Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”And how do I know you’re not the one lying to me?” Ethan shot back, his voice cold and sharp. He didn’t buy a word of it. These so-called Zombie Kings were masters of manipulation—twisting truths, spinning half-lies, always playing some deeper game.

Endless’s warning? Probably just another trick. Maybe there was some truth to it, but Ethan was sure there was more to the story. The Origin Mountain had to hold secrets no one was willing to share.

Endless’s expression darkened. ”I’m not lying. If you open The Origin Mountain, it’ll bring total annihilation. Once it starts, there’s no turning back. You won’t even have the chance to regret it.”

”Regret’s not your concern,” Ethan said, his tone low and steady. Golden runes shimmered across his body, pulsing with power. He’d come too far to be scared off by a few ominous words.

Even if it did mean the end of the world… he wanted to see it for himself.

With the Star Map tablet in hand, Ethan launched into the air like a blazing comet, streaking toward the mountaintop, straight for the square recess.

Endless clenched his jaw and surged forward to intercept.

”Move.”

Ethan’s leg snapped out in a brutal kick, golden energy flaring around him. The sheer force of it cracked the air.

Endless crossed his arms to block, but it was like getting hit by a falling star. The impact sent him flying, crashing through the air like a meteor.

Ethan didn’t waste a second. He landed in front of the recess—close enough to touch it.

He raised the tablet high, spinning it once in his hand, trailing a brilliant arc of light. Then he brought it down, aiming to slot it into place.

Endless wasn’t done yet.

His face twisted with desperation, all composure gone. The elegance of the Deathless Sovereign was nowhere to be seen. He unleashed his full power—Temporal Domain at maximum output.

Vrrrrmmmm—

The air locked up. Time itself compressed around Ethan, freezing everything in place. The world around him slowed to a crawl.

Ethan’s body halted mid-motion. The tablet hovered just inches from the recess—thirty inches, to be exact.

But then—BOOM.

Ethan’s Domain of the Dead exploded outward, raw and unfiltered. The two Absolute Domains collided again, sending shockwaves across the mountain.

But Ethan’s power was stronger.

Slowly, relentlessly, his death domain pushed back against the time lock. The pressure eased. The freeze began to crack.

Ethan’s body moved again.

The tablet inched forward.

Twenty inches…

Ten…

Five…

Endless’s eyes went bloodshot. He was screaming inside.

”Why are you so obsessed with this?!”

”Because…” Ethan’s voice was like steel. ”I made a promise.”

CLACK.

The tablet slammed into place with a thunderous finality, fitting perfectly into the recess.

In that instant, time stopped.

Space froze.

The entire world seemed to hold its breath.

Every Zombie King on the battlefield froze mid-step, their expressions blank, eyes locked on the mountaintop.

”What… what just happened?”

”Why’s it so quiet?”

”Is it… not working?”

Confusion rippled through the crowd. The moment the tablet clicked into place, the chaotic energy vanished. Everything went still. Too still.

”Maybe it’s fake?”

”No way. Maybe it’s just… buffering?”

Everyone watched, tense and uncertain.

Then—BOOOOOOM!

The sky split open with a deafening roar. The sound was so intense, it nearly ruptured the eardrums of every undead on the mountain.

The seven Radiant Crystals embedded in the tablet lit up, each one blazing with divine light.

Dust to dust. Ash to ash.

Everything began to shift.

Endless’s eyes went wide with horror. Even as the top-ranked Deathless Sovereign of Heartland, he looked shaken to his core.

”It’s begun… All living things… it’s going to wipe them all out!”

”It?” Ethan’s eyes narrowed.

Something about the way Endless said that—it wasn’t just the mountain. He was talking about something inside it.

Still, Ethan didn’t flinch.

He didn’t believe that opening The Origin Mountain would bring total destruction. If that were true, why would it even exist? Why would anyone build it?

No species would create something just to guarantee its own extinction.

There had to be more.

The sky trembled harder now, rumbling like the roar of a waking god. A crushing pressure rolled down from above, making it hard to breathe.

