Apocalypse: King of Zombies

As soon as Chris and the others broke into Stage S, their combat power jumped through the roof. One after another, they left Garrick’s energy dome and plunged into the Outland Beast horde, slaughtering like they’d been starving for it.

The sea of beasts still stretched as far as the eye could see—and the average strength had climbed too. Stage A Outland Beasts now made up nearly half of what was swarming them.

The second echelon was under more and more pressure.

They’d improved a lot, sure, but they were still sitting at Stage A. Against a never-ending flow of Stage A beasts, the strain was brutal.

Luckily, they didn’t split up. They stayed clustered, covering each other, rotating positions, and barely managing to hold the line.

They divided into two teams: one fought while the other caught their breath and cracked open skulls for crystal cores. Then they swapped. If someone found a core they could use, they took the upgrade on the spot.

And as the number of Stage A beasts rose, the number of Stage A cores rose with it. One after another, members of the second echelon began stepping into Tier 29.

The battle raged on for another ten-plus minutes.

Then, in the distance, a group of Outland Beasts arrived with an oppressive, terrifying presence.

The moment that group appeared, the surrounding beasts actually parted—opening a clear lane for them as if they instinctively understood who was coming.

Ethan and the others saw them and lit up.

They’re finally here.

It was the same pack they’d encountered before—the Lionfang Beasts, and the sabertooths.

Two Tier 35 Beast Lords, plus a bunch of Stage S underlings.

Ethan wasn’t surprised they showed up. The spot he’d teleported into was the same area as their last fight.

He just hadn’t expected them to take this long.

”ROAR—!” The Lionfang King spotted Ethan’s group and bellowed, clearly recognizing them.

Golden light burst from its body. It surged forward with its pack, charging straight in.

The Sabertooth King saw that and immediately followed with its own underlings, rushing in to keep up.

Ethan’s lips curled.

”Heh. This time, we’re settling some debts.”

”Kill them all,” Ethan ordered—and then he vanished.

Teleportation.

He reappeared right beside the Lionfang King. Black light gathered around his poleaxe as he swung it down in a vicious arc.

The Lionfang King’s eyes flashed when it realized it wasn’t facing Dopey, the soulless thrall. A hint of disdain flickered across its gaze.

Then its claws flared gold and it met Ethan’s poleaxe head-on.

BOOM—!

A deafening impact shook the air.

Ethan’s body shot backward—more than a hundred feet—arms buzzing, fingers numb from the recoil.

The Lionfang King slid back several dozen feet as well, but aside from the golden glow on its claws dimming slightly, it wasn’t injured at all.

Ethan’s eyes widened.

Now he finally understood why this Lionfang King had been able to hold Dopey off for so long without losing.

This thing wasn’t just ”peak Tier 35.”

It was beyond that—by a lot.

Ethan’s blood surged. The fight-hungry part of him lit up completely. He licked his lips, eyes locked onto the Lionfang King.

”This Lionfang King is mine,” he said. ”The rest are yours.”

”Got it!”

Everyone nodded. Dopey charged straight at the Sabertooth King, while the others broke off to intercept the Stage S underlings.

They could’ve let the thralls handle it.

They didn’t.

Fallen Star Squad was just as hungry as Ethan. They’d finally reached Stage S—of course they were going to use Stage S Outland Beasts to test their blades.

Ethan blinked again, teleporting right in front of the Lionfang King.

The instant it tried to counterattack, a sharp flash lit Ethan’s eyes.

The Lionfang King froze for a split second—just a heartbeat of stunned blankness.

That was all Ethan needed.

His poleaxe was already blazing with thick black light as it came down like an executioner’s blade, smashing straight into the beast’s skull.

BOOM—!

Another violent impact thundered out.

The Lionfang King got blasted backward, skidding and rolling across the ground before it forced itself upright again. Other than the golden light around its body dimming even further, it didn’t look slowed or shaken at all.

