The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

"Fuck, my head hurts," Klaus groaned, clutching his temples as he woke up in an unfamiliar part of the forest. His surroundings looked different, but the pain in his head was just too much for him to care about.

He barely cared where he was; his mind felt like it was being torn apart. After a few moments, the pain subsided enough for him to lift his head and take in the environment.

"The Fire Region," Klaus muttered under his breath. He quickly activated the projection on his tracking watch and confirmed his location, indeed, he was now in the Fire region. Inside the Demons Abode Forbidden Zone, there was an area known as the Fire Region.

It was said that when the apocalypse struck, part of the mountain near the reserve had exploded, releasing chaotic lava. That lava spread across the land, and the monsters that survived were altered, gaining fire-type abilities.

The monsters here were dangerous, far beyond what most could handle. Years ago, the military tried to eradicate them with advanced missiles, but it turned into a disaster. When the nuclear weapon detonated, only a small fraction of the monsters died. Worse, the uranium from the missile mutated the survivors, turning them into berserk, uncontrollable creatures.

After that, the government declared the area a no-hunting zone. Ten years ago, a team of 20 people ventured into the Fire Region, but only two came back. They reported seeing just five monsters still alive in the area, which shocked everyone. The military once again sent another force to investigate, and it was confirmed—the five monsters that remained were Devils.

The military attempted to fight them, but the creatures were too powerful. So they didn't do anything reckless. A while later while making plans to handle them, the overlords of Earth told them to leave, and the military complied, sealing off the area from any further exploration. They officially named it the Fire Region and marked it as a no-hunting zone.

"I need to get out of here," Klaus muttered, forcing himself to stand despite the lingering pain.

"What's the rush, brat? Aren't you after a Fire Devil Core? There are five powerful fire-type beasts here, and your Fire Spirit Dragon needs those," The senior's voice suddenly entered his ear.

"The Fire Dragon?" Klaus asked, immediately remembering what led to him going unconscious again. But before he could process it, he felt a burning sensation on his right arm. Looking down, he saw it—a dragon tattoo, glowing with fiery energy. Experience tales at m v|l e-NovelFire

Klaus grinned and summoned the dragon with a thought. In an instant, a massive 40-meter-long dragon appeared, its body adorned with two giant horns and nine glowing crystals on its back. Its scales were a deep red, darkened with shadows, and its four clawed legs ended in menacing fire-tipped talons. Just the sight of it made Klaus shudder.

"Very powerful," he muttered, watching the dragon glide effortlessly through the air, its presence radiating heat and fire.

"Senior, I heard you say it's the Nine-Headed Azure Dragon. Care to share more?" Klaus asked, curiosity gnawing at him. For a moment, there was silence, making Klaus wonder if he had misheard. He had been half-conscious earlier, after all.

However, it didn't take long for the senior to start speaking again.

"All you need to know is that your Spirit Dragon is anything but normal. You haven't just awakened your fire element—you've awakened nine of them. Yes, those crystals on its back represent the nine awakened fires, but for now, you can only use one fire element because the Spirit Dragon is weak."

Klaus's eyebrows raised. Nine fires? He could barely process what that meant.

"And when I say it's not a normal dragon, I mean it," the voice continued. "The Nine-Headed Azure Dragon is the only dragon of its kind, born since the Primordial era..."

Immediately the senior said that, the heavens rumbled making Klaus smirk. He knew they were itching for an excuse to send down a tribulation. They had tried the same when he formed the Ice Lotus Bloom with the ice.

However, now, they wouldn't be able to do anything, the dragon wasn't just a skill—it's more like the spirit of his fire element. The heavens couldn't unleash a tribulation just yet, so they were trying to intimidate him instead.

"Go on, Senior," Klaus urged, his smirk growing.

"As I said, it's a one-of-a-kind dragon. Those crystals on its back represent the fire elements you've awakened. The first one is called Chaotic Nirvana Flame, and as the name suggests, it's chaotic, unpredictable."

Klaus observes the first Crystal has more glow to it than the other eight. This of course means that only the first Crystal which is the Chaotic Nirvana Flame is active.

"However, the flame is in a weakened state for now. To restore its full power, you'll need to collect many Fire Devil Cores," the senior explained. "And before you ask, the other flames will awaken as your Spirit Dragon grows stronger."

Klaus nodded, absorbing the information. His dragon wasn't just a weapon—it was more like his fire element made real. It's now stronger in this form and can be controlled, something Klaus wants more than anything.

"Senior, can it talk?" Klaus asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Not yet," the senior replied. "It hasn't awakened its dragon soul yet. So for now, it can only send out emotions, which I'm sure, with your Universal Enigma passive skill, you can easily understand. But it's intelligent enough to know when you're in trouble. I mean, it literally carried you here."

Klaus's jaw dropped upon hearing that. He had been far from the Fire Region before passing out, and now he realized it was the dragon that had brought him all this way.

"This is great! I can finally fly on a fire dragon!" Klaus exclaimed, his excitement barely contained.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," the senior warned. "You need to fully awaken the Chaotic Nirvana Flame and unlock the abilities that come with it before you think about joy rides. Even your dragon knows this. Why else do you think it brought you here? It's after those Fire Devil Cores."

Klaus was taken aback again. The dragon had its own desires and its own purpose. And it even sensed this place, exactly how powerful is it. Klaus was both happy and curious.

"So, I have to kill five Tier 7 Devils," Klaus muttered as he stood up. He walked over to the edge of the cliff the dragon had brought him to. He dismissed it with a wave of his hand and then called it back again.

Seeing the activation speed, he was more than pleased with his gains this time. He stared across the scorching forest expanse, spotting the distant home of the Lava Tail Mountain Lion.

Klaus had made sure to research everything about the Forbidden Zone before coming here. He knew all about the five remaining Devils. The five were the last ones standing after killing all the other monsters and feeding on them.

The Lava Tail Mountain Lion, the Fire Horn Leopard, the Berserker Flaming Wolf, the Laser-Eyed Demon Cheetah, and the Black Flame Devil Fox.

Each one is more dangerous than the last. They were the most fearsome creatures a warrior could ever face, and Klaus—who was still four realms below them—was about to challenge them to feed his flame spirit.

He glanced at the dragon. "Do you have any other abilities aside from flying?"

In response, the dragon rose into the air and lashed its tail forward. A powerful fire arc shot out, slashing into the small mountain where Klaus stood. The rock erupted with flames, sending bits of debris flying when the attack landed.

"Hey! Are you stupid? Do you want to kill me?" Klaus yelled, but a wide grin spread across his face. He was impressed.

"This will do," he said with a chuckle. He mentally went over his arsenal: The Void Piercing Needle, his Eyes of Malevolence linked to the second face on the Pentaface Bead, the Eye of Despair, the Bell of Harrows, and of course, his Nine Star Ice Lotus Bloom. That should be enough.

"This time, I'll shock the whole world when I kill all five Devils," Klaus declared confidently. He pulled up a screen on his tracking watch, his smile widening as he tapped on "Accept."

Just like that, Klaus entered the bounty pool created by the Overlords, a challenge left for anyone brave enough to hunt the five Fire Devils. His name was the only one on the list, marking him as the first person in ten years crazy enough to accept the challenge.