Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”You’ve got some nerve saying that—if you hadn’t shouted, would he have jumped straight into the snake’s mouth?” someone nearby snapped.

The monstrous serpent in front of them was absolutely ferocious. Its massive tail swept through the battlefield, smashing through walls of ice and earth like they were paper. Anyone caught in its path was sent flying, crashing to the ground with bone-jarring force.

Chaos erupted. People were thrown left and right, horses reared and screamed, and the air filled with panicked shouts and agonized screams.

”This thing’s way too strong!”

”Bet it crawled outta the Serpent Pit!”

”...”

Franklin scanned the battlefield, his expression growing more and more tense.

Are we really going to have to abandon Oasis?

And it wasn’t just the serpent. Mutated centipedes and scorpions were crawling straight out of the dirt, ambushing people without warning. The moment they sank their fangs in, their victims would collapse, twitching violently as the venom took hold.

Then the swarm would descend, tearing them apart—bones and all.

The scene was pure chaos. The humans were being pushed back hard.

Logan glanced around, suddenly remembering something.

”Hey—where are those outsiders?”

”No idea. Haven’t seen ’em,” one of his lackeys replied.

Logan’s mind was already working. With monsters this strong, if Ethan and his crew got taken out, he could swoop in and grab whatever loot they left behind.

Better keep an eye on them...

Just then, the lackey pointed. ”Logan, I think that’s them.”

”Oh?” Logan turned to look. Sure enough, a group was emerging from the back of the camp. Leading the way was Ethan, with Thomas, Jenny, her daughter Ellie, and a few others close behind.

”Perfect timing! Get over here and help!” Logan shouted.

”We’re on it! Chill, Logan!” Thomas called back, then launched himself forward. A dark yellow energy surged around him as he slammed one foot into the ground. Several thick walls of earth erupted upward, blocking the oncoming monsters.

Clearly, he was an A-rank Earth-type Awakener.

Sean’s sharp eyes scanned the battlefield.

”These things look kinda familiar... You think they followed us from the Underground Temple?”

”Wouldn’t be surprised. Looks like they’re not done with us yet,” Chris replied, swinging his machete and slicing a creature that had just burst from the ground.

Sean scowled. ”Seriously? Can’t they wait until I finish my damn meal?”

The group jumped into the fray. They weren’t pushovers, and their arrival started to shift the tide of battle.

Mia, in particular, was a force of nature. Her Lightning Blade crackled and flashed, lighting up the battlefield in bursts. Everywhere she moved, blood sprayed and monsters dropped like flies—she was cutting through them like they were nothing.

Brandon wasn’t far behind in terms of damage. He activated his skill, Blood Burst, and a wave of scorpions froze mid-motion before exploding into chunks.

Blood Burst had a wide area of effect—perfect for mowing down low-level monsters.

”Damn, they’re strong. Guess they really do have some skills,” Logan muttered to himself, watching from the sidelines.

But then he noticed something odd.

His eyes swept the battlefield and landed on Ethan—dressed in white, standing out like a sore thumb. But he wasn’t fighting. He was just standing there, looking around like he was watching a show.

What the hell?

What’s he staring at?

Just here for the entertainment?

Why isn’t he doing anything?

Logan’s mind raced with questions.

He was just about to yell at Ethan to get his ass in gear when he saw him move.

Ethan’s steps were calm and steady as he walked straight toward the heart of the battlefield—right into the thickest, most brutal part of the fight.

Bodies were strewn everywhere—human and monster alike—limbs twisted at unnatural angles, blood pooling into dark, glistening rivers. The battlefield looked like something straight out of hell.

”Dude’s got guts, I’ll give him that,” Logan muttered, still watching from a distance as Ethan calmly walked straight into the most dangerous part of the fight.

But just a few steps in, Ethan stopped. With a casual wave of his hand, the corpses on the ground began to vanish, one after another. He muttered to himself as he moved.

”This one’s not bad… still has a crystal core.” He strolled through the carnage like he was browsing the aisles of a grocery store, picking and choosing what to take.

”???” Logan’s eyes went wide, his face practically a giant question mark.

What the hell is he doing?

And that trick—just waving his hand and making bodies disappear? That was creepy as hell.

”You’re collecting the corpses?” Logan finally walked up, unable to hold back.

”Yeah,” Ethan replied matter-of-factly, not even looking up.

Logan’s brow furrowed hard, irritation bubbling up in his chest.

”The monsters are literally at our doorstep, and you’re out here looting bodies?”

Ethan gave him a confused look. ”And what’s that got to do with me?”

Then, with another flick of his wrist, two more human corpses vanished into thin air. He didn’t even blink. If they were there, he’d take them. If not, no big deal.

Logan stood frozen, completely dumbfounded.

Is this guy for real?

...

Not far behind the front lines, Jenny had stayed back to protect her daughter, Ellie. Even so, mutated scorpions were still crawling up from the dirt beneath their feet.

Blue energy shimmered around Jenny as water element gathered at her fingertips. With a sharp motion, she summoned a swirling water dragon that surged forward, tearing through the low-level monsters with ease.

”Hey, Uncle Chris—she’s a water-type Awakener,” Brandon pointed out.

Chris glanced over. ”Yeah? So?”

Brandon grinned. ”You’re fire. She’s water. That’s gotta be a disaster waiting to happen.”

Chris snorted. ”Nah, I think we’ve got great chemistry.”

Brandon looked ahead at Thomas, who was now fully encased in earth energy, towering like a small giant. Every swing of his arm crushed monsters like bugs—he was a beast on the battlefield.

”I dunno… I think water and earth make a pretty solid combo.”

Chris immediately shot that down. ”Nah, those two? Total elemental mismatch.”

...

The slaughter continued. The monsters showed no signs of retreat. They just kept coming, crawling out of the ground like a never-ending plague.

Jenny held Ellie close, raising her hand to summon a Torrent Barrier—a wall of rushing water that slammed into an incoming wave of creatures, stopping them cold.

”Ellie, are you scared?”

”I… I’m not scared, Mommy,” the little girl said, her face pale as a sheet. She was clearly terrified, but she still shook her head, trying to be brave.

Sweat beaded on Jenny’s forehead. Her chest rose and fell with heavy breaths—she was already running low on stamina after the intense fighting.

With her husband gone, the burden of protecting Ellie now rested entirely on her shoulders.

God…

Life was cruel. Jenny let out a quiet sigh.

There was no one left to rely on. It was all on her now.

But then—she felt it.

A tremor beneath her feet. Something was moving underground. A wave of killing intent surged up from below.

”Something’s coming!”

Jenny’s instincts screamed at her. At that exact moment, the ground in front of her exploded upward, and a massive head burst through the dirt.

It was hideous—armored, segmented, with a grotesque mouth full of gnashing mandibles. Hundreds of legs writhed beneath its armored body.

A mutated centipede.

”Cen… centipede…” Jenny’s eyes went wide, her breath caught in her throat. Her mind flashed back to earlier that day—the moment her husband was devoured alive. His scream of despair still echoed in her ears.

And the monster that had done it… looked exactly like this one.

Same size. Same grotesque features.

Seeing it again now, Jenny froze. The trauma hit her like a punch to the gut.

”Mom!” Ellie’s voice snapped her out of it.

Jenny blinked, snapping back to reality—but it was already too late.

The giant centipede let out a piercing screech and lunged straight at them, jaws wide open.

...