Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”Uh…”

Hearing what Ethan said, the bald guy immediately got even more nervous. It sounded like… it wouldn’t hurt. Just one hit, and it’d all be over.

But what really freaked them out was that neither the rain nor the blood from earlier could touch Ethan. The moment it got close, some invisible force pushed it away.

It was downright eerie.

Chris, Brandon, and the others had met Ethan before. Seeing him show up to help, they were thrilled.

The kingpin of Los Angeles. An absolute powerhouse.

Taking out a few Black Hand Legion members? That’d be a walk in the park for him.

Still, they didn’t dare show their excitement. The last thing they wanted was to piss Ethan off and end up as collateral damage. That’d be game over for them.

As Ethan got closer, the bald guy and his crew grew more and more uneasy.

”Boss, I don’t think this guy’s even human,” one of the psychic Awakeners muttered, frowning.

”What?” The bald guy felt a chill run down his spine. He wasn’t stupid. Thinking back to what Ethan said about a ”toll,” he was starting to piece things together.

Damn it!

What the hell was going on in Los Angeles?

Was the King of the Dead actually helping humans in the shelters?

This completely shattered the bald guy’s worldview. He was starting to think L.A. was way too dangerous. He needed to get back to Santa Monica—fast.

His eyes darted around as he tried to come up with a plan. After taking that punch from Mia earlier, his strength had taken a serious hit. If he kept fighting, his chances of survival were slim.

”Alright, guys, let’s take them down!” he shouted.

”Yeah! Let’s do it!” the others echoed, nodding with determination. Most of the Black Hand Legion members were desperate criminals, after all.

They rallied their spirits and charged forward again.

But as soon as the bald guy finished shouting, he started quietly backing away, clearly planning to make a run for it. A few of his more cowardly lackeys noticed and began retreating as well.

”Huh?” They exchanged glances, as if silently agreeing on their next move.

The bald guy suddenly barked, ”Hey! What are you guys doing? Why aren’t you charging in?”

”You’re not charging in either,” a skinny man shot back.

”Uh…” The bald guy coughed awkwardly, trying to cover up his embarrassment. His angry facade crumbled instantly, replaced by a sheepish expression.

”Shh! Keep it down. Let’s just sneak out of here…”

About five or six of them started inching backward, trying to slip away unnoticed.

Meanwhile, the ones charging forward were walking straight into a nightmare. Rushing at Ethan was like a moth flying into a blazing fire.

The moment they stepped into the Domain of the Dead, it was like falling into an abyss. Even if they could still move, their abilities were reduced to less than 30% of their usual strength. Ice spikes, fireballs, and other awakened powers were either deflected by the terrifying force of the domain or shattered outright.

Ethan moved like a cold, unfeeling killing machine. With a flick of his tachi, he ended a life, seamlessly storing the body in his spatial storage ring.

Mia and Sean followed close behind him, forming a triangular formation. Together, they advanced relentlessly, cutting through the enemy like a hot knife through butter.

In just a few strikes, they were on the verge of wiping out the entire Black Hand Legion squad.

”Wait a second… something’s not right!”

Finally, someone noticed what was happening. Struggling to turn his head, he saw the bald guy and a few others retreating.

”FUCK! Did they just ditch us?!”

That was his last thought before Ethan’s tachi came down, and everything went black.

”Shit! They’re almost all dead already! Shouldn’t we be running too?” one of the retreating men whispered.

”Run? Run where?” The bald guy frowned, staring at the carnage. Even he hadn’t expected his men to die so quickly. They hadn’t bought him much time at all.

”Alright, fine. Let’s get out of here now!” With that, he turned and bolted, running faster than a rabbit.

”Shit!” The others cursed under their breath. Once they realized what was happening, they bolted too. At this point, it wasn’t about running the fastest—it was about running faster than the guy next to you.

Ethan glanced over, noticing the ”toll evaders” trying to flee. In an instant, his figure vanished from where he stood.

Sean and Mia didn’t hesitate either, leaping into action to chase them down.

”You’ve been chasing us this whole time, and now you want to run? Don’t you think it’s a little late for that?” Sean called out.

The bald guy and his crew weren’t dumb, though. Instead of running together, they scattered in different directions, darting into a nearby grove of trees.

”Maybe no one’s chasing me,” the bald guy thought, trying to reassure himself. After all, there were only three of them chasing, and six of them running. Statistically, three of them should make it out alive.

He just hoped he’d be one of the lucky ones.

As he sprinted, he glanced back over his shoulder. To his surprise—and relief—there was no one behind him. Not a single shadow.

”Heh heh…” He couldn’t help but chuckle, slowing his pace a little.

”Hey, what’s so funny?”

A deep, magnetic voice suddenly came from up ahead.

”Huh?”

The bald guy froze, his heart sinking. He whipped his head around, only to see a tall, slender figure standing not far in front of him.

His blood ran cold. He stopped dead in his tracks, his face full of disbelief. ”You… When did you get here?”

Ethan didn’t bother answering. In a flash, he was right in front of him, his tachi slicing upward in a clean arc.

A thin red line appeared from the bald guy’s chin to the top of his skull. His eyes widened in terror, frozen in the same horrified expression. A moment later, his head split cleanly in two, like a cracked egg, and fell apart.

Ethan calmly stored the body in his spatial ring before vanishing again.

When he reappeared, he was standing in front of a large tree. Its bark was dry and cracked, with moss creeping up its roots. At first glance, it looked like any ordinary tree in the grove.

”Plant camouflage, huh? I’ve seen this trick before,” Ethan muttered to himself.

The tree trembled slightly, and then—suddenly—a pair of terrified eyes opened on its surface.

It had been found.

The person hiding inside was clearly a wood-element Awakener, skilled in camouflage. But against Ethan, their efforts were useless. He had spotted them instantly.

Ethan swung his tachi in a horizontal slash.

Schlunk!

Bright red blood sprayed from the tree trunk, and a limp human body tumbled out, collapsing onto the ground.

Ethan stored the corpse without a second thought, then turned his gaze in another direction. Something had caught his attention.

”This grove… something’s off about it,” he murmured, his expression darkening.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the grove, Sean was in hot pursuit. ”Stop running!” he shouted, his voice booming. Sean wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but his physical abilities were top-notch. His speed was incredible, and he was quickly closing the gap.

The guy he was chasing, a speed-enhanced Awakener, was starting to panic. No matter how fast he ran, Sean was right on his heels. The distance between them was shrinking with every step.

”Damn it! Is this guy a bloodhound or something? How is he this fast?” the young man cursed under his breath, weaving through the trees. He kept glancing back, his frustration mounting.

Schlunk!

Suddenly, he felt a cold, sharp pain in his abdomen. He looked down, stunned, as a skeletal hand had punched clean through his stomach. Blood began to seep out, soaking his clothes and spreading like a dark red flower blooming across his torso.

His body stiffened, and his head turned slowly, almost mechanically, to look behind him.

What he saw made his blood run cold.

A horrifying, skeletal face—skin stretched tight over bone—was staring back at him, its hollow eyes filled with malice.

...