Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Ethan activated his Domain of the Dead ability, phasing straight through the walls and slipping into the Awakener camp. The guards patrolling the area remained blissfully unaware of his presence.

Not far from where he stood, a Genesis Biotech tent caught his attention.

From inside, he could hear voices.

”Don’t sleep… don’t sleep… whatever you do, don’t fall asleep…”

Curious, Ethan moved closer and peeked inside. A young man with bloodshot eyes was slumped against a cot, clutching a weapon tightly. He was muttering to himself, clearly trying to stay awake.

The guy looked like he’d been through hell—probably still shaken from the nightmare they’d all endured the night before. The trauma had left him too terrified to close his eyes.

His teammates nearby weren’t faring much better. They all looked equally exhausted, their faces pale and drawn.

”Do you think the Nightmare Zombie King will show up again tonight? We should stay on guard, just in case,” one of them said, his voice tinged with unease.

”Yeah, yeah,” another chimed in, nodding vigorously. The memory of that horrifying nightmare seemed to have left them all on edge, their nerves frayed to the breaking point.

A third person tried to sound optimistic. ”But maybe we’ll be fine tonight. HQ sent out a bounty, and some big shots from Japan showed up. I heard their Patriarch is SS-rank. Can you believe that?”

”No way! SS-rank? That’s insane!” someone else exclaimed, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten.

”Yeah, they’re here to hunt the Zombie King of Los Angeles. If they’re that strong, we should be safer with them around, right?”

”Let’s hope so…”

The group continued their hushed conversation, their voices a mix of fear and faint hope.

Ethan stood silently, watching them. He couldn’t help but smirk to himself. So, this time, he was the subject of their gossip. Guess he’d finally figured out where all that ”sushi” talk was coming from.

Still, something felt off. He couldn’t sense any powerful human auras nearby. Were these so-called SS-rankers hiding their presence? The thought made him uneasy.

Better to focus on the task at hand. He needed a couple of crystal cores first.

There were four Awakeners in front of him, all hovering around B+ rank. They were clearly exhausted, yawning constantly. It was almost comical how contagious their yawns were.

”Man, you guys look dead tired. Let me help you get some rest…” Ethan murmured as he approached one of the young men from behind.

The guy was mid-yawn, his mouth wide open, tears welling up in his eyes. He looked like he was about to drool.

Without hesitation, Ethan materialized behind him, reached out, and plunged his hand into the man’s skull. He extracted the B+ crystal core with practiced ease.

The young man’s body slumped forward, collapsing onto the ground. His eyes shut, and he looked… peaceful. Like he was finally getting the deep sleep he so desperately needed.

The other three froze, their expressions a mix of shock and horror. One of them had been halfway through a yawn, and now his mouth hung open awkwardly, as if stuck in time.

”Wha—what the hell…”

They stared, wide-eyed, at the figure that had suddenly appeared behind their fallen teammate. It was as if a ghost had materialized out of thin air.

”Is this… another nightmare?” one of them stammered, his voice trembling. ”But I’m not even asleep!”

”Quick! Sound the alarm!” a burly man barked, snapping out of his stupor.

But before any of them could move, an overwhelming pressure descended on them. It was suffocating, paralyzing. They couldn’t even scream, let alone reach for the alarm.

Ethan moved leisurely, his steps unhurried as he approached them. One by one, he extracted their crystal cores, his movements smooth and deliberate. It was as if he were performing a mundane chore, something as ordinary as picking fruit from a tree.

When he was done, he waved his hand, and the four lifeless bodies vanished, stored away in his personal space.

The tent was now eerily empty, as if the four Awakeners had simply evaporated into thin air.

For someone like Ethan, taking them down was child’s play. It felt almost trivial—like foraging for wild berries in the woods.

”Alright, time to hit the next spot,” he muttered to himself.

Stepping out of the tent, he glanced around. The other Awakeners outside were still patrolling as usual, oblivious to what had just happened. Even the aerial drones zipping overhead hadn’t picked up on the carnage inside.

