Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”Is this really the time to be cracking jokes?”

Leah couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of unease. The Black Hand Legion had mobilized in full force, and Genesis Biotech had sent in a powerhouse of their own. Things were spiraling out of control—fast.

If this dragged on much longer, the consequences could be catastrophic.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Mia was already locked in combat with the Black Hand Legion. Dozens of their members unleashed their powers, lighting up the field with a barrage of elemental attacks—fireballs, ice spikes, and more came flying at her like a storm, raining down from every direction.

There was no way Mia could take them head-on. She darted sideways, weaving through the open terrain at breakneck speed. Fireballs exploded behind her, ice spikes shattered against the ground, but none of them managed to land a hit.

Earthen walls and frost barriers erupted from the ground in front of her, trying to block her path—but she either sliced through them with a single stroke or vaulted over them with ease.

She moved like a phantom through the chaos, dodging every attack with uncanny precision.

From a distance, it looked like she was standing in the middle of a storm of abilities—explosions booming, the ground trembling, smoke and dust billowing into the air.

Slade watched with smug satisfaction, arms crossed, a cocky grin spreading across his face like he was already celebrating victory.

”Still trying to kill me?” he sneered.

”How naive can you be?”

”You’re tough, sure—but so what? Being tough means jack shit when you’re outnumbered a thousand to one. Numbers win wars, sweetheart.”

The Black Hand Legion kept up their relentless assault. All it would take was one slip-up, one moment of fatigue, and Mia would be swallowed by the storm of attacks. Her stamina wouldn’t last forever. Eventually, she’d falter.

And when she did, they’d bury her.

Amid the shockwaves and explosions, Mia looked like a lone boat caught in a raging sea, tossed and battered by the chaos around her.

But then—suddenly—she stopped.

Her high-speed movement came to an abrupt halt. She lifted her head, eyes flashing with a cold, deadly light, and stared straight at the heart of the Black Hand Legion.

Then she crouched low, like a predator ready to pounce—and launched herself straight at them.

The sudden shift caught the Legion completely off guard.

”She’s charging us?!”

”Is she insane? There’s like ten thousand of us!”

”She’s seriously going in alone?!”

”Kill her! Now!”

Panic rippled through the ranks as they ramped up their attacks, throwing everything they had at her.

No one had expected this. They thought she’d keep her distance, maybe even retreat. But instead, she’d gone full berserker—charging headfirst into the entire Black Hand Legion.

Even Vanessa, watching from the sidelines, couldn’t hide the flicker of admiration in her eyes. As a fellow woman, she felt a surge of respect for Mia’s sheer audacity.

The skillstorm was so dense that some of the attacks finally landed. Fireballs slammed into Mia’s body, ice spikes and thorny roots pierced through her limbs. Blood poured from her wounds, soaking her clothes. Her pain levels spiked—but so did her cellular activity.

The killing factor inside her was about to erupt.

Since the apocalypse began, Mia had been evolving—her body tougher, her endurance off the charts. She was nowhere near her limit.

Her speed surged again, faster than the eye could follow. The Black Hand Legion couldn’t even track her anymore—it was like a hurricane had blown through their ranks.

And then she was in the middle of them.

Close combat—that was her domain.

Her Tachi blade crackled with lightning as she swung it in wide arcs, cutting through enemies like a scythe through wheat. Bodies were cleaved in half, blood sprayed like fountains, limbs flew, and entrails spilled across the battlefield.

”Holy shit... she’s incredible,” Vanessa whispered, unable to look away.

Her admiration deepened. Mia’s face—beautiful, cold, and now splattered with crimson—looked like a masterpiece painted in blood.

A strange feeling stirred in Vanessa’s chest. Something like awe. Something like... longing.

But she knew better.

They were from two different worlds—Mia, a survivor from the refugee sanctuary; Vanessa, a soldier of the Black Hand Legion. Natural-born enemies.

Whatever she felt... it could never be.

”Some things are just never meant to be, no matter how badly you want them,” Vanessa murmured to herself, a wave of melancholy washing over her. She forced herself to shut down the feelings that had started to bloom—there was no room for admiration, no space for longing. Not here. Not now.

”I really do like you... but I’m sorry.”

A surge of immense psychic energy radiated from Vanessa’s mind, forming a mental barrier that shot toward Mia like an invisible net.

In an instant, the air around Mia thickened, turning heavy and sluggish. It was like she’d been dropped into quicksand—every movement became a struggle, her momentum slowed, and her killing spree ground to a crawl.

Each step now drained her more than the last. Her stamina was bleeding out fast.

”Perfect,” Slade said from a short distance away, clearly pleased. The top commanders had decided—it was time to end this.

”Noose of Shadows!”

Darkness erupted from beneath Slade’s feet, spreading outward like a living thing. It was a new technique he’d recently mastered—an offensive form of Shadowmancy, and one of his deadliest tricks.

The shadows twisted and writhed, morphing into a monstrous serpent with jagged fangs and coiling limbs. It lunged at Mia, wrapping around her body with terrifying speed.

Already slowed by Vanessa’s psychic grip, Mia could barely move.

The shadow snake slithered up her body and coiled tightly around her neck, solidifying into something tangible. It began to constrict—fast.

A crushing wave of suffocation slammed into her. Her lungs screamed for air. Her body crackled with strain, pain spiking through her nerves. The pain meter on her wristband jumped again—77%.

”How’s that feel?” Slade snarled. ”Regretting going up against me now?”

But Mia’s eyes didn’t show fear. If anything, they gleamed with something else—excitement.

”Actually... this is perfect.”

”What?” Slade’s brow furrowed. Something was wrong.

A pulse rippled through Mia’s body. A faint red mist began to swirl around her—blood energy, the sign that her cells had reached peak activation.

Then, with a sudden burst, the shadows binding her shattered like glass.

Even Vanessa’s psychic grip faltered, dissolving into nothing.

Mia exploded forward like a beast unchained, a blur of motion and raw power, heading straight for Slade. Her presence hit like a shockwave, knocking Black Hand Legion soldiers aside like bowling pins.

She was a force of nature.

Her Tachi blade crackled with lightning as she carved a path through the chaos, slicing down anyone in her way. Blood sprayed, bodies flew, and then—she was on him.

”Slash.”

Slade’s eyes went wide. He tried to move, to react, to do anything—but it was too late. A cold wave of dread swept over him.

He knew. No one was coming to save him. Death had arrived.

Shhk!

The Tachi sliced through his neck like it was nothing. His head flew clean off, spinning through the air. Blood gushed from the stump of his neck like a geyser.

His body crumpled backward, lifeless.

Mia stood alone, drenched in blood, surrounded by the stunned silence of a battlefield. She had walked into the heart of an army—and taken the head of their commander.

The Black Hand Legion soldiers instinctively stepped back.

”She’s a monster...”

”She actually killed Boss Slade!”

”What the hell do we do now?”

”Maybe we should... fall back?”

”...Yeah, screw this.”

Despite their individual strength, the Legion wasn’t exactly known for unity. Most of them were already looking for someone else to throw under the bus.

But just as a few of them started whispering about retreat, a sudden spike of psychic energy tore through the air—sharp and merciless.

It took the form of a mental spike, like a steel drill, and slammed straight into their minds.

”AAAHHH—!”

They screamed in agony, clutching their heads as they collapsed to the ground. Their faces twisted in pain, their bodies convulsing. Death came quickly—and cruelly.

Vanessa’s voice rang out, cold and absolute.

”Anyone who retreats... dies.”

...