Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The aircraft cruised smoothly through the sky. The trip from the U.S. to the island would take about two and a half hours. Somewhere along the way, Oliver swapped out a crystal core to keep the energy flowing.

Mia’s team had a new addition—Elara. Naturally, everyone was curious about her. They took turns chatting her up, trying to dig into her background, her age, where she came from, what she’d been through.

Elara handled it all with grace. She smiled politely, answered every question with poise. She was beautiful, smart, and clearly well-educated—so it didn’t take long for the group to warm up to her.

Even Ethan had to admit—she’d make a pretty ”decent” tool.

As they left U.S. airspace and soared over the ocean, the once-clear skies began to darken. The light dimmed, like someone had slowly turned the dial from day to night.

Thunderclouds rolled in, rumbling ominously. The aircraft started to shake, jolting with each gust of wind.

Below them, the ocean turned into a churning black abyss. Towering waves crashed and twisted into massive whirlpools, like the sea itself was trying to swallow the sky. From the center of one vortex, a deep, monstrous roar echoed up—something ancient and furious.

”Holy crap, that’s terrifying…” Chris muttered, pressing his face to the window.

Sean took a bite of his apple and said casually, ”There’s definitely a Godzilla down there.”

”Honestly? Wouldn’t be surprised,” Chris replied, not even joking. Back when they fought the Azure Scaled, a giant zombie Marine Iguana had shown up. That thing was a nightmare.

And now, after all this time since the apocalypse, who knew what kind of monsters had evolved? Probably something even worse.

”Uncle Chris, wanna go for a swim?” Brandon teased with a grin.

”Eugh—hell no!” Chris shook his head so fast it was a blur.

Out there, even a random wave could be over a hundred feet tall. Compared to that, humans were nothing—just ants waiting to be crushed.

If they actually crashed into the ocean, there’d be no coming back.

”Wait—what if the Radiant Crystal falls into the sea?” Brandon suddenly asked, eyes wide.

”Hey! Don’t jinx it, you little crow!” Chris snapped, clearly rattled. He didn’t even want to imagine that scenario.

BOOM!

Right then, the aircraft lurched violently, dropping over twenty feet in an instant before leveling out again.

Loose items clattered around the cabin. Everyone stumbled, nearly falling over.

”What the hell was that?!” Chris shouted, panicked, looking around.

Oliver’s face was grim. ”We’ve hit a major air current. There’s a Category 14 typhoon ahead—surrounding the island of Tasmania. The storm’s massive.”

”What?!” Chris and the others stared at him, stunned.

Ethan stepped up to the window, his eyes narrowing. Outside, a swirling hurricane wrapped around the island like a living wall. The clouds churned, lightning flashed inside them, thunder cracked like the sky was splitting open. It looked like the end of the world.

”There’s no way we can fly through that storm,” Oliver said, turning to Ethan. ”What do we do, sir?”

Ethan’s answer was calm. ”Doesn’t matter. We’re going straight through.”

”Uh… okay!” Oliver hesitated for just a second, then nodded. If Ethan said it, he must have a plan.

He slammed a red button on the console, cranking the transmitter power to max. The aircraft’s blue tail flame flared out over thirty feet, blazing like a comet as it shot straight into the heart of the storm.

”The storm’s here. No turning back now!” Sean shouted, fired up.

The aircraft plunged into the hurricane. The turbulence was brutal—metal groaned, the whole frame shuddered like it was about to be torn apart.

Then, in the next instant, Ethan closed his eyes and focused. A pulse of raw power rippled out from him—his Domain of the Dead.

The pressure was overwhelming. The air itself seemed to freeze. The howling winds stopped dead, like someone had hit pause on the storm. Even the space around them felt locked in place.

With just his presence, Ethan held back a Category 14 typhoon—like it was nothing.

”Amazing…” Elara adjusted her glasses, eyes fixed on Ethan with a spark of intrigue. No wonder he’s the strongest Zombie King in the U.S., she thought. But what kind of body could generate that kind of power? If the opportunity ever came up… could she study him?

Within just a few seconds, the aircraft had pierced through the storm and emerged above the island.

Inside the eye of the hurricane, everything was eerily calm—like they’d stepped into another world.

Even Chris and the others looked around, unsettled by the sudden stillness.

”This is… unreal.”

But when they looked out the windows, all they could see was a thick, gray haze. The entire perimeter was shrouded in fog—dense, impenetrable. Nothing was visible. No landmarks, no sky, no ground. Just a blank, colorless void.

”We’ve lost our bearings,” Oliver said, scanning the instruments.

”Then let’s land,” Ethan replied coolly. ”We’ll figure things out once we’re on the ground.”

”Roger that,” Oliver responded, immediately guiding the aircraft into descent mode.

But with visibility near zero, everyone felt a creeping unease settle in.

Chris muttered under his breath, ”There’s not… something in this fog, right? Like a monster or something?”

As if summoned by his words, a sharp, high-pitched screech echoed from deep within the mist—followed by more. Dozens. Maybe hundreds. The sound grew louder, closer, like a swarm of flying creatures was heading straight for them.

”Uncle Chris, I swear, you are the jinx,” Brandon said, frowning.

”Oliver, what the hell is that in the fog?” Chris asked, voice rising.

Oliver stared at the control panel, baffled. ”The radar’s getting hit with some kind of interference. It’s useless—completely blind.”

”What?!” Chris and the others were stunned.

With the radar down, the aircraft was flying blind—and whatever was out there, it was coming fast.

The screeching intensified, now right outside. They hadn’t even touched down yet, and already they were under attack.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed. He could sense them.

”Bats,” he said quietly.

”Bats?” the others echoed, confused.

But then—BAM! Something slammed into the glass.

Dozens of grotesque faces pressed against the windows, gnashing teeth scraping against the surface. The creatures had rodent-like heads, leathery wings sprouting from their backs, and glowing red eyes that burned with hunger. Their fangs clacked against the reinforced glass, over and over, clang, clang, clang, like they were trying to chew their way in.

They swarmed the aircraft, piling on top of each other, frenzied by the scent of human blood. Even the reinforced glass was starting to crack under the pressure.

”Die, you freaks!” Brandon shouted, his skin crawling, every hair on his body standing on end. He activated Blood Burst without hesitation.

The bats froze mid-attack. Then, one by one, their blood exploded outward, bursting through their skin in a gruesome spray. The creatures disintegrated into clouds of red mist, their shredded bodies falling away.

The aircraft windows were now smeared with blood—thick, dark red, with bits of bone and flesh stuck to the glass. It was stomach-turning.

”God, that’s disgusting…” Chris groaned, turning away.

The others looked equally nauseated.

Except for Griffin, Brandon’s ever-enthusiastic cheerleader, who was practically bouncing in her seat.

”Brandon, you beast! Still so damn hot when you’re killing things!”

”…” Brandon’s face darkened, a vein twitching in his forehead. He muttered under his breath, ”Yeah… still gross, though.”

...