Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The Azure Scaled Zombie King felt a surge of delight in his heart. With over twenty new bio-mutants joining the fray, their combat strength had been significantly bolstered. Now, there was no need for him to retreat.

At the moment, Griff’s combat power was at S-rank, the Azure Scaled Zombie King himself was also S-rank, and the combined strength of the Zombie Fetus and Zombiezilla could easily match S-rank as well.

Three S-rank powerhouses—more than enough to hold their ground.

”Guess I underestimated Griff. Didn’t think this guy would actually be useful…” The Azure Scaled Zombie King rejoined the battle with renewed vigor.

A faint blue energy surged around him, and with every move he made, elite zombies were effortlessly torn apart.

Meanwhile, Griff, consumed by hatred, continued his relentless assault on Ethan. The spatial energy around him grew more intense, spiraling out of control until it reached its peak.

The space surrounding Griff began to crack, black fissures spreading like jagged scars. The sheer force of the distortion was overwhelming, as if it could crush anything in its path.

”Void Seal!” Griff’s blood-red eyes narrowed as he unleashed his S-rank spatial ability. With a wave of his hand, the entire space ahead of him froze, then began to collapse inward.

Ethan was instantly caught in the attack.

The space around him shattered, his vision blurring as the world seemed to disintegrate. He could only rely on the power of his Domain of the Dead to resist the spatial onslaught.

But then, in the blink of an eye—

A massive spatial rift tore open, an endless abyss of darkness yawning wide like the maw of a monstrous beast. The rift swallowed Ethan whole, along with his Domain of the Dead.

In that moment, both Ethan and Griff vanished from the battlefield.

From the rear, Chloe and the others stared in shock. ”Oh my god! Did Ethan just… get taken out?”

”No way…”

”That bio-mutant is insanely strong!”

”Could it be… they both went down together?!”

”…”

Sean, standing nearby, looked panicked. His eyes darted around as he desperately searched for any sign of Ethan. ”Ethan! Ethan! Where are you? Get back here! Don’t tell me you’re actually dead!”

”Stop yelling,” Mia said calmly from a short distance away. ”He’s not that easy to kill.”

At that moment, Ethan found himself surrounded by pitch-black nothingness, standing in what felt like the void of an infinite universe. There was no end in sight.

”Well, this is… interesting,” he muttered to himself, surprised to find he’d been dragged into another dimension. This had to be one of those rare, bizarre abilities that only a handful of humans could wield.

Everywhere he looked, there was nothing but emptiness. He had no idea how to escape.

But according to his logic, every problem had a solution. To break free from this trap, he’d have to deal with the source—Griff. If he could take out the caster, the spell would collapse.

Unleashing his Domain of the Dead with a thunderous roar, Ethan began searching for Griff, who was hiding somewhere in the void.

...

Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, the situation was growing increasingly tense.

The Azure Scaled Zombie King, however, couldn’t have been happier.

”Well, well, what a pleasant surprise. One good thing after another. Griff actually managed to trap the enemy’s zombie king!”

To the Azure Scaled Zombie King, this was the perfect opportunity. He had to take advantage of the situation and eliminate Ethan’s allies. Once the battle was decided, even if Ethan managed to return, it would be too late to change anything.

His gaze locked onto Mia first.

Aside from Ethan, she was the strongest among the group. Even when surrounded by the endless Zombie Horde, she could hold her own against the Zombie Fetus, tying up a significant portion of his forces.

”Child, your adoptive father is here to avenge you!” The Azure Scaled Zombie King’s yellow eyes gleamed with malice as he lunged forward, his speed so fast that afterimages trailed behind him.

His glowing blue claws clenched into a fist as he swung a devastating strike toward Mia.

Hearing the rush of wind and feeling the murderous intent bearing down on her, Mia didn’t hesitate. She raised her arms to block the attack.

”Bang!”

A massive force slammed into her, like being hit by a speeding train. Mia’s body was sent flying uncontrollably, crashing through a massive boulder before finally coming to a stop.

”Hehehe, nice hit!” Zombie Fetus clapped his hands gleefully, clearly enjoying the sight of Mia’s battered state.

Mia pushed herself up from the rubble, her body covered in blood and scratches. Her right arm trembled slightly, the earlier blow feeling as though it had fractured her bones.

[Pain Level: 37%]

Despite her injuries, her blood-streaked face remained calm and composed.

