Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Elias quickly received the summons and led his squad to Sophia’s office.

After a few days of recovery, their injuries had mostly healed. They were back to full strength, looking sharp and energized.

”Mr. Elias, the Zombie King from Los Angeles has been spotted on the outskirts,” Sophia stated bluntly.

”Oh?”

Elias raised an eyebrow. If the Zombie King was alone, this could be a golden opportunity.

”He’s confident enough to show up by himself, huh?”

”Yeah. Based on the data transmitted by Cyborg before it was destroyed, that Zombie King has definitely reached double-S rank,” Sophia confirmed.

She wasn’t particularly upset about losing a Cyborg. After days of testing, they had already gathered plenty of useful data.

The third-generation Cyborgs had glaring weaknesses—so much so that they could be considered defective. While their disguise abilities and rapid regeneration were impressive, their liquid metal bodies couldn’t conduct elemental energy.

That meant they couldn’t use ice, fire, or other elemental abilities, which significantly weakened their combat effectiveness.

Sophia was already considering improvements for the fourth-generation Cyborgs—perhaps a hybrid of solid and liquid metal to fix the issue.

Hearing that Ethan had reached double-S rank, Elias frowned. Just as he had feared—Murphy’s Law in action.

”This new Zombie King on the rankings is definitely a problem,” Elias admitted, ”but there’s no need to worry. Sophia, you know exactly how valuable an S+ rank psychic is.”

He was confident. He was only half a rank below the Zombie King, and with his squad backing him up, that gap could be closed. He had more than enough firepower to take Ethan on.

”Still, just to be safe, I’ll have the Awakener squad assist you,” Sophia said, taking the situation very seriously.

They had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. If they could eliminate the Los Angeles Zombie King, it would remove a major threat.

Just thinking about it made her a little excited.

”No problem,” Elias agreed without hesitation, ready to move immediately.

Soon, the Awakeners from San Bernardino began assembling. Their expressions were grim, their eyes filled with determination. They were heading out to hunt the Zombie King.

This was going to be a brutal fight—a battle to the death. The atmosphere was heavy, like warriors marching toward an inevitable, bloody war.

They moved swiftly, heading toward the site where the Cyborg had fallen.

...

Outside the city, the air was thick with dust and sand, swirling in the wind.

The ground was scarred with craters and battle marks. Scattered around were human remains, zombie corpses, and rotting skeletons.

Ethan remained hidden, but he could sense something was off.

The zombies in Rancho Cucamonga were gathering, watching intently, but they hadn’t attacked yet. It was as if they were waiting for something.

At the same time, a group of human Awakeners from San Bernardino was approaching—and there were quite a few of them.

”They’re coming for me…” Ethan muttered to himself. It was obvious. Killing the Cyborg must have given away his location.

A buzzing sound filled the air as several drones flew overhead, scanning the area. Humans and their usual tricks.

Ethan could feel their presence getting closer. He turned his head and saw figures emerging from the dust storm.

Leading the group were five fully armed individuals, with Elias at the front.

Behind him were Awakeners from Genesis Biotech. Since this was a mission to hunt the Zombie King, they hadn’t brought regular soldiers—those guys would be nothing more than cannon fodder.

Among Elias’s squad, there was a man and a woman who stood out. They looked like a couple.

The man had deep blue eyes and slightly wavy chestnut hair. The woman had long, silky golden-brown hair and striking green eyes. Both of them were eye-catching.

”They don’t look local…” Ethan murmured, analyzing their energy. They were strong—at least A+ rank.

Sophia must have brought in some fresh blood.

Elias and his team moved forward cautiously, scanning their surroundings. Out here, danger could strike at any moment.

According to the Zombie King’s profile, the strongest one in Los Angeles had an exceptional ability to conceal himself—he was practically a ghost.

Not far ahead, the remains of a Cyborg lay in a mangled heap, barely recognizable.

Nearby, human corpses had been stripped down to bones and skin by Devourer Ants. Their eye sockets were hollow, the flesh completely eaten away, leaving only dark, empty holes.

The sight was downright chilling.

Elias scanned his surroundings carefully. As an S+ rank psychic Awakener, his perception was razor-sharp—he could feel it. Something, or someone, was watching him.

”I know you’re nearby. Come out,” he called out.

”Oh?” Ethan raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised.

This human had some skill.

But he didn’t reveal himself. What if they were just bluffing, trying to lure him out?

”You’re not coming out, huh?” Elias exhaled sharply, and in the next instant, his S+ rank psychic energy surged outward like a tidal wave, sweeping across the area.

Within moments, his gaze sharpened, locking onto a specific spot.

”There!”

His teammates reacted instantly. The chestnut-haired young man stepped forward, lifting his leg and kicking a jagged boulder straight toward Ethan’s position.

His ability was physical enhancement—specifically, immense strength in his right leg. People called him the ”Golden Right Leg.”

The boulder was massive, towering over six feet tall and weighing several short tons. It shot forward like a small mountain, hurtling straight at Ethan.

”They found me…” Ethan muttered.

This was the first time a human had managed to pinpoint his location while he was in hiding.

As the boulder came crashing toward him, Ethan’s crimson eyes flashed.

Domain of the Dead—activated.

The massive rock froze mid-air, suspended in front of him. Under the immense pressure of his domain, cracks spread across its surface before it shattered into countless fragments. The force of his ability sent the debris flying in all directions.

Amid the swirling dust and rubble, Ethan’s figure emerged—fully exposed to human eyes.

A sharp intake of breath rippled through the group.

The Zombie King stood tall, his posture relaxed yet commanding. His skin was pale, his features strikingly handsome, and his expression unreadable. He wore his signature white dress shirt—the same one he always did, unstained and pristine, as if untouched by the apocalypse.

Everything about him matched the descriptions in the Zombie King dossier.

His unnervingly clean appearance, in a world consumed by ruin, sent a chill down their spines.

But the Awakeners from Genesis Biotech? They were thrilled.

”We actually found him!”

”Yeah, this is a first.”

”No wonder he’s an S+ rank…”

”...”

Excited murmurs spread through the group.

The fear of the unknown had been gnawing at them. Until now, they had been on edge, dreading the possibility that the Zombie King might suddenly appear right next to them.

But now that they had him in their sights, they couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of relief.

Inside the Genesis Biotech headquarters, Sophia and a group of executives stood gathered around a projector screen, watching the live drone footage of the battle.

The female secretary’s eyes lit up.

”Sophia, Mr. Elias really is a top-tier fighter. They actually found the hidden Zombie King.”

”Mhm!” Sophia nodded, her bright eyes gleaming with excitement.

This opening was different from anything they had seen before.

Elias was the real deal—far superior to Ryuji.

Sophia was beyond pleased. If this were a livestream with a donation feature, she’d be sending Elias a rocket right now.

...