Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Out in the open wasteland, Kong and his crew were surrounded by a swarm of mimics, hacking their way toward the corpse nest with a burning urgency to return home.

”Get the hell outta my way!” Kong roared, swinging a massive fist and smashing a mimic into pulp.

But more of them kept rising—blank-eyed, twitching, relentless. It was clear Lil’ Shroom had been busy planting ”eyes” all over the place lately.

Even creepier, a bunch of the mimics had taken on Bighead’s form—probably because Lil’ Shroom had impersonated him so often that the mimics had developed some kind of muscle memory. Each one looked disturbingly accurate.

”Bighead, I really do miss you, but... sorry, buddy!” Chompers growled, slashing through a mimic that looked just like Bighead, tearing it apart with his claws.

Nearby, the zombie hounds were just as savage—leaping onto mimics, tearing them down, snapping necks with a single bite.

With Kong the Zombie King leading the charge, they were tearing through the undead ambush like a wrecking ball. It looked like they were about to break through the horde that had been lying in wait around Los Angeles and make it back to their own turf.

”Next time... I swear I’ll find your real body and smash your damn brain in!” Kong snarled, eyes blazing with fury.

The zombies behind him, sensing they were close to breaking free, grew even more frenzied. Their attacks became wild, brutal, unstoppable.

The mimics, despite their numbers, were starting to thin out. Their appearances slowed, and it was clear they were running low. Victory was within reach.

But just as the tide seemed to turn, a sudden wave of killing intent swept across the battlefield.

”Hahahahaha!”

A chilling laugh echoed from the forested hills in the distance.

”Huh? What the hell was that?” Kong narrowed his eyes, turning toward the sound. From the dense underbrush, a slender figure emerged.

She swayed as she walked, her long, razor-sharp claws glinting like daggers. Her mouth stretched into a grotesque grin that reached all the way to her ears, and she stared at them with a twisted, gleeful expression.

”Tch...” Kong’s brow furrowed into a deep scowl. A cold shiver ran down his spine.

Another Zombie King?

For a moment, the two locked eyes—both radiating raw, lethal energy. But in the blink of an eye, the figure—Laura—vanished.

She moved so fast she seemed to disappear, launching herself straight at Kong’s group with a speed that defied the eye.

Wherever she passed, the air cracked with sonic booms.

A surge of danger exploded in Kong’s gut. In an instant, Laura reappeared—right in front of him. That twisted smile was now inches from his face.

”Shhk!” Her claws slashed through the air, aiming straight for his head.

Kong jerked to the side just in time, but not fast enough. Three deep gashes tore across the side of his face, black blood pouring from the wounds.

Luckily, his body was built like a tank. The cuts began to heal almost immediately.

”S-Class Zombie King,” Kong muttered, judging from her terrifying speed.

Laura, trained and enhanced by Ethan, had already ascended to S-Class. Now, she was even stronger—easily one of the fastest beings in the apocalypse.

Kong didn’t hesitate. He threw a punch with all his might.

But Laura sidestepped in a blur and vanished again.

Before he could react, a sharp pain exploded in his gut—Laura’s five claws had already pierced into his abdomen.

Blood sprayed as she twisted her hand, trying to dig deeper, like she was about to rip his guts out.

”ROOOAAARRR—!”

Kong, now hit twice in rapid succession, lost it. He let out a thunderous roar that shook the air, sending shockwaves rippling through the grass and leaves.

He wasn’t called one of San Diego’s Four War Generals for nothing. As an S-Class power-type Zombie King, his reputation was well-earned.

He lunged forward, massive claws reaching for Laura’s throat.

She darted back just in time, putting distance between them.

Her eyes gleamed with bloodlust, her voice dripping with venom. ”I’m gonna crack open all your Big Lug skulls and see what the hell’s inside!”

”Bring it on!” Kong bellowed, muscles rippling, bones cracking as his body surged with battle fury.

Laura didn’t wait. She launched herself forward again, her movements so fast they left afterimages in her wake.

”Zigzag Blitz...”

Her rapid dashes left ghostly trails behind her—so fast they looked like clones.

It was a technique she’d only unlocked after reaching S-Class.

To Kong, it looked like there were now several Lauras charging at him, all snarling, all deadly.

Kong swung a heavy fist straight into one of the figures charging at him—but to his surprise, his punch passed right through it.

”What the—missed?”

Laura was already circling him at breakneck speed, her claws flashing like blades. Each time she darted past, she left fresh gashes on Kong’s body.

Luckily, his physique was monstrous. Those wounds were nothing more than scratches to him—already starting to close up.

This was it: a clash of titans. The peak of brute strength versus the pinnacle of speed.

Behind them, Chompers and the rest of the zombie crew stood frozen, jaws practically hitting the ground.

This level of combat? Way out of their league.

”Holy crap, she’s strong!”

”Where the hell did this Zombie King come from? She’s actually going toe-to-toe with Kong!”

”Kong’s getting scratched up—he’s on the back foot!”

”Hey, shut it!”

”...”

Chompers cut them off, shooting a glare that said watch your mouth.

”With Kong’s body? Those scratches are nothing. She’s basically just tickling him.”

”Yeah, yeah...” the others nodded quickly, trying to convince themselves.

Still, the worry lingered.

Good news: the enemy’s just tickling him.

Bad news: she’s doing it really fast...

...

The battle between the two Zombie Kings only grew fiercer. Roars echoed across the wasteland, each one more savage than the last.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the San Diego corpse nest, Bighead was patrolling with a few of his underlings, lazily wandering the perimeter.

He was mostly hoping to run into Big Ears or one of the other three generals—just to beat the crap out of them for fun.

But then, a series of thunderous zombie roars reached their ears—loud, violent, and close.

”What the hell’s going on?” Bighead frowned, ears twitching.

One of his underlings tilted his head, listening.

”Sounds like a fight... and that roar... kinda sounds like Kong, doesn’t it?”

Bighead’s eyes lit up. ”Yeah... yeah, it does sound like him.”

”Wait—could it be? Kong’s back?!”

”Come on! Let’s go check it out!”

”...”

The group of zombies took off at full speed, tearing across the terrain toward the source of the noise. It didn’t take long before they reached the battlefield.

And there, in the middle of the chaos, stood a towering figure—muscles rippling, body covered in blood and claw marks—locked in a brutal fight with another Zombie King.

Bighead’s eyes went wide. ”It’s him! It’s really Kong—he’s back!”

”Yeah, and he’s fighting... wait, isn’t that the Zombie King from L.A.?” one of the elite zombies muttered.

After over a month of tense standoffs, they’d all heard about the Los Angeles Zombie King. Even if they hadn’t seen her in person, her reputation had spread.

”They’re going at it!” Bighead’s heart pounded. It had to be an ambush—Kong must’ve run into the L.A. Zombie King on his way back. And there—there was Chompers! His old buddy, alive and fighting, along with a bunch of other familiar faces.

But the area wasn’t safe yet. Mimics were still crawling in from all directions, trying to swarm the battlefield.

”Move! We’ve gotta help them—now!” Bighead shouted.

And with that, they charged into the fray.

...