Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Sean, on the other hand, was all brawn and no brain. He didn’t bother overthinking things. The moment he saw the monster, he charged straight at it without hesitation.

Azure Scaled tilted his head, sizing him up. ”Yeah… not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, huh?”

With a casual motion, Azure Scaled clenched his beast-like claws into fists and swung his arm forward. The sheer force of the punch caused the air to crackle with a series of sonic booms.

Sean didn’t even flinch. He raised his own fist and met the blow head-on.

BOOM!

The collision of their fists sounded like two iron hammers smashing together, sending shockwaves rippling outward.

But Sean’s arm throbbed with pain. A massive force surged through him, and before he could react, his body was flung backward like a baseball hit out of the park. He flew a solid 50 feet before crashing to the ground with a heavy thud.

His backpack burst open from the impact, and several apples tumbled out, falling through the air and rolling across the dirt.

One of the apples ended up right at Azure Scaled’s feet.

Azure Scaled, being a carnivorous creature, couldn’t care less about apples. To him, they were no different from weeds. Without a second thought, he lifted his foot and stomped down, crushing the apple into mush.

That single act felt like it shattered Sean’s very soul.

Still writhing in pain, Sean’s eyes widened as he watched the scene unfold. He stared, unblinking, his gaze fixed on the ruined apple.

”My… apple…” Sean’s breathing grew heavy, his chest heaving as anger flared in his eyes. His expression twisted into one of pure rage, with a sharp, dangerous edge.

”You’re dead!”

His body began to crackle and pop as he entered a full-on berserk state.

With a roar, Sean leapt to his feet and charged at Azure Scaled again, his movements wild and unrestrained.

”Oh, so he’s completely brainless,” Azure Scaled muttered, realizing he’d overestimated Sean earlier.

As Sean closed the distance, Azure Scaled swung another punch. BAM! The impact sent Sean flying yet again, this time over 50 feet, his body hitting the ground like a ragdoll.

”Ugh… that hurts…”

Sean groaned, his entire body wracked with pain. It felt like his internal organs had been rearranged, and the sharp ache in his chest told him he was seriously injured.

The gap between their strength was just too massive.

Frustration bubbled up inside Sean. His apples had been crushed, but he couldn’t do anything about it. All he could do was roll around on the ground, overwhelmed by pain and helplessness. Tears welled up in his eyes.

”Waaahhhhhh~~~”

”Idiot,” Azure Scaled sneered, his face full of disdain. He began walking toward Sean, ready to finish him off for good.

But before he could take more than a few steps, he suddenly froze.

”Huh? What’s that?”

He looked up toward the horizon and noticed what appeared to be a dark cloud drifting closer. But it wasn’t a cloud—it was a massive swarm of crows, their black feathers blotting out the sky.

”Using my friend as a punching bag? Don’t you think that’s a little much?” A deep, magnetic voice suddenly echoed through the air.

Azure Scaled turned his head sharply, his eyes narrowing. Standing next to Sean was a figure who hadn’t been there moments ago. The man was strikingly handsome, his expression cold and detached. Though he exuded no visible aura, there was an overwhelming sense of danger radiating from him.

”It’s you!” Azure Scaled’s brows furrowed deeply as recognition dawned on him.

Sean, still lying on the ground, looked up and saw the man’s face. His eyes immediately filled with tears of relief and gratitude.

”Ethan… sniff… sniff…” Sean whimpered, his voice trembling. In the middle of this brutal battlefield, the true king had arrived.

Ethan’s eyes glowed with a crimson light, and an oppressive energy began to spread outward. The Domain of the Dead unfurled like a tidal wave, its terrifying pressure crushing everything in its path. Trees in the surrounding forest splintered and exploded under the weight of the energy.

It was as if a natural disaster had descended.

”So, the rumors were true. You really are that strong,” Azure Scaled muttered, his tone grim. He had only heard stories about Ethan before, but now he was seeing the legend in action.

Without hesitation, Azure Scaled focused his energy. A blue aura began to rise around him, swirling like ocean waves. The energy surged forward in layers, crashing outward like a relentless tide.

This was Azure Scaled’s unique ability, Tidal Surge, derived from his fusion with a Marine Iguana.

The clash of their powers was cataclysmic. The two forces collided like grinding millstones, creating a deafening wail in the air. The ground beneath them cracked and caved, forming deep fissures that spread outward.

The moment Ethan appeared, the entire battle shifted. All eyes were on him.

From the outskirts of the battlefield, onlookers turned their heads, their faces filled with shock and awe.

”It’s him!”

”The Zombie Overlord of Los Angeles!”

