Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The bulk freighter slammed into the dirt and skidded forward a long way, carving a deep trench in the earth from the sheer force of inertia.

”Who the hell just unleashed a psychic interference field?!”

Bloodveil and his inner circle of Zombie Kings weren’t exactly fragile. They’d been thrown from the freighter, but none of them were seriously hurt. They scrambled out of the wreckage, brushing off dust and scanning the horizon.

Their eyes locked onto a figure standing atop a nearby ridge—a lone Zombie King. He looked male, wiry and small-framed, but his eyes gleamed with sharp intelligence. One glance, and it was obvious: this guy was a psychic specialist.

Energy pulsed around him, radiating a powerful aura.

”Boss, could that be one of Heartland’s Deathless Sovereigns?” one of Bloodveil’s underlings asked, a little on edge.

”No,” Bloodveil shook his head firmly. ”Among the Five Sovereigns of Heartland, only Nightwraith is a top-tier psychic, and he’s way out west right now. That guy up there might be one of the Voidborn Undying, but he’s nowhere near Sovereign level. Probably just one of Heartland’s elite enforcers.”

”Ohhh…” the underling let out a long breath, visibly relaxing.

After all, it was just one Zombie King, and not even a Sovereign. Nothing they couldn’t handle.

”Boss, should we charge him?”

”Hell yeah.” Bloodveil nodded hard, eyes gleaming with bloodlust. The Origin Mountain was just up ahead—they were this close to crossing into Heartland territory.

That place was the promised land for countless outer-zone zombies. A dream.

Bloodveil’s killing intent surged. He was just about to give the signal to attack when his eyes narrowed, and his expression shifted to one of surprise.

More figures appeared on the ridge, stepping up beside the psychic Zombie King.

”You did well. Thanks for holding the line,” said a woman, her voice calm but commanding.

The psychic bowed his head respectfully. ”You flatter me…”

”…”

Bloodveil’s face froze. His brow furrowed instantly.

Nerissa…

He muttered the name under his breath, then turned to his underling. ”How many of Heartland’s Deathless Sovereigns showed up in the west?”

”I dunno, boss. That place is a warzone—energy blasts flying everywhere. Who the hell can keep track?”

”…” Bloodveil fell silent, a sinking feeling gnawing at his gut.

The woman on the ridge was tall and striking. What stood out most was her long, blood-red hair that cascaded down like a crimson waterfall. Her features were delicate and refined, but her lips were tinged with a dark, inky black.

The whole look gave off an eerie, almost otherworldly vibe.

Bloodveil’s eyes locked on that red hair, and a chill ran down his spine.

”Red hair… black lips… That’s Deathless Sovereign Nerissa!”

Everything about her matched the rumors.

Bloodveil felt a cold sweat break out on his back. If it were just Nerissa alone, maybe—just maybe—he could’ve put up a fight.

But flanking her were three more SSS-class Zombie Kings, each radiating terrifying power. Add in the psychic specialist from earlier, and that made four elite monsters standing between him and the Heartland.

They stood on that ridge like an immovable mountain—impossible to get past.

”Endless and the others are out fighting,” Nerissa said, her gaze fixed on Bloodveil. A twisted smile curled her lips, and something wild flickered in her eyes. ”So of course I stayed behind to guard the gate. I knew you’d come. I’ve been waiting…”

As her words faded, a low, guttural roar echoed from the earth behind her.

The zombie horde—dormant until now—suddenly stirred to life. They’d been waiting too.

Dust exploded into the air as the ground trembled. A wave of killing intent surged forward, thick and suffocating.

Within the chaos, the elite troops of Heartland began to emerge.

Even Nerissa didn’t dare take this lightly. She gave the signal, and her entire horde surged into motion.

”Was that really necessary…”

Bloodveil stood frozen, staring blankly at the ridge. Any thought of resistance had completely vanished from his mind.

One Deathless Sovereign backed by four SSS-class powerhouses? That wasn’t a fight—hell, that was a death sentence.

As the elite Heartland zombies surged forward, one of his underlings turned to him, panic in his voice. ”Boss, what do we do now?!”

