Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The moment those words left his mouth, the entire place fell dead silent—you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone stood frozen, jaws practically hitting the floor.

”What the hell… is wrong with this guy?”

”Did he just call Mia… mom?!”

”No wonder he’s the leader of the freaks. That’s some next-level twisted.”

”…”

Monroe hadn’t exactly had a happy childhood. His mother either beat him or screamed at him—never a kind word. That stab just now? It triggered something deep inside him. That pain… it felt just like her.

Mia stared at him calmly. After a beat, the corner of her mouth curled into a faint smile. ”So… you like pain too? Perfect. Let’s enjoy it together.”

”Uh…” The crowd around them blinked in confusion.

Sure, Monroe was a certified psycho—but Mia? She wasn’t exactly normal either.

Maybe that’s just how it is with top-tier monsters. A little crazy comes with the territory.

”Great! I’ll make sure you stay here forever!” Monroe’s eyes lit up with manic excitement. His body flickered, and he lunged at her again—this time, even faster.

Mia didn’t flinch. She raised her Stellar Fang katana and met him head-on.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The blade in her hands blurred with afterimages, slicing at Monroe’s claws. Sparks flew with each impact, the sound of metal-on-metal ringing out like a blacksmith’s forge.

They moved so fast it was hard to follow—just a blur of motion and shockwaves tearing through the air.

”Holy crap, she’s strong!”

Aiden and the others watched in awe. None of them had expected Mia to go toe-to-toe with Monroe like this.

Of course, a big part of that was thanks to the Stellar Fang.

Any regular weapon would’ve been shredded in seconds. It wouldn’t have stood a chance against Monroe’s brutal attacks.

But even with the katana, Monroe still had the upper hand. In a flash, his claw raked across Mia’s arm.

Shlick!

His razor-sharp nails sank deep into her flesh, and blood sprayed out in a crimson arc.

”Come on! Become one of the glorious Vampire Race! Stay with me forever!” Monroe shouted, practically trembling with excitement.

His mutated virus was insanely infectious. With his SS-level power, there probably wasn’t a single human on Earth who could resist it.

Mia leapt back, putting distance between them. She glanced down at her arm—her blood was already turning black, the infection spreading fast through her veins. Her skin bulged with dark, pulsing lines.

The pain was intense, stabbing through her nerves like fire. Her wristband’s display flickered wildly.

[Pain Level: 77%]

”Still not enough…” she muttered under her breath.

Then, gripping the Stellar Fang in reverse, she slashed it across her own arm—just above the wound. The blade bit deep, all the way to the bone.

Thick, foul-smelling black blood gushed out. She was forcing the virus out of her body by sheer will.

A faint red mist began to swirl around her, her cells vibrating with raw energy, pushed to the brink of overload.

[Pain Level: 93%]

”What the hell…?” Monroe’s eyes widened. He could feel her power still climbing, growing more intense by the second.

And then—Mia charged.

She vanished from sight, her body moving so fast it was like she’d blinked out of existence. The ground cracked and shattered beneath her steps, a shockwave of pressure blasting out in her wake.

”She’s… she’s that strong?!” Emily gasped, stunned.

Only now were they starting to grasp the full extent of Mia’s power.

After spending so much time with Ethan, she’d grown by leaps and bounds. And now, going all out, she was more than capable of standing her ground against an SS-level threat.

Aiden just stood there, slack-jawed. He was completely humbled—realizing he wasn’t even worthy of holding a weapon in comparison.

Since the rise of the corpse nest, Monroe had barely met a real challenge. But this? This was the first time someone had pushed him this far.

Even his vampire underlings were starting to panic.

”Boss! You got this!”

”Crush that human!”

”You’re our undefeated god!”

”…”

At that moment, Monroe was fully locked into the fight, throwing everything he had into each strike. Every clash between him and Mia sent shockwaves rippling through the air.

Buildings around them crumbled, the ground split open like cracked glass—it was like watching two humanoid beasts tear into each other. Neither side giving an inch, the battle was fierce and dead even.

Far off in the distance, atop a crumbling clock tower, a lone figure stood silently. Dressed in a crisp white shirt, his eyes were fixed on the chaos below.

”Amateur hour…” Ethan muttered under his breath. Seeing that Mia and the others were holding their own and weren’t in immediate danger, he let his presence fade and turned toward the heart of the corpse nest—the castle.

Monroe’s castle was nothing short of opulent. Lavish beyond reason, it made the previous town look like a slum in comparison. It wasn’t just a stronghold—it was a palace.

Beautiful maids moved gracefully through the halls, while vampire guards patrolled the grounds with sharp eyes and sharper weapons.

This was the core of the corpse nest, and the air was thick with the stench of monsters. The aura of death was suffocating.

Inside the grand front gates, a towering vampire with bulging muscles paced back and forth.

”Lord Monroe went out personally? And didn’t even take me along for the fun?” he grumbled.

”Big Gunner, sir, aren’t you supposed to be guarding the nest? You can’t just go charging out,” one of the elite vampire underlings said respectfully.

”Hmph! Fair point,” the big vampire nodded. This was Gunner—Monroe’s top executioner, known far and wide as The Butcher of Saint Gaia.

His intelligence hadn’t evolved much—on par with Ethan’s own brute, Bulldozer. All brawn, no brain. A one-track mind built for destruction.

Though infected with a mutated virus, he still retained the primal instincts of a zombie—especially the thirst for blood and carnage.

”Damn shame… Saint Gaia’s been too quiet for too long. Now something finally happens, and I don’t even get to join in,” Gunner muttered, scratching his head in frustration.

Just then, a pale-skinned boy with a cold, emotionless expression stepped through the castle gates.

Gunner’s eyes lit up. He rushed forward eagerly. ”Lord Monroe! You’re back already?”

”Yeah. Just a few humans acting up. Nothing major,” the boy said flatly.

”Oh, of course! With you handling it personally, I’m sure it was over in seconds,” Gunner said, laying it on thick.

But then the boy’s tone shifted. ”Well, almost. A group of humans slipped into the radiation zone. I want you to lead the Vampire Horde and hunt them down.”

”For real?!” Gunner’s face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. Finally—his turn to shine.

”Yeah. You’re in full command of the Vampire Horde. This mission is yours. Don’t disappoint me,” the boy said, his voice calm but firm.

Gunner’s chest swelled with pride. His excitement was off the charts.

The boss was trusting him with command…

”You got it! I’ll chase them to the ends of the earth if I have to. I swear I’ll bring them back to you!”

”Go,” the boy said with a wave of his hand.

Gunner didn’t waste a second. He stormed out of the castle with his crew, immediately sending out the signal to rally the horde.

The area around the castle gates erupted into chaos. Figures emerged from every shadow, converging in a massive tide of bodies. In seconds, the streets were packed—tens of thousands strong.

”The boss says we’re hunting humans! Let’s go, boys!” Gunner roared.

”ROOOAAARRR—!”

The monsters howled in unison, their bloodlust ignited. With a thunderous stampede, they surged toward the radiation zone like a tidal wave of death.

Within seconds, the Vampire Horde vanished into the distance, their roars fading into the wind…