Apocalypse: King of Zombies

In the center of the altar, golden light slowly gathered, gradually forming the figure of an old man. His face was obscured, but the faint outlines of his features and deep wrinkles could still be made out.

The whole thing looked like a 3D hologram.

”I… am the master of this Forbidden Zone,” the old man said, his voice echoing with a strange resonance.

”Ohhh~~~” Ethan dragged out the sound, a smirk tugging at his lips. Bingo. Found you.

”You can think of this place as my tomb,” the old man continued. ”I died countless years ago. But through certain… special means, I managed to preserve my consciousness.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Just like PhD had theorized—this guy was definitely from some ancient civilization. One so old, there wasn’t a single confirmed record of it in any known history.

The old man went on, his tone calm but heavy: ”What rises will eventually fall; every empire crumbles in the end. The decline of a once-glorious civilization is inevitable. Your zombie civilization will meet the same fate, sooner or later.”

”Maybe,” Ethan replied with a shrug. He didn’t really care. Zombie or not, it didn’t matter to him. He had his own goals.

”Then tell me—do you know what this is?” As he spoke, Ethan raised his hand and summoned the Star Map tablet. It burst into radiant light, casting shimmering beams in every direction.

Seven Radiant Crystals embedded in the stone flared to life, glowing with an intense white light. The energy surged through the intricate carvings, activating a strange force field that pulsed outward.

Even though the old man’s face remained obscured, Ethan could tell—he was stunned. His ghostly form froze for a moment, as if caught off guard.

”It’s appeared… It actually exists,” the old man murmured. ”That’s the Genesis Key. It connects to the most fundamental forces of the universe.”

”So what exactly does it unlock?” Ethan asked, still puzzled. PhD had mentioned the Star Map could break through spatial barriers, but also hinted it was a key—though to what, he hadn’t said.

The old man’s tone grew solemn. ”It… unlocks a new era.”

”A new era?” Ethan blinked, genuinely surprised.

He’d always known the Star Map was no ordinary artifact, but this? A whole new era? That sounded way too far-fetched.

But the old man was dead serious. ”Yes. With it, you can usher in a new epoch. And the place to do it… is at the Origin Mountain, in the Heartland of Necroterra. That mountain is connected to the source of the universe itself. It’s where all life began.”

”You’re serious?” Ethan narrowed his eyes, suspicion creeping in.

”Dead serious,” the old man replied. ”And once the new era begins, a Sovereign of Civilization will be born—an entity with limitless power, capable of rewriting the very laws of the universe.”

”Limitless power…” Ethan’s gaze darkened, the words hitting something deep inside him.

But the moment passed. His expression cooled, and his voice took on a sharp edge. ”Is that what you told Endless, too?”

The old man faltered. ”Uh…”

He didn’t answer right away. The silence stretched, awkward and telling.

Ethan finally pieced it together. Now it made sense—why Endless and the other Deathless Sovereigns had entrenched themselves in the Heartland. Sure, the region was rich in resources, but that was just part of it. The real reason was the Origin Mountain.

The legendary core of Originis. The birthplace of all life.

There had to be something massive hidden there.

And Endless? He’d definitely been here before. He must’ve heard the same pitch from this old man, then gone back, torn through Necroterra, and claimed the Heartland—just to guard the Origin Mountain.

Yeah. It all lined up now.

But unlike Ethan… Endless didn’t have the Genesis Key.

That’s why the Five Sovereigns of the Heartland had been waiting at the Origin Mountain all this time—biding their time, watching, ready to strike the moment the key appeared.

Eventually, the old man on the altar admitted the truth.

”Yes… I did tell the other Zombie Kings the same thing. But whoever can unlock the Origin Mountain… that’s up to their own strength. If you take out Endless in the Heartland, then naturally, the mountain’s summit is yours.”

”I’ll think about it,” Ethan replied coolly, his voice laced with a chill. This guy—whoever or whatever he was—meant nothing to him. No ties, no trust. Just a relic of a dead civilization.

So of course, Ethan wasn’t about to take his words at face value. There was always the risk of being used. He’d need to verify everything himself.

And the safest way to avoid being manipulated?

Erase the source.

This old man had already outlived his usefulness. Now that Ethan had the so-called ”secret,” there was no reason to let him keep existing. Especially not when the Star Map’s existence needed to stay buried—permanently.

The air around Ethan grew colder, his presence sharper, more dangerous.

The old man immediately sensed something was off. ”You… what are you planning?”

”A leftover from a dead civilization like you… doesn’t really need to stick around, does he?” Ethan said flatly.

”You…” The old man instantly understood. This zombie—this Ethan—wasn’t someone to be trifled with.

Ethan stepped forward, his tone icy. ”You’ve kept your consciousness alive, used rune power to anchor yourself to Xenorift, and you’ve been watching the outside world this whole time. Who knows what you’re really waiting for? Don’t expect me to believe you’re just some harmless guardian. You’ve got your own agenda—anyone with half a brain can see that.”

”I—I was just trying to keep other beings from interfering! The outer Ritual Array was only meant for protection!”

”Sure. Whatever you say.” Ethan didn’t even slow down. He didn’t care about excuses.

”...” The old man fell silent. This Zombie King was too damn aggressive—worse than Endless ever was. And completely unpredictable.

Seeing that reasoning was useless, the old man’s tone hardened. ”You’d better think twice. This is my domain. I built this place myself. It’s protected by layers of intricate Ritual Arrays. You won’t survive here.”

”Perfect,” Ethan said, a cold smile tugging at his lips. ”I’ve been meaning to learn more about these runes anyway. Might as well smash this altar to pieces and take a closer look.”

As Ethan kept approaching, the old man’s expression twisted into something fierce.

”If you’re so eager to die, don’t blame me for what happens next!”

With a wave of his hand, several golden energy clusters materialized in the air—each one pulsing with its own consciousness. Among them was the same entity that had guarded the entrance earlier: the so-called Mountain God.

”You dare challenge me in the Forbidden Zone? You’re asking for death!”

”Arrogant fool!”

”We’ll bury you right here!”

”...”

The energy clusters scattered, each one flying down to the base of the altar.

Suddenly, the ground trembled violently. Four massive Mountain Gods rose from the edges of the platform, towering like ancient titans.

Even though Ethan stood at the top of the steps, he barely reached their waists.

They raised their colossal fists, each one the size of a meteor, and brought them crashing down toward him—like planets falling from the sky, blotting out the heavens.

Compared to them, Ethan looked like an ant.

At the same time, the stone beneath his feet lit up with glowing runes, spreading outward in a flash, covering the entire platform.

A powerful binding force surged up from below, tightening around him—and it was only getting stronger...