”We fall back.”

”Huh??” The underling looked stunned. Didn’t we just get here?

We came all this way… just to run?

Bloodveil continued, ”Plans have changed. Now’s not the time to—”

”Oh.”

Before he could even finish, his zombie underlings had already turned tail and bolted, scattering like roaches under a floodlight.

They didn’t just run—they flew.

And as they fled, they passed the retreat order to the rest of the horde.

In the blink of an eye, the entire Eastreach zombie force was in full retreat, disappearing into the distance like a bad dream.

Bloodveil blinked, speechless.

Damn… they’re faster than me.

But Nerissa and her crew hadn’t been waiting here all this time just to let them escape. The moment she saw them turn to flee, her eyes narrowed, and she gave the kill order.

”Don’t let them get away. Hunt them down.”

”ROOOAAARRR—!”

The zombie horde behind her erupted into a frenzy.

The four SSS-class Zombie Kings charged ahead, unleashing their powers in a tidal wave of destruction.

And Nerissa—her eyes gleaming with madness—stood tall, her aura flaring. As a Deathless Sovereign, her presence alone was suffocating.

A crimson mist began to seep from her body, thick and toxic. Trees and grass around her withered instantly, turning yellow and brittle before collapsing into dust.

”Virulent Domain.”

Before she ascended to Sovereign status, Nerissa had been obsessed with devouring poisons. That obsession awakened her unique ability—Virulent—a domain that could paralyze and corrode enemies across a massive area. In large-scale battles, she was a nightmare. A one-woman army wiper.

The toxic fog exploded outward, blotting out the sky.

A blood-red mist rolled across the battlefield like a living thing, swallowing the Eastreach zombie horde in seconds. They were fast—but not faster than a Sovereign’s domain.

Zombies vanished into the fog without even a scream, as if they’d been erased from existence. The scene was chilling beyond words.

”Holy shit!”

The rest of the horde saw the red mist coming and panicked, running even faster.

But the fog was relentless, like a monstrous beast with a thousand mouths. It chased them down, devouring them one by one. In just a few seconds, entire squads were gone.

”How the hell are we supposed to fight that?!”

Bloodveil clenched his fangs, his mind racing. This poison mist didn’t seem to drain much energy, but its range was insane. Once it spread, it became a natural barrier—one that even a million zombies couldn’t break through.

So this… this is the power of a Deathless Sovereign?

Watching his underlings die by the dozens, Bloodveil felt like his heart was bleeding.

So much for swooping in to pick up scraps…

Bloodtide Domain!

He stopped holding back.

A massive sea of blood erupted behind him, rising into a towering wave that crashed toward the crimson fog.

Two unnatural reds collided in midair.

Both domains were corrosive, both deadly. They twisted and tore at each other, the sky rumbling as shockwaves tore through the battlefield. Chaos reigned.

”Boss!”

The remaining zombies turned to look back, their eyes wide with awe. The sky was painted red, and in the middle of it all stood their leader, holding back a Sovereign’s power with his own.

”He’s… he’s doing it to save us?”

”He’s actually using Bloodtide Domain to fight off a Deathless Sovereign?!”

Their voices trembled with fear and admiration.

But reality was cruel.

Bloodveil’s Absolute Domain was powerful—top-tier among SSS-class Zombie Kings—but against a Deathless Sovereign, it just wasn’t enough.

The Bloodtide Domain held for a few moments… then began to collapse under the relentless corrosion of the poison mist.

And then came the psychic strike.

One of Nerissa’s SSS-class lieutenants launched a mental assault, stabbing into Bloodveil’s mind like a red-hot spike.

”AAARGHH—!”

His skull felt like it was boiling from the inside. The pain was blinding. His Bloodtide Domain shattered completely.

The red mist surged forward like a beast unleashed, swallowing Bloodveil whole.

His skin sizzled and cracked, smoke rising from his body as if he’d been doused in acid. The pain was unbearable—his flesh bubbling, his nerves screaming.

”Boss, run! RUN!!”

His underlings screamed from the distance, their voices raw with desperation.

…