Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Outside the towering walls of Genesis Biotech’s Los Angeles branch, the horde of zombies had gone completely feral—bloodlust in their eyes, snarling and clawing like rabid animals.

”Trying to run, huh?” Hellhound growled as he closed in on his target, claws slashing through the air straight for Jacob’s back.

The sound of the strike tore through the wind like a whipcrack.

Sensing the danger without even turning his head, Jacob instinctively dove into a side roll, narrowly dodging the lethal swipe.

At the same time, he unleashed a burst of psychic energy—an invisible spike of mental force that shot straight into Hellhound’s mind.

”Raaagh!” Hellhound let out a guttural roar, momentarily stunned. His brain felt like it had been doused in boiling oil, the pain sharp and searing.

By the time he shook it off, Jacob had already widened the gap between them again.

Hellhound was livid.

This guy was slippery as hell—like trying to grab a greased eel.

An S-Class psychic Awakener... yeah, he was definitely a pain in the ass.

”Tch. Step aside. This human’s mine,” came a voice from behind—Daisy.

Jacob’s brow furrowed. Suddenly, he felt something tighten around his ankle. He looked down—and saw delicate pink flowers blooming beneath his feet.

”Shit!” His gut twisted with dread.

Another whoosh of air—another attack incoming.

Daisy’s hand, fingers curled like iron hooks, slashed toward his head.

There was nowhere to run.

With no time to think, Jacob instinctively raised his arm to block.

Shhk!

Daisy’s razor-sharp claws tore through his combat suit and sank deep into his forearm. Blood gushed out, hot and fast.

”Die already!” Daisy snarled, her other hand sweeping in a deadly arc—five clawed fingers like daggers, aimed straight for his throat.

But just before the killing blow landed, a massive force slammed into her, knocking her clean off course.

Hellhound had barreled into her, taking her place.

”I told you—this human is mine!” he roared.

”RAAAHH!” Daisy shrieked, furious. She lunged at him, claws raking for his shoulder, refusing to let him steal the kill.

And just like that, the two Zombie Kings were at each other’s throats—shoving, clawing, snarling—fighting over who got to tear Jacob apart.

From the back, Bighead—his body still scorched from earlier—shouted in frustration, ”Hey! Will you two knock it off already?!”

But before anyone could respond, a deep rumble echoed from above.

Everyone’s eyes turned skyward.

Streaks of light tore across the sky, descending fast—like comets crashing to Earth.

As the fiery trails faded, sleek, metallic aircraft began landing one after another. Their streamlined bodies gleamed with a silvery sheen, reflecting the chaos below with a cold, futuristic glow.

”What the hell?” Daisy muttered, momentarily forgetting her rage.

Hellhound stopped too, eyes narrowing.

”Mad Dog, what are those things?”

”Do you even have to ask? Human tech, obviously.”

”So... they’ve got reinforcements?”

”...Looks like it.”

As the two Zombie Kings stared, ten aircraft touched down in perfect sync. With a sharp click, their hatches opened almost simultaneously.

One by one, human Awakeners stepped out—each one radiating power and confidence.

Leading them was a striking bald man, his presence commanding, his gaze sharp. The group moved with purpose, like a well-oiled machine.

”That’s the haircut of a badass,” Hellhound muttered, eyes locked on the bald leader.

Back on the human side, Jacob and the others exchanged stunned looks.

”When did Mr. Nathan call for backup?”

”No clue. He never mentioned anything.”

”Even if he did, there’s no way they could’ve gotten here this fast.”

”Maybe... this is the kind of authority the California director of Genesis Biotech has.”

”Ohhh... so this was all part of Mr. Nathan’s plan?”

”...Maybe.”

Meanwhile, inside the Genesis Biotech office, Nathan had stopped pacing. He stared at the screen, completely baffled.

”Where the hell did these guys come from?”

”They must be from Richard,” Sophia said calmly. ”Probably brought in some heavy hitters from nearby Genesis branches.”

”Oh...” Nathan nodded slowly, still confused. It was all so sudden. Why hadn’t Richard given him a heads-up?

Still, backup was backup. He wasn’t about to complain.

He just hoped they were strong enough.

Could they really take on two Zombie Kings?

Nathan’s eyes stayed glued to the massive screen, heart pounding.

Outside, all eyes were on the newcomers.

T-09 stepped forward a few paces, his gleaming bald head catching the sunlight like a mirror, making him stand out even more. His eyes swept across the battlefield, calm and calculating.

”Two S-Class Zombie Kings,” he said flatly. ”Not something you see every day.”

”Oh?” Daisy and Hellhound both looked surprised—he’d seen right through them at a glance.

But something about T-09 felt... off. Neither of them could sense any human aura from him.

Hellhound sniffed the air, his expression twisting in confusion. ”This guy reeks of metal. Not even a hint of blood or flesh. Totally kills my appetite.”

”Who cares what he is?” Daisy snapped, still brimming with aggression. ”Let’s just kill him and be done with it!”

Without hesitation, she raised her hand. A cloud of pollen burst into the air, swirling toward the newcomers like a toxic mist.

But T-09 didn’t move. He stood there, completely still, as if the pollen didn’t exist. It drifted around him harmlessly, like he was made of stone.

Daisy’s eyes widened in disbelief. ”What the hell...? Why isn’t it working?”

”Maybe you didn’t use enough,” Hellhound offered dryly. ”Might wanna up the dosage.”

But before Daisy could respond, T-09 calmly raised a single finger.

A wave of heat pulsed outward.

In the blink of an eye, the entire cloud of pollen ignited—whoosh—and vanished in a flash of fire.

Daisy’s expression darkened. ”Okay... this isn’t about dosage anymore.”

She could feel it now—this guy wasn’t just strong. He was terrifying.

What really shook her, though, was how precise the attack had been. T-09 had incinerated every last grain of pollen without so much as singeing a hair on his teammates. That level of control... it was freakish.

”Tch. Looks like your flowers don’t do so well against fire,” Hellhound sneered. ”Let me handle this one.”

”Fine,” Daisy said with a nod. She wasn’t about to argue—fire was her natural weakness, and this guy was clearly her counter.

Hellhound didn’t waste another second. With a snarl, his bone wings snapped open, and he launched himself at T-09 like a missile.

He knew elemental Awakeners were usually glass cannons—powerful, but fragile. This was like an assassin going after a mage. One clean hit, and it’d be over.

In a flash, he was right in front of T-09, his monstrous face twisted in a savage grin.

But T-09 didn’t flinch. Didn’t even blink.

He waited until the last possible second—then calmly raised his arm and threw a punch.

”You’re seriously trying to trade blows with me?” Hellhound scoffed. In his experience, humans were soft. Fragile. Breakable.

He threw his own punch to meet it head-on.

Their fists collided with a thunderous BOOM, like two mountains crashing together.

The shockwave blasted outward, tearing cracks through the ground around them.

But the real shock came a second later—Hellhound was sent flying.

The impact launched him like he’d been hit by a freight train, his body tumbling through the air before slamming into the ground far away.

Everyone watching froze.

”No way...”

”He just sent Hellhound flying... with one punch?”

”What the hell is this guy’s level? Is he... S+?”

”Looks like it.”

”Then... we might actually make it out of this alive?”

The realization hit all at once—and with it, a wave of hope. Survivors who’d been bracing for death suddenly felt like they had a chance.

Meanwhile, Hellhound groaned and pushed himself up from the cracked pavement, his face twisted in disbelief. He stared at the bald man standing calmly in the distance.

”What the hell... is this thing?”

...