The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

"Master, what is going on?" Yuying's voice echoed from within Fruity's Soul Sea as the energy burst out of him.

"I don't really know, but my Hypnotic Ice seems to be reacting to the illusions covering this mountain," Fruity replied, watching as the green ice continued to spread across the mountain. The more it spread, the more he sensed his Hypnotic Ice growing stronger.

"This is interesting. It's like the ice is absorbing the illusion surrounding the mountain," Yuying observed. "Have you located where the illusion is coming from?"

"No, but the ice hasn't fully enveloped the mountain yet, so let's wait," Fruity said. They resumed waiting as the ice slowly turned the mountain green.

So far, the Hypnotic Ice hadn't shown Fruity anything too impressive. Sure, it had helped him take down thousands of monsters, but compared to the Devouring Ice or the Soul Eater, it paled in comparison.

From his observation, the ice could only trap Tier 6 creatures and below. But Fruity didn't have time to hunt such weak monsters; he needed to deal with the big guns. He needed to be using the hypnotic ice more actively.

However, he didn't know how to make it stronger. Sure, devouring monsters and treasures would allow him to add some energy to the Hypnotic Ice, but the progress would be slow. He needed something immediate.

Something that could rival the wailing power of the Chaotic Ice. So when he sensed his Hypnotic Ice reacting to the mountain from miles away, he knew something great was about to happen. To his surprise, it was happening.

The green ice continued to spread, and with every small advance, the ice grew stronger. Fruity, the owner of the ice, could also feel his strength rising—or more specifically, his mental strength increasing.

"Master, can I come out?" Yuying suddenly asked. Fruity didn't respond immediately. He slowly lowered his mental defenses, checking to see if the illusion would retaliate. After a while, he sighed.

"Come out," he said, and Yuying appeared. As soon as she materialized, she began spreading her senses. After confirming there was no immediate danger, she sighed in relief.

"This is going better than I expected," she said with a small smile.

"Yuying, you're traveling with someone wielding seven forbidden ice elements. Of course, things will unfold in unexpected ways," Fruity replied with a grin.

After everything he'd seen, Fruity now understood why the seven ice elements he wielded were forbidden. Although he did not know what was creating the illusion on the mountain, he knew it wasn't meant to be traversed the way he was doing it.

The illusion was intended to temper the minds of those brave enough to climb it. However, Fruity wasn't just resisting it—he was absorbing it.

This wasn't something normal ice should be able to do. But who was he if not someone with a huge grudge against the heavens? Yuying had already told him that his very existence was like a slap in the face of the heavens, and they would do everything they could to limit his growth.

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Because of this, Fruity had not only become power-hungry, but he had also stopped caring about things that others might consider bad. Of course, he wouldn't harm innocents.

But being surrounded by thousands of different races of demons who knew only one thing—destruction—he knew not to hesitate when it came down to doing what was necessary to grow stronger.

The mountain was just an obstacle on his path to greatness, so naturally, he couldn't resist when his ice started devouring its power.

"It's almost done absorbing everything," Yuying said, using her senses to follow the devouring process. She did not know what would happen if her senses went beyond the Hypnotic Ice, so she kept her pace slow, carefully watching the illusion get consumed.

After 12 hours, the entire mountain turned green, signaling that the absorption was complete. Fruity, sensing that his ice had absorbed everything, immediately deactivated it, revealing the mountain's true form.

It looked like the jagged remains of a colossal bone—a very large bone, given its size and height. Although the illusion had made it appear even bigger and taller, after being devoured, the mountain still stood towering, though not quite as imposing as before.

"It looks like the head of a very powerful beast," Yuying remarked, then asked, "Do you sense what you're here for?"

"Not yet, but I think my Hypnotic Ice is upgrading," Fruity replied, sitting down. "Guard the surroundings. I want to see what's happening." He closed his eyes, and as if entering an illusion, his mind slipped into another space.

As soon as he appeared in this new space, he was taken aback. "This is the monastery," Fruity said, looking at the familiar surroundings. He quickly began spreading his senses, and it didn't take long for him to detect something.

Before he could act, the presence he sensed appeared before him.

"These are runic cards," Fruity immediately recognized the objects that appeared before him.

"But why is there a place like this? I don't feel the same connection with the other elements." Just being in that space, he could sense his mind-expanding and slowly growing stronger.

"I'll have to ask Yuying once I'm out, but first, let's see what these cards are about." Twelve cards hovered before him, each one blank. He reached out and touched the first one. As soon as he did, the card began to glow green, and before Fruity could blink, it transformed from blank into a card with patterns inscribed on it.

"Illusion Domain." There was writing on it in the runic language, which he immediately recognized. As soon as he spoke the words, the runic text moved from the card and entered his forehead. Fruity blinked once or twice before sighing.

"It's a technique—an illusion-type technique. How awesome." He smiled and then reached out to touch the second card. It, too, transformed, and once it settled into a card with a series of patterns on it, Fruity quickly read its name.

"Giant Bone Mountain Descent." His mind filled with another technique, making him grin.

"It seems the Hypnotic Ice has evolved to another stage," he said, looking at the remaining ten blank cards. He reached out and touched the third card, but nothing happened. It remained blank. He tried the others, but none of them changed.

"Two out of twelve, huh? That's more than enough." Since he was connected to the Ice, he knew just how powerful it had become. And now, with two new techniques, he had grown exponentially stronger. He took a moment to absorb the place before snapping his fingers.

The space shifted into a green cloud, and within that cloud, the twelve cards hovered in front of an ice chair. Fruity admired his creation with a smile before leaving the space and returning to the real world.

"What just happened?" Fruity was immediately greeted with Yuying's direct question as he opened his eyes. She looked incredibly pale.

"What happened to you?" Fruity asked, concerned.

"You tell me, Master. Why did you punish me by sending me into an illusion?" Yuying asked, pouting.

"Say what?" Fruity replied, confused.

"When did I do that? All I did was enter this strange space connected to the Hypnotic Ice and received—well, more like activated—two techniques."

"Wait, you entered an elemental space?" Yuying's pale face immediately lit up with eagerness, a stark contrast to her earlier expression.

"You knew what that was?" Fruity asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course, Master! Every element has its own space, but you shouldn't have been able to access it—not this early," Yuying said, her hand brushing her lips thoughtfully.

"Unless... your element has already reached the Realm rank," she added suddenly.

"And what's that?" Fruity asked, clearly clueless about the concept. He knew he had to listen closely to his teacher for yet another crucial piece of information.

"Condense the Hypnotic Ice let me see" She requested and Fruity promptly obeyed.