Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Ragnar was trembling, panic written all over his face. He had nothing left—no strength, no options.

”If you kill me… my boss will come for you. He’ll avenge me!” he shouted, desperation cracking his voice.

Ethan didn’t even blink. ”Don’t worry. I’ll send him to join you soon enough,” he said casually. ”Oh, and thanks for the crystal core, by the way.”

”...” Ragnar’s heart sank into a pit of despair. Regret and fury churned inside him, but it was too late for either.

In the next instant, a katana shimmered into existence in Ethan’s hand. With one clean, fluid motion, he brought it down.

SHHK!

The blade split Ragnar’s skull open. A brilliant crystal core shot out from the wound, spinning through the air.

Ethan reached out and caught it effortlessly, holding it in his palm.

Another SSS-grade core.

Ever since he absorbed the one from Gravestone, something inside him had changed. His body had evolved—grown stronger, faster, more lethal. That’s why taking down Ragnar had been so easy.

And now, with Ragnar’s core—one that enhanced physical power—he’d push his evolution even further.

Not far away, the Overmind Queen and the Lord of the Carrion Reavers stood watching, unmoving.

The two apex predators of the Xenobeasts were stunned.

This Zombie King… was absolutely ruthless.

He didn’t even hesitate to kill one of his own.

To them, it was like watching someone slit their teammate’s throat before the battle even started.

”Was it just for the SSS-grade crystal core?”

”That’s… incredibly stupid,” the Overmind Queen muttered under her breath.

What was the point of getting it now?

In a few minutes, wouldn’t all of it belong to them anyway?

If those three Voidborn Undying had actually stuck together, maybe—just maybe—the Xenobeasts would’ve had to back off, keep things to hit-and-run skirmishes.

But now? They were killing each other.

One down.

”Maybe it’s time we test them,” the Lord of the Carrion Reavers sent out a signal, its voice like gravel grinding in the dark.

”Let’s make sure this one doesn’t walk away,” the Overmind Queen replied, her tone cold and calculating.

Ethan’s eyes locked onto them. Around him, the swarm of monsters pressed in, snarling and snapping like a pack of rabid hounds, just waiting for the order to tear him apart.

But Ethan didn’t flinch.

He’d faced worse.

Back under The Skywall, he’d gone toe-to-toe with three top-tier human powerhouses. He’d crippled one, shattered the Skywall itself, and walked away without a scratch.

These two Xenobeasts? They didn’t scare him.

Besides, reinforcements were already on the way.

In the distance, a flash of blood-red light streaked across the sky. A figure leapt from mountaintop to mountaintop, closing in fast.

It was another Zombie King—Bloodveil.

His brow was furrowed, his expression grim. The energy spike from earlier had been impossible to miss. He’d rushed over immediately.

And on the way, he’d noticed something strange—Ragnar’s presence had vanished.

BOOM!

Bloodveil landed hard on a nearby hilltop, the ground cracking beneath his feet. His crimson eyes swept across the battlefield below—and what he saw made his face darken.

The place was a wreck. Scorched earth, shattered stone, and the mangled corpses of Carrion Reavers littered the ground.

But the most striking sight was Ethan.

He stood tall, posture relaxed, his white shirt pristine despite the carnage. His expression was calm, almost serene.

But at his feet lay Ragnar’s massive corpse—head split open, crystal core clearly removed.

”This…”

Bloodveil stood frozen, eyes locked on Ethan.

What the hell was going on?

He wasn’t stupid. He could see it now—those calm, calculating eyes, that eerily composed aura… it all matched the ”Umbradrake” from before.

And that white shirt. That damn pristine white shirt.

It clicked.

”You were pretending to be Umbradrake! You’re the alien Zombie King Ragnar was looking for!”

”You’re not as dumb as you look,” Ethan said with a faint smirk.

