Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”As long as I can protect my family, what’s so wrong about siding with the Zombie King?” Leah said firmly, her voice unwavering.

”You...”

Kellan clenched his jaw. Just moments ago, he was the hunter—now, he was the prey. The sudden reversal hit him like a punch to the gut, dragging his heart into a pit of despair.

”K-Kellan... are we gonna die?” one of his men asked, face pale as a ghost.

”Don’t panic! Pull yourselves together!” Kellan barked, forcing himself to sound strong, even though fear gnawed at his insides.

But his words did little to calm the others. Panic still gripped them—after all, how many of Genesis Biotech’s elite Awakeners had already fallen to the monster standing before them?

This wasn’t just some enemy. This was a demon who killed without blinking.

”Kellan... maybe we should just run?”

”Run? You think we can still run?” Kellan muttered, his voice low and heavy. It wasn’t clear if he was answering his subordinate or asking himself.

The moment Ethan appeared, the air turned suffocating. Despair, fear, and hopelessness wrapped around every Awakener from Genesis Biotech like a noose. There was no escape now. The only thing left was to fight—to claw back some shred of control in the face of overwhelming power.

”Open fire!” Kellan shouted.

Nearly a hundred Awakeners raised their Crystal Core Firearms, eyes filled with grim resolve. They pulled their triggers in unison. A storm of volatile energy surged forward, forming glowing orbs that shot through the air like cannonballs.

From Ethan’s perspective, it looked like a downpour of pure destruction—energy blasts raining from the sky, threatening to swallow him whole.

But he didn’t move.

He just stood there, calm and still, as if the chaos didn’t even register. The moment the blasts neared him, they slammed into an invisible wall—his Domain of the Dead—and were flung away like pebbles hitting a force field.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Explosions erupted all around him. The ground shook. In places where the blasts were densest, small mushroom clouds rose into the air.

And yet, Ethan remained untouched. His white shirt was still spotless, his figure unmoving—like a ghost immune to the laws of physics.

”What the hell...”

The Awakeners stared in horror. Their most advanced weapons—useless. Not even a scratch.

”He’s just standing there... and we still can’t hit him!”

”What do we do now?!”

”No! I don’t believe this! Die, damn you!”

Click. Click. Click.

They kept firing, even though deep down they knew it was pointless. At this point, it wasn’t about killing Ethan anymore—it was about venting their helplessness, their rage at a world that had turned against them.

”Stop wasting my bullets,” Ethan said, his voice calm, almost bored. He looked at their terrified faces, and for a moment, it almost seemed like he pitied them.

Then the Domain of the Dead expanded.

”AHHHHH—!”

Screams tore through the air. The pressure was unbearable. One by one, their bodies began to rupture—flesh exploding, blood spraying, limbs collapsing. Corpses hit the ground like falling dominoes.

It was a massacre. A goddamn slaughterhouse.

”He’s... too strong...”

The people watching from the shelter stood frozen, eyes wide with awe and horror.

Just minutes ago, Genesis Biotech’s Awakeners had been cocky, unstoppable. Now they were being wiped out like insects—no resistance, no mercy. It was a one-sided execution.

Lily, her eyes red from crying, stared at Ethan. When she’d been on the verge of being violated, it was him who saved her...

So what if he was the Zombie King?

Ethan stood tall in his pristine white shirt, not a speck of blood on him. His sharp profile, the clean line of his jaw, the calm in his eyes—it all radiated a quiet, terrifying power. A king who ruled over death itself.

”...He’s so damn hot.”

At that moment, Gavin, bloodied and barely clinging to consciousness, finally caught a break. Clutching his stomach, he forced himself up from the ground, his voice hoarse: ”Lily… are you okay?”

But Lily didn’t respond. She stood frozen, eyes locked on the figure ahead, as if she hadn’t heard him at all.

”Lily?” Gavin called again, louder this time.

”Huh?” She blinked, finally snapping out of it. ”Gavin? What happened to you?”

”Ah… I’m fine. Heh…” Gavin forced a smile, but the moment he did, a sharp pain stabbed through his gut, nearly doubling him over.

…

A few minutes later, the slaughter was over.

More than a hundred Genesis Biotech Awakeners lay dead—none survived.

Ethan calmly began collecting crystal cores and salvaging Crystal Core Armaments from the corpses. Another day, another haul. This was how he built his empire—one kill, one core at a time. Like they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

The people from the shelter watched in stunned silence, their faces pale, hearts pounding.

Meanwhile, Leah had reunited with her family. They clung to each other, trembling with relief.

”Leah… why are you with the Zombie King?” her father whispered urgently, eyes darting toward Ethan.

”It’s okay, Dad. He took the protection fee. He’s not gonna hurt us.”

”That’s not the point! It’s still dangerous!” her father hissed, clearly still worried. ”Come with us to Mount Elbert Shelter. It’s safe there now.”

”No. I’m not going,” Leah said, shaking her head.

Her father’s face tightened with frustration. ”Why are you being so stubborn? You’re too old to be acting like this. We only have you and your sister. What if something happens to you?”

He was still trying to reason with her when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Lily walking straight toward Ethan.

She stopped in front of him and spoke softly, ”Thank you… for saving me.”

”You’re welcome,” Ethan replied, flashing a rare, easy smile.

For a moment, it was like the ice around him melted. The air felt warmer, lighter—like spring had suddenly arrived.

Lily’s eyes widened. She stared at him, completely entranced.

Leah’s father: ”…”

What the hell is going on?

He had a sinking feeling in his gut. It was like watching his daughter run off with some leather-jacketed bad boy on a motorcycle.

Except this wasn’t just any bad boy—this was the goddamn Zombie King.

…

A short while later, four more figures arrived from the distance—Nora and her group. They’d lagged behind, mostly because one of them, a young man with a busted crotch, had slowed them down big time.

”It’s over?” Nora scanned the scene, her expression a mix of shock and awe.

To Ethan, wiping out Genesis Biotech’s Awakeners probably felt like swatting flies. No effort, no sweat.

The shelter had taken some hits, but all things considered, the casualties were manageable.

”Nora…” Gavin limped over, wincing with every step, trying to play it cool.

”Yeah,” Nora nodded back.

The guy next to her glanced at Gavin and asked, ”Damn, you got messed up that bad?”

”Ugh…” Gavin sighed and shook his head, clearly not eager to relive the experience.

But something about the guy’s voice struck him as… off. It sounded higher than he remembered.

Gavin looked up and recognized him immediately—Nora’s boyfriend. His eyes instinctively dropped lower, and when they landed on the guy’s crotch, his expression shifted to one of surprise.

”Wait… another one took a hit down there?”

”…” The guy’s face darkened. ”Yeah… Genesis Biotech. They wrecked it. I’ll figure something out. Maybe there’s still a way to fix it.”

”Hey, believe in yourself. You got this,” Gavin said, not knowing what else to say.

But the one who looked the most fed up was Nora.

She couldn’t believe it—two boyfriends, both taken out the same brutal way. She turned to Gavin, giving him a once-over. The guy was solid, built, and still standing.

”Gavin,” she said, dead serious, ”you wanna be my boyfriend?”

”…Huh?”

Gavin froze, eyes wide. Then he shook his head so fast he looked like a bobblehead on overdrive.

”…No thanks.”

...