The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

Fruity moved closer to the three Tier 7 Dragons, who were considered among the strongest in the entire Chaos Dragon domain.

He was using Hypnotic Ice alongside Chaos Ice to slowly put them to sleep, but he underestimated the awareness and mental strength of the dragon named Velgorn.

He used Hypnotic Ice to create an illusion of their surroundings, making it appear as it had from the start. Then, using Chaos Ice, he subtly began to imprint suggestions on their minds. He applied minimal pressure, ensuring they wouldn't notice his influence.

However, Velgorn managed to sense something, forcing him to move closer. Now, just 400 meters away from them, Fruity amplified the effect of the ice, carefully masking his presence to avoid detection.

After two hours, their minds still hadn't succumbed to unconsciousness, but Fruity could sense their growing dizziness as they approached the ancestral site.

After another 45 more minutes, the imprint finally settled into their minds, allowing Fruity to knock them out. Without holding back, he used Mind in Chaos to hammer their consciousness, knocking them out instantly.

Fruity quickly devoured Velgorn, and two hours later, he sensed them waking up again. The two remaining dragons asked many questions, but seeing nothing unusual except being knocked out unexpectedly, they continued their journey now being on high alert.

A few hours later, they arrived at the Ancestral Burial Site. Fruity subconsciously shuddered, feeling an immediate spiritual pressure emanating from the burial grounds. He knew he had to proceed with caution.

That place contains the residue soul energy of dead dragons and since he wasn't a dragon, the pressure was pressing down on him more than it would with the true Dark Flame Chaos Dragons.

"Vuithan, I will be guarding that damaged grave today. I need to clear my mind, and that place seems quiet and cool enough for me to do so," Fruity, in his disguise, said with a weary expression.

You have to give him credit—this violet-haired monk certainly knew how to act. His expressions and demeanor were so natural that Fruity couldn't help but wonder where that trait came from.

Yes, he inherited some traits from the monsters he transformed into; however, Velgorn wasn't one to show much expression aside from his upright and brilliant nature. This meant those traits were coming from Fruity himself.

After killing the dragon, Fruity felt a sense of loss. He saw his life flash before him and could tell that Velgorn was part of the 1 percent of good demons one could find in the Tormented World.

Although 99 percent of demons are terrible, the 1 percent are decent. However, Fruity didn't know this, and since Velgorn seemed more perceptive, he understood he had to proceed carefully to make things easier for himself. So he took out the variable to be safe.

"Alright, just don't stress yourself too much. We all know you're the hardest worker," Vuithan said, tapping him on the shoulder.

Velgorn went to inform their commander in charge, and just like his friends, the commander gave him the go-ahead to relax. This further confirmed to Fruity that he had killed the wrong demon, but it was already done—no need for him to dwell on it.

After leaving for his chosen destination, Fruity spent the rest of the day resting as he had intended. They would be on duty for a whole week, so all he could do now was play it safe and make his calculations carefully.

During the seven days they would spend there, they would patrol the burial site three times—on the second, fourth, and seventh days before they departed.

Fruity planned meticulously, ensuring that the section he would patrol on the seventh day would be the last place they would survey when the next batch arrived. By then, he would be long gone.

Three days went by, and during that time, Fruity surveyed the area and picked his target. It was a large dark horn, which, upon examination, belonged to a Tier 10 monster dragon. He knew that if he wanted a chance to be selected to join a witch temple, he must surprise them.

A horn belonging to an Argonaut (Tier 10) dragon seemed like the kind of thing that could cause significant chaos.

Five more days passed, and during that time, Fruity diligently set many countermeasures in place. It would take them three days to get back to Chaos City. He knew they would notice the horn was missing, so he was making sure he had a head start.

The disappearance of a Tier 10 dragon's horn would attract considerable attention, so he knew he had to make his plans and back them up with contingencies before stealing the horn.

Eventually, the seventh day came, and Fruity resumed his last shift with a determined look on his face. Gradually, around 3 in the afternoon, they were asked to conduct another sweep of the area before departing.

"Vuithan, that section seemed okay the last time we went through it, but to make sure we didn't miss anything, why don't we divide and conquer so we can finish early and go back?" Fruity, in Velgorn's disguise, suggested.

"Great idea, Velgo! We should do that. Since you're tired from all your hard work, take that section. Ghanorth and I will take the other two sections," Vuithan said with his usual smile.

Over the past few days, Fruity examined the guards' characters and noticed their behavior. One of his plans was to kill every last one of them, including their Tier 8 commander, but seeing how well they treated him, he decided to spare their lives.

However, that didn't mean he wouldn't play mind games with them. Vuithan liked to talk but lacked the self-confidence to make his own decisions. Because of this, Fruity made sure to always suggest ideas that Vuithan readily backed.

As for Ghanorth, he, too, didn't like talking, but he was the kind of person who valued friendship. Whatever Velgorn and Vuithan came up with, he never commented; he just followed along.

The three were like a package deal, so their commander always paired them together. Of course, Fruity knew that once they discovered it was Velgorn who stole the horn, the two would be in trouble. But he didn't feel guilty about that; after all, the two were anything but good people.

Vuithan tended to flirt with people's wives. He even went behind Velgorn's back and slept with his wife, so his death would be justified.

As for Ghanorth, let's just say that after he died, the ladies in Chaos City would finally find some much-needed peace and joy. Extracting their memories was the best thing Fruity could do to avoid making any foolish moves that could jeopardize his mission.

Fruity left to make his rounds. Of course, he wasn't actually making any rounds; he was stealing the horn. After an hour, they regrouped, and later that day, the next rotation came, and the three of them left.

They had three days to get back home, and a month later, they would go for another rotation. Fruity, who had made sure to buy himself some time, urged his friends to hurry back because he needed to see a healer somewhere in the mountains not far from Chaos City.

Because of that, it took them two and a half days to return to Chaos City. This meant that if his illusion hadn't been discovered, he would have another two days to flee from Chaos City.

But luck wasn't on his side. Three days after they left the burial site, the illusion broke, and the missing horn was discovered. They immediately sounded alarms that reached the Dragon King, who issued a lockdown.

Fruity, who had left the city and was now on his way toward the border, found himself blocked by twenty Tier 7 Dragons who had already received orders to stop anyone from crossing the border.

"Stop there! Orders from the Dragon King: nobody is allowed to leave the domain until after the thief who stole the dragon horn is caught," one of the guards said.

Find exclusive stories on empire

Fruity smiled. "Well, gentlemen, I don't suppose any of you anticipated dying today."