Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”You don’t need to know anymore.”

As the thought crossed Ethan’s mind, the power of the Domain of the Dead surged outward. The howling blizzard froze in place—literally. It was like time itself had slammed on the brakes.

A crushing pressure blanketed the battlefield in an instant.

The Wormrot Zombie King was paralyzed with fear, his very soul trembling.

In the next heartbeat, Ethan pulled out the Star Map tablet. His figure flickered forward, and with a burst of radiant light, he brought it crashing down like a falling star.

CRACK!

Before the Wormrot Zombie King could even react, his skull shattered under the blow. A crystal core shot out from the wreckage as his body collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.

Blood gushed from the stump of his neck, soaking into the pristine snow, staining it with a sickly, dark smear.

”Filthy thing…”

Ethan muttered under his breath, eyes lowered.

Just then, Logan burst out of the swarm of insects with Rebar in tow. He’d seen the Wormrot Zombie King running like hell earlier—faster than a rabbit on fire—and figured the bastard had gotten away again.

But the moment he cleared the swarm, he caught sight of Ethan smashing the thing’s head in.

”Wait, what the hell…”

Logan froze, stunned. He could’ve sworn Ethan had been behind him just moments ago. When the hell did he get ahead?

One thing was clear—Ethan was way stronger than he’d thought. Way stronger.

But then Logan’s eyes locked onto the glowing tablet in Ethan’s hand. His expression shifted from shock to disbelief. His crimson pupils shrank to pinpricks.

”That tablet…!”

”What? You’ve seen it before?” Ethan caught the change in his expression immediately.

”Yeah,” Logan nodded. ”I saw it in the memory of a Zombie King up in Canada.”

”Oh?”

Now it was Ethan’s turn to be surprised.

The Star Map tablet was incredibly important to him. If what Logan said was true, this trip to the northern territories might yield more than he expected.

”You can see other Zombie Kings’ memories?”

”My eye technique can trap targets in illusions. It lets me read their memories to a certain extent,” Logan explained.

Ethan raised an eyebrow, impressed. The infamous Redgaze Zombie King, just as the files described—definitely no lightweight. His ability was similar to Nightmare’s old skill, Dream Invasion, but clearly on a whole other level.

Memory-reading? That was a damn useful power.

”Do you know where the tablet is, then?”

”Somewhere in Canada, I think. I didn’t pay much attention at the time, so I didn’t catch the exact location,” Logan said with a shrug.

Ethan frowned. That kind of intel, and he didn’t bother to look closer? He currently had six Radiant Crystals, but only four were embedded—he desperately needed to find the next tablet.

”We have to find that tablet. What about the Canadian Zombie King you got the memory from? Is he dead?”

”Nope… he got away,” Logan said, scratching his head sheepishly.

”Good.” Ethan nodded, satisfied. Lucky for them, the guy had slipped away. That meant there was still a lead. That Canadian Zombie King probably knew exactly where the tablet was.

”Let’s head back. We’ll need time to dig into this.”

”Got it!” Logan replied with his usual goofy grin.

With that, the horde of zombies began to retreat, victorious and riding high on adrenaline. Their roars echoed through the frozen wasteland, wild and unrelenting.

Taking down the Wormrot Zombie King meant one less major threat to worry about. The bastard had been a real pain—his abilities were perfect for hit-and-run tactics, the kind that could drag a battle out forever.

The biting wind gradually died down, and the snowflakes stopped falling.

The little town nestled in the woods looked especially peaceful now. Every rooftop was blanketed in thick, fluffy snow, like they’d been frosted with marshmallow cream.

Ethan stepped onto the snow-covered ground, his boots crunching softly beneath him. He scanned the quiet surroundings—everything felt calm, almost serene.

Back in town, Logan had already wrapped a strip of cloth around his eyes again, hiding those unsettling pupils.

Awan came out of the house to greet them, her face lit up with a warm smile. ”You’re back!”

”Yeah, hehe,” Logan chuckled sheepishly.

Awan’s tone was as welcoming as ever. ”Come on in! It’s freezing out here.”

”Sure!” Logan replied, following her inside.

The house was just as clean and cozy as before. Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a golden glow across the room. It felt warm, almost like stepping into a memory.

In the living room, a pristine white pelt hung on the wall. Every strand of fur was perfectly groomed, shimmering under the light. It was beautiful—clearly a snow lynx.

”Hey, Awan, isn’t that the snow lynx I hunted a while back?” Logan asked, curious. ”What are you planning to do with it?”

”Make a winter coat, of course,” Awan said with a smile, running her fingers through the fur. ”My family’s been making clothes for generations. My grandma taught me how.” Her voice was light and playful, but there was pride in her eyes—a quiet confidence in her inherited craft.

”That’s awesome!”

Logan gave her a big thumbs-up. Judging by the size and cut of the pelt, it was clearly being tailored for a man. His heart skipped a beat—was it for him? He couldn’t help but get his hopes up.

”So… who’s the lucky guy getting this coat?”

”For Ethan, obviously,” Awan said casually.

”Uh…” Logan froze, his smile stiffening. Even with his eyes covered, the disappointment on his face was obvious.

Wait, what?

Ethan blinked, just as caught off guard. He hadn’t expected that either. They’d only met once—barely knew each other.

Awan blinked her big eyes and said, ”Have you seen how cold it is out there? And he’s walking around in just a shirt. That thing’s paper-thin! He’s a guest in our town—we can’t just let him freeze.”

”Oh… thanks,” Ethan said, a little awkwardly. It was clear now—Awan wasn’t flirting or anything. She was just genuinely kind and hospitable.

Logan let out a small sigh, visibly relaxing. ”Alright then. You go ahead and do your thing—we’ve got some stuff to talk about.”

”Okay! I’ll get you guys some water,” Awan said cheerfully.

A moment later, she returned with two steaming cups of hot water, then went back to brushing out the lynx pelt.

Logan took a sip, testing the temperature.

”Not bad. Goes down easier than potato chips. You want some?” he offered.

Ethan gave him a look, deadpan. ”…”

He was speechless. This guy really had no filter.

Of course, for zombies, water was tasteless and basically useless. It didn’t hurt to drink it, but it didn’t help either.

”Anyway, back to business,” Ethan said. ”That Canadian Zombie King you pulled the memory from—what did he look like?”

”Hard to say… dark skin, kinda looked like he’d been half-burned or something. Like he crawled out of a chimney,” Logan said, squinting as he tried to remember. ”It’s been a while.”

”He was real scrawny too—maybe five feet tall? And I think he had a beard. Oh, and two sharp front teeth. Fast as hell when he ran.”

”Hm…”

Ethan nodded slowly, piecing together the image in his mind. From the description, it sounded like a fusion-type Zombie King—probably merged with some kind of small animal.

Logan went on, ”He wasn’t that strong, honestly. Just a low-level boss, not part of the main force. That’s why I didn’t bother chasing him down. Let him slip away.”

”Well, we need to find him now,” Ethan said, eyes narrowing in thought.

Logan caught on immediately. ”Got it. I’ll have the little guys keep an eye out.”

...