Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”You’re all gonna die!”

Sean was absolutely furious. His body cracked and popped as he entered the Fearless Berserk state.

He was already an A-rank Awakener, but in this berserk mode, he was practically knocking on the door of S-rank.

With a sudden stomp of his foot, the ground beneath him erupted.

The sheer force was like a volcanic explosion. The earth trembled, sending dirt and rainwater flying in all directions. Even the nearby zombies were blasted away, scattering like ragdolls.

Sean’s figure blurred, leaving behind a faint afterimage as he charged straight into the horde of monsters. His fist swung forward with the force of a meteor crashing to earth.

BOOM!

The energy from his punch exploded outward, obliterating the surrounding zombies into nothing but chunks and dust. The ground beneath them caved in, leaving a massive crater.

Rain poured down relentlessly, washing away the splattered blood, which mixed with the muddy ground to create a grotesque, otherworldly scene.

But the monsters weren’t done yet.

Two lizard-like creatures screeched and lunged at him from the side.

”Give me back my apple!” Sean roared, his anger flaring even hotter at the sight of the green-scaled beasts. He swung his leg in a wide arc, like a steel whip, smashing into the stomach of one of the lizard creatures.

The sheer force of the kick tore it clean in half.

Without missing a beat, he followed up with a brutal elbow strike, shattering the skull of the second lizard monster.

Sean was like a tiger in a flock of sheep. Every movement he made was lethal, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. Blood sprayed through the air, and the ground was littered with mangled corpses and severed limbs. The scene was nothing short of a hellish slaughterhouse.

Thanks to Sean’s rampage, the pressure on the others eased significantly.

Mia caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye and couldn’t help but mutter to herself, ”This idiot... he’s really going all out today.”

With a flick of her wrist, her Tachi blade sliced through the air, crackling with lightning. The blade flashed like a bolt of lightning splitting the sky, decapitating a cluster of zombies in one clean sweep.

Mia pressed deeper into the horde, her goal clear: find the creature responsible for the mind control.

If it could manipulate Chris and the others, it had to be close by.

Moments later, she felt a strange psychic energy radiating from within the horde. Her sharp eyes locked onto an unusual figure among the monsters.

It was a grotesque hybrid—a zombie with the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a fish. Its tail was covered in dark, razor-sharp scales that gleamed like blades.

The creature’s upper body was a sickly, waterlogged blue-black, like something that had been rotting at the bottom of a swamp for years. Wet, stringy hair clung to its face, obscuring its features.

”A Siren?” Mia murmured, narrowing her eyes. ”A Zombie Siren?” She wasn’t entirely sure what it was, but one thing was clear: the eerie, hypnotic song controlling her allies was coming from this creature.

And around the Zombie Siren, the density of zombies and lizard monsters was at its peak.

Mia didn’t hesitate. She gripped her Tachi tightly and charged forward.

The surrounding monsters, sensing her approach, surged toward her, their feral forms threatening to overwhelm her slender frame.

The Zombie Siren noticed the commotion and turned its head toward Mia. Through the gaps in its dripping hair, a single, lifeless fish-like eye glared at her.

The haunting melody in Mia’s ears suddenly shifted into a piercing shriek, a maddening, hysterical sound that stabbed directly into her mind.

This wasn’t just mind control anymore—it was a full-on psychic attack.

Mia winced as a sharp, needle-like pain shot through her head, but her expression remained eerily calm. Her lips twitched slightly, curving into the faintest hint of a smirk.

Her wristband beeped frantically, displaying her rising pain levels: 15%... 23%... 39%... 52%...

She tightened her grip on her blade. The lightning coursing along its edge flared brighter, crackling with such intensity that it seemed to tear through the very air. Arcs of electricity danced wildly in the rain.

Everywhere she looked, there were monsters.

Mia surged forward, her speed reaching its peak. She became a streak of lightning, cutting through the horde like a storm. Wherever she passed, bodies exploded into fragments, unable to withstand her power.

”Slash!”

Her Tachi swept horizontally, aiming directly for the Zombie Siren.

The creature, which had failed to fully control even Chloe and the others, was clearly not a high-level monster. It had no time to react to Mia’s attack.

The blade’s arc sliced through the air, cleanly severing the Siren’s neck. Its head flew into the air, and dark, putrid blood gushed out like a fountain.

The headless body collapsed into the rain-soaked ground.

