Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Sable could only watch in horror as the raging figure barreled toward him, getting closer by the second. The pressure was so overwhelming that the very space around him seemed to freeze—he couldn’t move an inch.

And then, that crushing wave of destruction finally hit.

BOOM!

The ground within a 300-foot radius collapsed with a thunderous roar, deep cracks spiderwebbing outward like shattered glass.

The sand that had been suspended in the air came raining down in sheets. The power of the Absolute Domain shattered completely, like the curtain falling on a spectacular performance—its final act complete.

Sable was gone, buried beneath the broken stone.

He’d already burned through most of his strength unleashing his ultimate attack. There was no way he could stand up to Ethan now.

As the shockwaves of the battle faded, Ethan’s powerful frame emerged once more into view.

Only now, he held something new in his hand—a dark yellow crystal core, pulsing with dense, pure elemental energy.

”Hunt complete,” he said coolly.

…

Richard and the others stood frozen, stunned speechless.

Two of their top-tier Awakened from The Awakened Files were dead. The remaining three Cyborgs were drained of energy, barely able to stand, let alone fight.

Which meant one thing—Richard’s long-planned, meticulously crafted ”Perfect Team Project” had just gone up in smoke.

”No… No, this can’t be happening!” he muttered, refusing to believe it.

”Richard, looks like Sable and the others were already running on fumes,” his assistant said quietly.

”Shut up!”

Richard snapped, unable to accept the crushing reality. His voice cracked with desperation. ”We still have people left, don’t we? Attack! Just hold out a little longer—if we can take down that Zombie King, we still have a shot!”

”Uh…”

The people around him exchanged uneasy glances.

It was clear Richard had taken too big a hit—he was starting to lose it.

”If we kill the Los Angeles Zombie King, we’ll be the strongest force in America! We’ll have unlimited resources at our feet! What the hell are you all waiting for?!” he shouted.

ROOOAAARRR—!

But before anyone could move, a deafening roar erupted like a tidal wave crashing down from the heavens. It was wild, thunderous, and filled with manic excitement.

”Our boss won!”

”Of course he did—he’s the boss!”

”Man, the enemy was weak as hell. The second he got serious, it was over.”

”Not a single one of them could put up a real fight.”

”Lame.”

The other Zombie Kings, led by Bulldozer, howled in triumph. Some even looked disappointed, like the show ended too soon. To make up for it, they turned their attention to the remaining Genesis Biotech Awakeners—eager to kill a few themselves and scratch that itch.

”Kill them all!”

The Zombie Kings regrouped, rallying their massive horde—hundreds of thousands strong—and charged the human lines in a wave of unstoppable fury.s were no longer the ”strongest defense.” They were now just a ”broken line.”

In the chaos, the Elegy Zombie King raised her voice in a fierce, soaring battle song. Her melody echoed across the battlefield, growing louder and more intense. Vines surged forward, fungal spores burst into the air, and Genesis Biotech’s Awakeners dropped one after another, screaming as they were torn apart by a dozen different methods.

And from their corpses, delicate pink flowers began to bloom.

”We can’t hold them! Fall back!”

”Screw honor—we need to survive!”

”Run! Just run!”

”...!”

The Awakeners from Genesis Biotech had completely lost the will to fight. Panic spread like wildfire as they broke ranks and fled, each one desperate to escape the nightmare battlefield.

”Get back here! All of you, get the hell back here!” Richard screamed, his hair disheveled, voice raw with fury. He spun toward his assistant and barked, ”Anyone who tries to run—kill them! Kill them all!”

But no one answered.

He turned around.

”…Huh? Where’s my assistant?”

…

Even Richard’s most loyal aides had abandoned him. The empire he’d spent years building—Genesis Biotech’s North American division, a corporate titan—collapsed in an instant.

Everything he’d worked for was gone. Hollow-eyed and broken, Richard slowly sank to his knees atop the armored vehicle.

Awakeners sprinted past him in a frenzy, barely sparing him a glance. Ahead, the zombie horde surged like a tidal wave, swallowing the land.

And yet Richard just knelt there, motionless, like a ghost in the middle of a storm.

Then, a deep, magnetic voice spoke behind him.

”It’s over.”

”…What?”

Richard turned his head slowly. Ethan was walking toward him, calm and composed, a faint, bitter smile tugging at Richard’s lips.

”You won. But don’t get too comfortable.”

”Oh? Got any last words?” Ethan asked, voice low and steady.

The once-proud head of Genesis Biotech’s North American HQ—now reduced to a pitiful wreck.

Ethan didn’t stop walking. He stepped right up to Richard, raised the Star Map tablet in his hand, and brought it down—ending Richard’s story in a single, merciful blow.

…

But beyond the clash between the zombies and Genesis Biotech, there was a third faction caught in the chaos: the Black Hand Legion.

According to the Genesis Biotech Awakeners, they were nothing more than a ragtag bunch of mercenaries. Even their five so-called leaders were barely on par with fourth-gen Cyborgs.

Their rank-and-file were even worse—cowards at heart, each one following the unspoken rule: ”Save yourself, screw everyone else.” The moment the tide turned against them, they were already looking for exits.

So when the zombie horde hit them in waves, they crumbled like wet paper.

”Damn it! Looks like this is the end of the line,” Vanessa cursed under her breath, eyes darting around like a cornered fox. She was already planning her escape.

But the second she turned to run, a figure stepped into her path.

Thin frame. Wild, tangled hair. One arm gleamed with silver alloy, its clawed blade slick with fresh blood.

Laura.

The same Laura whose arm had been severed by Slade, the Black Hand Legion’s leader. And now, she was here for payback.

A cruel smile curled across Laura’s lips.

”Shit,” Vanessa muttered. She knew she didn’t stand a chance against Laura. She pivoted, ready to bolt in another direction—

But it was too late.

Bulldozer’s massive form loomed ahead, and from every side came the other Zombie Kings—Little Shadow, Lil’ Shroom, Sprout—closing in like a noose.

Behind them, elite zombies poured in, sealing off every escape route.

Vanessa froze. She knew exactly why they were here.

They were here to settle a score.

”Slade, you bastard… you really dragged me down with you,” she muttered bitterly. Surrounded by the most powerful zombies on the battlefield, she knew there was no way out.

But as a leader of the Black Hand Legion, she’d already made peace with death.

ROAR!

With a savage cry, the Zombie Kings lunged.

Vanessa didn’t resist. Instead, in her final moments, she pulled out her phone and began typing a message. Just before the horde engulfed her, she hit send.

…

Ding ding ding!

In Blackhand City, Sophia’s phone buzzed suddenly. She jumped like a startled rabbit and snatched it up.

The first thing she saw was: ”Run!”

”Did… did the battle go south?” she whispered, brows furrowing as she read the sender’s name—Vanessa.

It was clear now. The zombies were slaughtering the humans. Blackhand City had fallen.

”Vanessa… is she dead?”

A strange emptiness bloomed in Sophia’s chest. She’d always had mixed feelings about Vanessa—resentment, even dislike—but now that she was gone, Sophia felt something she couldn’t quite name.

Because even in her final moments… Vanessa had thought of her.

”But… where am I supposed to run to?”

She scrolled down and saw another line beneath the warning.

An address.

Outside the U.S., tucked away in a remote mountain range—a private estate.

”…What is this place?”

...