Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Lord of the Carrion Reavers was, without a doubt, ready to bail.

These bastards—every last one of them—had been hiding their true strength. One was sneakier than the next, and he’d had enough. This wasn’t a fight anymore; it was a trap. He couldn’t afford to keep throwing himself into their games.

But Bloodveil wasn’t about to let him slip away that easily.

Seeing the opportunity laid out perfectly before him, Bloodveil shot forward like a blood-soaked missile. If he could take down Lord of the Carrion Reavers now, that SSS-class crystal core would be his. Ethan was still tied up with the Overmind Queen—he wouldn’t be able to interfere in time.

”Not so fast!”

With a flick of his arms, two long chains of blood lashed out from Bloodveil’s hands, snapping through the air like twin whips, aimed straight at Lord of the Carrion Reavers’ legs.

Just as the beast turned to retreat, he felt something tighten around his calf—those blood chains wrapped around him like living serpents. A searing pain followed instantly as the corrosive blood began eating into his flesh, smoke rising from the wound.

Lord of the Carrion Reavers roared in agony, thrashing violently, trying to tear himself free.

Ethan’s eyes flicked toward the scene, his expression unreadable. He didn’t care what happened to Lord of the Carrion Reavers—except for one thing.

He couldn’t be allowed to run.

”That’s a bad habit,” Ethan muttered, and in a blink, he vanished—racing straight toward the struggling beast.

But just as Bloodveil had predicted, the Overmind Queen wasn’t about to let Ethan go that easily.

Her massive tentacles whipped out, sweeping across the battlefield to intercept him.

”Don’t get in my way,” Ethan growled, his voice low and dangerous.

The Domain of the Dead surged outward again, warping the air around him. The very space trembled under the pressure.

As the Overmind Queen’s thick tentacles entered the domain, their speed dropped dramatically, like they were moving through molasses.

Ethan didn’t hesitate. He raised his fist and drove it forward with all his might.

The impact was catastrophic.

The tentacles rippled like water, then shattered—chunks of flesh and gore exploded outward, raining down in a crimson storm.

The Overmind Queen reeled back, stunned.

”What the hell?!” she screamed internally, her mind reeling. She’d fought Ethan before, and he hadn’t shown anything like this. Now, he was on a whole different level.

Desperate, she let out a piercing shriek, her body trembling as her aura surged.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed. He could feel it—her power was climbing fast.

Then he saw it.

Her body began to swell, expanding rapidly. She was done pretending to be a Vulturea. The disguise was gone. She was about to reveal her true form.

So she’s finally showing her real face.

In the blink of an eye, it was like a mountain had erupted from the earth. Her monstrous form towered over the battlefield, easily over 300 feet tall. Her skin glistened with a thick, slimy coating, and her body resembled some grotesque fusion of octopus and nightmare.

At the top of her massive head was a circular maw, lined with countless jagged teeth, spinning slowly like a meat grinder.

”ROOOAAARRR—!”

The roar that followed shattered the sky. Clouds ripped apart. Mountains crumbled. Boulders the size of houses tumbled down in avalanches.

A true titan had entered the field.

Her mountainous body slammed down in front of Ethan, blocking his path once again.

From a distance, Bloodveil watched with glee.

”Heh… just as I thought. No way he’s getting through that. You two can tear each other apart all you want…”

”Come on, Overmind Queen—beat the hell out of him for me.”

This so-called ”alliance” of theirs? It was built on nothing but backstabbing and betrayal.

Ethan stood atop a jagged boulder, staring up at the towering beast before him. She loomed like a living mountain, and behind her, seven massive tentacles writhed in the air—each one thick as a skyscraper, pulsing with raw, destructive energy.

The Overmind Queen had gone full berserk. No more holding back. All seven tentacles lashed out at once, crashing down toward Ethan like the fists of angry gods.

The ground shattered beneath them. The sky darkened. His entire field of vision was swallowed by the incoming onslaught—it was like watching a cluster of meteors slam into the earth, one after another.

”Forget it…”

Ethan had originally planned to finish off Lord of the Carrion Reavers, but now he changed his mind. His gaze shifted back to the towering beast in front of him.

