Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Mia coming to Blackhand City to hunt down Slade was already a suicide mission. Now she’d stirred up a hornet’s nest—Awakeners from the Black Hand Legion were crawling out of the woodwork.

Vanessa’s sharp eyes locked onto her. She was the first to speak, her voice cool and laced with sarcasm. ”Mia, Refugee Shelter 01, Los Angeles. The so-called ’Light of Humanity.’ I’ve heard the stories. Seeing you in person now... I’ll admit, you’ve got guts. Coming to Blackhand City to assassinate the leader of the Black Hand Legion? That takes nerve.”

Mia’s gaze didn’t waver. ”Oh, it’s not just him anymore. Looks like I’ll be adding a few more names to my list.”

Vanessa’s brow twitched. That was clearly aimed at her.

Even now, surrounded by the full force of the Black Hand Legion, Mia still had the audacity to talk like that.

”Hmph. I get it. You’re counting on that Zombie King of yours. But... I’m afraid he won’t be around much longer either.”

”Oh yeah?” Mia turned her head, eyes narrowing.

...

Behind them, the energy fluctuations were intense—violent, even.

Ethan was locked in combat with T-09.

T-09 was powerful, no doubt. But nowhere near Ethan’s level. Especially after burning through most of its energy right out of the gate with a fusion technique.

Now, its body was twisted and warped, bones bent at unnatural angles, synthetic skin peeling off in strips. It couldn’t even hold itself together anymore.

A deep crater had formed in its skull, exposing gleaming silver alloy beneath. Sparks arced across the surface—clear signs of critical damage.

Its glowing green eyes flickered, dimming like a dying lightbulb.

[Energy levels critical...]

[System malfunction detected...]

[Combat protocol error.]

”...”

Ethan looked down at the broken machine, now barely functioning. He raised the stone slab, ready to finish it off.

But just then, something shifted beneath his feet—a swirl of fine sand spun across the ground, then was swept away by a sudden gust.

Ethan paused. He felt it—a faint, strange energy ripple.

Then it grew stronger.

All around him, the wind picked up. Sand and dust began to whip in one direction, pulled by an unseen force.

Ethan turned his head.

On the horizon, a massive sandstorm had formed—when, he couldn’t say. It surged forward like a living thing, howling and relentless.

The storm twisted and writhed like a demon in motion, constantly shifting shape.

Ethan could feel it—something was inside. Something... alive.

Moments later, dark silhouettes began to emerge from the storm. Human-shaped. Walking slowly, steadily toward them.

As they drew closer, their features came into focus.

At the front was a young man—sharp features, cold expression. Beside him, a girl with long black-brown hair and a deceptively sweet face.

Behind them, three bald men—tall, muscular, and strikingly handsome.

Ethan recognized them instantly from Big Ears’ description. These were the human elites who’d wiped out five thousand zombies like it was nothing.

Then came the buzzing.

A swarm of drones lifted into the air behind them, thick as a cloud of bees. And below, more figures emerged—Awakeners from Genesis Biotech, all standing tall and proud, armed with Crystal Core Firearms.

The five led the charge, flanked by elite squads. Their steps were steady, deliberate, radiating pressure. And with every step, the sandstorm surged forward with them.

In seconds, the sky darkened. The sun vanished behind the wall of dust.

Ethan scanned the scene, eyes narrowing.

”Extremely dangerous...” he muttered.

No doubt about it—these five were Richard’s so-called ”Perfect Team.” The guy in front was Sable, a top-tier Awakener from The Awakened Files. His Meta-Ability made him a serious threat.

”Something’s not right...” Chris muttered from a distance, face smeared with dust, throat dry. He swallowed hard.

Every time he’d followed Ethan before, it had been a clean sweep—one-sided slaughter. But today? Today felt different.

Brandon’s brow was furrowed. ”Genesis Biotech and the Black Hand Legion showing up at the same time? I don’t care how strong Ethan and Mia are... this might be too much.”

”What? Then what the hell do we do?” Chris was starting to panic. He’d known Texas was dangerous, but was this really the end? He still had to get back and teach those Los Angeles Academy of Survival kids...

Sean and Leah crouched nearby, eyes scanning the chaos. Sean quickly raised a finger to his lips.

”Shhh... Don’t make a sound. They can’t see us.”

Leah just stared, wide-eyed.

...

On the battlefield, two powerful factions had emerged—one targeting Ethan, the other gunning for Mia. Both came with blood in their eyes. The air was thick with tension, like the whole place was wired with explosives, just waiting for a spark.

Then one of them stepped forward.

”So, we finally meet, Zombie King of Los Angeles,” the young man said, his voice calm but laced with menace. ”I’m Sable, from Genesis Biotech’s Global Headquarters.”

Ethan gave a slow nod, eyes narrowing. ”Well, would you look at that… dinner just introduced itself.”

From a distance, Chris and the others watched the scene unfold, their faces pale with shock.

”Did you hear that?” Chris whispered. ”They’re from Genesis Biotech’s Global Headquarters. No wonder they’re giving off that kind of pressure!”

”Yeah,” Brandon agreed, his voice low. ”That Sable guy… he’s definitely not here to play. I’d bet he’s at least SS-rank. He came prepared.”

Sean tilted his head, squinting. ”Wait… did someone just say something about dinner?”

”...”

Sable chuckled at Ethan’s remark, flashing a grin that didn’t reach his eyes. ”Careful. I might be a little tough to chew. Hope you’ve got strong teeth.”

Ethan’s expression didn’t change. ”Guess we’ll find out.”

The moment the words left his mouth, he struck.

A wave of deathly energy exploded outward—Domain of the Dead—a terrifying force that surged forward like a tidal wave, blasting through the swirling sand.

Sable’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t dare hold back.

”Domain of Sand!” he shouted, activating his Absolute Domain.

The ground beneath him instantly turned to sand, rising up in massive waves to meet Ethan’s attack head-on.

The two Domains collided with a deafening boom, the air itself compressing under the force. A sonic shockwave ripped through the battlefield, like the sky itself was roaring in fury.

”Quicksand Surge!” Sable’s fingers flashed through a series of seals, and his energy surged again.

The sand beneath Ethan’s feet suddenly gave way, collapsing into a massive pit—like the earth had opened its jaws to swallow him whole.

But Ethan didn’t flinch. He pushed his Domain of the Dead even harder, and the sheer force of it flattened the pit, reshaping the terrain entirely.

Before he could catch his breath, the swirling sands around him twisted and rose, forming into towering giants—over a hundred feet tall—each one a hulking mass of sand with fists the size of trucks.

The sand giants raised their arms and brought them crashing down.

Ethan swung the stone slab in his hand. A blinding light burst forth, forming a unique energy field that tore through the giants like a buzzsaw, reducing them to clouds of dust.

The sand rained down like a waterfall, blanketing the battlefield.

”Holy crap… they’re both monsters,” Chris muttered, eyes wide.

Brandon nodded slowly, stunned. ”That was just a warm-up. And it already looks like the world’s ending.”

”And that’s just one guy from the Perfect Team,” Chris added, voice barely above a whisper.

The sky was now completely blotted out by the storm of sand. The sun had vanished behind a curtain of dust and chaos.

Leah stared in awe, her voice barely audible. ”What kind of ability even is that…?”

”I dunno,” Sean said, squinting. ”But I swear I heard ’Domain of Sand…wich.’ I think I’m hungry.”

”...” Leah’s face went flat.

”Shut up, Sean.”

...