Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The maids started dressing even faster now, clearly in a rush.

Ethan couldn’t understand what they were saying, but it wasn’t hard to guess—there must be some kind of important banquet happening tonight.

From the looks of it, this place was just the servants’ quarters. Nothing valuable here.

Using his Domain of the Dead ability, Ethan teleported straight to the top floor of the castle. This level was decked out in luxury—plush carpets underfoot, oil paintings lining the walls, everything oozing with artistic flair.

Vampires were gliding through the corridors, dressed to the nines. The men wore sharp suits, the women elegant evening gowns, all of them heading toward a grand hall at the center.

”What the hell are they up to?” Ethan muttered under his breath.

His main goal right now was to find those crystal cores, so he wasn’t about to go on a killing spree just yet. No need to spook the vampires and make things harder than they needed to be...

In the middle of the lavish hall stood a massive dining table—easily over a hundred feet long—covered in a pristine white tablecloth.

Maids moved quickly, placing plates, silverware, and other table settings with practiced precision.

Soon, the well-dressed vampires began taking their seats around the table.

Ethan scanned the room with sharp eyes. So far, he hadn’t spotted any sign of the crystal cores. He figured they were probably hidden somewhere—maybe in a secret chamber or behind a false wall.

But he wasn’t in a rush. He’d find them eventually.

For now, he wanted to see what kind of twisted little show these vampires were putting on...

Once everyone had taken their seats, the room fell into a respectful silence. The head seat at the table remained empty.

But not for long.

A man who looked like a butler walked in, dressed in a crisp tailcoat and bowtie, every movement refined and precise.

Behind him came an older man.

His temples were streaked with gray, but his hair was neatly combed. His skin was pale, almost bloodless, and his eyes gleamed with a cold, sinister light.

No doubt about it—this was the master of the castle, and the one who ruled over the town: Lucien Ashbourne.

”Lord Lucien, all the family members have arrived,” the butler announced.

”Good,” Lucien said with a nod, then moved to the head of the table and sat down.

The butler remained standing respectfully behind him.

Lucien’s chilling gaze swept across the table. Then he spoke, his voice low and deliberate. ”How has everyone been lately?”

”Lord, my mother was ambushed and killed while transporting supplies,” a boy, maybe in his early teens, said solemnly.

”Transporting?” Ethan, watching from a distance, frowned. As a fellow undead, he could understand their language.

It wasn’t hard to piece together—this town’s ”food supply” wasn’t all for Lucien. They had to send a portion elsewhere, probably to some higher authority. The guards had mentioned something like that in passing before.

Clearly, this organization was massive, with a strict hierarchy.

Lucien’s eyes flashed with fury. ”Who did it?”

”It was those zombies from the city again,” the boy replied.

”Damn it... them again!” Lucien clenched his fist, visibly pissed. But he quickly reined in his anger and looked back at the boy.

”Then go find another member of the Vampire Race to be your mother.”

”Y-Yes, Lord,” the boy nodded quickly, not questioning it at all.

Ethan, on the other hand, was stunned.

Wait, what?

Did he hear that right? Was there a glitch in the mental translation?

What the hell did he mean by ”find another to be your mother”? That didn’t make any sense. These vampires were clearly different from regular zombies or humans.

They had intelligence. Emotions, even. But everything about them felt... twisted.

He still didn’t fully understand how they operated.

One by one, the vampires around the table began reporting their recent activities. This wasn’t just a dinner—it was a full-on family meeting.

Lucien nodded approvingly. ”You’ve all done well. I’ll reward you. Butler, bring out some crystal cores.”

”Yes, Master,” the butler said with a bow, then turned and walked off.

The vampires at the table lit up with excitement. Lord Lucien’s rewards were always generous, and it showed on their eager faces.

Ethan watched from the shadows, eyes locked on the scene.

This was the moment he’d been waiting for.

All he needed was patience... and the right opportunity would come.

Seated at the head of the table, Lucien raised his pale hand slightly and addressed his kin with a faint smile. ”You’ve all worked hard. Go ahead—eat.”

”Thank you, Lord!” the vampires replied in unison, their voices filled with reverence and anticipation.

Then, with eerie grace, they lifted the silver domes covering the dishes in front of them—and the stench hit the air like a slap.

A wave of raw, metallic blood scent rolled through the hall.

The plates were piled with organs—hearts, livers, kidneys, and other unidentifiable chunks of meat, all glistening red and wet, like they’d been yanked straight from a fresh corpse.

It was grotesque. The table looked like a butcher’s nightmare.

Despite their refined appearance, these vampires were monsters to the core. They could absorb crystal cores to boost their strength and energy, but they still craved flesh and blood to satisfy their hunger.

Beneath the polished suits and elegant gowns were bloodthirsty beasts.

And now, they feasted.

The sound of tearing flesh and slurping blood filled the hall as the vampires dug in, their smiles stretching wider, eyes gleaming with hunger.

...

Meanwhile, the butler walked briskly down a long corridor, his posture straight and composed. At the end of the hallway was what looked like a dead end.

But he didn’t slow down.

He stepped right up to the wall, placed his hand on a specific brick, and gave it a firm push.

Click.

The brick sank inward, and with a low rumble, the wall began to shift—rotating to reveal a hidden door.

”Well, damn...” Ethan muttered from the shadows, watching the whole thing unfold. ”Who the hell would’ve guessed that?”

Behind the secret door was a vault.

The butler stepped inside, entered a code on the keypad, and turned the heavy lock with practiced ease. The door swung open with a hiss.

Inside, metal shelves lined the walls, divided into three sections: S, A, and B.

Each section held a different number of crystal cores.

The S-tier shelf had only one core—glowing faintly, pulsing with power.

The A-tier had over a hundred, neatly arranged.

The B-tier? Stacked to the brim, overflowing from a large crate.

The hierarchy was obvious.

”One S-tier crystal core... not bad,” Ethan thought, eyes narrowing with interest. ”Didn’t expect to score something this good.”

Genesis Biotech’s crystal core firearms only needed a B-tier core to function. An A-tier would last longer. But an S-tier? That was a whole different level.

The butler reached out, intending to grab a few A and B-tier cores.

But just like what had happened in the cold storage room earlier—poof—the cores vanished the moment his fingers got close.

”Huh?”

The butler’s brow furrowed. He was far stronger than the guards downstairs, and he immediately sensed something was off.

”Who’s there? Show yourself!”

He spun around, eyes scanning the room.

And then he saw him.

A tall figure in a white shirt, standing silently in the vault like he’d always been there.

Ethan.

”You took the crystal cores?” the butler asked, voice low and tense.

”Yeah,” Ethan replied casually, then reached out toward the man’s forehead.

At the same time, the power of the Domain of the Dead surged outward.

The butler’s body seized up instantly, muscles locking, limbs frozen. He couldn’t move, couldn’t even blink—just stood there, helpless, as Ethan’s fingers closed in.

Then—darkness.

His body crumpled to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.

Ethan knelt down and took the butler’s crystal core without hesitation.

He had what he came for.

Now, he turned his gaze back toward the grand hall.

It was time.

Time for the slaughter to begin.

...