Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Because Ethan’s zombie minions had the upper hand, all he had to do was stall for time to win. There was no need to go head-to-head—it’d be a waste of energy with no payoff. After all, these guys were seriously dangerous.

Sable clenched his jaw. Damn, this Zombie King was slick. She’d tried to rile him up, play some mind games.

But he wasn’t biting.

His Domain of Sand was powerful, and with three Cyborgs backing him up, it barely held its own against the Domain of the Dead. But actually hurting him? That was a whole different story.

Taking him down? Nearly impossible.

And to make things worse, Bloodrose—the strongest attacker in the Perfect Team—was tangled up in a fight with another human woman. That had caught them completely off guard. No one saw that coming.

How the hell was a shelter-dwelling Awakener holding her own against one of the top-tier elites from The Awakened Files?

”Bloodrose! Quit wasting time and finish her off already!” Sable barked.

”Don’t rush me! I’m on it!” Bloodrose growled through gritted teeth, her eyes burning with fury. She was clearly pissed now.

This woman in front of her was proving to be a real pain in the ass.

Looks like it’s time to go all in...

”Screw it—I’ll just spend the next two months in bed after this!” Bloodrose muttered, steeling herself. The blood-red glow in her eyes flared again, swallowing up the whites completely. A thick aura of bloodlust surged around her, making her presence even more terrifying.

She’d already burned through seventy percent of her blood reserves. Her whole body was practically boiling.

The wound on her shoulder, which had been pretty bad, was now healing right before their eyes, thanks to the surge of blood energy.

”She’s getting stronger again!” Chris gasped, eyes wide.

Brandon looked worried. ”Mia’s weapon’s already broken, and her body’s close to the limit. I don’t know how much longer she can hold out.”

”Should we... go help her?” Chris suggested hesitantly.

Brandon shook his head. ”With the power Bloodrose is putting out now, I can’t control her blood anymore. It’s way too dangerous. She could probably kill me with a flick of her wrist.”

”Yeah... good point,” Chris agreed, grimacing.

At this level of combat, there wasn’t much they could do.

Mia stood alone in the open field, her slender figure streaked with dried blood. It clung to her face like a crimson mask.

From the moment she took down Slade, she hadn’t had a moment’s rest. It had been one brutal fight after another, and her body was starting to feel the toll.

And now Bloodrose was stronger than ever—and charging straight at her. Her figure blurred, leaving afterimages in her wake as she slashed with her Stellar Fang katana, the blade gleaming as it cut through the air.

Mia, unarmed, had no way to block the strike. She dodged back just in time, narrowly avoiding the deadly arc.

”Hah! Looks like you’re just like that Zombie King—only good at running away!”

”What did you say? I’m like him?” Mia’s brows furrowed, her expression darkening. That hit a nerve. She wasn’t like him. She wasn’t the type to run from responsibility. How could she be compared to him?

Her body surged forward. She reached out with her long, slender fingers, like iron claws, aiming straight for Bloodrose’s throat.

Bloodrose’s eyes lit up with glee.

So she’s not like the Zombie King after all... He doesn’t get angry. But she does.

”Then die already!” Bloodrose snarled, thrusting her Stellar Fang katana forward. The blade sliced through the air like a shooting star, deadly and precise.

She was sure this strike would pierce Mia’s throat.

But at the last second, Mia’s hand twisted, catching the blade with her bare fingers.

Shhk!

Bloodrose’s strength was overwhelming. The blade sliced through Mia’s palm and stabbed deep into her shoulder.

Blood gushed out in a crimson spray.

Already injured, Mia now had a fresh wound to deal with.

Her wristband’s readout jumped again: 93%.

Her breathing grew heavy, each exhale puffing out a visible white mist—her body was nearing its limit, her cells burning at full throttle.

The pain was so intense, it made every pore on her body open wide.

But instead of backing down, Mia’s lips curled into a wild, unhinged grin.

She was right on the edge of losing control.

”You...”

Bloodrose’s eyes widened in disbelief. She could feel it—Mia had gotten stronger. Not just stronger—she was now clearly more powerful than her.

Bloodrose gritted her teeth and tried to yank her katana free from Mia’s grip. She pulled once. Twice. Nothing. The blade didn’t budge an inch.

”What the hell kind of strength is this?!”

She clenched her jaw tighter, pouring more power into her arms. Blood energy surged violently around her, crackling like a storm.

If it had been any ordinary blade, Mia probably would’ve snapped it in half by now. But this was Stellar Fang, forged from a meteorite that fell from the stars—nearly indestructible.

For a moment, the two women were locked in a dead heat, neither giving an inch.

Then Mia moved.

Her free hand shot forward, fingers curling into a tight fist. With a sudden burst of force, she drove it straight into Bloodrose’s abdomen.

WHAM!

The impact echoed like a thunderclap. Bloodrose, along with her katana, was launched into the air, her body arcing like a ragdoll before crashing hard into the ground.

The clash had pushed Mia’s pain threshold even higher—her wristband now read 95%.

Her body swayed, her vision blurring. Conscious thought was slipping away, leaving only raw instinct. But with that came something else—she was nearing her peak.

”Damn it...!”

Bloodrose snarled, dragging herself up from the dirt. Her once-sleek hair was now a wild, tangled mess. That sweet, doll-like face had twisted into something unhinged.

She hadn’t expected Mia to power up too.

And now she realized—Mia’s strength grew with her pain. The more she suffered, the stronger she became.

”Don’t tell me... we’re really gonna have to push this to the edge?” Bloodrose muttered, picking up Stellar Fang again. Her fingers clenched so tightly around the hilt that veins bulged across the back of her hand, pulsing with blood.

Her hair lifted as if caught in an invisible wind. Her eyes turned a deep, glowing crimson, and from every pore on her body, a fine mist of blood began to seep out.

She was on the verge of unlocking her final form.

”Bloodrose! Stop!” Sable shouted, alarmed.

If Bloodrose went through with it—if she burned all her blood—she’d only get one shot. One devastating attack. After that, her body would collapse.

Sable had been counting on him to take out the Zombie King. If she went down now, there’d be no hope of killing the Los Angeles Zombie King. And once that happened, everyone in the Genesis Biotech faction would be swallowed by the undead tide.

Then, an idea sparked in Sable’s mind.

Forget the Zombie King for now. What if she and Bloodrose teamed up to take out the woman first?

If the Zombie King tried to intervene, that’d be the perfect chance to trap him. They could throw everything they had at him and end it right here.

Of course, Sable wasn’t holding her breath.

Zombie Kings were cold-blooded monsters. Why would one risk himself to save a human woman?

Still, even if he didn’t step in, taking the woman out would weaken their side. And once Bloodrose was free, they could regroup and strike again.

No hesitation. Sable acted.

The power of her Absolute Domain surged around her, kicking up a storm of sand and dust that spiraled into the air before slamming down between the two women like a miniature sandstorm.

”Bloodrose, hold back a bit. I’ll help you finish this,” Sable said, turning her head.

”Oh, fine,” Bloodrose nodded, exhaling sharply. She wasn’t eager to use her ultimate move unless she absolutely had to.

Sable turned to face Mia, and even he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of awe. The pressure rolling off this woman was unreal. She was strong enough to be listed in The Awakened Files—no question.

”But today... I’m sorry.”

...