Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”Finally let go, huh?” Lil’ Shroom looked up from the side, eyes tracking the arc of the Radiant Crystal as Kong hurled it high into the air—easily over a hundred feet.

She quickly commanded a swarm of mimics to rush forward, ready to catch it.

The Radiant Crystal began to lose momentum, hovering for a moment before starting to fall.

”Yoo-hoo!”

Suddenly, a sharp howl echoed from the distance. A blur shot through the sky—fast, almost too fast to follow—and in the blink of an eye, snatched the Radiant Crystal mid-air.

With a powerful flap of its wings, the figure hovered in place.

It was a zombie, but not just any zombie. Its face was twisted and feral, fangs bared in a permanent snarl, its skin covered in fine, bristling fur. The thing looked like a nightmare come to life.

Hellhound—one of the Four War Generals of San Diego.

Clearly, Kong had sensed Hellhound approaching and had deliberately thrown the Radiant Crystal skyward to hand it off.

Lil’ Shroom watched as Hellhound secured the crystal. Her plan had just gone up in smoke. Her mimics caught nothing but air, and she muttered under her breath.

”Ugh, what a pain in the ass.”

At that moment, Kong freed up his right hand and lunged toward Laura, his massive paw swinging like a giant fan.

Laura wasn’t about to get caught. She darted back, her body flickering—and then vanishing completely.

When she reappeared, she was already over a hundred feet away.

”Kong, you’re hurt,” Hellhound called down from above.

”I’m fine,” Kong rasped. His voice was rough, like metal scraping metal—his throat still torn from being pierced. But as a power-type zombie, his body was built like a tank. The wound was already healing at an unnatural speed.

Hellhound gave a small nod, folding his arms across his chest.

”Good. It’s over now.”

But just as the words left his mouth, the ground began to tremble.

Behind them, a massive horde of zombies surged forward—an endless, black tide rolling across the land.

At the front, thousands of zombie hounds led the charge, sprinting on all fours, howling and barking in a chaotic chorus.

Right behind them came the Rabies Zombies—feral, mindless, driven only by instinct and rage. Their eyes burned with madness, their movements wild and violent.

”They’re going all in, huh…” Lil’ Shroom muttered, eyes narrowing.

The sight was overwhelming. The sheer scale of the horde was enough to make the earth feel like it might crack open.

And in the middle of that swarm, one figure stood out like a sore thumb—a bright pink blur cutting through the darkness.

Daisy.

Her arch-nemesis. Another fusion-type Zombie King.

”You bitch.”

”You bitch.”

The two Zombie Kings locked eyes, and the insult echoed in both their minds at the exact same time.

The horde thundered forward, the ground shaking beneath their feet. The air was thick with the scent of rot and blood, and a suffocating sense of dread blanketed the open plains.

”Crush them!” Daisy shrieked.

The zombies roared in response, picking up speed, charging straight at Laura and Lil’ Shroom.

Bighead and Chompers saw their side’s horde finally arriving and were instantly overwhelmed with emotion. They actually hugged each other, tears welling up in their undead eyes.

”They’re here… they’re really here…”

No more hiding. No more running. For the first time in forever, they felt safe.

And then, from the distance, the true king of San Diego’s corpse nest appeared—Nightbane, the SS-rank Zombie King.

He walked slowly, but every step radiated power.

”Boss!” the zombies cried out, their voices filled with excitement as they rushed to surround him.

Kong stepped forward, his voice still hoarse. ”Boss, we’re back.”

Nightbane’s eyes scanned him, taking in the blood, the wounds, the five puncture marks still visible on his neck. The dried blood made it look even worse.

He frowned slightly. That other Zombie King hadn’t held back at all.

”You okay?” he asked.

Kong shook his massive head. ”I’ll be fine. Just need a little time to heal.”

Just then, a figure spiraled down from the sky—Hellhound folded his bony wings and landed lightly on the ground. His posture was respectful as he stepped forward, both hands presenting the Radiant Crystal to Nightbane like a sacred offering.