Bloodveil’s expression shifted instantly, his body tensing. ”Then you killed Ragnar… I need to report this to the Heartland Zombie Kings!” he said quickly, eyes sharp with caution.

The ones in Heartland had made it clear—this alien Zombie King wasn’t just some random threat. He was the threat.

Meanwhile, the Overmind Queen and the Lord of the Carrion Reavers exchanged glances.

Huh.

So these two Zombie Kings weren’t exactly on the same page either.

They watched the tension rise between Ethan and Bloodveil, and for a moment, none of the undead even looked their way.

Should we just… leave? Let them tear each other apart?

They’d always suspected the Zombie King alliance was shaky, but this? This was a full-on fracture.

”…”

Then Ethan spoke again, his voice low and deliberate.

”You don’t really want to rot in Eastreach forever, do you?”

”Huh?” Bloodveil blinked, caught off guard.

That question hit like a dagger to the chest.

Of course he didn’t. He wanted more. He wanted to break into Heartland, to stand at the center of Necroterra’s power. But he didn’t have the strength to make that leap. Not yet.

Ethan kept going, voice smooth as silk.

”Helping those Heartland Zombie Kings won’t get you anything. You’ll just make them stronger—and they’ll still look down on you. You’ll never get into Heartland that way.”

”…Damn. That actually makes sense.”

Bloodveil scratched his chin, eyes narrowing.

Ethan pressed the advantage.

”So I’m not your enemy. In fact, I can help you. We can work together. I’ll even cut you in on some real benefits.”

”Wait, are you trying to bribe me?”

”You could call it that,” Ethan said with a shrug.

Bloodveil still looked skeptical. This guy? Offering him benefits? He didn’t buy it.

”Alright then, what kind of benefits are we talking about?”

”Oh, the good kind,” Ethan said, his tone turning casual. ”You’ve heard about Southvale, right? Humans have been crossing the Exile Zone to hunt zombies there. Pretty soon, a whole batch of them will be heading out for the Hunt Trial. That means high-grade crystal cores, rare tech weapons… all ripe for the taking.”

”Ooohhh…” Bloodveil dragged out the sound, eyes lighting up. ”So you’re saying… we go hunt humans together?”

”Exactly. Just like I came to Eastreach to hunt Xenobeasts.”

”No problem!” Bloodveil agreed instantly, though his mind was already racing.

Sure, Ethan made it sound like a fair deal—but let’s be real. Humans were way easier to kill than Xenobeasts. Especially the ones going to Southvale for the Hunt Trial. Most of them were students, barely trained, carrying high-end tech they didn’t even know how to use.

For an SSS-level Zombie King, it was practically free loot.

”Yeah… that’s actually a pretty sweet deal,” Bloodveil muttered to himself.

Still, he didn’t let his guard down. Ethan was sharp—too sharp. The kind of guy who always had ten backup plans. If they were going to work together, he’d have to watch his back.

Ethan glanced at him. ”If you’re not interested, that’s fine. I’ll just leave you here to deal with the Xenobeasts on your own.”

”Whoa, whoa, whoa—hold up!” Bloodveil called out quickly. ”I’m in.”

”Good,” Ethan said with a faint smile.

Just like that, even after revealing his true identity, Ethan had managed to pull Bloodveil to his side.

Whether the alliance would hold? That was a question for another day.

Not far off, the Overmind Queen and the Lord of the Carrion Reavers stood with their armies, watching the scene unfold.

Why weren’t they fighting yet?

A moment ago, things had been on the verge of exploding.

Now, after a little chat, the two Zombie Kings were suddenly buddy-buddy again.

”The Voidborn Undying really are impossible to understand,” the Overmind Queen muttered to herself.

”Looks like we’ll just have to kill them both,” the Lord of the Carrion Reavers growled, eyes gleaming with bloodlust.

”Agreed.”

The Overmind Queen nodded. With only two Voidborn Undying left, the odds were evening out.

”Then let’s do this the right way… and crush them head-on.”

…