Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The runic Ritual Array etched into the altar flared to life all at once, unleashing a crushing wave of pressure that rolled out like a tidal surge. The entire space trembled under its might.

Ethan didn’t flinch. Blood energy ignited around him in a blazing crimson aura as he activated his Blood Rite.

With a thunderous stomp, he slammed one foot into the ground. The entire altar shuddered violently—cracks spiderwebbed across the stone tiles, and the golden runes above flickered and died.

Then came the eruption of his Domain of the Dead—a suffocating force that seemed to freeze the very air. Space itself warped under the pressure.

The massive stone fists descending from above suddenly slowed, as if sinking into molasses. Their momentum faltered, and they began to tremble mid-air.

Ethan used the recoil from his stomp to launch himself upward, blood aura blazing like a comet. He raised the Star Map tablet high above his head and brought it crashing down toward one of the colossal fists.

BOOOOM!

The impact was like two meteors colliding—an earth-shattering explosion that sent shockwaves ripping through the air.

So far, Ethan had yet to encounter anything harder than the Star Map. The giant stone fist, glowing with golden light, flickered like a candle in the wind.

Cracks spread across its surface in jagged lines—then, with a sharp crack, it exploded into rubble.

”…This guy…” the old man on the altar muttered, eyes wide with disbelief. He’d underestimated Ethan—badly.

Up until now, Ethan had barely broken a sweat. But now, he was showing his true power.

The shattered debris from the giant fist froze midair, suspended within the Domain of the Dead. Ethan leapt from chunk to chunk, moving with impossible speed—just a blur of red light streaking through the chaos.

He dodged more incoming blows with ease, like a meteor shooting skyward, and landed squarely on the shoulder of one of the stone giants.

With one hand, he swung the Star Map tablet again—this time aiming straight for the titan’s massive head.

A blinding flare of light erupted from the tablet, trailing a long tail of energy like a falling star. The force behind it was unstoppable, like a celestial body crashing down from the heavens.

CRACK!

The blow landed. The entire space quaked as the titan’s head shattered into dust. Cracks spread down its torso, black and jagged, as the runes etched into its body dimmed and died.

The broken colossus toppled backward with a thunderous crash.

Ethan didn’t pause. His cold, sharp gaze locked onto the old man at the center of the altar.

Cut off the head, and the body dies.

He blurred forward again, vanishing from sight, weaving between the remaining three stone giants like a ghost. None of their attacks could touch him.

He raised the Star Map tablet once more and brought it down—this time, straight at the old man.

The golden figure was instantly engulfed in a crushing force, like the sky itself was collapsing on him. He couldn’t move, couldn’t resist.

The moment the tablet struck, the entire Forbidden Zone trembled.

BOOOOM!

The old man’s form was obliterated beneath the blow. The altar cracked open, a deep crater forming at its center. The defensive runes etched into the stone shattered in waves, breaking apart like glass under a hammer.

Chunks of stone exploded outward as Ethan leapt back, landing far away in a crouch. He watched the destruction unfold, eyes sharp and unblinking.

”…Is it over?”

He scanned the scene, waiting.

The tremors faded. The rumbling stopped. Everything seemed to settle into silence.

But then—just as the dust began to clear—a familiar, aged voice echoed in his ears.

”Pointless. I’ve already died once. What remains is just a fragment of consciousness. How do you kill what’s already dead?”

”Oh?” Ethan’s eyes narrowed.

Golden light began to gather again, swirling into the shape of the old man’s body.

Behind him, the seven stone pillars rumbled to life. Golden runes crawled back up their surfaces like vines, and the shattered altar began to rebuild itself—stone by stone, rune by rune.

Even the Colossus of Stone Ethan had destroyed began to reassemble. The broken chunks of rock floated back into place, reversing the damage as if time itself were rewinding.

It was surreal—like watching reality unravel and stitch itself back together.

Within seconds, everything was restored.