”Boss, I’ve successfully delivered the Radiant Crystal, safe and sound.”

”Huh???” Kong blinked, caught off guard. Something felt... off.

He’d fought tooth and nail to bring that damn thing back, and now Hellhound was acting like he’d done all the work?

Classic Hellhound. Always stealing the spotlight. What a glory-hogging bastard...

”You’ve done well,” Nightbane said with a nod, his voice calm as he took the Radiant Crystal into his hand.

The crystal shimmered with a radiant glow, its surface gleaming like molten starlight. As Nightbane held it, a weight seemed to lift from his chest.

With the Radiant Crystal finally in his possession, the final phase of his plan could begin. Once they returned, the ritual could be completed.

Global domination was no longer a dream—it was within reach.

”We’re finally going to make it...” Nightbane murmured, his voice tinged with awe. The road had been long, brutal, and bloody. But now, only one step remained.

And right in front of him were two more prizes—Laura and Lil’ Shroom, the Zombie Kings of Los Angeles. Once they were hunted down, it would be open war with L.A.

Starting the battle by taking out two enemy kings? That was a hell of a power move.

From where he stood, the scales of victory had already tipped in his favor. Everything was falling into place. The momentum was his.

”How could we possibly lose now?”

Nightbane ran through the scenario in his head, checking for flaws. He couldn’t find any.

But then he looked up—and something didn’t sit right.

He frowned.

He’d expected Laura and Lil’ Shroom to panic, to run the moment they saw the endless tide of zombies bearing down on them.

But instead... they were charging straight into it.

The two of them—slim, almost fragile-looking compared to the monstrous horde—were sprinting headlong into the chaos like they had a death wish.

”Are they insane?”

Nightbane’s gut twisted. Something was wrong. He could feel it. A creeping sense of dread began to settle in his chest.

Lil’ Shroom’s body was already surrounded by a cloud of fungal spores, her form blurring as the spores wrapped around her like armor. The ground beneath her pulsed with red tumors, and her mimics rose up, shifting into combat form.

She dove into the horde, spores swirling, fighting with everything she had.

Laura, on the other hand, looked almost... thrilled.

Her lips curled into a wild grin as she stared down the oncoming swarm. Then, in a flash, she vanished—blinking straight into the thick of it.

She became a blur of motion, a phantom on the battlefield. Wherever she passed, zombie heads flew through the air like popcorn.

”She’s a damn reaper...” Daisy muttered, her brow furrowing. She hadn’t expected them to be this fierce. This reckless.

”If you’re so eager to die... I’ll make it happen.”

With a flick of her wrist, Daisy unleashed a wave of pollen that drifted toward Lil’ Shroom like a pink mist. Wherever it touched the ground, delicate pink flowers bloomed—beautiful, but deadly.

The flowers tangled with the red tumors, the two forces clashing, draining each other’s energy. The tumors stopped shifting, locked in place. At the same time, Lil’ Shroom’s spores enveloped the pollen, preventing it from spreading further.

The two powers were canceling each other out.

But Lil’ Shroom was already deep in enemy territory, surrounded on all sides.

”Damn it...” she growled, baring her sharp teeth. The snarling faces of zombies closed in around her, and with no other choice, she went full melee—tearing into them with claws and teeth.

Meanwhile, Laura was starting to feel the pressure too.

She’d been slicing through the horde like a hot knife through butter—until a strange whisper brushed past her ear.

”Stop... now...”

The voice was soft, almost like a lullaby, but it carried a strange, hypnotic weight.

Her movements faltered. Her speed dropped. And worst of all—she couldn’t activate Phantom Dash.

In the middle of the chaos, a figure emerged—Deathspeaker Falseword.

His eyes locked onto Laura, his expression grim.

”This one’s too dangerous,” he thought. ”If we don’t stop her now, she’ll tear through everything...”

...