Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The crushing pressure made it hard for Damon to even breathe. He barely had time to react before the sound of slicing wind tore through the air—a Tachi blade was already swinging straight at him.

Panic surged in Damon’s chest, but as an S-Class Awakener, he wasn’t about to go down that easily.

Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to withstand the suffocating weight of the Domain of the Dead and launched himself backward at lightning speed.

Shhhk—!

Ethan’s Tachi grazed his cheek, carving a deep gash that nearly split his skull open.

”Shit, that was close!” Damon gasped, heart pounding.

”S-Class speed-type Awakener, huh…” Ethan muttered, eyes narrowing as he clocked Damon’s ability. It was rare—he hadn’t seen one like this before. Intrigued, he vanished in a blur, pressing the attack.

”Goddamn it!” Damon cursed, brows furrowed tight. The way Ethan locked onto him felt like a steel spike hovering right between his eyes—death could strike at any second.

Blood streamed down his face, his expression twisting into something feral.

But Damon wasn’t just some nobody—he was the leader of the Black Hand Legion. He hadn’t made it this far by panicking. His mind still sharp, he darted a glance toward Lucas from Genesis Biotech, then bolted in that direction.

Trying to drag someone else into the mess—classic misdirection.

Damon moved so fast he practically vanished, his speed surpassing what the human eye could track. In the blink of an eye, he was already among the Genesis Biotech crew.

”Clever bastard,” Ethan said with a smirk, not even mad.

Lucas, meanwhile, had just caught sight of Ethan—and his pupils shrank in shock, like he’d just seen a ghost.

The infamous Zombie King dossier was a top-level threat at Genesis Biotech. Every exec had it memorized.

And now, standing right in front of him, was someone who looked way too familiar.

”No way… No fucking way…”

”Lucas, what the hell’s going on? Who is that guy?” Damon demanded.

In all their dealings, Lucas had always been the laid-back, cocky type—grinning, joking, never taking anything too seriously. Damon had never seen him this rattled.

Gulp. Lucas swallowed hard, throat bobbing as tension gripped him.

”If I’m not mistaken… that guy’s from L.A. He’s a Zombie King—an insanely powerful one. He’s the one who wiped out our San Bernardino branch. Took down an elite S+ Awakener squad like it was nothing.”

”...???” Damon’s brain short-circuited. He was frozen, stunned.

Someone who could take out a Genesis Biotech base? That alone said everything. And he’d killed an S+ Awakener team?

That level of power was beyond terrifying.

”So what the hell do we do now?”

”We team up. For real this time. No games, no backstabbing. It’s the only shot we’ve got,” Lucas said, dead serious.

”…Fine.” Damon nodded hard.

Ethan’s arrival had forced Genesis Biotech and the Black Hand Legion—two groups that hated each other—to bury the hatchet and join forces.

And now, Ethan was walking toward them, step by step, like death itself.

Lucas barked out orders, and his men sprang into action.

Behind him, a squad of armed personnel raised their Crystal Core Blasters, all aiming at Ethan.

They pulled their triggers in unison. Energy surged, bursting from the barrels in a barrage of attacks—fireballs, ice spikes, even high-pressure water blasts—raining down like a storm.

But Ethan didn’t even flinch. He kept walking, unfazed.

The Domain of the Dead swept out around him like a tidal wave, deflecting every single attack with ease.

The Crystal Core Blasters were only B-Class—equivalent to a B-Class Awakener’s strike. Against Ethan, they were about as effective as throwing pebbles at a tank.

”Holy shit…” Damon’s eyes widened in awe. This Zombie King was the real deal.

But then something clicked in his mind. He turned to Lucas, frowning.

”Didn’t you say those Crystal Core Blasters were supposed to be Zombie King killers? ’Ultimate countermeasure’ or whatever? Looks like they’re not doing jack.”

Lucas looked annoyed. ”They are Zombie King killers—depending on the target’s level. I’m just trying to wear him down!”

”...” Damon was speechless. Sure, it depended on the level, but this was pathetic. It felt like Lucas had sold him snake oil.

Figures. Never trust the marketing—always test the damn product first.

”We can’t hold back anymore—let’s go all in!” Lucas roared, charging forward. As he sprinted, the air around him began to ripple, vibrating with a strange, pulsing energy.

”Oh?” Ethan raised an eyebrow, intrigued. This guy wasn’t your average Awakener—his ability was something different.

Lucas’s awakened power was called Shatterpulse—anything he touched would start to violently vibrate, destabilize, and ultimately disintegrate in an instant. Pure destruction.

As Lucas plunged into the Domain of the Dead, the oppressive energy around him began to tremble and distort. The pressure noticeably eased.

”Interesting,” Ethan muttered, raising his blade and slashing down.

But Lucas didn’t dodge. Instead, he reached out to grab the blade with his gloved hand. The gloves were custom-made by Genesis Biotech, forged from a rare, reinforced alloy.

Vmmm—

Lucas caught the blade barehanded—and nothing happened to him. But the Tachi in Ethan’s hand began to vibrate violently, emitting a high-pitched hum that grew sharper by the second.

Ethan could feel it—his weapon was seconds away from shattering under the intense frequency.

With a flick of his mind, he recalled the Tachi into his spatial ring just in time.

But before he could catch his breath—whoosh!—a blade sliced through the air. Damon had closed in, short dagger in hand, aiming straight for Ethan’s heart.

His speed-type ability kicked into overdrive, catching Ethan off guard. Damon was a top-tier assassin, and this was his moment.

But Ethan twisted his body just slightly—enough to dodge the strike with surgical precision.

Then came another barrage—Genesis Biotech’s armed squad opened fire again with their Crystal Core Firearms. Energy blasts filled the air, blinding and relentless.

Ethan had no choice but to expand the Domain of the Dead once more, sweeping the attacks aside like swatting flies.

But the pressure was mounting. The constant attacks were starting to slow him down.

”Looks like we might actually have a shot…” Damon muttered, eyes locked on Ethan. The suffocating aura that had overwhelmed them earlier didn’t feel quite as crushing now.

”Of course we do,” Lucas said confidently. ”My ability’s unique—it bridges the gap in power. I’m not weaker than that Zombie King.”

”Impressive…” Damon admitted, a flicker of respect in his eyes. No wonder Lucas was the rising star personally groomed by Richard, the North American director of Genesis Biotech.

Damon had to admit—Lucas really was stronger than him.

Seeing that Ethan was now unarmed, Lucas decided to go even bolder. He lunged forward, reaching out to grab Ethan’s shoulder directly.

If he could make physical contact, he could trigger a full-body resonance—shatter him from the inside out.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed.

He’d known for a while now that the Tachi wasn’t cutting it anymore—against A-Class and above, it just didn’t hold up.

”Well then,” he murmured, ”time to show off something new.”

With a flick of his wrist, he summoned a stone tablet—etched with strange, glowing patterns. It radiated an ancient, otherworldly energy.

Embedded in the slab were two Radiant Crystals, which lit up the carvings with a dazzling, dreamlike glow.

It was the Star Map tablet—the one Big Ears had scavenged and brought back.

Ethan gripped the edge of the slab with one hand and swung it forward like a battering ram. A powerful force field erupted from it.

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!

The air compressed and exploded in a series of sonic booms.

The stone slab slammed directly into Lucas’s outstretched arm.

CRACK!

The impact was brutal. Lucas was launched like a baseball hit out of the park, his body spinning through the air uncontrollably. He flew over 300 feet before crashing into the ground with a bone-jarring thud.

...