The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

Two months after Fruity became a Sage, he finally ended his training arc with satisfactory results. The last two months were spent pushing his mind to the limit, trying to walk the entire 12km inside the hunting cave. But no matter how hard he pushed, he only managed to cover 10.5km.

Still, it was a monstrous achievement for someone of his strength level. From what Yuying had told him, he should have only been able to walk 5km, and that was if he were a prodigy. So, 10.5km was more than enough for someone like him, someone said to defy the heavens—a true paragon.

Yet, Fruity still wanted to complete the full 12km, but he couldn't waste all his time training. He needed to go to Illusion Mountain to retrieve the item left behind by his past self. To do that, he first had to pass through the Wailing Forest and cross the Black River using the Bone Bridge.

However, before doing any of that, there was something else he needed to accomplish—something that, if successful, would bring him one step closer to joining a Witch Temple, which was also a step closer to entering the Tormented Bloodline Awakening Trial.

"We can just leave now and look for a weaker domain to subjugate, Master," Yuying said.

Fruity had already told her he planned to eradicate the Hellhounds, which, according to his reasoning, would earn him the Witch Mark—one of the three tasks he needed to complete to join a Witch Temple.

"Yuying, you were the one constantly telling me how weak I was, or rather, how weak I am compared to my past incarnation. Well, I'm not weak anymore. I literally have seven forbidden ice elements at my fingertips, along with a boatload of techniques, skills, and spells to choose from.

Even if that weren't enough, you've made sure I've mastered combat using the staff, sword, and bow. I'm sure that's enough to complete the task," Fruity said.

"I know, Master, but the strongest monster in that place is a Pseudo-Deimos—a peak Rank 8 Tyrant on the verge of becoming a Deimos. That means it's practically a Beast now, making it several times stronger," Yuying said, her expression filled with concern.

"Still, I don't know if I can kill it without fighting it. We can only hope it's not a monster among monsters. But even if it's stronger than me, you can always step in and kill it, making the task null. I can always try again later.

But I believe in my abilities, so there's no need to worry. And since we'll be traveling together to complete even more dangerous tasks, I should get familiar with the danger level so we can cooperate better in the future."

Fruity could sense that Yuying had become overprotective of his safety, which he knew was linked to something from his past self. Of course, he didn't ask, since he knew she wouldn't say anything that would add to his already boatload of Karma for just existing.

Yuying nodded, and with everything in order, they left for the domain of the Hellhounds. Last time, Fruity had managed to kill many of their Tier 5 and 6 subordinates and even took down a Tier 7 devil. This time, he was going for the whole deal.

With Yuying's assistance, they reached the domain within the hour, showing just how powerful she truly was. Fruity didn't waste a second announcing his presence.

As expected, within moments, he was swarmed by thousands of Hellhounds charging at him. But this time, Fruity didn't run. Instead, he stood his ground, waiting for them to get within 2km of him.

When they were within range, he jammed his staff into the ground. With a cold tone that matched the aura exuding from him, he muttered:

"Devour."

This time, the ice mist that appeared was thicker and darker than before, drowning them in a way that not a single sound escaped from the Tier 5 and 6 monsters as they were enveloped within the icy domain.

Within minutes, all the monsters charging at him had been devoured. Fruity wasted no time directing all the absorbed energy into the Immortal Ice. He knew that if the odds were stacked against him, he would need his healing ice more than anything.

"Human, you dare return?" Suddenly, four powerful presences appeared on the battlefield, each glaring coldly at Fruity. Last time, he had left them alive, failing to kill them.

"Yes, I have returned to finish what I started the last time," Fruity said with a smile before turning toward a specific direction. "I know you're watching, so why don't you come out and see how I kill your four subordinates without even raising my staff?" he added.

However, perhaps out of annoyance or because Fruity ignored them, the four Devils decided to attack—something they shouldn't have done.

"Soul Eater Ice," Fruity muttered coldly. The four were only moments away when they suddenly felt their senses cut off, and then everything went black. Their souls were extinguished in a split second.

"Told you," he said with a smirk, turning toward the same spot.

At that moment, Fruity sensed a powerful presence speeding toward him, a terrifying attack locked onto him.

"Devour," Fruity muttered, feeling his mobility restricted. He used the Devouring Ice to absorb the pressure—a technique he had learned while climbing the Gravity Mountain. It allowed him to break free just in time to dodge the powerful spear attack.

Looking up, Fruity saw a three-meter-tall demi-human, a twisted fusion of Hellhound and demon. Its appearance aside, the energy it radiated was overwhelming—so powerful that Fruity knew he was in for a real fight.

However, just as he was about to assume a battle stance, he noticed something on the monster's chest.

'That crystal... why is my Abyssal Ice reacting to it?' Fruity wondered. Not knowing the full extent of the rules involved in these things, he decided not to risk asking Yuying. Instead, he trusted his gut instinct.

He tapped into the connection between his Abyssal Ice and the crystal, and within seconds, he managed to discern its nature. A slight grin appeared on his face.

'I just need to hold it off for two minutes, and it'll be over,' Fruity thought. With that, he surrounded himself with Chaotic Ice, creating a 3 km-wide domain.

Boom!

His Demon Slaying staff clashed with the monster's spear, creating a sonic boom that caused the entire space around them to shake. Fruity smiled, realizing he was no match physically against the evolving monster.

But that wasn't something he needed to dwell on. He wanted to test his power, but he wasn't going to go in recklessly. Using the Chaotic Ice element, he disrupted the monster's concentration.

He could have used Hypnotic Ice, which would have had a more potent effect, but he didn't want to rely on too much of a handicap. Instead, he opted for the one that would only give him a slight edge. For the next two minutes, he and the pseudo-beast exchanged hundreds of attacks.

Neither of them had used any techniques or skills, but the chaotic exchange allowed them to gauge each other's strength. Of course, this was a deliberate misdirection on Fruity's part, who knew exactly what he was doing.

With the monster being both arrogant and prideful, Fruity knew it wouldn't take him seriously—its first mistake.

"You shouldn't underestimate your opponents in your next life," Fruity said after being pushed back a few meters.

"What do you know..." the monster growled, preparing to pounce again. But before it could move, it sensed something amiss.

Looking toward the spot where Fruity had pointed, the monster panicked. But it was too late.

"I know this... Explode," Fruity snapped his fingers, and like fireworks, the crystal on the monster's chest exploded, killing it instantly.

"Easy enough," Fruity said with a smile.