Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”Where the hell did that guy come from?” Umbradrake kept pressing for answers.

”Should be... somewhere near the edge of the Exile Zone,” Howler replied after thinking for a moment.

”A zombie from the edge of the Exile Zone, and he’s got the balls to pull something like this??” Umbradrake’s eyes widened in disbelief—this was not what he expected.

In his mind, the Exile Zone’s outskirts were a wasteland. No real Zombie Kings out there—maybe a few half-decent ones from Solaris Citadel, but nothing serious.

If the guy had come from the heart of Necroterra, Umbradrake wouldn’t have dared to mess with him. He’d have just let it go.

”But a zombie from the edge dares to mess with me?”

”So, boss, what do we do?” Howler asked quickly, eager for direction.

Umbradrake paused, thinking it over. Then a spark lit up in his eyes—he had a plan. ”If we’re gonna put on a show, we go all in. Spread the word: say a Voidborn Undying from Draconis Citadel is rallying a Zombie Horde to attack them. Let’s scare the bastard a little.”

”Ooh, that’s good!” Howler’s blood-red eyes lit up with admiration. Damn, the boss really was a genius.

He rushed off to gather the lesser zombies and start spreading the rumor.

...

Back in Ethan’s corpse nest, a small forest had taken root. Pink blossoms bloomed among the trees, vines curled around the trunks, and clusters of tiny mushrooms dotted the undergrowth.

The only birds in this eerie grove were red-eyed crows. They flocked in thick numbers, perching high in the trees, occasionally letting out sharp, piercing cries.

Ethan stood there, surveying his little ”forest,” clearly pleased with himself.

”Man, I’m basically an environmentalist at this point...”

He hadn’t been slacking off, either.

Using his drone, he’d been regularly sending signals to human civilization, asking if there was any way to turn zombies back into humans—or at least recover their memories.

He got plenty of responses.

”Oh my god, that’s the ultimate goal of our research! If we could really do that, we could end the zombie crisis once and for all!”

”Yeah, right. Easier said than done. I don’t think it’s even possible.”

”Hahahaha, a zombie wanting to be human again? That’s hilarious!”

”Just keep evolving. Evolve until you become a god—then anything’s possible.”

”...”

That last one actually gave Ethan pause.

”How far would I have to evolve... to become all-powerful?”

The thought lingered in his mind.

Still, it was a clear path forward...

Right now, Ethan needed to hunt down a ton of crystal cores—preferably SSS-grade. The low-tier ones didn’t do much for him anymore.

Just then, Big Ears came running up, looking panicked.

”Boss! We’ve got a situation!”

”What kind of situation?”

”I was wandering outside the nest and saw a bunch of zombies gathering. They’re saying the Voidborn Undying from Draconis Citadel is rallying a horde to attack us!” Big Ears blurted out.

Ethan’s eyes gleamed. Even if they weren’t coming, he’d have gone looking for them anyway. He needed some live livestock to start building a proper farm.

”Perfect. Tell them to hurry up and get here.”

”Oh—okay!” Big Ears nodded furiously and dashed off again.

Ethan went back to using his drone, this time trying to get more info on human tech—specifically how to make lightsabers, and whether they could be mass-produced.

Meanwhile, word spread fast through the corpse nest: the Zombie King of Draconis Citadel was coming to attack.

The other Zombie Kings were fired up. They’d been itching for a fight.

Especially Laura—she was bored out of her mind without any battles. The bloodlust in her veins was starting to stir again.

A few of the other Zombie Kings had already wandered out to the edge of the nest, keeping watch.

”What’s taking them so long?”

”The boss of Draconis Citadel... that’s the Voidborn Undying, right?”

”Wonder what kind of livestock they’ve got in their nest... think it tastes good?”

”...”

The Zombie Kings chatted among themselves, already scheming how they’d split the spoils.

And the rumor? It spread like wildfire.

Every corpse nest in the surrounding regions—big or small—had caught wind of it.

After all, Umbradrake had publicly declared himself as The Voidborn Undying, and that kind of title didn’t go unnoticed.

”Most Zombie Kings are pushing toward the center of the continent to fight over resources. Why’s Umbradrake heading out to the fringes?”

”Maybe the zombies from Solaris Citadel pissed him off?”

”Huh? Then those poor bastards at Solaris Citadel are screwed. Umbradrake’s not just anyone—he’s The Voidborn Undying!”

”If a Voidborn Undying is going to war, I’m definitely sticking around to watch the fireworks.”

”...”

The corpse nests buzzed with gossip, speculation flying in every direction.

Some were even thinking of jumping in to stir the pot—maybe snag a few spoils while the big players clashed.

Back in Draconis Citadel, Umbradrake was pacing leisurely, clearly in a good mood. Everything was unfolding exactly as he’d planned.

”Boss, I’m back!” Howler finally returned after days of running around.

Umbradrake gave a nod. ”So? The zombies at Solaris Citadel—are they scared yet?”

”Uh... not really. Actually, they seemed kinda excited. Told me to tell you to hurry up and come over,” Howler reported honestly.

”What?” Umbradrake froze, his expression stiffening in disbelief.

They weren’t scared?

He was The Voidborn Undying, for crying out loud. The kind of monster who wakes up wanting to kill something.

”These zombies... they’ve got some serious nerve.”

”Boss, if they’re not scared... does that mean our plan flopped?” Howler scratched his head, a little unsure.

Umbradrake fell silent, deep in thought. Technically, yeah—the plan had failed.

But the rumor was already out there. If he didn’t follow through, it’d be a huge blow to his reputation. He’d lose face. And once that happened, every other Zombie King would start thinking he was soft.

Then everyone’s gonna think I’m an easy target.

”This can’t end like this.”

Umbradrake’s eyes narrowed with resolve. ”Guess they won’t learn till it blows up in their face. We’re doing this for real. Gather the horde—we’re surrounding Solaris Citadel. Let’s see if they’re still laughing when we show up at their doorstep.”

”Hell yeah!” Howler nodded hard, fired up.

And just like that, Draconis Citadel erupted into chaos.

Every Zombie King under Umbradrake’s command emerged from the shadows, rallying their hordes.

Grotesque, twisted faces began to gather—first in clusters, then in waves, until the land was crawling with them, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Agile elites leapt and climbed their way into formation, snarling and screeching.

The air filled with guttural roars and the thunder of countless feet.

Led by Umbradrake himself, the undead surged out of their nest, tearing across the desolate land like a black tide. Dust and ash billowed behind them, a storm of death on the move.

The sheer pressure of the Zombie Horde was suffocating.

Even the wild, feral zombies roaming the wastelands scattered at the sight of them.

”Draconis Citadel’s zombies are on the move!”

”They’re really going to attack Solaris Citadel?!”

”Damn, Umbradrake doesn’t mess around. Cross him, and he will come for you. That’s a real Zombie King right there.”

”C’mon, let’s go watch the show!”

”...”

Hundreds of thousands of zombies thundered across the land like a tidal wave, all headed straight for Solaris Citadel.

Nine hours later, dusk had fallen. The three suns dipped low on the horizon, casting a blood-red glow across the sky.

And there, on the edge of the horizon, a lone corpse nest came into view—isolated, quiet, bathed in the dying light of day.

Umbradrake stared ahead, eyes locked on the target.

”Solaris Citadel... we’re here.”

...