Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Lucien was in the middle of leading his clan through what was supposed to be their final feast when a strange feeling crept over him. He paused mid-bite, eyes narrowing as he glanced around the grand hall.

”Where’s the steward? Why isn’t he back yet?”

”Yeah, weird…” one of the others muttered, equally puzzled. They were all waiting for him to return with the rewards—after devouring the flesh, they’d each consume a crystal core. The perfect ending to a perfect night.

”You think he got lost?”

”Don’t be stupid. How do you get lost in your own damn house? He’s the steward.”

”Oh… right.”

”...”

Just then, a commotion erupted downstairs. The head servant, an elderly man, came rushing in, his face pale and drenched in sweat.

”My Lord! Something’s wrong! The cold storage—everything’s gone! The offerings, all of them! And the guards… they’re all dead. I just walked in and—bodies everywhere!”

”What?” Lucien’s expression darkened. He shot up from his seat, eyes narrowing at the trembling old man. Whatever he’d seen had clearly shaken him to the core.

Something—or someone—had gotten into the castle.

And then, a voice rang out. Cold. Detached.

”Here’s your reward.”

At that moment, the entire castle trembled. A wave of suffocating pressure swept through the air, thick with death and dread.

Cracks split across the walls and floor, spiderwebbing outward with terrifying speed.

Several vampires were caught in the blast radius. Their bodies exploded on the spot, torn apart by the sheer force.

”What the hell is that?!”

The rest of the vampires turned in horror. A figure in white was walking toward them, calm and unhurried. With every step he took, the energy of the Domain of the Dead grew stronger, heavier.

Death had arrived.

Ethan had gotten what he came for. No more sneaking around. No more hiding. He was done playing games.

Now, it was time to kill.

”Move! Get out of the way!”

Panic erupted as the vampires scattered, scrambling to escape the crushing force of the Domain of the Dead.

But Ethan didn’t even glance at them. His eyes were locked on one target—Lord Lucien.

”You’ve got a death wish!” Lucien roared, fury boiling over. This was his domain—his stronghold. And this bastard had the audacity to show up here, out in the open?

But Ethan was already moving.

With a flick of his wrist, he summoned the Star Map tablet. In a flash, he was right in front of Lucien, arm swinging wide. The stone slab trailed a blazing arc of energy as it came crashing down.

The air itself seemed to freeze.

Lucien felt like he was carrying a mountain on his back. Every movement was a struggle. He barely managed to twist his body, relying on the raw power of his vampire physique to dodge the worst of the blow.

But it wasn’t enough.

BOOM!

The impact was cataclysmic.

The entire castle shook violently. From the outside, half of it collapsed in an instant. Dust and debris exploded into the air as stone crumbled and walls gave way.

A figure was launched from the wreckage like a missile, crashing through the outer wall and flying into the open night.

Lucien tumbled through the air, smashing through several of the underground ”chicken coops” below—cells where humans were kept like livestock. He rolled across the ground, finally coming to a stop in a heap of rubble.

Inside the cages, the humans had been asleep—until the explosion jolted them awake. For a moment, they thought it was an earthquake.

Then they looked over… and saw a man lying beside their beds.

His clothes were shredded, his body soaked in blood. His pale face was twisted in rage, eyes glowing red with fury.

”Mayor…?”

One of the captives blinked in disbelief. What the hell was he doing here?

”You’re hurt! Let me help you—”

”RAAARGH!” Lucien let out a feral roar. His fangs burst from his gums, long and gleaming. He lunged forward, yanking the man toward him and sinking his teeth deep into his neck.

A bloodcurdling scream tore through the night.

The quiet night shattered completely.

All across the town, vampires picked up on Lucien’s signal. One by one, they began converging on his location.

The streets trembled under the pounding of countless feet. In the blink of an eye, the area was swarming with bodies—an ocean of pale faces and glowing eyes.

Meanwhile, humans stirred from their sleep, confused by the noise. Doors creaked open, and sleepy faces peeked out into the chaos.

”What’s going on?”

”Are we under attack?”

”No way… This town’s been safe since the apocalypse started.”

”Come on, let’s go check it out!”

”...”

Curiosity turned into concern as more and more people gathered, drifting toward the source of the commotion.

Back at Koa’s house, Chris and the others were already prepping for battle, wiping down their blades with calm, practiced hands.

The thunderous crash outside shook the whole town.

”Oh? That’s the signal?” Mia stood up from her chair, stretching like she’d just woken from a nap. ”Time to clock in. Let’s get this over with so we can relax.”

Koa looked around at them, completely baffled. ”Wait, are we seriously going to take on an entire corpse nest… head-on?”

”Relax,” Oliver said, clapping him on the shoulder. ”It’s just a town-level nest.” Then he turned and headed for the door.

Koa blinked. ”Just a town-level nest…? Are you kidding me?”

...

The streets were packed now, buzzing with noise and tension. Nearly six thousand vampire guards had assembled around Lucien, forming a tight perimeter.

Behind them, the humans watched with wide eyes, whispering among themselves.

”All the guards are here!”

”Something’s definitely going down.”

”Is it really a monster attack?”

”...”

Lucien stood at the center of it all, his wounds already knitting themselves back together before their eyes. Vampires didn’t have many tricks, but their bodies were built like tanks.

”Where is that damn Zombie King?” he growled, scanning the ruins with a scowl. His voice was low, but the fear in it was unmistakable. That last hit had rattled him.

Ethan’s slab hadn’t landed clean—it had just grazed him—but the force behind it was enough to leave serious damage. If it had connected fully, he’d be dead.

The castle was still collapsing in the background, stone crumbling and dust choking the air. But the white-clad figure hadn’t reappeared.

The air felt… wrong. Heavy. Like something was watching.

Lucien’s nerves were fraying. He could feel it—something was getting closer. Something bad. A deep, primal unease clawed at his gut.

”RAAAHHH—!”

He let out a piercing shriek, a sonic blast that rippled through the air in concentric waves.

As the sound bounced off surfaces and returned, Lucien processed the echoes in his mind, forming a mental map of the area—like a living sonar.

And then he found it.

One of the echoes came back… off. Distorted. Humanoid.

”There! He’s there! Everyone, attack!”

The vampires behind him didn’t hesitate. Their eyes lit up with bloodlust as they surged forward like a tidal wave, charging toward the spot Lucien had pointed out.

Ethan raised an eyebrow. So they’d found him. Impressive.

Not that it mattered.

His eyes flashed red, and the Domain of the Dead surged outward again—like a wall of steamrollers, rolling forward in perfect unison.

The vampires in its path were crushed instantly, their bodies bursting into clouds of blood mist.

In a single breath, Ethan had wiped out over a hundred of them. The sheer pressure of the Zombie King’s aura made the rest hesitate, fear creeping into their eyes.

”What insane power…” Lucien hissed, fangs clenched tight. A direct fight was suicide. He knew that now. The only chance they had was to wear him down with numbers.

He glanced back—and saw the humans still standing there, gawking like they were watching a street performance.

”Hey! What the hell are you doing just standing there?! Can’t you see we’re under attack by a Zombie King?! If we don’t work together, we’re all dead!”

...