With the Zombie Siren dead, the psychic hold on Chris and the others broke instantly. Their eyes cleared, though their faces remained dazed, as if waking from a long, disorienting dream.

”What... just happened?”

”You were under the mental control of a monster!” Chloe explained, her tone sharp but steady.

”What?!” The group’s faces turned pale with shock, fear creeping into their expressions. The realization hit hard—monsters with such bizarre abilities were far beyond what they had imagined.

”Don’t just stand there! Protect the survivors and get back to the shelter!” Chloe barked, snapping them out of their daze.

”Oh, right! Got it!” Chris and the others quickly sprang into action.

With the mental interference gone, Chloe and the other Awakeners who had condensed crystal cores regained their combat effectiveness. Their abilities flared to life, creating barriers and launching attacks to hold off the relentless waves of monsters.

Under their protection, the ordinary survivors moved swiftly, retreating from the danger zone as fast as they could.

Truth be told, with the strength of Mia and the others, they could have held their ground against the thousand-plus zombies. But the risk of attracting even more monsters was too great. For now, they chose to retreat to the shelter, temporarily abandoning the food depot.

As the group withdrew, the torrential rain that had been pouring down began to ease, eventually fading into a light drizzle.

The area around the food depot was left in utter ruin. The ground was soaked with dark, foul-smelling blood, and broken, mangled corpses were scattered everywhere...

Santa Monica.

A desolate wasteland submerged by the sea. Waves crashed against the ruins, occasionally tossing up bloated, decaying bodies.

On the rooftop of a half-submerged building, the Zombie Fetus lay sprawled out, arms behind its head, legs crossed lazily. It was daydreaming about revenge, a twisted grin spreading across its grotesque face as it savored the thought.

Behind it stood the Azure Scaled Zombie King, motionless and imposing, waiting for its minions to return with news. It had sent out two teams earlier and was eager to hear if they had achieved anything.

Before long, the water below rippled, and an Aqua Zombie darted through the waves with the speed and grace of a fish.

Splash! The creature burst out of the water and leapt onto the rooftop.

”Boss, I’m back!” it announced, shaking off the seawater.

”Hmm. What’s the situation?” the Azure Scaled Zombie King asked, its tone calm but curious. It felt the Aqua Zombie had returned a bit too quickly—barely any time had passed since the two teams were dispatched. What could they have accomplished in such a short time?

The Zombie Fetus perked up, sitting upright with sudden interest. It was eager to hear the report.

”Boss, the first team you sent to Los Angeles... well, they were completely wiped out,” the Aqua Zombie said, its voice hesitant.

”What?!” The Azure Scaled Zombie King’s brow furrowed in surprise. ”Did they at least make it into the city?”

”Uh... no. They did make it to the shore, though,” the Aqua Zombie replied honestly.

”...” The Azure Scaled Zombie King was speechless. Made it to the shore? It might as well have said they died the moment they stepped out of the water.

”So... the zombies there must be pretty strong,” it muttered, trying to make sense of the situation.

”Exactly!” The Aqua Zombie nodded vigorously. ”There are several Zombie Kings right on the coastline, and some of them have really strange abilities. Plus, there’s a horde of elite zombies with high levels of evolution!”

The Azure Scaled Zombie King fell silent, its expression darkening. It was clear now—ruling over a city meant being strong, and Los Angeles was no exception.

”And what about the team sent to attack the humans?”

”Well... they weren’t completely wiped out,” the Aqua Zombie said after a brief pause, choosing its words carefully.

”...” The Azure Scaled Zombie King immediately understood. So, they failed too.

The Aqua Zombie then recounted the events in detail, describing how the second team had been decimated by the humans’ overwhelming strength.

The Azure Scaled Zombie King listened quietly, its expression unreadable. The realization was sinking in—Los Angeles wasn’t just home to powerful zombies; the humans there were formidable as well. The two teams it had painstakingly cultivated had accomplished almost nothing.

Meanwhile, the Zombie Fetus was growing increasingly agitated. It had been fantasizing about revenge, only to hear that its forces had been crushed before they even got close. Its frustration boiled over.

”The minions you’ve been training are useless! Absolute garbage!” it snapped, unable to hold back its anger.

”Hmm?” The Azure Scaled Zombie King turned its piercing gaze toward the Zombie Fetus, its expression still calm but its eyes glinting with menace.

”You don’t need to be so hard on yourself...” it said, its voice dripping with icy sarcasm.

”...”