Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Just as Ethan vanished with a flash of Teleportation, a massive tiger slammed down onto the spot he’d been standing.

Its front paw hit the highway like a meteor, smashing a crater into the asphalt.

Ethan swallowed hard.

That… had been way too close. One second slower, and he’d be dead or crippled.

The others finally got a clear look at the mutated Bengal tiger—and every single one of them froze.

The thing was bigger than an elephant. Not just in length, but in sheer bulk. It had to weigh several tons, easy.

The moment it appeared, a crushing pressure settled over the group. Breathing suddenly felt like trying to inhale through a straw.

No wonder even Ethan had been wary. One look at this beast, and you knew—this wasn’t something you could just fight. This was something you survived.

Even the remaining Tier 5 zombies, after catching sight of the tiger, began quietly retreating back into the tunnel.

Only a few Tier 3 and Tier 4 zombies kept charging forward, still following the last command of the now-dead Tier 6.

The tiger crouched, muscles coiling, ready to pounce again.

But before it could move, Garrick and the others—who’d been resting and conserving energy—finally made their move.

A jagged spike of earth shot up from the ground, aiming straight for the tiger’s underbelly.

But the beast reacted instantly. The moment the spike emerged, it leapt aside with terrifying speed.

Then it lunged straight at the nearest target—Miles.

But Miles didn’t panic. Gritting his teeth, he pushed through the zombie horde, taking hits as he ran.

At the last second, just as the tiger pounced, he dropped and rolled, narrowly dodging the attack.

The tiger crashed into the zombie crowd behind him.

And the zombies? They didn’t care what it was. Something had landed in their midst, and they attacked it like they would anything else.

Miles used the chaos to sprint back to the group, rejoining the others.

”Ethan, fall back! We’ve got this!” Chris shouted, stepping in front of him with the rest of the strike team.

Ethan didn’t argue. ”Be careful. We’ll jump back in once we’ve caught our breath.”

He nodded, then helped lift Big Mike as the rest of the support team began retreating.

Ethan had chosen Chris’s group to rest earlier for a reason.

Garrick’s Earthen Armor gave him the best shot at surviving a direct hit from the tiger. He was the team’s tank—literally.

Chris had the sharpest edge in the squad. That Tier 7 tiger’s hide was probably tougher than steel, but if anyone could pierce it, it was Chris and his daggers.

Mia’s Absolute Freeze was their strongest crowd control. The tiger was fast—too fast. Without a way to slow it down, they’d never land a hit.

And Skinny Pete? Ethan was hoping his Beast Control might actually work on the tiger. Even if it couldn’t fully control it, any disruption could make a difference. Plus, Pete’s Wind Cutter wasn’t weak either.

Those four were the best shot they had at taking the monster down.

Even Ethan himself wasn’t much use in this fight.

Sure, he was strong—Tier 6 peak, stronger than anyone else on the team. And thanks to his nightly stargazing and absorption of mysterious energy, he consistently ended up about forty pounds stronger than the others each night.

That didn’t sound like much, but over time, it added up.

Right now, while the rest of the team was nearly spent, Ethan still had gas in the tank.

But his abilities weren’t suited for this kind of fight.

Telekinesis looked flashy, but it relied too much on the object being used. His machete? Probably couldn’t even scratch that tiger’s hide.

So instead of wasting energy, Ethan focused on what he could do—clearing out the remaining zombies.

Still, he didn’t stray far.

Because if the tiger decided to ignore Chris’s group and charge this way instead, someone had to be ready to protect Sean and the others.

The mutated tiger tore through the remaining Tier 3 and Tier 4 zombies like they were made of paper.

One casual swipe of its paw, and a cluster of zombie skulls exploded like overripe fruit.

Its tail lashed out behind it—crack—another wave of heads went flying. The way it moved, the precision of its strikes… it had clearly done this before. A lot.

The zombies’ claws and teeth couldn’t even scratch it.

It rampaged through the horde, unstoppable, and within moments, the last few hundred zombies were nothing but twitching corpses.

Everyone watching swallowed hard.

This thing was a damn monster.

As the tiger turned its glowing eyes back toward the group, the pressure in the air thickened. No hesitation, no warning—it lunged straight at Chris’s team.

Garrick stepped forward, his body fully encased in Earthen Armor, planting himself between the tiger and the others.

Chris had already vanished into stealth, waiting for his moment.

Mia and Skinny Pete braced themselves, powers at the ready.

BOOM!

The tiger moved too fast. Garrick barely had time to react before a massive paw slammed into his chest.

CRACK!

His armor shattered on impact. Garrick was launched backward, skidding across the ground for several meters before coughing up blood, eyes wide with shock.

The others froze.

They’d known it would be strong—but this? Garrick was their tank, and he’d just been swatted like a fly.

But there was no time to panic.

The moment Garrick hit the ground, Mia unleashed her ice ability.

A thick layer of frost instantly encased the tiger’s body.

For a second, it looked like it might hold.

Then the tiger gave a violent shake, and the ice shattered off its body like glass.

But that was the opening Chris had been waiting for.

A dagger, coated in black energy, plunged into the tiger’s neck from behind.

”ROAR!”

The beast let out a furious, pained roar and whipped its tail around—WHAM!—smashing into Chris as he tried to retreat.

Chris hit the ground hard, blood spraying from his mouth as he tumbled across the pavement.

The tiger locked onto him instantly, ignoring everyone else as it charged.

SHNK!

A Wind Cutter sliced across its side, leaving a shallow gash—but it barely flinched.

”Hey, ugly! Over here!” Skinny Pete shouted, locking eyes with the beast.

For a split second, the tiger froze.

Just two seconds.

But it was enough.

By the time it broke free of Pete’s control and turned back toward Chris, he was gone.

”ROAR!!”

The tiger bellowed in rage and lunged at Skinny Pete instead.

”Holy shit—this power’s garbage!” Pete cursed, diving to the side.

The tiger missed—but only barely.

It snarled and pounced again, this time with deadly precision.

Pete had nowhere left to run.

Then—BAM!

A figure slammed into the tiger’s side, knocking it off course just enough to save Pete from being shredded.

Pete scrambled to his feet and glanced to the side, nodding in silent thanks.

Chris.

He’d come back and body-checked the damn tiger.

Everyone’s faces were grim now.

This thing was still going strong—even with a dagger buried in its neck.

”What now?” Pete asked, voice tight.

”I’ll hold it off,” Garrick said, already back on his feet, blood on his lips but eyes steady. ”I can take another hit.”

”I’ll keep it locked down,” Mia added, stepping forward.

”I’ll strike from behind,” came Chris’s voice, low and calm, drifting from the shadows.

”Pete,” he added, ”aim your Wind Cutter at the wound I made. Hit it hard.”

”Got it,” Pete nodded.

They didn’t need more words.

They all knew—this was their only shot.