The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

Klaus and his cohort left Arcadian City and headed toward the Western Region, speeding toward Forest City, where their next massacre would take place.

Having already rid two cities of the Dark Order, they planned to ensure that within seven days, the entire Northern Union would be free of the Dark Order for good.

Along the way, Klaus glanced at Nuna, who had eliminated several of the stealthy assassins in Arcadian City. As a result, she had used up most of her Spiritual Qi. When she returned to their rendezvous point she was greatly exhausted.

"You don't look too good, Nuna. Do you want to switch with Luna for the next hunt?" Klaus asked.

"I'm fine. I just need a few hours of rest and I'll recover," she said, making sure Klaus knew she wasn't going to be a liability for their next mission.

"Alright, but if you change your mind, let me know," Klaus replied before turning to his mother-in-law, Cynthia Ross.

"How are you holding up, Mother-in-law?" he asked.

"So far, so good," she replied with a small smile.

"Good to hear that, mother-in-law," Klaus said with a teasing smile. Cynthia, noticing the playful glint in his eyes, knew he was up to no good.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing. I just never expected you to be that feisty back in the day," Klaus said, his smile growing wider. Cynthia's cheeks flushed as she looked away, embarrassed by his remark.

"It was just a fling years ago; no need to assume the worst of me," she replied.

"I know. I have her memories, remember? But who would have thought that the young you were so wild? I have to say, mother-in-law, you surprise me," Klaus chuckled.

Miriam and the other ladies exchanged puzzled looks, unsure of what the two were talking about. Klaus had access to Aya's memories, and from what he had seen, it was through her that Cynthia first got entangled with the Dark Order.

"Yes, well, we all have our past," Cynthia said with a small smile.

"I bet we do," Klaus replied with a grin.

Cynthia narrowed her eyes at him for a moment and said, "Whatever you're thinking, forget it. It's never going to happen."

"We'll see about that," Klaus added with a sly smile.

They continued their cryptic conversation, leaving Miriam and the twins to wonder about many things. In the end, they just sighed and went along with the flow.

***

Somewhere in Forest City, Lila Bennington had just finished her shift at Everyday Joy Nursing Home and was heading toward her car.

"See you later, Lila," an elderly man said, waving at her. Lila waved back with a warm smile.

"Still, are you sure you don't want to go on at least one date with my son? Just so you know, he's quite an accomplished warrior," another elderly lady, Grandma Pat, said, making Lila smile. Experience new stories on empire

"I'm still not ready to get back out there, Grandma Pat, but I'll let you know when I am," Lila replied with a gentle smile as she walked away.

However, the moment she stepped out of the nursing home and got into her car, her demeanor shifted to that of a cold-blooded killer.

In truth, she was precisely that—a cold-blooded killer. Within the Dark Order, she was known as the Crimson Whisper, or as Aya Middlestone knew her, Lady Red.

Her signature color was red, earning her that moniker. But beyond her name, this woman was perhaps the most ruthless assassin Aya had ever encountered.

She had killed 1,205 people that Aya knew of, surpassing her own count by several hundred.

Even Aya feared her. While Lila might appear to be the most compassionate nurse to the elderly, she was, in fact, the most prized killer within the Dark Order.

Her signature weapons were two short swords, and from what Aya had witnessed, her swordsmanship skills were impeccable. Because of this, Klaus decided to change tactics this time.

She started her car and began driving home. However, just a few miles from the hospital, a text appeared on her phone that made her stop her car, almost causing traffic.

The text read:

"The War Goddess of the Eastern Region is in Forest City, and from the look of things, she will be staying at the Forest Hotel. I know how much you hate her, so this is your chance to take her on and maybe kill her if you're that good."

She read the message with a smile and replied, "Thanks, Hong. I owe you one."

Another text came after her reply: "I bet you do. Just have fun and don't forget to send me images when you're done."

Lila quickly drove home and began making preparations for the night.

What many didn't know was that aside from Klaus, whom the Dark Order wanted dead, Lila also wanted Miriam dead. The story can be traced back to 20 years ago when Lila suffered an incident that nearly took her life.

Back then, she was a new recruit under training in the dark order. She was a promising assassin so the Dark Order sent her to kill her first target, an upcoming powerhouse in the Eastern Region whom some very powerful people wanted dead.

At that time, she was so overconfident that she did little to no research on her target. It was a huge loss on her part. But since the Dark Order didn't pursue a failed hit, they left Miriam alone.

But now that they had broken their own rule, Lila had been eager to go after her again. That chance fell into her lap today, making her extremely excited and, well... very angry at her failure—the only failure since she began her career as an assassin for hire.

***

Somewhere in Forest City, Klaus sat atop a small mountain five miles from a large hotel—the Forest Hotel, where he had baited Lila to come.

A sword lay before him, while four 24-inch needles and a razor disc hovered behind him as he waited for Aya to arrive. Klaus wasn't going to kill her with an arrow this time. He planned to go toe-to-toe with her and take her down with his strength.

Although using his signature bow and arrow was the best option, Klaus wanted to use the sword this time.

His reason was simple: using the bow and arrow would be merciful. The thought of a powerful assassin constantly thinking about his woman made him furious.

Yes... Klaus was angry, and he wanted to ensure that the woman died a slow and painful death. He also wanted to test his strength against a Level 3 Sovereign known for her exceptional swordsmanship skills.

A little after 5 p.m., he sensed her presence, bringing a small smile to his face. "She's here," he muttered. A few seconds later, Lila came within one kilometer of him and continued moving.

When she got within a 200-meter radius, Klaus made his presence known. Lila stopped in her tracks, narrowing her gaze at him.

"I know what you're wondering..." Klaus said. "Oh no, what happened to Hong?" he added with a grin.

"Well, Auntie Nurse, Hong is dead, and so are Aya and Lex... You're next, by the way. And, oh, the War Goddess is several miles that way, killing every last assassin on the Dark Order's payroll," Klaus said, pointing in a certain direction.

"That said, you're stuck with me now," Klaus added, stepping forward.

"Demon Killing Circle," he activated the skill, trapping them both inside. To leave, one of them had to die.