Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The zombie horde surged through Los Angeles like a tidal wave, and Ethan was right at the center of it. Flanking him were the likes of Bulldozer and PhD—Zombie Kings in their own right—tearing through everything in their path like a wrecking ball through glass.

With Nightbane gone, there was no one left to stand in their way. No force, no creature, no power could slow Ethan down now.

Under the suffocating shroud of the Domain of the Dead, zombies were shredded like meat in a blender, their remains flung in every direction. Even the pink floral sea conjured by Daisy, the Zombie Queen, was crushed into dust, her blossoms withering into nothing.

High above the chaos, Hellhound darted through the air, but in the next instant, a crushing pressure slammed into him like a freight train. His body dropped, heavy and sluggish.

Panic flared in Hellhound’s eyes. He twisted around—and there was Ethan, wielding the Star Map tablet, charging straight at him.

”Shit!”

The Domain of the Dead had already locked him down. Escape was no longer an option.

Ethan launched himself into the air, raising the Star Map tablet high above his head like a baseball bat, aiming for a home run—right on Hellhound’s skull.

Hellhound couldn’t dodge. All he could do was throw up a desperate defense.

WHAM!

The impact echoed like a thunderclap. Hellhound was sent flying like a baseball off a bat, hurtling hundreds of feet before crashing to the ground like a ragdoll. His mutated bones were tough, sure—but nowhere near tough enough to withstand the Star Map’s raw power. The blow shattered him. Bones cracked, organs ruptured. He was done. Out of the fight.

Agonizing pain wracked his body. He screamed, writhing on the ground. Jagged bone fragments pierced through his skin, and dark, foul blood oozed from the wounds.

”Ugh… it hurts…”

That was the only thought left in his mind.

But then—he smelled it.

That goddamn smell.

A stench so vile, so familiar, it made his stomach churn and his soul recoil.

”What the hell—?”

Hellhound’s eyes widened in horror. His worst nightmare had returned. He looked up—and there was Sean, eyes gleaming with mischief, one hand pinching his nose, the other holding a glass jar filled with some black, sludgy liquid.

”Hehehehe…” Sean’s laugh was pure nightmare fuel. ”Here, lemme pour you a drink.”

”????” Hellhound’s face twisted in confusion and dread.

And then—Sean dumped the entire jar of putrid liquid right onto Hellhound’s face.

The stench was indescribable.

”AAAAAARRRGHHHHHHHHHH!”

Hellhound’s scream tore through the sky. He thrashed like a cat thrown into a bathtub, flailing in pure, unfiltered horror. The pain was forgotten—this was worse.

”What the hell was that?!” Daisy and the other San Diego zombies whipped their heads around at the sound of the scream. When they saw Hellhound’s state, their faces went pale.

”Holy shit…”

”That’s brutal.”

”...”

”Please, let the boss finish this soon,” Daisy prayed silently. She was barely holding on herself.

Up ahead, Ethan advanced like a walking apocalypse, the Domain of the Dead swirling around him like a stormcloud of death.

Daisy clenched her jaw, her fangs digging into her lip. Her eyes burned with resolve. No matter what happened—she wasn’t backing down.

Then the Domain hit her.

It was like a mountain crashing down on her shoulders. Her body creaked and cracked under the pressure.

The pink flower field around her was torn apart like paper in a hurricane. Petals and leaves scattered into the wind.

And there she stood—Daisy, the Zombie Queen—still holding her ground in the middle of the storm. A tragic, beautiful figure refusing to fall.

Have you ever given everything for someone else?

”Aaaaaahhh!” she screamed to the heavens.

Her already broken body was pushed past its limits. The pink blossom atop her head began to wilt and die. No matter how beautiful a flower is—it always fades in the end.

Ethan was closing in. She could feel death breathing down her neck.

But then—light.

A blinding white beam shot into the sky behind her, and with it came a wave of overwhelming power that swept across the battlefield.

The pillar of light grew brighter and brighter, cutting through the darkness like a blade. It lit up the night sky until it looked like midday.

For a moment, it was as if the world had flipped—night turned to day.

”Did the Ritual Array just activate?”