The Star Map tablet pulsed with radiant light, its glow racing along the ancient lines etched into The Origin Mountain. The entire network of runes was coming alive—igniting something buried deep in the heart of the universe.

The clouds overhead were torn apart, shredded like paper in a storm.

Even the three suns—those ever-burning celestial giants—began to rotate, slowly, ominously… and then tilt downward.

Ethan looked up, awe flickering in his eyes. He hadn’t expected this. The suns… they were connected to The Origin Mountain?

One of the massive stars began to descend, its light blinding, its heat palpable even from this distance.

But this? This was just the beginning.

The runes across The Origin Mountain’s three towering peaks lit up completely, glowing with pure white brilliance. The sight was breathtaking—divine, even.

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM.

The ground around the mountain cracked open, splitting like dry earth under a hammer. Chunks of stone lifted into the air, defying gravity, as if the planet itself was unraveling.

From the base of The Origin Mountain, pitch-black fissures spread outward in every direction, carving massive canyons into the land like a spiderweb of destruction.

The zombie hordes stared in stunned silence.

”Run! Get the hell out of here!”

”This energy… it’s insane! And it’s still getting worse!”

”Don’t tell me Endless was right… is this really gonna wipe us all out?!”

Panic erupted.

Zombies scattered in every direction, but many weren’t fast enough—sucked into the yawning black chasms that opened beneath their feet.

Sprout’s vines lashed out wildly, spreading across the battlefield. A dome of twisting greenery formed, shielding his horde from the chaos—a rare sanctuary in the storm.

Others weren’t so lucky. Most of the survivors scrambled aboard the massive Dreadnought-class Starcruiser, its engines already humming with power.

Claire stood on the deck, gripping the railing, eyes locked on the mountain.

”Mom… what if Endless was telling the truth?” Aria asked, her voice tight with fear.

Claire frowned, her gaze never leaving the horizon. ”Who knows? We don’t understand half the shit that goes on in Necroterra.”

Bloodveil stepped up beside them, arms crossed. ”I doubt it. Ethan’s not reckless. He’s sharp—calculating. If he’s doing this, he’s got a reason. He’s never been wrong before.”

Claire let out a dry laugh. ”Well, if Endless was right, then screw it. Guess we die.” She threw her hands up in mock surrender. ”Not like we can stop it now anyway.”

But then she paused, suddenly realizing something.

She turned to Bloodveil, narrowing her eyes. ”Wait a second… why the hell are you on our human Starcruiser?”

Bloodveil scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish. ”Didn’t bring a ship. Figured I’d hitch a ride.”

”...Seriously?” Claire stared at him, deadpan.

But there was no time to argue.

The sky was collapsing.

The ground was breaking apart.

The world was ending.

And yet—The Origin Mountain stood tall, untouched by the chaos. Its three peaks glowed like beacons, mirroring the three suns above, now spinning faster, drawing closer.

The pressure intensified.

VMMMMMMMM—

The Starcruiser’s shields flared to life, flickering under the strain. The massive steel hull groaned, warping slightly, letting out a deep metallic wail.

”Wait… is the Dreadnought-class Starcruiser… actually buckling?”

Zombies and humans alike stared in horror as the destructive energy continued to surge.

The entire planet of Originis was feeling it.

In Westmarch, a chain of supervolcanoes erupted simultaneously, spewing molten lava and choking ash into the sky.

In Frostmere’s Endless Sea, titanic tsunamis—thousands of feet high—crashed across the ocean, swallowing islands whole.

Elsewhere, the world was unraveling. Hurricanes, hailstorms, blizzards, torrential rain—every extreme weather event imaginable, all at once.

Thick volcanic ash swept across the sky, blotting out the sun. Darkness spread like a living thing.

On Xenorift, the Lizardfolk Chieftain stood beneath the blackened heavens, trembling. He dropped to his knees, leading his people in desperate prayer.

”O Great One… please, forgive our sins. Spare us your wrath…”

They bowed before a stone carving etched into the cliffside—an image of Ethan, arms outstretched like a god descending from the stars.

Across human cities, people flooded the streets, staring up at the sky in terror.

”The suns… they’re gone!”

...