Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The Temporal Domain unleashed by Endless wrapped around Ethan like a tightening noose, its corrosive force moments away from consuming him entirely—until, suddenly, the air shifted.

A surge of crimson blood energy erupted from Ethan’s body, blasting skyward like a pillar of fire.

He had activated his Blood Rite.

In the next instant, golden sigils began to shimmer beneath his skin—faint at first, then rapidly solidifying, spreading across his entire body like a living circuit of ancient power.

His aura skyrocketed.

With the Blood Rite fully engaged and the runes amplifying his strength, the sheer force radiating from him was overwhelming.

He wasn’t holding back anymore.

He had entered his Fourth Phase—

Ethan: Golden Sigil Form.

His usually cold eyes now glinted with a brilliant, almost divine light.

Every movement he made distorted the air around him. Space itself cracked under the weight of his presence. The wraiths that had been binding his arms let out a shriek—then shattered into nothingness.

Nightwraith’s psychic pressure collapsed in on itself, crushed by Ethan’s rising power. The backlash hit him like a spike to the brain, and he staggered, clutching his head in pain.

Ethan was free.

Like a beast unleashed, he lunged forward, fist cocked, and drove it straight at Endless.

BOOOOM—

The impact was cataclysmic.

The energy tore through everything in its path, obliterating the terrain ahead. Mountains crumbled. The sky itself seemed to ripple.

Endless’s eyes widened in shock. He had no choice but to abandon his offense and throw up a desperate defense. He compressed his Temporal energy, crossing his arms in front of his chest to block.

But it wasn’t enough.

Ethan’s punch hit like a meteor.

Even with the body of a Deathless Sovereign, Endless was sent flying, skidding backward through the air before slamming into a cliffside with bone-rattling force.

The chaotic energy that had filled the battlefield was blown away in an instant. Even the storm clouds above were torn apart, scattered by the sheer force of Ethan’s strike.

Where his fist landed, nothing remained.

As the shockwaves faded, a stunned silence fell over the battlefield.

Every zombie—Heartland loyalist or otherwise—stared at Ethan in awe.

”He… he actually sent Endless flying!”

”This is Ethan’s power now? That’s insane!”

”Looks like his trip to Xenorift paid off big time…”

”...”

Bloodveil’s jaw tightened. He remembered asking Ethan if he’d found anything in the Forbidden Zone of Xenorift. Ethan had just shrugged and said no.

But now, seeing those golden sigils—those ancient, indestructible runes—he knew better.

That was no ordinary power. That was the legacy of a lost civilization.

”…Okay, I’ll admit it. He’s a little hotter than me,” Bloodveil muttered. ”Even before I got my face wrecked, I’d have thought twice before picking a fight with that guy.”

Claire, meanwhile, was frozen, her wide eyes locked on Ethan’s glowing form.

”Those runes… why are they on him?”

”Huh? What do you mean?” Bloodveil asked, confused.

Claire took a breath, her voice serious. ”Human civilization has spent centuries studying runes—digging through ancient ruins, decoding fragments of lost knowledge. According to one of our oldest texts, the Seven Great Runes represent the will of the world itself. They can be studied, meditated on, even harnessed… but they’ve never, ever appeared on a living being.”

”The will of the world?” Bloodveil echoed, trying to wrap his head around it. ”So why the hell are they on Ethan?”

”I don’t know,” Claire said, her tone solemn. ”No one does. But maybe… maybe it means the world chose him.”

Bloodveil blinked, stunned. That was way beyond anything he could comprehend—but it sounded badass as hell.

But the one who was most shaken… was Endless.

He stared at Ethan, now wreathed in blood energy, golden sigils pulsing beneath his skin, his aura towering like a god of war.

He recognized that power.

He’d been to the Forbidden Zone too. He knew exactly what those runes were.

”That rune power… did that old bastard in the Forbidden Zone give it to you?” Endless asked, his voice low.

”No,” Ethan replied flatly. ”I killed him and took it.”

”…”

Endless was speechless.

He killed that guy?

But there was no time to process it.

Ethan moved.

He blurred forward, a golden streak of death, and Endless barely managed to dodge to the side.