She lifted her gaze and spotted Zombie Fetus standing atop the massive beast, looking down at her with a smug, triumphant expression. Not far away, the Azure Scaled Zombie King stood with his piercing yellow eyes gleaming with malice.

The two of them were surrounded by a sea of zombies and lizard-like creatures, forming an impenetrable wall of grotesque faces and snarling jaws. Everywhere she looked, there was nothing but horror.

Sean, seeing his teammate injured, rushed over in a panic. ”There are way too many monsters this time. Maybe you should fall back for now.”

”No need,” Mia replied coldly, her voice steady.

Sean frowned, his worry evident. ”Your body has limits, Mia. There’s no way you can hold out against this many enemies.”

”I can handle it.”

”You can’t handle it!”

”I can handle it,” Mia insisted, her tone unwavering.

”…” Sean fell silent, realizing she wasn’t going to back down. The look in her eyes made it clear—she was ready to fight to the bitter end.

Before he could say anything else, Mia gripped her blade tightly and charged back into the Zombie Horde. Her movements were lightning-fast, her figure a blur as she darted through the chaos.

Her tachi sliced through the air, cutting down zombies left and right in a relentless flurry of strikes.

”Well, well, still putting up a fight, huh? Let’s see how long you can last,” Zombie Fetus sneered, his tone dripping with mockery. A dark mist began to seep from his body, spreading toward Mia like a creeping shadow.

This black mist, known as Death Miasma, was a sinister ability he had inherited from his zombified mother during her pregnancy. It was highly toxic, capable of paralyzing the body and inducing overwhelming fear.

As the miasma enveloped her, Mia felt a chilling sensation crawl over her skin, like ghostly hands gripping her. Her limbs began to stiffen, and a wave of dread surged through her mind. Negative emotions clawed at her psyche, threatening to break her focus.

Before she could fully recover, Zombiezilla’s massive foot came crashing down from above.

”BOOM!” The ground shook violently as the colossal foot slammed into her, leaving cracks spidering across the earth and kicking up a thick cloud of dust that obscured everyone’s view.

”Mia!” Chloe and the others cried out in alarm, their faces pale with worry.

Was this it? Was Mia finally reaching her limit?

With Ethan trapped in the void and Mia under siege, the situation had become dangerously dire. The group was teetering on the edge of despair.

But then, out of nowhere—

”ROOOAAARRR!”

Zombiezilla let out a sudden, pained howl. A figure burst out from beneath its massive foot, tearing through its flesh and emerging into the open.

It was Mia.

Her slender frame was drenched in the monster’s foul blood, staining her entire body a deep crimson. She looked like a ghost of vengeance, her bright eyes shining with an almost manic intensity. There was even a faint trace of exhilaration in her expression.

Her wristband displayed a new reading: [Pain Level: 67%]

”Oh? Still alive?” The Azure Scaled Zombie King narrowed his eyes, his brow furrowing slightly. He hadn’t expected this human to be so resilient. But what puzzled him even more was… was she enjoying this?

”Enough of this. Time to die!” The Azure Scaled Zombie King decided he couldn’t waste any more time. Ethan could reappear at any moment, and he needed to finish this human off quickly.

Blue energy surged around him as he propelled himself forward at blinding speed. In an instant, he was in front of Mia, his clawed fist striking her square in the chest.

”THUD!”

Mia coughed up a mouthful of blood as the impact caved in her chest, sending her flying like a ragdoll. She crashed into the ground hundreds of feet away, skidding to a stop amidst the debris.

Her wristband’s reading spiked violently: [Pain Level: 91%]

”Damn it! Mia’s at her limit!” Chloe’s voice trembled with panic.

”What do we do now?”

”I don’t know!”

”…”

The group was frantic, their hearts pounding as they watched helplessly. It felt like they were ants trapped on a hot stove, unable to do anything but worry.

But then, to their astonishment, Mia began to stir.

Her body trembled as she slowly pushed herself up from the ground. Her cells were in overdrive, her entire frame shaking from the strain. A faint crimson mist began to swirl around her, emanating from her blood-soaked body.

The pain had pushed her to her breaking point—but it was also when she was at her strongest.

Her bright eyes scanned the battlefield, taking in the endless horde of monsters surrounding her.

”My body might not hold out much longer,” she muttered to herself, her voice low but resolute. ”But I’ll carve my way out of this with sheer willpower…”

...