Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”You two can’t take a direct hit from that thing. Fall back behind me,” Ethan said to Skinny Pete and Mia, his tone firm.

This mutated Bengal tiger’s raw strength had to be over 20,000 pounds by now.

So far, only Garrick had managed to take three hits thanks to his Earthen Armor—and even then, he was already seriously injured.

Chris had taken a tail swipe and a full-force paw strike. The tail wasn’t too bad, but that paw? It had nearly killed him. He’d been down for minutes, barely able to move, still hiding under stealth and trying to recover.

And Chris was the strongest among them after Ethan.

He’d been the second to reach Stage D and had absorbed two Tier 6 crystal cores. His power was already brushing the edge of Tier 6 peak.

But even with that, he couldn’t take a single clean hit from the tiger.

Skinny Pete and Mia? One slap, and they’d be done.

Right now, the only one left who could still take a hit was Ethan.

His strength was nearing 17,000 pounds. Still a gap between him and the tiger, but at least he wouldn’t be one-shot.

Problem was, his left arm was already shattered. Useless. Only his right arm was still functional.

Mia and Skinny Pete understood the situation. They didn’t argue. They quickly moved behind Ethan, ready to support from the backline.

Garrick, though, didn’t budge.

He summoned another layer of Earthen Armor over his battered body and stood his ground.

He was already in bad shape, but the armor could still absorb most of the impact. He figured he could take at least one more hit.

He’d already tanked a few. He knew what to expect.

Ethan glanced at him, then gave a small nod. He didn’t tell him to fall back. Truth was, he needed the help. He couldn’t hold the line alone anymore.

The mutated tiger stared them down, eyes cold and calculating, slowly advancing.

Blood still poured from the wound in its neck, and it was starting to feel dizzy.

But it didn’t care.

It knew—if it could devour these humans, its power would skyrocket. Maybe not Tier 8 yet, but Tier 7 peak? Guaranteed.

As the tiger crept closer, Ethan and the others slowly backed away, matching its pace.

He wasn’t going to rush it. The longer they dragged this out, the better their odds.

But eventually, the tiger snapped.

It lunged.

Mia reacted instantly—water surged forward, followed by a blast of ice. Her signature combo.

The tiger, mid-pounce, couldn’t dodge. It froze solid in midair.

But only for a second.

It shattered the ice with a roar, just as a massive boulder came crashing down toward its head—and at the same time, a combat knife shot toward the wound on its neck like a bullet.

BOOM!

The tiger smashed through the boulder with its skull, but the impact slowed it just enough.

The knife plunged deep into its neck, burying itself halfway in.

”ROAR!!”

The tiger howled in pain and lashed out, its paw swinging straight at Ethan.

Ethan moved to teleport—but then remembered: Mia and Pete were right behind him.

If he blinked out, they’d take the hit.

He clenched his jaw and raised his right arm to block.

WHAM!

CRACK!

The sound of bone snapping echoed through the air. Ethan’s right arm broke on impact, and he was sent flying.

He hit the ground hard, skidding across the pavement.

But in that moment, Garrick made his move.

He grabbed the combat knife still lodged in the tiger’s neck—and twisted.

”ROOOAAARR!!”

The tiger shrieked in agony and swatted Garrick away like a ragdoll.

WHUMP!

Garrick hit the ground hard, blood spraying from his mouth. This time, he didn’t get back up. He lay there, unconscious, unmoving.

Skinny Pete seized the opening.

He unleashed a flurry of Wind Cutters, each one slicing deeper along the tiger’s neck wound, widening the gash until blood sprayed like a burst pipe.

”ROAR!!”

The mutated tiger let out a furious roar and pounced, slamming Skinny Pete to the ground. Its massive jaws opened wide, aiming straight for his head.

Staring up at those razor-sharp teeth closing in, Skinny Pete felt a wave of despair crash over him—but he didn’t give in.

His eyes locked onto the tiger’s, and he pushed his Beast Control ability to the absolute limit.

Maybe it was the close range. Maybe it was the blood loss. But just as the tiger’s fangs were about to crush his skull, it froze.

Its eyes flickered with confusion.

CRASH!

A car came flying in from the side and smashed into the tiger, knocking it clean off Pete and sending it tumbling across the ground.

Ethan.

He’d come through again—but he looked like hell. Both arms hung limp at his sides, soaked in blood, his body barely holding together.

Skinny Pete scrambled to his feet and rushed behind Ethan.

Mia joined them seconds later, panting hard.

Now it was just the three of them left.

Mia shoved a few crystal cores into her mouth, trying to force her mental energy back up. Freezing the tiger took a massive toll, and after so many casts, she was completely drained. Her face was ghost-pale.

”Give me a few,” Ethan said, his voice low.

That last move had burned through the last of his mental energy too. With both arms broken, he couldn’t even reach for his own cores.

Mia quickly handed over the remaining Tier 4 crystal cores and fed them to him.

”Ethan,” Skinny Pete whispered, leaning in close, ”I think I can control it.”

Ethan’s eyes snapped to him. ”You’re sure?”

Pete nodded. ”Not completely. But if we can push it to the edge—when its will is weakest—I might be able to take over.”

”...That’s a big if,” Ethan muttered.

They were all running on fumes. Just staying alive was a miracle at this point.

The tiger staggered back to its feet, swaying slightly.

That last hit had driven the combat knife even deeper into its neck. The blade was now buried to the hilt, and the wound was gushing blood.

It was furious—but also starting to panic.

It hadn’t expected this. Killing a few Tier 6 humans shouldn’t have cost it this much.

And now, with its injuries piling up, it could feel death creeping closer.

It needed to retreat. Fast.

But walking away now? After coming this far?

No. It couldn’t accept that.

Its bloodshot eyes locked onto the three humans in front of it—barely standing, clearly at their limit.

It roared and charged.

Ethan and Mia were still mentally drained. Skinny Pete’s Wind Cutter couldn’t slow it down anymore.

The tiger closed the distance in seconds.

Then—WHOOSH!

A fireball streaked through the air and exploded against the tiger’s side.

It didn’t do much damage, but the flames made the beast flinch. Its instincts screamed at it to stop.

The tiger skidded to a halt, eyes darting toward the source.

From the distance, the rest of the team was finally arriving.

The ones who’d been recovering—Sean, Miles, Henry, and the others—were now rushing in from all sides.

The tiger’s eyes narrowed. It hesitated.

”You guys made it!” Skinny Pete shouted, relief flooding his face.

”We saw the mess from a mile away,” Sean said, panting. ”Didn’t matter if we were ready or not—we had to come.”

Their stamina was still shot, but they’d downed a bunch of crystal cores on the way. Their mental energy was back, and their abilities were online.

”Not much strength left,” Miles added, ”but I’ve got enough juice for a few casts.”

”You’re right on time,” Ethan said with a tired grin.

Just then, a warm light washed over him.

A healing glow settled on his body, and the shattered bones in his arms began to knit back together.

Ethan’s eyes widened as he felt the pain fade and strength return.

Henry’s healing.

God, that ability was a lifesaver.