Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”Our boss… he didn’t run into some kind of trouble, did he?” Slick asked, starting to sound worried.

”Hey, don’t go jumping to conclusions. No way that happened,” Jerky cut in quickly.

Just as the two zombies were fretting, a figure suddenly materialized in front of them, taking shape right in their line of sight.

”Uh…” Both zombies froze, blinking like they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

”Boss?”

”Yeah,” Ethan nodded.

Their faces lit up with joy. They scrambled to their feet and rushed over, practically wagging their tails.

The other zombies nearby all bowed their heads respectfully.

”Boss, you’re finally back!” Jerky beamed, then added proudly, ”Look—this is the Zombie Horde I managed to gather.”

Ethan glanced around. The zombies were all shriveled up, drained of energy—basically the undead version of the elderly, sick, and injured.

Well…

At least it was clear the two of them had done their best.

”But that stone tablet you mentioned… I searched all over Albuquerque and couldn’t find it,” Slick said, sounding a little defeated.

”No worries. I found it. We’re heading to Mosca Peak in a bit,” Ethan replied.

Jerky’s eyes gleamed at that. Wait, they were already going into battle with the horde he just pulled together?

But Mosca Peak was crawling with mutated monsters. He wasn’t sure they’d even make it there alive, let alone fight.

Ethan figured the same—if they didn’t get a power boost, they’d be dead weight. So, time for a last-minute upgrade.

He flipped his hand, and a crystal core appeared. Unlike the usual ones, this one had a mottled, chaotic energy swirling inside. He’d gotten it back in the Underground Temple, after killing that massive snake-beast that had fused with a zombie.

”Stick this thing in your skull, and you might evolve into a fusion-type Zombie King,” Ethan explained, holding up the core.

Jerky’s eyes lit up. He stepped forward, practically bouncing with excitement.

”Boss, let me do it! I’m ready to take whatever comes!”

”Oh, but I’m not sure it’ll work. There’s a real chance you could die,” Ethan said bluntly.

Jerky froze, then quickly stepped back.

”Slick, your turn.”

”Uh… I…” Slick stared at the crystal core, clearly terrified, caught in a spiral of hesitation.

Ethan had only ever fused plants and zombies before—never tried it with a mutated beast. So yeah, this was uncharted territory. But hey, there’s a first time for everything. And this core wasn’t exactly high-grade, so it wasn’t a huge loss if it didn’t work.

”You ready?”

”Am I gonna die?” Slick asked, still nervous.

Ethan shrugged. ”If you die, you die. What’s the big deal?”

”Wait, what??” Slick’s jaw dropped.

But before he could say anything else, Ethan reached out and, using the power of the Domain of the Dead, shoved the crystal core straight into Slick’s skull.

Slick froze, still processing what just happened.

”That’s it?”

”Yeah,” Ethan said, watching him closely.

”But I don’t feel any different…” Slick muttered, confused.

The words had barely left his mouth when a loud crack echoed in his head—like an eggshell splitting open. First came an unbearable itch, then a wave of searing pain.

”Raaagh—!”

He let out a guttural roar and collapsed, writhing on the ground in agony.

It was a brutal sight.

The other zombies looked at each other, unsure what to make of it.

Jerky leaned in, worried. ”Boss, is he… actually dying?”

”Probably not. This kind of reaction is normal during fusion,” Ethan said calmly.

Right on cue, Slick started to change. His pupils narrowed into diamond shapes, and two sharp fangs pushed out from his mouth.

His once shriveled skin began to show faint outlines of scales.

Then, from just above his backside, a tiny snake tail sprouted—barely two inches long, comically small.

At the same time, his screams abruptly stopped. He pushed himself off the ground, and the aura around him had completely shifted.

His snake-like eyes gleamed with menace, his fangs bared in a snarl, like he was ready to tear someone apart.

Cold, bloodthirsty, savage—Slick had transformed from a regular zombie into a fusion-type Zombie King.

”Damn, bro, you’re looking strong!” Jerky circled around Slick, eyes wide with amazement.

When he got behind him, he noticed the tiny tail swaying back and forth—barely two inches long. ”Yo, you even grew a little tail! That’s wild.”

”It’s short, but kinda cute,” Ethan said with a smirk, clearly satisfied. Looked like the fusion had worked.

This method was solid.

”Boss, I can really feel it—I’m way stronger now,” Slick said, buzzing with excitement as he clenched his claws.

”Yeah, not bad,” Ethan nodded. He could tell Slick had evolved from a B-rank to a B+—a pretty standard jump for a newly fused Zombie King. Nothing too flashy, but solid.

So far, though, Slick didn’t seem to have any weird or unique abilities. Whether he developed any down the line… well, that’d be up to fate.

”Alright, eat up. We’re heading to Mosca Peak soon.” With a wave of his hand, Ethan tossed out a fresh batch of ”gourmet treats”—mutated venomous snakes, scorpions, even a few chunks of Giant Sandworm.

The basement instantly filled with a thick, metallic stench—absolutely nauseating to humans, but to zombies? It was a five-star buffet.

They’d been running on empty, practically starving. Now, faced with a pile of mutated monster corpses, their eyes lit up with bloodlust. Without hesitation, they lunged forward and started tearing into the meat.

The sound of gnawing and flesh being ripped apart echoed through the dark basement, a full-on zombie feeding frenzy.

As they devoured the meat, their energy began to return, and with it, their ferocity.

But the feast didn’t last long.

From above, the sound of footsteps and guttural zombie snarls echoed through the ceiling.

”Shit! Black-Skin Zombies!” Jerky and Slick froze, alarmed.

Guess all the noise from Slick’s fusion—and now the smell of fresh meat—had drawn them in.

Ethan, on the other hand, didn’t seem the least bit bothered. In fact, he looked pleased.

Perfect. He’d been meaning to spill some of their blood anyway.

”Keep eating. I’ll handle the Black-Skin Zombies.”

”For real?!” The zombies looked at each other in awe. Their boss was literally stepping out to fight just so they could finish their meal in peace. Yeah, they’d definitely picked the right leader.

Ethan’s form flickered, then vanished into shadow as he phased through the ceiling and emerged above the basement.

The moment he appeared, the snarls grew louder.

A pack of over a dozen Black-Skin Zombies had gathered, drawn by the noise and scent. Their hollow black eye sockets locked onto Ethan, nostrils flaring as they picked up his scent. With a chorus of savage howls, they charged.

Black-Skin Zombies had no minds—just raw instinct.

But before they could reach him, Ethan unleashed the Domain of the Dead.

In an instant, the air thickened like concrete. The zombies froze mid-charge, their bodies crushed under invisible pressure. Bones cracked and popped like dry twigs. One by one, they collapsed, twitching, black blood oozing out and pooling beneath them.

Before the stench could even spread, Ethan waved his hand.

All of it—the blood, the corpses—vanished in a blink.

”Got the Black-Skin Zombie blood. Now I just need a good bait to lure the rest to Mosca Peak…”

...