”Wait… is he here to help?”

”Or… is he just here to clean up the mess?”

”Uh… that’s… not good…”

Whispers spread through the crowd as the tension in the air grew thicker. It felt like the entire balance of power was about to be upended.

With so many major players converging, it was clear that the zombie factions in the area were about to face a massive shake-up.

Amid the chaos of the zombie horde, Mia, covered in blood, caught a glimpse of Ethan out of the corner of her eye. Her lips curled into a faint smirk, though her tone was dripping with sarcasm.

”Finally decided to show up, huh? Guess you’ve got some sense of responsibility… fine, I’ll cut you some slack. Half off.”

...

Ethan’s sharp gaze locked onto Azure Scaled, analyzing the swirling blue energy surrounding him. It seemed like the beginnings of an Absolute Domain, but it was incomplete—more of a rough draft than the finished product.

”Ah, so that’s why he’s managed to hold the title of overlord…” Ethan mused. He figured the Marine Iguana Azure Scaled had fused with must’ve been a mutant beast capable of wielding an Absolute Domain.

Without hesitation, Ethan expanded his Domain of the Dead to its absolute limit. The oppressive force roared like thunder, crashing down on Azure Scaled’s blue energy and grinding it into nothing. The once-imposing aura began to crumble and dissipate under the sheer weight of Ethan’s power.

Azure Scaled, despite being an S-class powerhouse, was still leagues below Ethan. Panic flashed across his face as he realized he couldn’t withstand the pressure. Without a second thought, he retreated at full speed, his massive frame darting backward hundreds of feet in an instant.

”Holy crap! He’s insane!” gasped someone from the crowd.

The onlookers, many of whom had encountered Ethan before, were left in awe. Chloe, in particular, couldn’t take her eyes off him. Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes sparkled like a starry night.

”He’s still so ridiculously cool!” she whispered, practically swooning.

But not everyone was impressed. In the shadows, Zombie Fetus’s pitch-black eyes burned with unrelenting hatred. The one responsible for his mother’s death—the other culprit—had finally shown up.

”Today, you’re all going to die!” Zombie Fetus shrieked, his voice filled with venom. ”Kill them! Kill them all! Leave no one alive!”

”ROAR—”

The forest erupted with guttural roars as countless lizard-like monsters burst out from the dense undergrowth. Their glowing yellow eyes gleamed with malice, and their mouths were filled with razor-sharp fangs.

The creatures surged forward in a chaotic wave, their bodies packed so tightly together that they trampled over one another in their frenzy. It was a monstrous tide, a living flood of destruction.

These were Azure Scaled’s elite forces.

It seemed he had anticipated Ethan’s interference and had prepared accordingly.

The lizard monsters were massive, ferocious, and unnervingly resilient. Even within the oppressive confines of Ethan’s Domain of the Dead, they could still move freely, their sheer physical strength allowing them to resist the crushing pressure.

But Ethan? He didn’t even flinch.

With a casual motion, he raised his hand, and a tachi materialized in his grip. The blade radiated an intense heat, flames roaring to life along its edge.

In one sweeping motion, Ethan slashed the air. A blazing arc of fire erupted from the blade, fanning out in a wide sweep. The inferno tore through the advancing lizard monsters, slicing them clean in half. Flames engulfed their bodies, reducing them to ash in mere moments.

Ethan stood firm, an unyielding wall against the onslaught. He was a one-man army, cutting through the horde like a scythe through wheat.

Behind him, Chloe and the other humans felt the crushing pressure on them ease almost instantly.

”Honestly, who else could hold back an army of elite monsters like this… all by himself?” someone muttered, their voice filled with awe as they watched the carnage unfold.

But the tide of lizard monsters didn’t stop. If anything, their numbers only seemed to grow. More and more of them poured out of the forest, their ranks swelling into the thousands. They charged forward with reckless abandon, utterly unafraid of death.

Ethan’s expression remained as cold and detached as ever. His crimson eyes scanned the battlefield, unbothered by the overwhelming numbers.

”Time to eat,” he said flatly.

At his command, a deafening roar erupted from the nearby valley. The sound was so powerful it shook the earth, scattering flocks of birds into the sky in a panicked frenzy.

Moments later, a new wave of figures appeared—terrifying, grotesque faces emerging from the shadows. It was Ethan’s own army of elite zombies, and they were charging into the fray with unrelenting ferocity.

They moved with inhuman speed and agility, some leaping from tree to tree like apes, others sprinting across the ground in a blur. The sheer number of them was staggering, a sea of undead that stretched as far as the eye could see.

The sight was both awe-inspiring and utterly horrifying.

...