Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”So strong…?”

The moment Ethan said it, everyone in Fallen Star Squad felt their hearts lurch.

They’d already been mentally overestimating the enemy, and it still wasn’t enough.

Tier 28. That wasn’t just ”strong.”

That was a straight-up curb stomp from another dimension.

”Captain…” Even Big Mike sounded unsure for once. ”Dopey can really handle this?”

”He can,” Ethan said, firm.

He was Dopey’s master. He couldn’t see Dopey’s full limit, but he could feel it—vaguely, like a pressure behind a door.

And it was absolutely not below Stage S.

”Back off,” Ethan ordered. ”If a real fight starts here, you won’t even have space to run.”

”Got it!”

Nobody hesitated. They pulled back immediately.

In a situation like this, they weren’t helping—they were liabilities. If things went sideways, aside from Ethan, none of them would be able to escape.

Ethan told Ember to go with them too. Then he jumped off Ember’s back and dropped to the ground.

A moment later, the Void Realm group arrived.

By then, only Ethan was left waiting in the open.

The Stoneborn didn’t rush him. They didn’t attack. They just stared at him with that calm, appraising look you used on livestock.

”Tier 19,” the man in front said blandly. ”Not bad. A little stronger than the ants we ran into earlier.”

His voice stayed flat as he continued, ”You’re human. You understand me, right?”

Ethan’s expression went strange.

He did understand—because the guy was speaking Federation language.

Which made zero sense.

He’d already felt something was off when those grotesque humanoids had spoken before, but they’d been on Earth for a while. Ethan had assumed they’d picked up the local language. At their level, learning a language wasn’t hard.

But these Stoneborn had just come through. They hadn’t even met anyone yet.

Ethan was the first human they’d run into.

So why the hell were they speaking Federation language?

”Why do you speak Federation language?” Ethan asked bluntly.

”Federation language?” The leader shook his head like Ethan was the one being weird.

”I don’t know what you mean. This is the common tongue of the human race.”

”…What?” Ethan stared. ”The human race’s common tongue? Then what do you call the other countries’ languages?”

”I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the man said impatiently. ”Kid, you’re the first human we’ve seen in this world. Well—aside from those few earlier.”

Then his tone shifted, slow and confident, like he was handing down a generous favor.

”I’ll give you a chance. Submit to the Stoneborn. I’ll make you the highest-ranking being in this world beneath the Stoneborn themselves.”

”Do you accept?”

Ethan finally understood why Garrett had ended up running with those grotesque humanoid monsters back then.

This was straight-up PUA.

Only… it wasn’t going to work on him. Even without these guys, Ethan was basically already at the top of Earth’s food chain.

Still, he didn’t refuse right away. Instead, he looked almost… interested.

”If I submit,” Ethan asked, ”what do I get out of it?”

”…”

The leader’s eyes narrowed slightly, like he couldn’t believe he was being questioned.

”Isn’t becoming the highest-status person in this world not enough?”

”That’s too vague,” Ethan said, holding out his hand. ”Anything real? Like high-Tier crystal cores. Something that actually boosts my strength.”

He remembered Garrett’s power jump—way too fast. That had to have come from high-Tier crystal cores from those grotesque humanoids.

And these Stoneborn were way stronger than them.

So if anyone had good stuff, it would be these guys.

At Ethan’s gesture, the Stoneborn powerhouses’ faces darkened instantly.

”Letting you become our first slave is an honor,” the leader snorted. ”You should be on your knees thanking us. And you still dare ask us for things? You’re courting death.”

He flicked his hand.

A razor-sharp earth spike shot toward Ethan in an instant.

If this human didn’t work, they’d just find another. Killing an ant was nothing more than a casual wave.

But right as the spike was about to skewer him, Ethan vanished from where he stood—then reappeared a short distance away, cleanly dodging the strike.

”Teleportation.” The leader frowned.

”You actually have a spatial-type ability?”

Spatial abilities were insanely rare even back on the Eldoria continent. To see one here, on a world like this… it was unexpected.

”Interesting,” the leader said, eyes narrowing with a new kind of greed. ”Humans really are heaven’s favorites. You can even grasp spatial-type abilities.”

He lifted his chin, voice turning almost indulgent.

”Fine. I’m a little interested now. I’ll give you one more chance. Submit to me. Not only will I make you the ruler of this world—I’ll take you to see a much broader sky.”

”A broader sky?” Ethan asked, genuinely curious. ”You mean your world?”

”Yes.”

”And what’s your world called?”

”Eldoria,” the man said proudly. ”The Eldoria continent.”

”Oh.” Ethan nodded.

”…Never heard of it.”

”…”

The leader’s expression twitched.

Ethan kept going, like he hadn’t noticed the mood shift. ”What’s the strongest Tier in your world?”

The leader’s gaze turned cold. ”Don’t think teleportation makes you untouchable. At your level, your maximum teleport distance won’t exceed six thousand feet. If I go all-out, you won’t escape.”

Ethan looked at him like he was watching someone brag about winning a fight in a dream.

”Look at you, talking big.” He waved a hand. ”If you’re that badass, go play with my buddy for a bit.”

With that, Ethan flicked his wrist—

And a figure appeared in front of him.

If he couldn’t pry information out of them, he’d just beat it out of them.

The Stoneborn frowned at first, then studied the newcomer with curiosity.

”This is… a soulless thrall?”

”No soul aura. Yeah—soulless thrall.”

”Didn’t expect you to know how to create soulless thralls,” the leader said, interest deepening. ”I’m even more intrigued.”

”Still,” he added with a dismissive wave, ”a Tier 19 piece of trash like you—how strong could your thrall possibly be?”

He snapped his fingers.

An earth spike erupted right under Dopey’s feet.

Dopey sensed the surge. Then, almost lazily, he stomped once.

The half-formed spike instantly scattered, crumbling into nothing.

”—!”

The Stoneborn’s faces tightened across the line.

”Chief,” a younger-looking Stoneborn said grimly, ”that soulless thrall isn’t normal.”

”Yeah,” the leader said, eyes sharp now. ”I see it. You—go test it.”

The younger man hesitated for less than a second.

”…Alright.”

Rocky armor flowed over his body in a blink, wrapping him in a thick earthen carapace. At the same time, a long spear condensed in his hands—pure earth element, compressed until it looked almost metallic.

He lunged, driving the spear straight at Dopey.

Dopey just stood there, blank-faced. Ethan hadn’t told it to attack, so it wouldn’t move first.

As the spear came in—

Dopey reached out and grabbed it.

Then he yanked.

Hard.

The younger Stoneborn’s eyes widened as his balance vanished. He and his spear were ripped forward like a fish on a line.

Dopey stepped in and threw a punch.

The younger man’s face changed violently. He reacted on instinct, slamming his palm out—

A thick earthen wall rose in front of him.

Thud.

A low, heavy sound hit the air.

The wall exploded like it was made of wet clay, and Dopey’s fist drove straight through, smashing into the Stoneborn’s chest.

His Earthen Armor didn’t slow it down even a fraction. It shattered on impact.

Then the punch kept going.

A hole opened in his chest—clean and brutal.

The younger Stoneborn stared at Dopey, eyes bulging, disbelief frozen on his face.

He tried to speak, tried to breathe—

But his legs buckled.

And he dropped, unwilling and furious even as life left him.

”!!!”

Every Stoneborn on the scene went wide-eyed.

For a moment, nobody moved.

Nobody even seemed to remember how to.