BOOM—

Ethan’s punch missed—but the shockwave alone made the entire Origin Mountain tremble violently.

The rock should’ve shattered under the force… but instead, the outer layer of stone peeled away, revealing something else beneath.

Something unnatural.

”…Knew it,” Ethan muttered, eyes narrowing. ”There’s more to this mountain than meets the eye.”

Ethan glanced sideways, eyes narrowing. The exposed bluish-gray surface beneath the crumbling rock—he recognized it instantly. It was the same material as the Star Map tablet: impossibly dense, nearly indestructible.

And just like the tablet, it was etched with intricate, ancient patterns.

”What the hell is this…?”

Golden light flared in his eyes as he looked up toward the summit of The Origin Mountain.

Beside him, Endless’s expression shifted—urgency flashing across his face.

”You can’t open The Origin Mountain! If you do, we’re all dead!”

”Oh?” Ethan raised a brow, completely unfazed. ”Then I guess we die.”

With that, he launched himself into the air, a streak of gold and crimson, rocketing straight toward the mountain’s peak.

He had to know what was hidden there.

Endless clenched his jaw, no longer retreating. Time energy surged around him as he shot forward to intercept.

Above, Lilith and Nightwraith also sprang into action, throwing everything they had into stopping him. Their energy reserves were already running low, but they didn’t hold back—Nightwraith’s psychic force and Lilith’s spectral curses surged like a tidal wave.

But Ethan was too strong.

With a flick of his hand, he shattered their attacks like glass, tearing through their interference and continuing his ascent up The Origin Mountain.

The zombies below watched in awe, their spirits igniting at the sight of his unstoppable advance.

”The Origin Mountain is right there! Follow him—charge!”

”We’ll fight with the boss till the end! No matter what!”

”RAAAHHH!”

The Zombie Horde roared, their voices shaking the heavens.

From the rear, the haunting strum of Elegy’s guitar rang out once more. The Diva Dance rose to its crescendo, becoming the anthem of their charge.

With Ethan at the front, the horde surged forward, cutting through the battlefield like a blade, storming into the heart of The Origin Mountain.

But one Deathless Sovereign still stood in their way.

Nerissa.

She was giving it everything she had, her Virulent Domain expanding wildly, flooding the area with toxic mist, trying to halt the horde’s advance.

”You’re the one… who ruined my face!” Bloodveil snarled, his eyes burning with fury. He unleashed his Bloodtide Domain at full force—mutated blood energy condensed into a massive, crimson torrent, like a galaxy of blood crashing down from the heavens.

Nerissa’s eyes narrowed. She was running on fumes—after so many battles, her strength had dropped below fifty percent.

She raised her hand, summoning a thick cloud of venomous fog to meet the blood tide. The two forces collided, swirling together in a violent clash—but for now, the poison couldn’t corrode the blood.

”Tch. So this is Heartland’s Deathless Sovereign? Kinda disappointing,” Bloodveil sneered.

Nerissa’s rage flared. If she were at full power, she could’ve crushed him ten times over. But now? Now she was being mocked by this freak?

Then her expression changed—panic flashing across her face.

A sudden burst of blue light exploded behind her.

The crushing force of the Domain of Tides tore through the red mist like a blade through silk.

”Let the tides take you,” Claire’s voice rang out, cold and sharp.

She had used her Hydrocloak to slip through the chaos unnoticed, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

This was it.

Nerissa spun around, throwing up her Virulent Domain to defend—but the blue wave was too massive, too fast. It rose like a thousand-foot tsunami, crashing down with apocalyptic force.

The crimson fog was swallowed whole.

BOOOOM!

Nerissa was engulfed, her body slammed by the full weight of the tide. It felt like being dragged to the bottom of the ocean, crushed from all sides.

”AAAGHH—!”

She screamed, thrashing violently.

Claire didn’t let up. She poured every ounce of power into the attack, pressing down like a hydraulic press, drowning Nerissa beneath the crushing weight of the sea.

But Nerissa was still a Deathless Sovereign. Even in this state, she was hard to kill.

Still, Claire could feel it—her aura was fading, weakening with every passing second.

One of Heartland’s Deathless Sovereigns…

was about to be dragged down forever,

to drown in the depths.

...