Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The battle raged on—no mercy, no retreat!

Bloodveil and Meteorfall watched the chaos unfold, quickly realizing that Ethan’s crew wasn’t just tough—they were absolute monsters. If there was a top-tier zombie nest in the world, this was it.

”Wraithshade’s already gone after Deathless Sovereign Lilith,” Meteorfall said, glancing at the battlefield. ”We’re part of the same alliance. We can’t just sit back and let them steal all the glory, right?”

”Yeah, you’re right,” Bloodveil nodded, not about to let his own undead underlings mock him after the war for being a no-show. ”Time to remind everyone who the real boss is!”

With a guttural roar, the two regional overlords launched themselves into the fray. Bloodveil unleashed his Bloodtide Domain, a crimson tide of energy surging outward, pulsing with radiant flashes.

Even Claire, the human leader, whose body was still recovering from earlier exertion, pushed herself back into the fight, refusing to be left behind.

The heads of the other two major families moved in to protect her, leading their elite warriors into battle.

Aria, among them, activated her Domain of Tides, pushing it to its absolute limit. Her eyes burned with fierce determination.

”Mom… the child you worried about has grown up.”

Blue energy rippled out like waves, sweeping across the battlefield, tearing the dark spirits apart piece by piece.

Behind her, Ricky stood tall, katana in hand, having been charging up for this moment. The sky was thick with malevolent spirits, their hatred feeding his power perfectly.

Dark energy surged toward him, drawn like a magnet.

His body trembled slightly—the power was overwhelming, pushing him to the edge of what he could handle.

In his eyes, resentment burned like wildfire, growing hotter and hotter.

A massive ghostly figure formed behind him.

”By the Grudge of the Dead!”

His katana let out a sharp hum as he swung it forward. A black arc of energy exploded from the blade, slicing through the air like it could split the world in two.

Countless evil spirits were obliterated in an instant.

But then—crack—a sharp sound rang out. Tiny fractures appeared along the blade, spreading rapidly until the entire weapon shattered in his hands.

The energy had simply been too much. The sword couldn’t take it.

Ricky looked down at the broken hilt still in his grip.

”Guess it’s time I got one custom-made.”

”...”

One by one, the heavy hitters stepped up, clearing the path for Ethan to reach the summit.

Deathless Sovereign Lilith was powerful, no doubt—but even she was starting to falter.

The strongest among them pushed forward, breaking through layer after layer of darkness, as if they could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Their long-held dream was within reach.

”Not one step further!”

A deep voice thundered across the battlefield.

Endless stood alone at the peak, tall and unyielding, his eyes blazing with unwavering resolve.

He was ready to take on every Zombie King by himself.

”Time Lock!”

As the words left his mouth, his Temporal Domain expanded to its absolute limit. The air compressed so violently it cracked with deafening booms.

Vrrrrmmm—

In an instant, the entire world seemed to freeze.

Everything stopped—energy flows halted, clouds stopped swirling, even the wind fell silent.

Everyone—Zombie Kings, humans, all of them—were locked in place, their bodies stiff, crushed under the immense pressure.

They had to summon every ounce of strength just to move an inch through the frozen time.

Endless was going all in, holding nothing back. His power was terrifying.

With a single move, he had the entire battlefield under his control.

”I… am still the strongest on all of Necroterra!”

His aura surged, voice low and grim. The usual calm was gone, replaced by something darker, more violent.

But then—the space in front of him shattered with a thunderous crack.

A golden figure descended from the sky, glowing with divine energy. Ethan’s eyes blazed like twin suns, his presence towering like a god surveying the world.

”No one… gets in my way!”

He raised his fist and struck.

The Temporal Domain shattered like glass. If not for the sheer durability of Origin Mountain, the entire area might’ve been obliterated.

Endless gritted his teeth and met the blow head-on.

Two colossal forces collided.

And the entire Necroterra continent trembled in their wake.

BOOOOM!

Endless unleashed everything he had—but it still wasn’t enough. Ethan’s punch sent him flying backward like a ragdoll. His arm throbbed with searing pain, completely numb.

”Chrono Rewind!”

But Endless didn’t flinch. With a flash of light, he reversed time on his own body. In the blink of an eye, his injuries vanished, like they’d never happened.

Ethan, however, had already anticipated this. He was right on top of him.

His Domain of the Dead surged forward like a tidal wave of death, and his hand shot out, aiming straight for Endless’s head.

Endless’s eyes widened—he barely managed to dodge, shifting sideways just in time.

But as he backed away, he froze.

Ethan was suddenly right next to him.

”An illusion?”

Endless wasn’t easily fooled. His mental strength was top-tier—he sensed something was off immediately.

He spun and drove his elbow back hard.

Sure enough, the Ethan beside him shattered into a spray of starlight.

”At this level of combat, you think cheap parlor tricks are gonna work?”

”Oh yeah?” Ethan’s voice echoed from all around.

Suddenly, multiple Ethans appeared, flickering into existence mid-air, all lunging at him in perfect sync.

Endless narrowed his eyes, focusing hard. He could sense the fakes—he could feel the difference in their energy.

But then he realized something terrifying.

The real Ethan… was gone.

”What the hell…” Endless muttered, smashing through a few of the illusions with his fists.

Fake.

Fake.

All of them—fake.

But then, just as he swung again, a powerful hand clamped down on his wrist like a vice.

”Shit!”

Panic surged through him.

The ”illusion” he’d just struck—its energy was rising fast. It wasn’t fake anymore.

It was real.

Before he could react, Ethan’s fist came crashing down again—and again—and again.

Endless broke free with a desperate burst of strength, but his entire body screamed in pain. There wasn’t a single spot that didn’t hurt.

Still, his face remained calm.

He activated his ultimate ability again—time reversed, and his body rewound to its uninjured state. Even his clothes looked freshly pressed.

”You can’t kill me,” he said coldly. ”And your Blood Rite… it’s almost out of time, isn’t it?”

He could feel it—Ethan’s energy had stopped climbing.

That meant he’d hit his peak.

And after the peak… came the fall.

”Use Blood Rite too long, and your body starts to break down. Irreversible damage,” Endless said, voice steady.

”Oh? So you do know about that,” Ethan replied, completely unfazed. ”But your Chrono Rewind’s gotta be running on fumes too. Your body’s already showing signs of wear.”

”You—”

Endless clenched his jaw. He’d tried to get in Ethan’s head, but the bastard had flipped it right back on him.

And truthfully… he was starting to feel the pressure.

If he took a few more hits, he might not be able to rewind time again.

Ethan turned his gaze toward the summit. It wasn’t far now.

The square-shaped recess was clearly visible, and the intricate patterns converging above it glowed faintly, like veins of light.

With a wave of his hand, Ethan summoned a heavy stone tablet. It shimmered with radiant energy, and as it floated upward, it seemed to be drawn toward the mountaintop—like a long-lost child finally returning home.

Endless’s eyes went wide. He stared at the Star Map tablet in horror.

”What… what are you doing?”

”What else?” Ethan said casually. ”I’m opening The Origin Mountain.”

Panic flashed across Endless’s face. ”You can’t! You can’t open it! If you do, every living thing in the universe will be wiped out!”

”Oh?” Ethan raised an eyebrow. He’d heard the legends—that opening The Origin Mountain would usher in a new era, and crown a new Epoch Sovereign.

But judging by Endless’s reaction… there was more to the story.

”That bastard from the Forbidden Zone lied to you!” Endless growled, his voice tight with desperation. ”Yes, opening The Origin Mountain will start a new era—but the cost is wiping out everything that lives. The entire universe, erased. A full reset.”

”Is that really the future you want?”

...