”Damn—this defense is ridiculous.” Ethan flexed his numb arm, then glanced at Emily. ”Emily, link me. Energy Link.”

If he wanted to kill the Lionfang King, he had to strip off that golden energy shield first.

But that thing was absurdly tough. Dopey hadn’t managed to break it last time. Ethan wasn’t going to pretend he could do it casually either.

He had one option: brute-force it with spam.

And if he did that without help, his mental energy would bottom out long before the shield did.

Emily’s Energy Link snapped into place. Ethan felt the steady rush of recovery, like oxygen flooding his lungs.

Then he teleported in again—ready to grind this thing down in a real war of attrition.

Across the battlefield, everyone else was pushing the Stage S beasts back hard.

Chris was still Chris—silent, ruthless, efficient. If he didn’t move, he didn’t move. But the moment he struck, someone died. In the time it took most people to finish one fight, he’d already erased three Stage S Outland Beasts.

Sean was even more terrifying than before.

With Power Strike and Piercing Force, his damage jumped dramatically. Combined with his already freakish defense, he bulldozed through the horde like a human tank. A few heavy punches, and a Stage S beast would crumple.

Compared to those two, the rest were a bit slower—but dealing with same-tier Stage S enemies was still well within their control.

Working together, they cleaned up the dozens of Stage S beasts in no time.

They immediately dug out the crystal cores, then pulled back to their original position.

Big Mike and Skinny Pete each grabbed a Stage S core and sat down to absorb it.

The remaining cores were all handed over to Chris and Sean.

Right now, those two were the team’s sharpest blades. Prioritizing their upgrades was the obvious choice.

Soon, they were seated and refining their cores, while the others formed a protective ring around them.

On the other side, Ethan was still locked in a brutal, nonstop clash with the Lionfang King.

With Emily’s Energy Link feeding him, as long as he didn’t spam Annihilation Strike too recklessly, he could keep the engine running.

The fight was vicious.

Ethan’s Teleportation and Nullspace Domain made it impossible for the Lionfang King to get a clean hit on him. Meanwhile, Ethan’s attacks kept shaving the golden glow down, strike by strike.

Ten minutes passed.

Then more.

The Lionfang King’s golden light was nearly gone—dull, thin, barely clinging to its body. Ethan’s hands were in worse shape, blood running down his palm from the repeated shockwaves of impact.

The Lionfang King stared at him now without a trace of contempt.

Only heavy caution.

It suddenly roared at Ethan—and turned and ran.

”Think you can run?” Ethan snorted.

He teleported straight in front of it and chopped down hard.

The Lionfang King threw up its claw again.

BOOM—!

The weakened golden light shattered completely.

This time, the poleaxe bit into flesh.

Blood sprayed. Half its claw got chopped clean off.

”ROAR—!”

The Lionfang King bellowed, twisting away and bolting in a different direction.

Too bad for it—this wasn’t a speed-type Outland Beast.

Against Ethan’s teleportation, escape was a fantasy.

Ethan blinked again, cutting it off.

No hesitation—another Annihilation Strike.

The poleaxe slammed down and nearly broke its other claw as well.

Without that golden energy shield, the Lionfang King’s strength dropped sharply. Under Ethan’s relentless pressure, its injuries stacked up fast.

In the end, Ethan put everything into one final Annihilation Strike.

The Lionfang King’s skull shattered.

Its massive body collapsed, dead for good.

Ethan didn’t hold back.

A peak Tier 35 Outland Beast wasn’t something Skinny Pete’s Beast Control could handle anyway—and more importantly, what they needed right now wasn’t another underling.

They needed crystal cores.

Ethan dug the Lionfang King’s crystal core out and headed back.

By the time he reached the group, Dopey had already killed the Sabertooth King too. The others were still mid-upgrade, surrounded by guards.

Ethan’s eyes were bright with adrenaline and satisfaction.

Two Tier 35 crystal cores.

That was enough to push him all the way to Tier 35.

This trip…

They’d hit the jackpot.