The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse Chapter 1526: The Mad Hunter (8)

Gorr’s arrival had tipped the scales in Hunter’s favor. However, it wasn’t long before this advantage crumbled as more vessels emerged and additional combatants entered the fray.

A contingent of mercenaries, eager to gain the favor of the Heavens Court, also made their appearance and joined the melee, further amplifying the already devastating nature of the conflict.

Anarchy took hold across the battlefield.

Gorr, having dispatched over 120 gods, was now engaged with the newcomers, ensuring no one could reach Klaus’s parents. His sole objective was to escort them to the Beast Universe.

Yet, a mere five minutes into his engagement, even Gorr began to harbor doubts about their chances of success.

Their sole stroke of fortune was that, with the exception of two Supremes who had sacrificed their life force to accelerate their arrival, no other high-ranking individuals appeared. It seemed the remaining powerful entities hailed from distant realms, far removed from Hunter and his allies’ ambush point, thus requiring significant travel time.

Consequently, Hunter and his companions were managing to hold their ground.

But this precarious balance soon faltered when Uncle Jojo sustained an injury. A demigod managed to circumvent his defense, plunging a blade into his shoulder. The agony, coupled with the potent poison on the weapon, incapacitated him instantly.

Fortunately, Lady Elysia was in close proximity and neutralized the demigod, allowing Hunter to swiftly dispatch Uncle Jojo to his alchemists for treatment.

Mere moments later, Uncle James also suffered critical wounds, forcing his withdrawal. Uncle Xian followed suit, and before long, only Uncle Ziggy, Hunter, Lady Elysia, and Gorr remained in the direct line of fire.

Uncle Ziggy transformed into an engine of unceasing destruction. His revolvers swept across the battlefield, felling his opponents with unerring accuracy. After Uncle Xian was evacuated, he unleashed a formidable ability known as [Black Out].

Upon activation, his humanity was suppressed, and all sensations of pain and exhaustion were banished, remaking him into an unstoppable instrument of death. His gunfire became a whirlwind, prompting many to retreat in terror.

No one dared approach him. Even the gods present were visibly stunned by this abrupt shift in the combat dynamic.

Only Hunter understood that in approximately two minutes, Uncle Ziggy’s power would wane, leading to his collapse. Thus, Hunter strategically placed a sword nearby, anticipating the moment.

Meanwhile, Hunter himself had reduced the opposing Supreme to a state of utter devastation. The insidious poison had executed the majority of the work. However, under the ceaseless onslaught from Hunter, the unfortunate adversary was drawn inexorably towards the precipice of oblivion, ultimately succumbing entirely.

The instant the Supreme perished, Hunter unleashed a deafening roar of triumph, his eyes subsequently blazing with a crimson hue. He raised his sword high, and to the astonishment of all onlookers, plunged it into his own chest, driving it deep within. Yet, contrary to expectation, the blade did not emerge from his back.

He continued to push, the sword vanishing entirely into his body until even the hilt was submerged.

Lady Elysia clenched her lips, fully comprehending the extreme measure Hunter was about to undertake. Even from the distant Demon Universe, King Alastor’s brow furrowed, a flicker of regret crossing his features that his son had been pushed to such a desperate act, compelling him to resort to this forbidden technique. He recognized that there was no possibility of reversal.

"These scoundrels truly have no sense of restraint, do they?" Queen Ophelia’s indignation flared like an erupting volcano as she observed Hunter’s defiant smile.

However, just as Hunter was poised to shatter the seal binding his humanity to his very soul, a hand materialized from the void and seized him.

"There is no need for such drastic measures, Mad Hunter. This battle is far from lost."

An elderly man with ashen hair emerged from the void, his posture stooped, and a cane gripped in his other hand. The instant of his appearance, all combatants, with the sole exceptions of Hunter, Uncle Ziggy, Gorr, and Lady Elysia, ceased their hostilities. Gasps reverberated across billions of locations throughout the universe as the identity of the newcomer became clear.

During the era of the Star Monarch, he was but a mistreated orphan, subjected to the taunts of his peers. This hardship fostered a deep-seated inferiority complex, leading him to perceive himself as inadequate. He passively endured constant torment, rendering each day an ordeal.

However, this bleak existence underwent a profound transformation the day he discovered his unique potential. His class was exceptionally rare, a lineage believed to have surfaced only twice since the dawn of time. The first instance occurred during the Primordial Era, when an ordinary human manifested the Grim Judge Class. The second such event transpired during the age of the Paragon of War.

During the Star Monarch Era, this child awakened a distinctive class that granted him the authority to pass judgment upon others. His class’s function was precisely that straightforward. He possessed the ability to deem virtually anyone guilty and, contingent upon their transgressions, pronounce appropriate sentences. Many harbored suspicions that he was a demonic entity due to his reclusive nature and absence from public view. Nevertheless, as the Star Monarch ascended to prominence, it was revealed that he and the Grim Judge were not adversaries but allies. In fact, it was the Star Monarch who nurtured him, treating him as his own child and guiding him to become a formidable Universal God. The Heavens Court harbored such profound apprehension towards him that upon learning of his presence on Planet BlueCrest, they dispatched their entire army, resulting in the demise of billions on that fateful day.

It had become unmistakably clear that he was not dead. What was even more astonishing was his reappearance before all the living, now as a Supreme being.

Witnessing him raising his hand like a judge, a shiver ran down everyone's spine.

Yet, to their utter surprise, his judgment was not what they had all anticipated. Many had expected a swift death sentence.

"For your transgressions against the parents of the Paragon and his uncles, I declare you all guilty. Your sentence shall be a million-year banishment to the Foreign Battlefield. There, you will serve your universe as warriors, honed to fight for peace and prosperity.

Any who defy this decree shall meet their end by their own weapons."

"Damn you, hunchback!"

A god let out a furious cry, launching a lethal strike aimed directly at Lady Elysia's head. However, the attack abruptly shifted course, hurtling back towards its originator.

The god, who had channeled so much power into his strike, could only watch in disbelief as his own attack ended his life.

"As I proclaimed, you perish by your own blade," the Grim Judge declared, followed by a snap of his fingers. "Now depart and fulfill your sentence in its entirety."

More than 100,000 combatants, both hale and wounded, dematerialized simultaneously.

---

In a desolate, scorching desert teeming with countless sand worms, a rift tore open in the heavens, and thousands of warriors, comprising the 25th Heavens Army and various mercenary factions, plummeted through. They landed amidst the blistering dunes.

Some impacted with heavy thuds, while others managed to land gracefully on their feet.

The intense heat radiating from the sand quickly became unbearable. Those with injuries felt as though they were on the brink of death. Nevertheless, they were compelled to heave their battered forms upright and flee, for just ahead, the ground began to fracture and subside.

Veterans of the Ancient Foreign Battlefield knew the cardinal rule: when the sands start to shift, you run without delay.

"Curse you, Grim Judge! Should I survive this ordeal, I will ensure your demise is exceptionally agonizing!" a god bellowed as he fled, abandoning any concern for the safety of his wounded comrades.

Swiftly, thousands perished as an innumerable host of sand worms erupted from the depths of the dunes.

Meanwhile, the very instant all warriors dematerialized from the scene, ten colossal ships materialized above the battlefield. The highest-ranking officers of the 25th Heavens Army finally made their grand entrance, their outrage burning with an unquenchable intensity.