”That energy… it’s insane!” Bulldozer and the other Zombie Kings from L.A. stared up at the sky, unease creeping into their hearts.

Even Ethan paused, his cold eyes narrowing as he looked up.

The clouds above churned violently, spinning like a vortex. Space itself seemed to twist and tear, as if something—something massive—was about to break through from another world.

”Hahahahahaha! The Ritual Array’s activated! You’re all screwed!” Daisy lay broken on the ground, laughing like a maniac, her voice cracked and wild with pain and triumph.

Ethan didn’t even glance at her. He swept past, leading the unstoppable tide of zombies straight toward the heart of the Ritual Array.

All along the streets, the blood-red sigils etched into the pavement began to glow, one after another, like serpents slithering to life. The towering pillar of white light in the distance pulsed with growing intensity, its power climbing to terrifying heights.

Moments later, Ethan reached the core of the Ritual Array.

The ground beneath him was covered in intricate patterns—arcane, almost alien, like magical runes—and now, every single one of them was lit up, bathed in that blinding white radiance. The entire area felt like a sacrificial altar.

And there, standing before the beam of light, was Nightbane.

He looked like he’d been waiting for this moment forever. His face was flushed with excitement, eyes wild with anticipation.

”You’re too late,” he sneered. ”This battle’s already over. I’ve won!”

”You’re a fool,” Ethan said coldly, his voice low and steady. Something about this Ritual Array felt… wrong.

”What?” Nightbane’s eyes narrowed, confusion flickering across his face.

”You really think activating this thing is gonna hand you the power to rule the world? This isn’t a gift. It’s a trap.”

From the moment the Ritual Array had activated, Ethan had sensed something off. The energy it was channeling wasn’t empowering—it was tearing something open. It wasn’t summoning strength. It was opening a door.

A door to hell.

”No. No, that’s bullshit! You’re just trying to scare me!” Nightbane snapped, refusing to believe it.

He’d followed the instructions from that mysterious extraterrestrial signal to the letter. Activate the Ritual Array, and you gain the power to dominate the planet. That was the promise.

But now, as the light intensified and the sky above the beam twisted into a vortex of chaos, even he could feel it—something was wrong.

The clouds churned violently. Space itself cracked and shattered. Lightning danced through the void, and a suffocating, primal aura began to seep out.

A presence.

A monstrous, ancient presence.

”It’s coming… it’s finally coming,” Nightbane whispered, half in awe, half in dread.

Then, from within the swirling chaos, a voice echoed—raspy, guttural, and impossibly loud. It boomed like thunder, slamming into the hearts of every zombie present, shaking them to their core.

Even the strongest among them flinched.

A shadow began to form in the sky. Humanoid. Faint at first, but growing clearer by the second.

It was tall and gaunt, its body twisted and skeletal. Its face was a roadmap of deep wrinkles, like a corpse that had been rotting for centuries. But its mouth was lined with razor-sharp fangs, and its eyes—its eyes were oceans of bloodlust, swirling with endless carnage.

Even Nightbane took a step back, his breath catching in his throat.

”What… what the hell is that? Where’s the power I was promised?!”

He could feel it now. This wasn’t what he’d been told. This wasn’t some divine gift of strength. This was something else entirely.

Something ancient.

Something wrong.

The creature’s aura was overwhelming—far beyond SS-class. It wasn’t even clear what kind of being it was. But there was something… familiar. A faint trace of zombie energy, twisted and corrupted beyond recognition.

”Who are you?” Nightbane demanded, his voice cracking. ”Are you… another Zombie King?”

The figure chuckled, low and menacing.

”No,” it said, voice like gravel dragged across steel. ”I don’t care for that title. You may call me… The Voidborn Undying.”

The name hit like a hammer. The air itself seemed to recoil.

The creature’s form grew more solid with every passing second, its power still climbing. The Ritual Array was feeding it, not Nightbane. It was the true beneficiary of the ritual.

And it was still only halfway through its descent.

God only knew what it would become once it fully arrived.

”Wait—can you give me power?” Nightbane asked, desperation creeping into his voice. ”That’s what this was for, right? Give me the power! I did everything right!”

The Voidborn Undying smiled.

It was the kind of smile that made your blood run cold.

”So naïve…”

...