The four massive stone giants stood tall once more—like four colossal guardians, their bodies etched with glowing golden runes, radiating an overwhelming sense of power and menace.

”Something’s off…” Ethan tilted his head, eyes narrowing as he scanned the scene. There was definitely something strange going on.

These things—they were healing themselves.

The altar elder’s voice turned cold, laced with a sinister edge.

”You think you can kill me? Not that easy!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he launched a counterattack, commanding the four colossal guardians to advance. Their massive fists swung forward like falling mountains, aiming straight for Ethan.

These stone giants were far more powerful than the dog-headed statues from earlier. Their movements were faster, heavier, and carried a terrifying force behind them.

Ethan didn’t hesitate. His body blurred as he dodged, weaving between the crushing blows. Each fist slammed into the ground behind him, sending shockwaves and gales of wind blasting in every direction.

Realizing brute force wouldn’t cut it, Ethan shifted tactics. He surged forward toward the altar elder again, and with a flicker of mental energy, he split into several illusionary clones trailing behind him.

The four stone giants hesitated, confused by the sudden multiplication. Their fists pounded down one after another, smashing clone after clone—only to find they were all fakes.

”Idiots…” the altar elder muttered, clearly annoyed.

But before he could react further, the real Ethan was already in front of him.

With a roar, Ethan swung the Star Map tablet down in another devastating arc.

BOOM!

The altar shook violently. Stone cracked and collapsed beneath the impact. The elder’s golden form was obliterated once again, vanishing into the rubble.

It was the same as before.

Ethan stood still, eyes scanning the area. He could feel it—the energy of the Forbidden Zone hadn’t dissipated. The place wasn’t dead yet.

Sure enough, the golden figure began to reappear, slowly reforming in the center of the altar.

”I told you… you can’t kill consciousness,” the elder said, his voice echoing with eerie calm.

This time, though, he didn’t attack. Instead, he tried a different approach—reason.

”You must be running low on energy by now. That Blood Rite of yours burns through power fast. Keep this up, and you’ll burn yourself out. There’s no point in wasting your strength here. The Heartland of Necroterra—that’s your real battlefield.”

Ethan’s eyes narrowed. ”What’s the matter? Getting scared?”

”Wha—?” The elder faltered for a second. ”Me? Afraid of you? Please. You can’t even kill me. The only one who’ll end up dead here… is you.”

Ethan didn’t respond. He was already thinking.

He was burning through energy fast. The Blood Rite was powerful, but it came at a cost. In just a few minutes, he’d already used up a third of his reserves.

But there was no such thing as infinite regeneration. No matter how many times the elder came back, there had to be a limit. And now he was trying to talk Ethan down?

That reeked of desperation.

He was hiding something.

So where is it? Ethan’s gaze flicked around—then landed on the seven stone pillars behind the altar.

If the elder’s current form was just a projection… then there had to be a projector.

Could it be… those?

He studied the pillars. The runes carved into them were far more intricate than anything he’d seen before—deep, ancient, and pulsing with power.

The elder noticed where Ethan was looking—and visibly flinched.

”You… what are you doing? You’re seriously going to keep pushing this?”

”Relax,” Ethan said, voice calm. ”I just want to run a little experiment.”

Before the elder could respond, Ethan shifted direction and shot toward the seven pillars, Star Map tablet in hand.

”Stop him!” the elder shouted, panic creeping into his voice for the first time.

The four stone giants reacted instantly, swinging their massive fists to block Ethan’s path.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ground shook with each impact, the air thick with dust and force. The path ahead was completely sealed off by stone and fury.

But Ethan didn’t stop.

His Domain of the Dead exploded outward again, stretching to its absolute limit. The space around him froze, locked in a deathly stillness.

Crimson blood energy surged like wildfire, igniting around him in a blazing inferno.

He didn’t hold back. Not now.

With unstoppable momentum, Ethan charged forward—straight through the storm of fists, straight toward the truth hidden behind the altar.

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