Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”Boss!” Samara’s heart raced with excitement. Damn, that was so cool!

Meanwhile, the monster leader frowned deeply, sensing something was off. Ethan had moved so fast just now that he hadn’t even had time to react.

Could this guy also be an agility-type?

This Zombie King seemed to have some real skills.

Ethan was also sizing him up. Judging by his aura, this monster was around S-level. Ethan recalled the monster leader he’d killed back in Santa Clarita, who had reached S+ level. Compared to that one, this guy clearly wasn’t as strong.

”You’re only S-level?” Ethan asked casually.

”Huh???” The monster leader’s eyes widened in disbelief. What the hell did he mean by ”only”? Was this guy serious?

At this stage of the apocalypse, an S-level was already considered top-tier, yet this guy was acting like it was nothing special.

This arrogance was infuriating!

”Fine, let’s see what you’ve got!” The monster leader roared furiously, his face twisting into a hideous snarl. The severed tentacles squirmed and reattached themselves, and several more shot out, stabbing toward Ethan simultaneously.

The tentacles whipped through the air like giant snakes, creating a terrifying spectacle. Ordinary zombies wouldn’t stand a chance.

But Ethan just thought it looked like a giant plate of calamari.

In a flash, Ethan vanished from his spot, moving so fast he was practically invisible. His Tachi blade danced wildly, slicing through the air.

”Swish swish swish swish—”

The blade moved so quickly it left afterimages, shredding the incoming tentacles into pieces. Chunks of flesh rained down from above.

”What the—” The monster leader gasped, feeling like a storm was rushing toward him.

Too fast...

Guess I’ll have to rely on brute strength!

He clenched his fist tightly. As a parasitic monster, physical strength was his strong suit. He swung his arm forward, unleashing a punch powerful enough to make the air scream.

His bones were incredibly tough, and he was confident he could punch through solid steel.

But Ethan’s eyes flashed crimson, and suddenly, the terrifying Domain of the Dead erupted around them.

This time, they were close enough that the monster leader found himself right in the center of Ethan’s domain. Instantly, he felt immense pressure, as if he’d been plunged ten thousand meters underwater.

His movements slowed dramatically, and the strength he’d gathered suddenly drained away—like being interrupted halfway through taking a dump.

At that exact moment, Ethan’s fist was already inches from his face, the sheer force freezing the air around them.

The monster leader felt like a meteor was hurtling toward him, radiating pure destruction, aimed straight at his chest.

In that split second, he smelled death itself. Panic surged through him, and he lost all courage to face it head-on.

He hurriedly raised his arm to shield his chest.

”BOOM!”

Ethan’s punch landed with explosive force, energy erupting like a volcano. The ground beneath them shattered and collapsed, sending shockwaves that obliterated nearby buildings.

The entire street shook violently, rumbling as if an earthquake had struck.

Ethan’s punch was like a natural disaster, leaving the entire area in ruins.

The battlefield was now a wasteland, a massive crater marking the spot.

Behind him, Samara and Mad Dog stared in stunned disbelief. Ethan stood tall amidst the devastation, his white clothes fluttering in the wind, looking utterly invincible.

”He’s way too strong!” Samara gasped. She’d expected a tough, evenly matched fight against an S-level monster, but this was a complete one-sided beatdown.

Mad Dog, in particular, had stars practically sparkling in his eyes, filled with admiration and envy.

Is this what it means to surpass S-level?

If only I could become that strong someday...

Meanwhile, the parasite monster leader lay half-buried in the rubble, his bones shattered into pieces, his body twisted grotesquely like a lump of crushed clay.

But the pain in his body was nothing compared to the blow to his pride.

He couldn’t believe it—he wasn’t even close to being a match for this Zombie King.

The strength Ethan displayed was beyond anything he’d ever imagined.

What kind of monster was this guy?

Ethan himself could clearly feel he’d grown stronger again. Back in Santa Clarita, that S+ monster had at least managed to put up a decent fight. But after absorbing its crystal core, Ethan had evolved further. Now, facing a mere S-level monster was like bullying a child.

It wasn’t even a challenge anymore.

”I can’t beat him... there’s no way...” The monster leader trembled in fear, unable to comprehend how such a terrifying creature had appeared in this small town. Coming here for the Radiant Crystal suddenly felt like walking straight into a death trap.

Even this ruthless parasite leader couldn’t help but shiver in Ethan’s presence.

He decided to heal himself first and worry about the rest later.

With a sickening crunch, his shattered bones rapidly snapped back into place. Despite his severe injuries, his regenerative abilities were impressive. Within seconds, his body was almost fully healed.

Even the tentacles Ethan had sliced into pieces began twitching, trying to reassemble themselves.

”Huh?” Mad Dog noticed this and frowned. He couldn’t just stand there and watch the show.

He quickly picked up a chunk of the parasite monster’s flesh from the ground and took a bite. Surprisingly, it was firm, crunchy, and had a smoky barbecue flavor.

”Hey, this stuff tastes pretty good!” Mad Dog grinned happily, waving to the others. ”Come on, guys! Dig in!”

The zombies immediately jumped onto the ground, grabbing chunks of monster flesh and munching away.

”...” The parasite monster leader watched in horror, his face turning green with disgust and rage. Furious, he immediately summoned his minions for backup.

Behind him, a massive wave of parasite monsters surged forward, roaring and snarling.

But Ethan stood calmly in the middle of the street, like a Spartan warrior holding the line against thousands. His terrifying Domain of the Dead expanded outward, covering nearly two thousand feet, creating a zone of absolute death.

The moment the monsters stepped into Ethan’s domain, they collapsed helplessly to the ground.

Seeing this, the parasite leader felt utter despair.

He realized Ethan alone could slaughter thousands of his minions effortlessly. To even stand a chance against him, they’d need far greater numbers—ten thousand, fifty thousand, maybe even a hundred thousand!

”I’ve gotta get out of here!” With his strength severely diminished, the parasite leader lost all will to fight and turned to flee from the Domain of the Dead.

But escaping Ethan once he’d set his sights on you was nothing but wishful thinking.

Ethan’s Tachi blade hummed sharply as he lunged forward, thrusting it straight into the monster’s back.

”Shunk!” The blade pierced cleanly through, stopping right at the crystal core.

The monster leader froze instantly, paralyzed by the sensation of imminent death.

”Don’t kill me! We can work together! Without my help, you’ll all die!” he pleaded desperately.

”Why does that line sound so familiar?” Ethan muttered sarcastically, not hesitating for even a second. With a swift flick of his blade, he neatly extracted the crystal core.

The monster’s body shriveled rapidly, collapsing lifelessly to the ground.

In this apocalypse, there was no such thing as true cooperation—only mutual exploitation. Monsters couldn’t be trusted, period.

Seeing their leader fall, the remaining monsters panicked, scattering in all directions.

Samara wasn’t about to let them escape. She led the zombies in pursuit, tackling the fleeing monsters one by one and tearing them apart.

Mad Dog, seeing victory assured, puffed up proudly again. He felt this was the first step on their path to dominating Japan. The wheels of destiny had finally begun to turn...

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