Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Everyone’s heart sank. The gap was simply too wide. Even with the Gildari Patriarch at death’s door, a group of Stage SS fighters still couldn’t handle him.

Sean had already reached him. He swung his club at the Patriarch’s head with all his strength.

”Power Strike!”

”I refuse to believe we can’t finish off one guy with a sliver of health left!”

The Gildari Patriarch either couldn’t dodge anymore or simply didn’t care to. He only tilted his head enough to keep the blow away from the open wound.

Thud!

Sean’s club slammed into his skull.

The Gildari Patriarch swayed, but that was all.

”An insect... is still an insect.”

He gave a low murmur and struck Sean with his iron staff.

The swing looked weak, almost effortless, but it smashed through every defensive skill protecting Sean and sent him flying.

Fortunately, Sean’s defenses were formidable, and the Patriarch had less than ten percent of his strength remaining. Sean coughed up a mouthful of blood, but he survived.

”Hah! You’re screwed now!”

Sean laughed and swept out an arm. A streak of light shot forward and slammed straight into the Gildari Patriarch.

He had just sent the Gildari Patriarch’s own attack right back at him.

Thud!

The Patriarch collapsed again.

That unassuming streak of light had carried more power than all their attacks because it contained the force of his own strike.

But it had still been nothing more than a casual blow. It was stronger than anything they could produce, yet not enough to kill him outright.

Before long, the Gildari Patriarch staggered back to his feet.

”Guh...”

”Son of a bitch! Why is he so hard to kill when he’s practically out of health?” Big Mike complained.

”He’s still a Tier 47,” Garrick said grimly. ”We’re only Stage SS. There’s no comparison.”

For the first time, they truly understood how terrifying a Tier 47 could be.

”What do we do?” Big Mike looked at Sean. ”Can you take another hit?”

”Do I look like I can take another hit right now?” Sean shot back.

Was this bastard trying to get him killed so he could take over as leader?

Even with Henry’s healing, recovery took time. Besides, Henry was still trying to save Ethan and Chris. He couldn’t spare any attention for Sean.

”It’s fine. I’ve still got one trump card left,” Skinny Pete said.

”Fine. A hundred years of being single for all of us. Now give me something strong!”

”Astral Conjuration!”

As Skinny Pete silently completed the invocation, a rift opened in the air above them. A figure made entirely of flame emerged from it.

The Gildari Patriarch stopped his staggering advance and looked up warily.

Everyone else stared for a moment before their faces lit up.

”A Stage SSS creature!”

”Holy shit, Skinny Pete! You can summon Stage SSS creatures now?”

”Uh... Guess a hundred years of being single really did the trick.”

”...”

”Why didn’t you summon it sooner?” Sean grumbled. ”If I’d known you had that thing, I wouldn’t have gone in and gotten my ass kicked.”

”I didn’t know I’d summon a Stage SSS creature either!” Skinny Pete scratched his head.

”Whatever. We’ve got this now!”

”Yeah.”

At Skinny Pete’s command, the fiery creature dove toward the Gildari Patriarch and poured endless flames over him.

The Patriarch was already on his last legs. He could still withstand attacks from Stage SS fighters like Sean, but even a basic Stage SSS Fire Elemental was more than he could handle in his current condition.

Gathering the last of his strength, he swung his iron staff and knocked the Fire Elemental away.

That final strike exhausted everything he had left.

The Fire Elemental attacked relentlessly until the Gildari Patriarch collapsed once more.

This time, he didn’t get back up.

”Whew...”

Everyone finally let out the breath they’d been holding.

This battle had shown them what true helplessness felt like.

The Gildari Patriarch had been barely alive, yet they still hadn’t been able to do anything to him.

Fortunately, Skinny Pete had come through at the end and summoned a Stage SSS Fire Elemental. Otherwise, there was no telling what else might have gone wrong.

Henry continued treating Ethan and Chris, occasionally sparing a healing skill for Sean. The others stood guard around them.

Dopey and the Celestials Patriarch were still locked in combat. Their strength was almost evenly matched, making it impossible to determine a winner anytime soon.

Skinny Pete didn’t send the Fire Elemental to help. It was only Stage SSS. That had been enough against a dying Gildari Patriarch, but it wouldn’t accomplish much against the Celestials Patriarch in peak condition.

The Celestials Patriarch already knew the Gildari Patriarch had fallen. He was shocked and increasingly desperate.

The Gildari Patriarch’s death meant their entire operation had failed. He needed to leave immediately.

But the soulless thrall refused to let him go. Its speed was so far beyond his that escape was impossible.

The Celestials Patriarch had never imagined their supposedly flawless plan would end in such a crushing defeat.

Now he finally understood what it meant to be trapped with no way out.

He couldn’t win, and he couldn’t flee. Nothing could have been more frustrating.

Time passed quickly.

An hour later, Ethan and Chris woke up one after the other. Both had recovered considerably.

With Henry around, as long as they didn’t die on the spot, he could bring them back.

”Who killed him?” Ethan asked, surprised as he looked at the Gildari Patriarch’s body.

He knew that even with only one breath left, the Patriarch was still beyond Sean and the others.

Right before Ethan had lost consciousness, only one thought had gone through his mind.

We’re screwed.

Once he went down, the others had no chance of killing the Gildari Patriarch.

Yet when he woke up, the man was dead. Ethan couldn’t help being shocked.

”Skinny Pete summoned a Stage SSS creature and used it to finish him off,” Sean explained.

”Stage SSS?” Ethan’s eyes widened.

”Yeah. He got lucky this time and pulled a Stage SSS Fire Elemental. Its time ran out, so it’s already gone back.”

”Impressive,” Ethan said.

”Chris’s lethal strike was the real key,” Skinny Pete said. ”The creature I summoned was only Stage SSS. Without the damage Chris dealt, it might not have been able to stop him.”

”Yeah. Chris is getting better and better at picking the perfect moment to strike.”

”Nice work, Chris.” Ethan patted him on the shoulder.

”I almost died.” Chris gave a bitter smile. ”I should probably avoid attacking Stage SSS opponents from now on. That guy had less than ten percent of his strength left, and even his reflexive counterattack nearly killed me.”

”Yeah. Try not to be so reckless next time,” Ethan warned him.

”I won’t.”

As they spoke, an enormous figure appeared in the distance, flying toward them at terrifying speed.

Even from that far away, they could feel its overwhelming presence.

Ethan’s eyes lit up.

”Finally!”