Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”Everything I said is true! You must have something on you that’s really important to them—otherwise, why would she bring out a Tier 6 crystal core just to make a deal? She didn’t even use the Silverfox Squad to carry it out. Had to be afraid you’d catch on later,” Vince said, guessing out loud.

Emily froze.

Because she did have something the Silverfox Squad wanted—her ability.

Could it really be that simple?

She didn’t want to believe it, but her mind couldn’t help racing ahead.

If this was true, then a lot of things that never made sense before... suddenly did.

Why someone would come out of nowhere to kill her parents. Why the Silverfox Squad just happened to show up at the darkest moment of her life. Why they saved a complete stranger during the apocalypse—and treated her like she mattered.

She’d thought it was all because of Sophia, the squad leader. That Sophia was just a good person.

But after that, they’d run into plenty of ordinary people in trouble... most of whom Sophia ignored without blinking. Back then, Emily had comforted herself thinking maybe she and Sophia just ”clicked” more.

Now it all looked like a setup.

No wonder Ethan had asked if she’d shown her ability during their journey.

He’d realized it even back then.

And she—she’d been pathetically slow to catch on.

Thinking back, the first time she used her ability—to help Sophia recover her stamina—Sophia hadn’t even looked surprised.

Because she’d already known.

Emily let out a bitter laugh.

”So I’ve been helping the people who killed my family this whole time.”

Henry walked up and put a hand on her shoulder. His voice was low but steady. ”Sis... this isn’t your fault. You were kept in the dark. Everything—this whole mess—was Sophia’s doing.”

”Sophia…”

Emily’s voice was quiet, but her eyes blazed with light that could burn.

Love and hate come from the same place. The deeper the trust, the sharper the betrayal.

She’d once been so grateful to Sophia.

Now, all she felt was white-hot hatred.

They didn’t just kill her parents. They’d played her for a fool. Strung her along like a useful pawn.

Now that realization had settled in, there was no going back.

Henry’s expression was just as grim. Usually the softest of their group—but right now, his thoughts were drenched in bloodlust.

”Uh… look, I’ve told you everything I know,” Vince said cautiously, testing the temperature. ”I’m just a pawn too. Sophia’s the real monster here—maybe go after her instead?”

Ethan didn’t even look at him. Instead, he turned to Henry. ”He’s yours. You decide.”

Henry gave a silent nod. Then turned, locking eyes with Vince.

”Yeah, Sophia set the whole thing in motion,” he said coldly. ”But our parents died at the hands of your crew. And you got paid for it.”

”So you die too.”

The moment he finished speaking, Henry slashed his hand through the air. A beam of pitch-black energy—Void Beam—sliced forward with lethal speed.

Vince’s face twisted, silver armor flaring across his body as he dove sideways.

Too late.

The black streak tore through his shoulder with a sickening hiss, punching clean through flesh and metal. Blood sprayed through the air.

”...”

Everyone stared at the scene in a kind of numb shock.

Wasn’t Vince’s Silver Carapace supposed to be able to block attacks up to Tier 8?

So how the hell did these people tear through it like paper?

Was the Carapace a fake? Or… were all of them above Tier 8?

What they didn’t know was—yeah, Vince was powerful. You didn’t become the strongest Awakened in a compound like Clearford by being mediocre. His ability was damn impressive.

But the problem was… Chris’s Edge ability and Henry’s Void Beam both had armor-piercing effects built in. They were natural counters to that kind of defense. And when you added in the fact that both of them were operating way beyond Vince’s level...

His power might as well have been turned off.

Vince’s face had darkened to the color of storm clouds.

”I already told you—I had nothing to do with that incident! Are you seriously not gonna leave me any way out?”

”Correct,” Henry said flatly. Then came another Void Beam, slicing through the air with that same vicious speed.

Even though Vince braced for it, he still wasn’t fast enough to dodge completely. Another hole tore through his armor and body.

”You’re crossing the damn line now!”

Some of the Direclaw Squad snapped. Watching their captain get beaten like this, several of them yanked out their weapons and stepped forward.

Ethan’s voice dropped, cold and sharp. ”You thinking of making a move? Go ahead—try us.”

”But let’s make one thing clear,” he added, sweeping his gaze across them. ”This was never your fight. You stay put, you lose Vince. That’s it. But anyone else lifts a hand... and not a single person from Direclaw Squad walks out of here alive.”

That threat landed hard.

The ones who hadn’t moved clamped down on those who had, dragging them back by force.

”Fuck this—they’re straight-up torturing the captain and you cowards are just gonna let ’em?! You think he didn’t risk his life for you before?”

”Shut the hell up. We can’t win this. You think I’m dying for your screw-ups? Don’t drag us all down with you!”

”I was wrong about all of you. We swore when we joined: share glory, share death. Where’s your backbone now?!”

”This is why they’re stomping all over us—because we’re too scared to fight back. If we joined up, five thousand strong, we could—”

”Be completely annihilated, dumbass,” someone snapped. ”You blind?! These aren’t normal Awakened! That guy—it’s completely justified! Their parents got murdered, and Vince was in on it. He deserves everything coming to him!”

The guy who’d spoken to Ethan earlier barked the last line, loud and fierce.

”…”

Vince looked over, a bitter expression twisting his face.

But he didn’t blame them. He understood.

They were just trying to keep Direclaw Squad alive.

He’d already realized it—those two who had taken shots at him weren’t some hyped-up nobodies. The rumors hadn’t exaggerated. If anything... they’d undersold it.

Those people were Tier 8 at minimum. There was probably a Tier 9 standing among them.

Direclaw might be strong by Clearford’s standards, but against that squad? They didn’t stand a chance.

If backing him could’ve given him a shot at escape, he would’ve ordered them to fight—even if it meant every one of them dying.

But it wouldn’t make a difference.

He was dead either way.

No point dragging them down with him.

”Listen to Joe. Back the hell off. This is my mess—none of you interfere!” Vince roared.

Then he turned to Henry, took a deep breath, and said, ”Go ahead. Just do it. The others weren’t involved. Don’t put this on them.”

And with that, he closed his eyes where he stood, making no further move to resist.

He knew if he kept struggling, he’d still end up dead—just slower, and maybe in pieces.

If that was the ending, better to get it over with fast.

A bitter weight sat heavy in his chest. He never imagined a simple deal would end with his own life on the line.

But who was he gonna blame? In the end, it all came back to his greed.

Henry didn’t flinch.

This wasn’t the early apocalypse anymore. He’d seen enough, lost too much.

He thought of his parents—their faces, the moment he saw their bodies.

And without hesitation, another Void Beam lanced out, punching straight into Vince’s skull.

The mighty leader of Clearford’s strongest squad—the most powerful Awakened in the compound outside the military—fell dead on the spot, like a cut wire snapping loose.

All around him, the crowd stared in silence, the air thick with awe, fear, and something close to pity.

This was the apocalypse.

And in the apocalypse, power was king.

If it hadn’t been for the strength of Fallen Star Squad… If it had just been Emily?

Even if she had figured out the truth—what then?

She’d never have been able to do anything about it.

That’s just how this world works.