Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Ethan’s calm voice carried an almost irresistible allure, like a devil’s whisper.

”Do it. Kill them all.”

Aaron hesitated no longer. His bloodstained hand grabbed the vial and plunged it straight into his own body without a second thought.

He clenched his teeth, his face twisting in agony as the dark purple virus coursed through his veins. His body began to crackle and pop, grotesquely expanding in size.

In mere moments, he had grown to a towering 15 feet tall.

His teeth fell out one by one, only to be replaced by razor-sharp fangs that jutted out like steel spikes, menacing and monstrous.

His once-human hands morphed into massive three-fingered claws, each nail long and dagger-like, gleaming with lethal sharpness.

In the blink of an eye, Aaron had transformed into a feral, bioengineered monstrosity.

His skin took on a sickly yellow hue, veins bulging and pulsating visibly as blood surged through them like rivers of rage.

The delicate features of his human face were gone, replaced by the grotesque visage of a beast.

His eyes, now a savage, glowing yellow, burned with unrestrained fury.

”Kill! Kill! Kill!”

The G-virus had taken hold of his mind, amplifying his bloodlust to unbearable levels. The sight of his enemies only fueled his desire to tear them apart, limb by limb.

”ROAR!”

With a deafening bellow, Aaron smashed through the ceiling, clawing his way out of the pitch-black cellar.

He emerged like a demon crawling out of the depths of hell, his sheer presence radiating a primal, bone-chilling terror.

Ethan watched his ”masterpiece” with a satisfied smirk. Aaron, who had once been a B-class fighter, now teetered on the edge of A-class power after injecting the G-virus.

Judging by his monstrous form, Ethan speculated that the G-virus might have been derived from some kind of zombie pathogen. The connection seemed plausible.

”From now on,” Ethan said with a sly grin, ”you’re my guy.”

...

Meanwhile, not far away, members of the Black Hand Legion were starting to sense that something was off.

”Hey, did you hear that? What’s going on?”

”No idea...”

”Let’s check it out.”

”...”

They had been lounging around, playing cards and killing time. But the strange noises made them pause, and one by one, they got up to investigate.

The leader of the group was the first to step outside.

The moment he did, a massive claw came hurtling toward him.

Squelch!

The razor-sharp nails pierced straight through his chest, lifting him into the air like a ragdoll.

Aaron held him aloft, his savage yellow eyes narrowing as a guttural, gravelly laugh rumbled from his throat.

”Kehehehehe...”

”You...!”

The man’s eyes widened in terror, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth. His face was frozen in a mask of pure horror.

Aaron recognized him. This was one of the men who had tormented him and his sister in the past.

Without hesitation, Aaron brought up his other claw and tore the man apart, ripping him in two with brutal force.

The rush of vengeance was intoxicating, filling him with a twisted sense of satisfaction.

His bloodthirsty eyes burned even brighter.

The entire scene had unfolded in the blink of an eye, leaving the rest of the group paralyzed with fear.

None of them had expected a monster like this to appear in their village.

”Kill it! Take it down!”

Snapping out of their shock, the remaining men unleashed their awakened abilities, hurling ice spikes and fireballs at Aaron.

But Aaron’s massive body was like a fortress. He tanked the attacks head-on, barely flinching, before raising his enormous claw and slamming it down.

The blow crushed the men and the brick house they had been standing in, leaving nothing but rubble and blood in its wake.

”Holy crap! Run for it!”

The two survivors, realizing they were hopelessly outmatched, turned and bolted in sheer panic.

But Aaron was no ordinary brute. Even in his monstrous form, he retained the speed of his awakened human self. His mountainous frame moved with shocking agility, leaving only a blur as he closed the distance.

In an instant, he caught up to them, his claws slicing through their bodies with ease.

Blood dripped from his claws, pooling on the ground as his savage eyes darted around, searching for more prey.

But before he could find another target, the earth trembled beneath him.

Massive walls of dirt erupted from the ground, encircling him and trapping him in place.

Aaron’s gaze locked onto the tattooed man who had just appeared—the one who had tormented him before.

”Die!”

With a thunderous roar, Aaron charged forward, his massive body smashing through the dirt walls like they were made of paper. His claw swung down with terrifying speed.

The tattooed man barely had time to react. In a panic, he summoned earth elements to form a protective armor around himself.

