Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”Alright, it’s settled then. Let’s head back and start getting things ready,” Claire said.

She was already bracing herself for the uphill battle of convincing the other major families—and the general public. That was going to take a lot of talking, and probably more than a few arguments.

What she didn’t know, though… was that the decision she just made would end up saving billions of lives—and the future of human civilization itself.

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Meanwhile, on the other side of the Forbidden Zone, Ethan was leading Ricky and Aria out.

Outside, a massive Dreadnought-class Starcruiser loomed, docked and waiting. Above them, hundreds of thousands of zombies stood in formation, silent and respectful.

The moment Ethan emerged from the Forbidden Zone, every undead eye lit up with excitement.

”Boss! How’d it go in there? Everything smooth?” Bulldozer asked in his usual booming, dopey voice.

”Yeah, smooth enough,” Ethan replied casually.

The zombies’ glowing eyes flared brighter. The tension broke, replaced by a wave of exhilaration.

That meant the mission was a success. A clean win.

”With me and the boss on the job, how could we lose?” Big Ears said, hands on his hips, puffing up with pride.

”Totally! You even took down a Horned Panther, remember?” Shrimpy chimed in from the side.

Big Ears waved it off like it was nothing. ”Pfft, small fry. Not even worth mentioning…”

The crowd of zombies erupted into guttural cheers and howls, their joy echoing across the landing zone.

This battle had changed them—especially Sprout. His features had softened, the savage edge dulled. Two green leaves now drooped from his ears like earrings, giving him a strange, almost elegant look. Combined with his faintly glowing blue skin, he looked… cool. Striking, even.

He’d taken down a ton of mutated plants and Xenobeasts during the fight, absorbing enough energy that he was now just one step away from breaking through to SSS-rank—becoming one of the legendary Voidborn Undying. All he needed now was the right trigger.

Bulldozer, on the other hand, had grown even more ferocious. He was walking the path of raw brutality, and he too was nearing a breakthrough.

In the back, Bloodveil watched it all unfold, quietly stunned. This zombie faction… was terrifyingly powerful.

And with their tech and weapons? They were easily on par with the Deathless Sovereigns of Heartland.

He also noticed something else—Ethan’s aura had shifted. Subtly, but unmistakably. Whatever happened in the Forbidden Zone, it had changed him. Strengthened him.

Curious, Bloodveil stepped forward. ”Ethan, so… what’d you find in there? Any treasure?”

”Nothing,” Ethan said flatly. ”Just a bunch of broken rocks. Useless junk.”

”Uh-huh…” Bloodveil narrowed his eyes, clearly not buying it.

He knew Ethan too well. If the guy had found something valuable, he’d never admit it. Not unless he had a reason to.

Just then, PhD walked over, lab coat fluttering, his expression serious.

”Boss, we just picked up a signal from Heartland. It’s from Endless.”

Ethan’s brow lifted slightly. That was unexpected.

The surrounding Zombie Kings immediately fell silent. This wasn’t just some random message—this could change everything.

Were they about to go to full-scale war?

”Let’s go check it out,” Ethan said, leading the group into the belly of the Dreadnought-class Starcruiser.

Bloodveil followed close behind, eager to hear what the infamous Deathless Sovereign Endless had to say.

A few minutes later, they stood before a massive communications console. The signal was encoded in a way only zombies could decipher.

Endless’s voice came through, calm but laced with warning.

”I know you went into the Forbidden Zone at Xenorift. That old bastard in there? He’s bad news. Don’t believe a word he says—he’s lying to you.”

Ethan listened in silence.

He hadn’t believed the guy anyway.

Hell, he’d already smashed the bastard’s so-called ”tomb” to pieces.

”If you’re willing,” Endless continued, ”Heartland is ready to offer you a seat at the table. You’d become the sixth Deathless Sovereign. You’d have access to all our resources—anything you want, it’s yours. So there’s no need to awaken the Origin Mountain. No need to start a new era of civilization.”

The room went quiet.

Every zombie present stood frozen, processing the weight of those words.

Endless’s message couldn’t have been clearer—they were already the apex predators of this world. Whatever they wanted, they could take. And with the undead’s effectively infinite lifespan, there was no rush, no need to stir the pot.

Opening the Origin Mountain? That would just introduce chaos. Unpredictable variables. Risk.

Maintaining the current balance—that was the smart play.

The zombies around Ethan murmured among themselves, uneasy.

Was this… a peace offering?

And honestly, the deal was tempting as hell.

Bloodveil was especially stunned. He’d heard stories about Endless—how arrogant he was, how he looked down on the world like a god surveying ants. The kind of guy who wouldn’t even bother acknowledging other Zombie Kings, let alone send them a message.

But now? Not only had he reached out—he was offering Ethan a seat at the table.

”Wasn’t our whole goal to push into Heartland?” Bloodveil muttered under his breath. ”Endless doesn’t seem so bad. I mean, if we can have everything already, why keep stirring up trouble?”

But Ethan’s eyes stayed calm, unreadable. He didn’t even flinch.

”No,” he said. ”It’s not enough.”

Bloodveil blinked. ”Wait… what?”

Not enough?

That could only mean one thing—Ethan had no intention of backing down. He was ready to go to war. All the way.

”Who knows what kind of trap they’re setting?” Ethan said coldly. ”Could be a setup. Lure me in, then spring the jaws shut. If you’re so eager to go, be my guest.”

”Hell no!” Bloodveil shook his head so fast it was a blur. ”I know my limits, man.”

”So… we’re really going to war with Heartland?” he asked, voice dropping.

”Yeah,” Ethan said with a nod. But then his tone shifted. ”But there’s still one variable left.”

”What variable?”

”Westmarch,” Ethan said, his voice low and steady.

Westmarch—part of Necroterra. A barren, war-torn region that had once been bombarded by three Dreadnought-class Starcruisers. No one really knew what it had become since then. But one thing was certain—it was still home to a sizable zombie faction.

The Overlord of Westmarch… where did he stand? Was he aligned with Heartland? Neutral? Or something else entirely?

They had to find out. Because if they didn’t, and he turned on them mid-war, it could be catastrophic.

This war with Heartland was going to be a crucible. Every zombie faction in Necroterra would be drawn into it. No one could sit this one out.

Bloodveil’s expression turned thoughtful, a flicker of memory crossing his face. ”I actually met the Overlord of Westmarch once. He came to Eastreach, back before he had Voidborn Undying power. He was weak. Real weak. Even if he wanted to kiss Heartland’s ass, I doubt they’d even let him.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow. ”That weak, huh?”

”Oh yeah,” Bloodveil nodded, totally confident. ”He’s… a special case. Word is, he got hit in the head by a meteor. Didn’t die, though. Somehow, the rock fused with his skull and mutated him.”

Ethan blinked. ”Wait, seriously?”

”Dead serious,” Bloodveil said. ”That’s why they call him ’Meteorfall.’”

Ethan didn’t say anything for a moment, just processing that.

Meteorfall. A Zombie King with a meteor embedded in his skull. Yeah… definitely special.

Bloodveil went on, ”Honestly, I don’t think he’s the type to suck up to Heartland. Doesn’t seem like his style.”

”Still,” Ethan said, ”we need to pay him a visit.”

Before launching a full-scale war against Heartland, they had to eliminate every possible threat. Every unknown.

If Meteorfall was with Heartland—or even just sitting on the fence—he’d have to die. No exceptions.

In this war, neutrality was a death sentence. The only way to survive… was to join the Backstabbing Alliance.

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