”Guess I’ll take care of you first.”

The Overmind Queen of the parasitic monsters was in full berserker mode. Seeing Ethan just standing there, unmoving, she thought he’d frozen in fear—perfect time to land a killing blow.

But then, tendrils of crimson energy began to rise from Ethan’s body, swirling like smoke from a fire that had just been stoked. His calm eyes sharpened, a rare flicker of seriousness flashing across his face.

”Blood Rite.”

In an instant, the blood-red aura erupted like a volcanic blast, shooting skyward.

Ethan’s power surged again—higher, heavier, more suffocating than before. The air itself trembled with pressure. The ground cracked. Massive boulders nearby were lifted into the air like they’d lost their weight.

His figure became a silhouette swallowed by the blood mist, a shadow in the storm. His features were no longer visible—only the overwhelming presence remained.

The Overmind Queen, mid-attack, suddenly felt like she’d been doused in ice water.

Her monstrous instincts screamed at her—danger. A primal, soul-deep warning that death was seconds away.

But it was too late to pull back. All seven of her tentacles were already mid-swing. She had no choice but to follow through.

Ethan moved.

He didn’t just punch—he unleashed.

After absorbing the crystal core from Gravestone, his strength had reached terrifying new heights. This punch wasn’t just stronger than anything he’d thrown during the Battle of the Skywall—it was on a whole different level.

The air warped around his fist. Space itself cracked like glass. The sky above seemed to ripple, as if it might shatter.

BOOOOM!

The explosion of force was instant and absolute.

The entire Razorback Ridge shook violently. Mountains crumbled. Peaks that had stood for centuries collapsed like sandcastles. The shockwave tore through the landscape, reducing everything in its path to rubble.

”GRAAAHHH—!”

The Overmind Queen’s scream was raw and animalistic, filled with agony and disbelief.

Even with her monstrous physique, she couldn’t withstand that kind of power. All seven of her tentacles exploded into chunks of flesh and gore, raining down in a storm of blood.

Now, only her bloated body and grotesque head remained.

The pain drove her mad. She thrashed, screeched, but her body was failing.

And Ethan?

He vanished.

One moment he was there, the next—gone.

He reappeared behind her, silent as death.

He hadn’t just passed through her body—he’d ripped through it using the power of the Domain of the Dead, moving faster than the eye could follow.

And in that instant, he’d reached in and torn out her crystal core.

The Overmind Queen’s scream cut off like a switch had been flipped. Her monstrous aura collapsed. Her massive body froze mid-motion.

”Rest now.”

Ethan’s voice was quiet, almost gentle.

Then the Overmind Queen’s corpse toppled forward like a felled mountain, slamming into the earth with a thunderous crash. The ground caved in beneath her, dust and debris exploding outward.

And there stood Ethan, calm and composed, holding a gleaming crystal core between his fingers.

It pulsed with immense energy—dense, potent, and pure.

He’d ripped it out cleanly, in the blink of an eye.

”Holy shit…”

Bloodveil’s eyes went wide, his savage pupils dilating.

He was stunned.

Ethan had just killed the Overmind Queen of the parasitic monsters.

And that power—whatever the hell it was—had shaken even him to the core.

”He’s… too strong…”

Bloodveil muttered under his breath, his mind racing. What the hell was that ability? How could it be so devastating?

He’d been counting on the Overmind Queen to stall Ethan. That plan was now in flames.

And while he stood there, frozen in shock—

Lord of the Carrion Reavers broke free.

The blood chains snapped as he tore himself loose, and without a second thought, he bolted.

He didn’t look back. He didn’t hesitate. He just ran.

His heart was pounding with fear.

And a strange sense of relief.

Thank the abyss I didn’t go all-in against that white-shirted freak. If he had, he’d be the one lying in a crater right now.

Who knows what other powers he’s hiding? Screw this—I’m out.

With that, Lord of the Carrion Reavers vanished into the darkness, fleeing at full speed.

”Don’t you run from me!” Bloodveil roared, snapping out of his daze and launching after him.

Ethan didn’t chase.

He just glanced in their direction, then slowly faded from view—his body dissolving into the shadows like a ghost.

…