BAM!

The claw struck him with devastating force, shattering the Earth Armor instantly. The impact sent him flying through the air like a broken doll. Thanks to the earth’s protection, he managed to survive, but just barely.

”You think you’re tough? Let me return the favor.”

Aaron raised his enormous fist, its shadow looming over the tattooed man like a falling meteor.

BOOM!

The ground shook violently as the punch landed, leaving a massive crater in its wake. Cracks spiderwebbed outward, and the tattooed man was reduced to nothing more than a smear of blood and flesh.

At that moment, a younger man who had been standing watch nearby finally arrived, his face pale with disbelief as he took in the carnage. But then, as if a lightbulb went off in his head, his expression shifted to one of recognition.

”You… you’re Aaron?”

Aaron’s savage eyes glinted with malice. ”Bingo.”

Without hesitation, he lunged toward the young man, ready to tear him apart.

But suddenly, a barrage of attacks rained down on him—fireballs, ice lances, bolts of lightning, and other unidentifiable energy blasts.

”Huh?” Aaron’s reflexes kicked in, and he darted sideways with incredible speed, narrowly avoiding the onslaught. The attacks missed their mark, exploding against the ground and sending debris flying everywhere.

The sheer force of the blasts leveled nearby brick houses, filling the air with dust and smoke.

Aaron turned to look and saw the rest of the Black Hand Legion members gathering. They had clearly been drawn by the commotion and were now assembling as a group—more than ten of them in total.

The young man who had just escaped death scrambled to the front of the group, still trembling. ”It’s him! It’s Aaron! He’s turned into some kind of monster!”

”What?!”

The group stared at Aaron in shock, their eyes wide with disbelief. None of them could wrap their heads around what they were seeing. But one thing was clear: this creature wasn’t going to be easy to deal with.

Aaron’s eyes scanned the group, and his expression darkened with rage when he spotted a familiar face among them—the burly man who had tormented him the most.

”ROAR!”

When enemies meet, their eyes burn with hatred.

And Aaron’s hatred was blazing.

Consumed by fury, he charged straight at the burly man.

”Crap! Stop him!”

Several elemental Awakeners sprang into action, unleashing their abilities. Walls of earth and ice rose up, and a Water Prison formed around Aaron, trapping him in a cage of swirling liquid.

Even a psychic Awakener joined in, launching mental attacks to try and subdue him.

Aaron roared in pain, his massive body thrashing wildly as he fought against the combined forces. The psychic attacks, in particular, were excruciating, making him feel like his head was being split open.

He was like a cornered beast, lashing out in a desperate struggle.

From a distance, Ethan observed the scene with a calm, calculating expression. He could see that while Aaron’s strength was nearing A-class, the sheer number of opponents was overwhelming him.

And there was another problem—bioengineered monsters like Aaron had a major weakness: their energy consumption was massive, making them unsustainable in prolonged battles.

”Hmm… looks like he could use a little help,” Ethan murmured to himself, a sly smile playing on his lips.

...

The Black Hand Legion members, meanwhile, were starting to feel more confident. Despite the monster’s ferocity, their numbers and teamwork seemed to be holding him at bay.

The burly man, emboldened by the situation, sneered. ”Well, well, look at you, you little punk! Think you’re tough now, huh? Turning into a monster doesn’t mean squat. Just wait—once we’re done with you, I’ll beat you down all over again!”

But before he could finish his taunt, an overwhelming pressure suddenly descended upon the group, like a tidal wave crashing down on them.

It was suffocating.

Bones creaked and popped under the weight of the invisible force. Faces twisted in pain, and several of the weaker members collapsed to the ground, unable to withstand it.

Panic spread like wildfire as everyone turned toward the source of the pressure.

No one had noticed him before, but now, standing at the edge of the group, was a man.

He was tall and lean, dressed in a pristine white shirt that seemed completely out of place amidst the chaos.

He strolled forward with an air of casual indifference, as if he were taking a leisurely walk in the park.

Without breaking stride, he stopped in front of a female Awakener. With a flick of his wrist, he reached out and plucked her crystal core from her chest as effortlessly as picking a flower.

The scene was utterly horrifying.

The woman crumpled to the ground, lifeless, as the man held the glowing core in his hand, examining it with mild interest.

The rest of the group froze, their eyes wide with terror.

...