Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”What? An SS-class Zombie King?!”

Samuel’s face darkened instantly. The name alone—SS-class Zombie King—was enough to make even someone like him uneasy.

Adrian quickly jumped in to explain.

”It’s in the Zombie King files. The one in L.A. is classified SS-class. He’s awakened the Absolute Domain—and he’s the mastermind behind this whole mess!”

Samuel barely heard the rest. Just those few words—SS-class, Absolute Domain—were enough to make his mind reel.

Can something like that even be defeated?

He looked around and noticed the Awakener squad from Genesis Biotech—every one of them looked shaken, haunted. Fear still lingered in their eyes.

And the crowd that had once numbered in the thousands… had been reduced to a fraction.

”Where’s everyone else?”

”They were all killed by the Zombie King,” Adrian said bluntly, pride be damned.

”...” Samuel was speechless. But that confirmed it—this thing was real. And terrifying.

”Where is this SS-class Zombie King now?”

”He was chasing us just a minute ago,” Adrian admitted, not even trying to sugarcoat it.

”???” Samuel’s eyes widened. If he was chasing them...

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!

Suddenly, the entire mall began to shake violently. A suffocating pressure rolled in from behind, thick and overwhelming.

Several members of the Black Hand Legion were caught in it. Their bodies crackled with energy, spasming violently—before they even had time to scream, they collapsed like puppets with their strings cut.

”He’s here! He’s here!” Adrian’s voice trembled as he stumbled backward, completely losing the composure of an S-class powerhouse. In front of the SS-class Zombie King, he was just another terrified man.

Samuel’s brow furrowed, eyes narrowing as he stared into the darkness.

And then he saw it—a figure emerging from the black mist. Wherever it passed, rubble and debris disintegrated on their own, exploding into dust like they were being erased from existence. It was like watching a natural disaster take human form.

Any Awakener from the Black Hand Legion who got too close was instantly crushed by the sheer pressure.

Everyone scrambled back.

They were treating him like a wild beast—no one dared get close.

Samuel clenched his jaw, eyes locked on the figure. The pressure was unreal. It felt like the air itself was being squeezed out of his lungs.

Moments later, Ethan stepped out of the mist. His white shirt was spotless, his handsome face calm and cold as his eyes swept across the scene.

”So this is where you all ran off to. Thanks for leading the way.”

”Uh… I…” Adrian opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Samuel shot him a venomous glare.

You led the damn Zombie King right to us?!

He’d been on the verge of winning the fight just moments ago—and now this?

The men around Samuel were just as rattled.

”Boss, maybe we should fall back?”

”Can we even fall back?” Samuel muttered, half to them, half to himself.

Running from an SS-class Zombie King? That was a fantasy. More likely, they’d end up like Adrian’s crew—hunted down and slaughtered to the last man.

And to make things worse, Mia and her group were still up ahead. That girl was covered in wounds, but somehow, she just kept getting stronger with every fight—like a machine built for war, one that never stopped.

They were caught in a pincer—trapped between two monsters.

”No choice. We fight!” Samuel barked.

They’d already lost over a hundred men fighting Mia, but the ones left were still elite—battle-hardened and deadly.

”Let’s go!”

With a collective roar, they surged forward, unleashing their powers. Even if it was an SS-class Zombie King, they weren’t going down without a fight.

Some unleashed psychic energy to resist the Domain of the Dead. Others launched elemental attacks—wind, fire, lightning—like a storm crashing down. The brute-force types charged head-on, muscles bulging, trying to tank the crushing pressure.

”Still got some fight in you, huh…” Ethan muttered, then launched himself forward, the Domain of the Dead swirling around him like a storm of death.

Adrian watched from the side, eyes darting. He had to admit—the Black Hand Legion was no joke. These guys were ruthless, not just to others, but to themselves. Facing an SS-class Zombie King, they didn’t flinch. They were maniacs, every last one of them.

Way tougher than his own crew, that was for sure…

But even so, Adrian knew the truth: their chances of beating Ethan were basically zero. The gap was just too massive.

So he turned his gaze toward the rear—toward Mia and her group.

There was only one way out of this.

Kill them. Clear a path. And run like hell in the opposite direction.

Maybe—just maybe—he’d survive.

”I can’t beat the Zombie King… but you guys? You’re dead meat.”

Blue energy surged around Adrian as he prepared to strike from behind.

”Water Prison—Bind!”

Mia had been locked in fierce combat, her Tachi slicing clean through two Black Hand Legion members, their heads flying through the air.

But suddenly, a powerful force surged toward her. Water elements gathered rapidly, swirling around her like a living current.

Streams of water coiled around her wrists and limbs, some even forcing their way into her nose and mouth.

Within seconds, she was completely engulfed—suspended inside a massive sphere of water, like she’d been dropped into a giant fishbowl.

”So this is S-class water power…” Mia struggled, but the grip was unrelenting.

Then came the suffocating pressure—like drowning. Her lungs screamed for air, her brain fogged with dizziness.

But at the same time, the pain meter on her wristband began to spike:

41%... 44%... 53%... 68%...

And it kept climbing—doubling with every passing second.

”Hurry up and kill them!” Adrian barked at the remnants of his squad. Time was running out. The sooner they broke through, the better their chances of surviving.

His men got the message. With savage expressions, they charged at Sean, Chris, and the others. They weren’t holding back—because killing was the only way they were getting out of this alive.

Leah saw the Genesis Biotech Awakeners coming at them like rabid dogs and frowned hard. ”They’re still coming? I don’t know how much longer I can hold out…”

”No,” Chris said calmly, not even flinching. ”The fight’s already over.”

”Huh?” Leah blinked, confused.

Was he serious?

Just then—BOOM!

The Water Prison exploded in a violent blast, sending water spraying in every direction.

Mia burst out of the shattered sphere.

Her pain meter now read a staggering 79%.

A crimson aura of bloodlust swirled around her. The water soaking her body evaporated instantly, steam rising off her skin.

”She broke free?!” Adrian’s eyes narrowed, stunned. And then he felt it—that killing intent. It was suffocating.

Mia didn’t waste a single word.

She stepped forward—and vanished.

”Wha—?!” Adrian’s eyes went wide. Even with his S-class vision, he couldn’t track her movement.

Then came the horror.

The men who had been charging at Sean—one by one, their heads were lopped clean off. It happened so fast, no one could even see how.

A wave of dread crashed over Adrian.

They were all dead. In the blink of an eye.

Now it’s my turn.

He could feel it—something was coming for him.

He instinctively leapt back, throwing up a hand.

”Wall of the Torrent!”

A massive wall of water surged up in front of him, his last-ditch defense.

It was all he had left.

But in the next instant—CRACK!

A flash of lightning streaked through the air.

Mia’s Tachi, crackling with electricity, sliced straight through the water wall like it was paper—and didn’t stop.

It cut clean into Adrian’s neck.

Mia stood behind him, silent. Unmoving.

...