Ethan continued moving forward, his steps silent and deliberate.

He soon arrived at a tent adorned with a sakura blossom pattern. The faint flicker of candlelight inside cast shifting shadows on the walls, giving the space an eerie, almost haunted feel. It was clear the conditions were harsh—Sophia had only provided them with a place to stay, leaving them to fend for themselves. They didn’t even have access to electricity.

Inside the tent, two men sat cross-legged on the ground. Between them was a large iron pot, steam rising from it as something bubbled within. They were eating, chatting away in a language Ethan didn’t understand.

Curious, Ethan stepped closer, his gaze falling on the contents of the pot. The rich aroma of cooked meat wafted through the air.

”Not bad… living it up, huh?” Ethan muttered to himself, surprised. For people living in such dire conditions, it was impressive they’d managed to get their hands on meat.

But as he looked closer, his expression darkened. The shape of the meat in the pot… it wasn’t just any meat. It had the unmistakable form of an infant—a stillborn fetus.

”Well, damn…” Ethan froze for a moment, his mind processing the grotesque sight. As a Zombie King, he’d seen his fair share of horrors in this apocalyptic world, but this? This was on another level of depravity.

His crimson eyes glowed faintly, a cold, murderous intent rising within him. Without hesitation, he activated his Domain of the Dead. The two men, who had been laughing and chatting moments ago, suddenly froze in place, their bodies stiffening as their bones cracked audibly under the oppressive force.

Ethan didn’t give them a chance to react. With a flick of his wrist, a Tachi materialized in his hand. In one swift motion, he decapitated both men, their heads rolling to the ground as blood sprayed across the tent. The crimson splash extinguished the nearby candle with a sharp hiss, plunging the space into darkness.

Ethan’s glowing eyes pierced through the blackness, his icy killing intent still simmering. He collected the two corpses and stored them away before stepping out of the tent.

Time to move on.

The area around the Japanese tents was poorly guarded. There were no floodlights, no drones, and only a handful of Genesis Biotech Awakeners patrolling nearby. It was the perfect setup for someone like Ethan to operate unnoticed.

As he scanned the area, his gaze landed on a small tent in the distance. It was shaking slightly, the movements growing more erratic with each passing moment. From inside, muffled sounds of heavy breathing reached his ears.

”Well, looks like someone’s having fun,” Ethan muttered under his breath, his tone laced with sarcasm. Without hesitation, he phased into the tent.

Moments later, the tent stopped moving. The sounds ceased abruptly, replaced by an oppressive silence. It was as if the life inside had been snuffed out entirely.

And so, Ethan continued his grim work.

Every tent he entered fell silent.

The faint murmurs, laughter, or breathing that once filled the air would vanish, leaving only an eerie stillness in his wake.

Even those sleeping outside or standing guard weren’t spared.

Ethan dispatched them with ruthless efficiency, storing their bodies in his spatial storage ring as he moved from one target to the next.

...

Meanwhile, in a much larger and more luxurious tent, Patriarch Ryuji had gathered the top warriors of his clan. They were deep in discussion, strategizing their hunt for the Zombie King.

”Father, I must say, San Bernardino isn’t so bad,” a young man remarked. ”The number of zombies here is manageable, and there aren’t any truly terrifying monsters.”

Ryuji nodded thoughtfully. ”After what we faced escaping Tokyo, nothing here feels as frightening.”

The young man’s expression turned somber. ”Still, it’s a shame… We had over a thousand clan members when we fled. Now, only a few hundred remain.”

”It doesn’t matter,” Ryuji said, waving a hand dismissively. ”As long as we secure enough resources, our clan will recover and grow again.”

”True, but where are we supposed to find that many resources?” a burly man nearby asked, his tone heavy with concern.

”Don’t overthink it,” Ryuji replied firmly. ”Our priority is to kill that Zombie King. Once we’ve dealt with him, we can claim a safe haven and focus on rebuilding. First, we need to ensure our people have a place to settle.”

...