Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Even though the runes were crude, they shimmered faintly with golden light. The moment the razor-sharp Hydro Blade got close, the water element began to unravel—like it was evaporating into thin air, vanishing in an instant.

”What the...?”

The girl’s face went pale with shock. Her strike, aimed straight for the vital point, had been neutralized in the most bizarre way.

The Lizardfolk Chieftain seized the opening. With a swift motion, he slammed his fist into the girl’s chest.

BAM!

The blow landed hard. The water currents swirling around her collapsed, her Aqua Stealth spell shattered, and her real body was exposed. She was sent flying like a baseball knocked out of the park.

”Veyra!” the fire-element youth shouted, panic flashing across his face. He rushed forward to help—but suddenly, everything went black. He felt a pair of cold, reptilian eyes boring into him.

The Lizardfolk Chieftain’s mental energy had silently invaded his mind.

The young man’s legs gave out. He collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

”Shit! Looks like the plan’s falling apart!”

Only two human Awakeners remained on the battlefield—both speed-types, and only A+ rank. No way they could take on the Lizardfolk Chieftain.

They exchanged a glance. No words needed. This wasn’t the time to play hero. They had to abandon their teammates.

Without hesitation, they turned and bolted, vanishing into the distance with blinding speed.

Watching it all unfold, Ethan raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected the battle to flip like this.

His gaze shifted to the runes carved into the ancient tree. Crude as they were, they’d actually worked.

Even a half-baked enchantment could catch someone off guard.

The tide of battle could turn in a heartbeat. One misstep could change everything.

The Lizardfolk Chieftain was living proof.

From the brink of defeat to total reversal—all in a single move.

”Hmph! Pathetic. Weak little humans, and they actually thought they could ambush me?” the Chieftain sneered, full of smug satisfaction, striding toward the two fallen enemies.

The girl lay on the ground, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Her chest was caved in, her face ghostly pale. She could barely move, let alone fight back.

The fire-element youth was worse—completely unconscious, sprawled out like a corpse.

”Why? Why did it end like this?”

The girl gritted her teeth, her whole body wracked with pain. She’d been so close. If she’d just struck from a different angle—or if that damn tree hadn’t been there—she might’ve won.

Heaven and hell, separated by a single moment.

She felt like fate had spat in her face.

This wasn’t about strength anymore… it was just a cruel twist of fate.

The Lizardfolk Chieftain loomed over them, eyes gleaming with bloodlust, ready to finish them off.

But Ethan, still watching from the side, noticed something odd.

Both humans were wearing strange outfits. Each had one sleeve that was pure white.

That wasn’t part of the original design—it was clearly altered, cut and sewn on later.

Even the two speed-type Awakeners who’d fled had white cloth bands tied around their elbows.

It looked like… some kind of symbol.

”Hold up.”

”Hm?” The Lizardfolk Chieftain paused mid-step, caught off guard. He’d been about to crush them, but at Ethan’s word, he stopped immediately and respectfully stepped aside.

Inwardly, he wondered—was Ethan planning to eat them alive?

Ethan walked over, towering above the girl. She was clutching her chest with one hand, her face drenched in cold sweat.

”This white cloth on your outfit—what does it mean?”

”We… we’re members of the White Robe Order,” the girl said weakly, lifting her eyes to meet his.

”The White Robe Order?” Ethan raised an eyebrow. Sounded like some kind of organization.

But seriously—who the hell came up with that name?

It sounded… kinda lame.

The girl gave a firm nod and introduced herself with a defiant glare. ”That’s right. I’m the Left Hand of the Order from the White Robe Order. You’d better let me go right now, or my boss will make you regret it!”

Ethan blinked at the title. Left Hand of the Order? That somehow made it sound even more ridiculous. ”So… what’s with all the white clothing?”

”In our Order,” she said, puffing up her chest despite the pain, ”the more white you wear, the higher your rank and the stronger your power. It’s a symbol of faith—and fear. Our leader said it brings luck and commands respect.”

Ethan listened, eyebrows slowly climbing. The more she talked, the weirder it sounded. ”Wait a second… your leader wouldn’t happen to be named Ricky, would he?”

The girl’s eyes widened in surprise. ”You know our boss?”

Ethan stood there, silent for a moment, a mix of disbelief and exasperation flickering across his face.

Ricky… what the hell are you doing?

He remembered when they parted ways back in human territory. Ricky had said he was heading to Xenorift. That had been over six months ago. And now the guy had started a cult?

Well, to be fair, Ricky was talented. His awakened ability, Grudge Eater, was tailor-made for a place like Xenorift. Like a rat dropped into a rice bin—he’d thrived. Fast.

No wonder Kragg, the Lizardfolk Leader, had grumbled about hating people in white robes. It all made sense now. The White Robe Order had clearly made a name for itself—and not in a good way.

The girl, seeing Ethan lost in thought, snapped, ”Since you know my boss, then you’d better let me go! He’s petty, vindictive, and cruel as hell. If you cross him, he’ll hunt you to the ends of the earth. He never lets a grudge go!”

Pfft!

Even the Lizardfolk Chieftain couldn’t hold back a laugh.

This human girl’s got guts, he thought. Threatening the Voidborn Undying? That’s either brave or just plain stupid…

If anything, Ricky would probably want to come after Ethan. Not that it would end well.

Any human dumb enough to go to Necroterra looking for the Voidborn Undying was basically signing their own death warrant. Even with the full might of human civilization, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

Hell, there was already a precedent—an entire Dreadnought-class Starcruiser had been shot down trying.

So her threats? Completely meaningless. More like a bad joke.

But Ethan, after a moment of silence, said calmly, ”Alright. I’ll let you go.”

”Huh?” Both the girl and the Lizardfolk Chieftain looked stunned.

He’s actually letting them go?

The Chieftain’s brain short-circuited. He couldn’t make sense of it—but he didn’t dare question it either.

The girl was equally shocked. She’d just been mouthing off, trying to go out with some dignity. She never expected it to actually work.

Is my boss really that scary now?

Then Ethan added, ”Take me to your boss. I want to meet Ricky.”

”You want to meet him? Uh… sure. No problem.” The girl blinked, studying Ethan’s strange appearance. For a second, she wasn’t even sure if he was human or something else entirely.

The Lizardfolk Chieftain, watching from the side, figured Ethan was just playing the long game—using the girl to lead him straight to the human base so he could wipe them all out in one clean sweep.

But as long as this monster left the tribe alone, that was all that mattered.

Otherwise, it felt like there was a steel spike hovering right between his eyes.

Ethan turned to him and said, ”Let the rest of the humans go too.”

”Uh… sure, no problem.” The Chieftain agreed instantly, though he looked like he was swallowing glass.

Please, just leave already. And don’t ever come back…

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