent acknowledgement passed between them. In the blink of an eye, while everyone's attention was fixated on Klaus, four of the gods perceived an imminent threat to their lives. They reacted instantly, and just like that, they were removed from the conflict.

The final god sensed the danger but before any action could be taken, he was swiftly pulled away. Meanwhile, the demigods assessed each other, and then they moved. The demigod wielding a whip lunged towards Klaus, while the wolf-like demigod was confronted by Rory, who saw an opportunity to test her true strength on a demigod.

Klaus chuckled, and just as the whip attack neared him, he lifted a leg and stomped down on another Immortal Ring.

"Shatter," he commanded.

*BOOM*

His power surged once more, the resultant shockwave obliterating the incoming whip. He raised Bloodwork to his eye level, a smile playing on his lips. Then, as if guided by fate, the nascent form of the Jade Ant Queen turned its gaze towards him.

He offered a playful wink and then moved, his body radiating immense power.

"Let's see how quickly I can eliminate a demigod."

The moment he closed the distance with the demigod, Icon activated the technique Klaus had selected for this specific encounter.

"Blood Tyrant Art: First Form - Blood Supremacy," he declared.

"Hahahahahahaha," Bloodwork unleashed a chilling laugh as he was swung, meeting the deadly whip head-on.

*BOOOM*

The collision of the two weapons sent the whip recoiling. The demigod was forced back ten steps, while Klaus retreated fifteen. Yet, he smiled and raised his scythe, slamming its handle against the third Immortal Ring.

"Shatter."

His body once again coursed with power, and with it, his speed and strength experienced a threefold increase. He advanced again, his attack now ferocious. The demigod was sent flying backward but managed to prevent Klaus from closing in again.

Employing a technique, the demigod vanished from sight, momentarily leaving Klaus disoriented. The use of a vanishing art was not to be underestimated. However, fortunately, Klaus had come prepared.

"Void Eyes," he activated.

Klaus's golden irises shifted to black. For a fleeting moment, all chromatic perception in the world dissolved, revealing only the fundamental structure of existence. Hidden runic lines became visible, and to a certain extent, he could even perceive faint threads of destiny.

"Damn it," he muttered.

Klaus retreated, narrowly dodging a whip aimed directly at his heart. Had he been a fraction of a second slower in activating Void Eyes, a critical injury would have been inevitable.

However, as he evaded, his left hand shot out, seizing the whip. With a sudden, forceful pull, the demigod was yanked forward, hurtling towards Klaus.

The demigod had not anticipated this sudden maneuver from Klaus and was caught completely off guard. He attempted to break free and evade, but Klaus foresaw this and made allowances.

Just as the demigod shifted his body to avoid impending attacks, Klaus dissolved into a mist of blood, reappearing behind him, reconstituted into the form of a deadly scythe.

*BAM*

A devastating blow landed on the demigod's shoulder, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Heavens Engine," Klaus invoked.

Holding nothing back, Klaus unleashed his law of gravity, directing a crushing pressure downwards onto the demigod. The demigod buckled to his knees, and for a solitary moment, his entire life seemed to flash before his eyes.

Klaus smiled and shattered his fourth Immortal Ring, channeling all its potent energy into the Heavens Engine. The oppressive force intensified fourfold, causing the subdued demigod to writhe in extreme agony.

"Still not enough, I assume?"

Klaus grinned and shattered his fifth Immortal Ring. Once more, he poured all the accumulated power into the [Heavens Engine], amplifying the pressure five times over. With this surge, the demigod face-planted onto the ground.

*WHOOSH*

Klaus jerked his head back, narrowly evading an arrow launched by a demigod who had previously been engaged in combat with another demigod now lying prone, vomiting blood, with an arrow protruding from his chest.

Another arrow materialized. Just as Klaus was about to shatter his sixth Immortal Ring, an unnerving sensation permeated his body. He turned away from the slowly expiring demigod, whose bones had been utterly pulverized by the relentless force of the Heavens Engine.

Many watching trembled at the effortless manner in which Klaus had subdued the demigod.

However, their gazes remained fixed upon Klaus, observing the descent of a barrage of arrows upon him.

Witnessing the flicker of apprehension in his eyes, the demigod began to smirk, preparing to indulge his ego. Then, he found himself staring directly at thousands of lethal arrows.

"W-What..."

The sheer shock on the demigod's face as his own arrows pierced him was a sight to behold, one that Icon meticulously captured, anticipating the views it would garner on the Uniweb later.

As the demigod plummeted from the sky, impaled by his own projectiles and crashing onto the earth, Klaus let out a triumphant grin, remarking,

"Talk about karma..."

The very attack intended for him had, in a twist of fate, become the instrument of its wielder's demise.

While it might appear Klaus had simply switched places with the fallen demigod, the reality was far more taxing. To fuel the newly acquired [Void Swap] skill, he had been forced to shatter all the way to the 9th Immortal Ring.

The exertion left him drained, yet with an additional four Immortal Rings still active, he knew he possessed a few more moments of power.

However, the opportunity to press his advantage was snatched away. The instant the demigod perished, a wolf lunged from his left, its claws slashing towards Klaus's head.

Klaus narrowly dodged, quickly retreating.

It seemed Rory had failed to subdue the beast. Nevertheless, the sight of three arrows embedded in its body confirmed she had at least managed to wound it.

In truth, her assault had done more than just inflict wounds; black, viscous blood oozed from the gashes bearing testament to her poisoning the creature.

Yet, this advantage was fleeting. The wolf, now burning its life force to amplify its strength, was driven by a desperate need to avenge its master, who was succumbing to the Heavens Engine's relentless pressure.

Just as the wolf prepared to strike again, the protective dome around the Jade Ant Queen vanished, and a piercing shriek echoed through the area.

"Secure the asset," commanded the true god, his masked face revealing only white eyes. From his shadow, three demigods emerged, lunging towards the infant.

Without hesitation, Klaus unleashed the power of his remaining four Immortal Rings, channeling all his might into a surge of speed.

BOOM

He moved, invoking the law of space to warp the distance between himself and the Jade Ant Queen. He zipped past the three incoming demigods, deftly evading a strike from another who had lunged from the side.

Moments later, an immense force impacted him. High above, a demigod had unleashed a devastating skill utilizing the law of gravity.

Klaus countered this by employing the same law of gravity, partially mitigating the crushing pressure. This brief impediment allowed two more demigods to slip past him.

Gritting his teeth, he ignited his bloodline, propelling himself forward like a relentless missile.

As all six combatants converged on the objective, the void itself tore open. A colossal cauldron erupted forth, materializing directly in front of the group and slamming them all with an overwhelming, crushing pressure.