Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”ROAAARR—!”

The Stone Scorpion King let out a savage roar, its eight blood-red eyes locking onto the glowing stone tablet in Ethan’s hand. It sensed the energy pulsing from it—and without hesitation, it raised one massive claw and lunged straight at him.

It was like watching a tank-sized armored vehicle charging head-on.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed. He stopped holding back.

With a surge of power, he unleashed the full force of the Domain of the Dead. A wave of oppressive energy exploded outward, sweeping across the battlefield, stretching hundreds of feet in every direction.

The surrounding boulders, caught in the domain’s grip, began to crack and crumble, disintegrating into dust that drifted into the air like ash.

It was as if a natural disaster had descended.

The Scorpion King’s enormous claw, the moment it entered the Domain of the Dead, began to tremble and hum. Its momentum slowed drastically—until it came to a complete stop mid-air.

Then it started to shake, as if it might shatter at any second.

The sight was nothing short of jaw-dropping.

Ethan had used the sheer force of his domain to halt the Scorpion King’s devastating attack in its tracks.

Thomas and the others stood frozen, overwhelmed by the pressure radiating from Ethan. Their bodies trembled involuntarily.

”This... this isn’t human,” Thomas muttered, eyes wide. ”He’s a Zombie King!”

They hadn’t fully grasped it before—Ethan had barely shown his power until now.

But now it was undeniable.

No wonder he’d scared off an entire flock of mutated vultures. No wonder he could move through a beast horde like it was nothing.

Judging by the aura he was giving off, he had to be at least S-rank.

This was a clash between two kings.

Jenny stared in awe, a chill running down her spine. The realization hit her hard—she’d been traveling with a Zombie King this whole time.

”This fight... who’s gonna win?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper.

”Is that even a question?” Sean replied confidently. He had faith in Ethan.

Mia crossed her arms, tilting her head as she watched. ”Don’t underestimate the Stone Scorpion King. It’s no pushover. Ethan’s gonna have to push himself to beat it.”

”What do you mean?” Thomas asked, frowning. ”You think he could lose?”

Mia had proven herself more than capable on this journey—when she spoke, people listened.

But she just shook her head. ”No. I’m saying he’ll need to use at least sixty percent of his power.”

”...Seriously?” Thomas and Sean exchanged stunned looks. Sixty percent?

Against the Stone Scorpion King?

Back on the battlefield, the Scorpion King’s massive claw hovered inches from Ethan, frozen in place. It hadn’t even scratched him.

Then Ethan bent his knees and launched himself into the air.

The force of his leap cracked the stone beneath his feet.

His tall, lean figure soared upward, silhouetted against the sun. In one hand, he raised the stone tablet high. Energy surged into it, wild and chaotic, distorting the air around him.

The tablet blazed with light, its power building rapidly—until it reached a blinding peak.

With a roar, Ethan brought it down toward the Scorpion King’s face. The trailing light behind it flared like a comet streaking through the sky.

The Scorpion King’s instincts screamed danger. Its primal senses kicked in, and it raised both claws to shield its head.

BOOOOM!

The impact was like two comets colliding. A shockwave ripped through the mountainside. Rocks shattered. The ground split open. Mosca Peak trembled under the force.

The Scorpion King let out a low, guttural cry of pain. It glanced at its claws—one of them now had a deep crater punched into it, cracks spiderwebbing out from the center. Blue blood oozed from the wound.

”ROAAARR—!”

The pain sent the Scorpion King into a frenzy. Its killing instinct flared to the max.

It reared back and raised its massive tail, the hooked stinger gleaming wickedly. With a violent thrust, it lunged forward, aiming to impale Ethan.

The tail sliced through the sky, blotting out the sun like a falling pillar of doom.

The air screamed in protest as it came down, the sheer force of it warping the atmosphere.

But Ethan didn’t flinch.

His eyes stayed calm, locked onto the incoming strike. He didn’t even use the Domain of the Dead to block it.

Instead, just as the stinger was about to hit, he vanished—his body flickering sideways in a blur.

The Scorpion King’s tail slammed into the ground with a deafening crash. Dust and debris exploded outward. A massive crater opened up where it struck, cracks radiating in all directions.

Chunks of shattered rock flew through the air, tumbling down the mountainside.

Mia and the others shielded their eyes with their arms. The shockwave alone whipped their hair around like a storm.

”So damn powerful…” Thomas couldn’t help but whisper in awe. The battle unfolding before him had completely shattered everything he thought he knew about combat.

Every strike felt like it could end the world. Even an S-rank Awakener wouldn’t be able to pull off something like this.

”Could he be… SS-rank?”

But what happened next blew his mind even more.

Ethan had used the concealment ability of the Domain of the Dead to dodge the Scorpion King’s devastating tail strike. By the time he reappeared, he was already directly above the massive beast.

”Huh?”

The Scorpion King’s eight crimson eyes flicked upward, a flicker of confusion and alarm in their depths.

Ethan was already descending from the sky, one leg extended downward. Compared to the monster’s colossal size, he looked tiny—insignificant even.

But the moment his foot slammed down on the Scorpion King’s back—

BOOOOM!

The impact echoed like thunder. The beast’s mountain-sized body buckled under the force. All ten of its scorpion legs bent inward, its abdomen slammed into the ground, and the surrounding rocks crumbled as dust and debris exploded outward.

Ethan stood tall on its back, and once again, the Domain of the Dead expanded to its full intensity.

The crushing pressure rolled out like a tidal wave. The Scorpion King tried to rise—but the moment it moved, it was forced back down again. Its body trembled, as if it were being crushed under the weight of a mountain, or drowning in the crushing depths of the ocean.

”If you won’t cough it up,” Ethan muttered, ”then I’ll just have to dig it out of your gut.”

Without another word, he raised the stone tablet high—and brought it crashing down on the Scorpion King’s back.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Each strike landed with bone-rattling force. The entire Mosca Peak trembled in rhythm with his blows, like a drumbeat of destruction.

Cracks split open across the Scorpion King’s armored back. Blue blood sprayed into the air—only to be instantly vaporized by the oppressive energy of the domain.

One-two!One-two!One-two!

Mia and the others found themselves echoing the rhythm under their breath, eyes wide and locked in.

Thomas and Jenny stood frozen, stunned speechless. Their eyes were locked on Ethan, unblinking.

”This is insane…” Thomas breathed. The sheer brutality, the overwhelming strength, the cold precision—it was all wrapped up in one unstoppable force. Ethan looked like a god of war.

The Scorpion King writhed in agony, its cries echoing through the mountains. Its massive body twisted and convulsed, and a deep crater had already formed in its back from the relentless pounding.

Then Ethan noticed something—faint streaks of glowing light drifting up from the crater, all of them converging toward the stone tablet in his hand.

”There you are…” he murmured.

He could feel it now—the tablet in his hand was being pulled by something. Two streams of radiant energy met in midair, and then, as if guided by an invisible force, another stone tablet emerged from deep within the Scorpion King’s body.

It floated upward, suspended by some unseen energy field, and hovered in front of Ethan.

This new tablet was the same size as the one he held, with two matching holes—but the carvings etched into its surface were different. And the broken edge? It was a perfect complement to the one in his hand.

Ethan didn’t move. He just watched.

The second tablet floated closer on its own, aligning itself with the one he held. The jagged edges met—and locked together seamlessly.

The moment they connected, a brilliant light flared from the seam. The break vanished completely, as if it had never existed.

”...That’s incredible,” Ethan whispered, eyes reflecting the glow.

...