Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The figure that came hurtling toward them was none other than the speed-type Awakener. A twisted grin spread across his face as his dagger sliced through the air, aiming straight for Brandon’s throat.

”Die!”

The blade cut through Brandon’s carotid artery like it was slicing a watermelon. A jet of blood sprayed out in a crimson arc.

Splurt!

Brandon felt a sudden metallic sweetness rise in his throat as blood flooded his mouth. His eyes flew wide open, his expression frozen in shock and disbelief.

Death was right there—so close he could feel it.

”Brandon!”

Everyone around him froze, their breath caught in their throats. Was he really going to die?

Chris’s eyes turned bloodshot, his heart sinking into despair. He and Brandon had been through hell together, side by side, countless times. They weren’t just teammates—they were brothers.

Flashes of their past missions, their laughter, their close calls—they all came rushing back.

”Brandon! Think about your online girlfriend, man!”

In that instant, time seemed to stop. Everything slowed down, like the world had been dropped into slow motion.

The blood spraying from Brandon’s neck hung in the air, suspended like a gruesome painting.

His eyes were now completely red, but inside his head, a sharp, pulsing pain was building—like something was trying to break free.

”I... I can’t die here!”

A desperate, almost crazed will to survive surged through him. And then—something strange happened. He could feel the blood in the air. Not just feel it—connect with it. Control it.

”Come back!”

With just a thought, the blood that had burst from his neck began to reverse course. Even the blood that had splattered on the ground started to crawl back toward him, snaking up his body and flowing back into his wounds—his elbow, his neck.

It was like watching a miracle unfold.

”What the hell...?”

Everyone stood there, stunned, a chill creeping down their spines.

”His bleeding... it stopped!”

”No—look at his aura. It’s changing. It’s getting stronger.”

”Wait... is this his Awakening ability?!”

”...”

The suffocating pressure in Brandon’s chest vanished. His mind cleared, sharper than ever. He could feel it now—every drop of blood around him, flowing, pulsing, alive.

He had Awakened.

His ability: Blood Burst.

Its most terrifying trait? He could control the blood of living beings.

The speed-type assassin’s grin vanished the moment he realized something was wrong. His face twisted into a grim expression.

”He’s still alive?!”

”He Awakened... right at the brink of death.”

”Shit—I need to get out of here!”

True to his hit-and-run style, the assassin turned to flee, his body blurring into motion.

But Brandon turned his head, locking eyes with him—those glowing red irises burning like fire.

Blood Burst—activated.

The assassin’s body froze mid-step, locked in place. His blood had turned against him, reversing its flow inside his veins.

His face contorted in agony. His mouth opened in a silent scream, but no sound came out.

Veins bulged across his skin, his eyes bloodshot and glowing red. The pressure inside his capillaries built to a breaking point—then burst.

Pop!

His eyeballs exploded like crushed lightbulbs, twin streams of blood shooting out. Then, blood began to seep from every pore on his body.

In just a few seconds, he was drenched—no, transformed—into a walking corpse of blood.

A human blood fountain.

”Ahhh—!”

A hoarse, guttural scream finally tore from the assassin’s throat, raw and piercing—like a demon wailing from the depths of hell.

Then, with a sickening boom, his body exploded into a thick cloud of blood mist, spraying out in all directions.

”What... what kind of ability is that?”

Chris stood frozen, eyes wide, the shock hitting him like a freight train. Alongside the awe, a flicker of fear crept into his heart.

Leah and the others furrowed their brows, watching the scene unfold with tense expressions.

”That’s definitely some kind of special ability.”

”It’s insanely powerful.”

”...”

Chris swallowed hard, still trying to process what he’d just witnessed. The sheer brutality of it was terrifying.

That punk... not only did he cheat death, he actually Awakened with a rare ability.

He suddenly remembered what Brandon had said back at the compound: ”You gotta have dreams, man. What if you hit the jackpot?”

Well, damn. Looks like he really did hit the jackpot.

And deep down, Chris couldn’t help but feel a little jealous.

It was like watching your best friend suffer through hard times, only to suddenly pull up in a Ferrari. You’re happy for him—but also kinda pissed.

Around them, the members of the Black Hand Legion were visibly shaken. The way that speed-type Awakener had died... it was gruesome. Horrifying.

They couldn’t help but feel a chill of dread.

”Everyone, stay sharp!”

But before the words even finished leaving his mouth, Brandon’s crimson eyes swept across the group. He raised a hand—and instantly, several of the Black Hand members froze in place, their bodies locking up as if their blood had turned to ice.

Brandon’s ability, Blood Burst, wasn’t just rare—it was on a whole different level. He could control multiple targets at once.

Chris, Leah, and the others didn’t waste the opportunity. They charged in.

”Kill them!”

They swung their titanium machetes with brutal precision. The immobilized Black Hand members couldn’t even react—it was like chopping down mannequins. One by one, they were cut down, blood spraying as they fell.

From a distance, Samuel watched through the swirling black mist, his brow furrowing.

These people... were proving harder to kill than he’d expected.

”Looks like I’ll have to handle this myself.”

He had just absorbed a crystal core and taken a short rest—his power was back to about 80%.

”Root Deathtrap!”

With a sharp command, energy surged around Samuel. Wild, chaotic wood-element energy exploded from beneath his feet, spreading outward like a shockwave.

It was clearly a large-scale area attack.

Mia and Sean were the first to be hit. The ground beneath them trembled, and razor-sharp root barbs burst up from the earth.

But the two were seasoned fighters. They dodged with ease, some roots they even shattered mid-air.

The others, though, weren’t so lucky.

Right beneath Chris, a thick root barb shot up—fast and deadly—aiming straight for his crotch.

”Holy shit!” he yelped, stumbling back just in time to avoid a very unfortunate end.

”Damn! That was way too close... I almost lost the family jewels!”

But before he could even catch his breath, another root barb shot up—same spot, same deadly intent.

”Again?!”

Chris didn’t dare hesitate. He scrambled to dodge, heart pounding.

All around them, the others were in similar straits. Samuel’s Root Deathtrap was a no-holds-barred, indiscriminate attack.

”How long can you keep dodging?” Samuel sneered, lips curling into a crooked smile. He kept channeling energy, and already, several survivors had been impaled by the root barbs.

They looked like insects pinned to a board—nailed to the ground, their deaths grotesque and agonizing.

Just as Samuel was about to continue the slaughter—

BOOM!

A thunderous crash echoed from the edge of the mall. One of the massive wooden pillars of the Wooden Prison had just collapsed.

”Hm?” Samuel’s eyes narrowed.

What the hell was that?

A moment later, he sensed movement—someone was approaching fast. Judging by the energy signature, it was someone from Genesis Biotech.

He turned to look—and sure enough, a few figures were sprinting through the black mist, their faces pale, their movements frantic.

Leading the group was none other than Adrian.

”You running from a dog or something? What’s with the panic?” Samuel frowned, clearly unimpressed.

Adrian was still catching his breath, chest heaving. He looked like he’d just escaped a nightmare.

”You don’t get it,” he gasped. ”We’re in deep shit. We ran into the SS-class Zombie King—the one from the archives!”

...