The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

Klaus had been looking forward to teasing Miguel for a while. Although he knew what he was doing was provocative, he just couldn't stop himself. There was something about that guy that made it impossible for him to hold back whenever he saw him.

However, today, for some reason, Klaus was able to divert his gaze when he heard the senior speak from his soul sea.

"Senior, what is it? I'll retrieve it quickly so I can get this out of the way," Klaus thought, eager to awaken the Slaughter Aura so he could finally kill without the worry of being overwhelmed by bloodlust.

"Relax. Whatever it is, I'm not sure you can retrieve it easily. Just stay calm for now and keep observing," the senior said, causing Klaus to sigh inwardly.

He had received quite the gift from Dharma, so he planned to awaken the Slaughter Aura first before diving into it.

Even the senior had told him he needed to deal with the Slaughter Aura before leveling up, especially with the high-tier cores he had received from both Dharma and Dave Arcadia waiting to be absorbed.

Klaus returned to smiling at Miguel, who occasionally cast sidelong glances at him. Miguel was a thick guy with arms strong enough to strangle the life out of Klaus. But Klaus knew that wouldn't be possible.

Unlike the arrogant Legacies who still believe Klaus is beneath them, Miguel has already realized Klaus is on an entirely different level, so was always striving to get stronger so he can defeat him someday.

Unbeknownst to him, his willingness to keep training so he could defeat Klaus was pushing him beyond his limit.

A while later, a figure entered the large hall. As soon as he did, an oppressive aura swept across the entire room, silencing everyone.

"Welcome, everyone," he spoke suddenly. "I am Cephas Tune, an Inner Disciple at Celestial Mountain Academy and your instructor for this year's Genius Gathering." The moment he introduced himself, jaws dropped across the room.

They had all assumed he was an instructor from the academy, but upon hearing he was just a disciple, everyone was shocked senseless. If a mere disciple had such an imposing aura, then what would the instructors be like?

Instantly, everyone wanted to possess such an aura—everyone except Klaus, who had already experienced far worse both in his current self and his past. Still, he had to admit the academy knew how to push people to their limits.

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It didn't take a genius to realize that the young man before them wasn't an elite of the academy. No institution would send their top students to babysit rookies in one of the most secure places on earth.

So if that was the case, it meant Cephas was part of the not-so-strong disciples who are at the bottom of the ranking. If only they knew Cephas was there on a mission and he would be paid for every single day he remained there.

"I know you're all eager to get things started, so I won't waste time with unnecessary talk," Cephas continued. "In previous years, this event had three sections. The first is a series of lectures from selected instructors, which takes place over the first three days.

"The second is an early recruitment section, where various factions from the academy will present why you should join them when you pass the Union Trial and get to the academy.

"And lastly, of course, there are the competitions—friendly duels where you challenge each other. That's the part most of you look forward to the most." Your journey continues with empire

Everyone listening grew excited when they heard about the final event. They all wanted to showcase their prowess to the seniors who would be coming to showbiz their factions.

Although they called it early recruitment, it was really an opportunity for rookies to display their skills, hoping to catch the attention of the seniors.

This could help them greatly when they finally entered the academy, so most used these duels to highlight their abilities.

"However, this year's event will be slightly different," Cephas suddenly said. "While all events will proceed as planned, the academy has decided to organize a regional competition this time.

"Instead of fighting in a real-world arena, we'll be taking it to Oracle. The first day will be dedicated to lectures, which I'm 100 percent sure will be very informative—so don't miss them," Cephas added with a smile.

It wasn't hard to understand what he was implying.

"The second day will feature the exhibition of the various factions, which I highly recommend you attend. It's important to know the kind of treatment you'll receive before deciding to join any faction once you arrive at the academy."

"As for the final event, which will take place over the last three days, each region must select 100 warriors. You have two days to do this, after which the 100 selected from each region will represent their region in the competition.

"There should be 100 warriors from each region. These 100 from every region will enter the competition, but in the end, only one person will emerge victorious. However, the entire winning region will be rewarded. This means that if someone from your region wins, you will all benefit.

"And before anyone frowns, every participant will receive a vial of Earth-Grade Mountain Dew and two Devil Cores. Also for the 100 selected warriors from each region, you will receive an additional vial of Earth-Grade Mountain Dew and five Devil Cores.

And to the ultimate winner, you will receive a Tier 7 Tyrant Core from a beast known as the Mad Berserker Red Tiger."

Saying that Cephas retrieved a pulsating red core, about the size of half a basketball, radiating a bloodthirsty aura.

Instantly, everyone in the room felt a bloodlust making their primal instincts screamed at them to seize the core and consume it.

Klaus was no exception; his gaze turned icy as he locked onto the core. He could see that what he had been after had finally appeared.

"Brat, that core is what you need. It contains the essence of a bloodthirsty monster. Absorbing it will help awaken your Slaughter Aura. You must do whatever it takes to obtain it," the senior urged, and Klaus nodded inwardly.

Knowing this, Klaus felt no reason to hold back. Once he got his hands on that core, he would be able to solve his problems and continue his grind.

"That concludes everything. Use the next few days to select your 100 warriors and familiarize yourselves with each other's strengths and weaknesses. Trust me, you're going to need it for the upcoming competition.

And before you assume the Mountain Dew is the same as the ordinary ones you've received before—think again. That will be all," Cephas finished. Without taking another step, he vanished from the hall.

The whole place became chaotic as they all looked at each other. Klaus, on the other hand, had his eyes closed, talking with the Senior in his soul sea.

He knew the next few days would be fun; finally, he would come face to face with his haters, Miguel, Lawrence, and the others who hadn't been bold enough to speak up arrogantly at him during the Felin Youth Ball.

The Eastern Region has 1,000 people, and they have to select 100 to represent them. Of course, nobody would want to be excluded from this group of 100. There are bound to be some problems considering the rewards on the line are just too enticing.

"Klaus, what are we going to do?" Suddenly, Anna tugged on Klaus's shirt and asked.

"What else? Find a way to use your leadership skills to bring all of them together. We can continue from there," Klaus said, knowing that the moment he made any move to step up, chaos would erupt.

"But..." Anna wanted to complain, but before she could speak, Miguel interjected, causing Klaus to raise an eyebrow.

"Fairy Anna, can you help with the leadership position? We have only four days to select the 100 participants."