Apocalypse: King of Zombies

When Ethan spotted the Void Realm creatures, he stopped—and immediately waved Chris and the others back.

Yeah, they’d all gotten stronger. A lot stronger.

But the gap between them and this group was still enormous.

And it wasn’t just Ethan’s side that had been leveling.

These Void Realm monsters had clearly improved too. The weakest of them were already at Tier 25 peak, and the strongest—that leader—had reached Tier 30 peak.

That was so far beyond Chris’s group that it wasn’t even funny. They wouldn’t be able to hold.

Even Ethan only dared to stay because he had Teleportation and Absolute Stasis. Without those, he wouldn’t risk it either. He still remembered what the last fight felt like—how close he’d come to getting crushed.

But this time wouldn’t be the same.

His strength had jumped hard, and with his mental energy increased so much, it wouldn’t be easy for them to drain him dry again.

And more than that—

At Tier 22, with his current mental energy, if he went all-out with Annihilation Strike, then at the very least he could trade blows with a Tier 25 peak enemy.

Ethan teleported straight to a spot not far from the Stoneborn group—and released Dopey.

The instant Dopey appeared, the bodies of the Stoneborn powerhouses stiffened.

Dopey looked plain. Almost dull. Nothing about him screamed ”threat.”

But they would never forget it.

That same blank-looking figure had used the most brutal, simplest method imaginable—one punch each—to send more than a dozen of their comrades to their graves.

Seeing him again and not feeling fear?

Yeah. Not happening.

Even though they’d grown stronger, even though their leader had just been talking big about fighting Dopey head-on…

Now that Dopey was actually standing there, the confidence started leaking out of them.

Is this thing really only Stage S? the leader thought, unease creeping in. Why am I Tier 30 peak, and it still feels like it’s pressing down on my chest?

Ethan smiled. ”So the mice finally crawled out.”

”All you’ve got is that thrall,” the Stoneborn leader said coldly. ”Without that soulless thrall, I could twist your head off with one hand.”

Ethan snorted. ”You’re way too old to be saying something that stupid. The thrall is mine, which means it’s part of my strength. If you’ve got the ability, go get yourself one.”

The leader’s eyes flashed. ”You really think having a soulless thrall makes you untouchable?”

”I’ve learned enough about your world.” His voice turned contemptuous. ”This is a weak world. Once the beings of our realm descend, you’ll all be wiped into dust.”

He lifted his chin, like he was offering mercy. ”I’ll give you one last chance. Kneel to the Stoneborn, and we may spare your life.”

Ethan rolled his eyes. ”You can’t even beat my soulless thrall, and you’re talking about sparing me. Where do you get the nerve?”

”Hmph. A soulless thrall is still just an external tool,” the leader said. ”We came out with too few people this time, that’s all. If the Stoneborn army enters this world, what can one thrall do?”

Ethan’s smile sharpened. ”Then I’ve got some bad news for you. The passage between worlds is already closed. You can’t go back, and your people can’t come in.”

”So do yourselves a favor and die quietly on foreign soil.”

”Impossible!” The Stoneborn leader’s expression twisted. ”A spatial passage doesn’t close just because you say so. Even in our world, no one has that power—let alone you!”

”I’d love to let you go check,” Ethan said lightly. ”But I’ve always enjoyed letting people die with questions.”

He lifted a hand.

”Dopey. Kill them.”

The moment his words fell, Dopey blurred forward—straight at the Stoneborn.

And Ethan vanished with a teleport, disappearing from where he stood.

A split second later, a massive hand erupted from the ground and grabbed at the spot Ethan had just been.

If Ethan had been even half a second slower, he would’ve been caught.

But Ethan had already seen the guy burrowing underground. That was why he’d moved the instant he did.

The Stoneborn leader’s face sank. He hadn’t expected Ethan to be that alert.

Still, he hadn’t been counting on that sneak attack to decide the fight.

”Move,” he snapped.

The remaining seven Stoneborn reacted instantly. The first thing they did was raise Stone Barriers around themselves—layering on defense—then they unleashed a storm of earth-type abilities at Dopey.

Dopey didn’t dodge.

He did what he always did—simple, violent, direct.

He tanked the skills head-on and charged a single Stoneborn powerhouse.

”Help me!” that Stoneborn roared, eyes widening.

Thick earth power surged over his body, forming a heavy, oppressive shield.

”Earth Ward!”

The Stoneborn’s strongest defensive skill.

The other Stoneborn immediately poured energy into him, reinforcing the ward again and again, stacking its durability until it looked like a fortress made of compressed bedrock.

This time was different from last time.

Slate—the one who’d tried to ambush Ethan—was still only Tier 25 peak, but the rest had grown terrifying:

the leader: Tier 30 peak

three others: Tier 28

the remaining Stoneborn: all Tier 26+

Compared to their last fight with this soulless thrall, their strength had jumped by a ridiculous margin.

And Dopey?

Dopey looked exactly the same as before.

So yeah—this time, they had confidence.

Not comfort.

Not certainty.

But enough to believe they could finally make Dopey bleed.

”—Boom!”

Dopey’s fist slammed down on him.

The impact cracked through the air with a sound like a wrecking ball hitting concrete. The ground shuddered under their feet.

Layers of defense collapsed on contact. The Earth Ward, reinforced by multiple Stoneborn pouring power into it, spiderwebbed with fractures—

And under everyone’s tight, terrified stares… it held.

It didn’t shatter.

It actually blocked the punch.

”Hahaha—It held!” The Stoneborn’s face lit up with wild joy, like he’d just cheated death. He couldn’t stop himself from gloating. ”I’m alive! This soulless thrall isn’t all that!”

Dopey’s expression didn’t change even a little.

He just drew back his other hand and clenched it into a fist.

One punch didn’t kill?

Then he’d use two.

”—BOOM!”

The second hit landed even heavier.

The already-cracked Earth Ward exploded apart like shattered glass. Dopey’s fist drove straight through and smashed into the Stoneborn’s armor.

There was no suspense. No miracle.

The armor burst.

And the fist didn’t slow down.

”Pff—!”

The Stoneborn’s smile hadn’t even finished fading.

He spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with crushed organs, his body launching backward before slamming into the ground. He didn’t move again.

”...!”

The remaining Stoneborn’s faces drained.

”How—how could it still not hold?!”

”This thing… it’s not just Stage S!”

Dopey didn’t care about their panic.

He killed one, then immediately turned, charging the next target like he was harvesting them.

”Control skills!” the leader roared. ”Lock it down!”

Only now did it really hit him: even with their strength skyrocketing, they still weren’t enough in front of this soulless thrall.

Trying to trade blows head-on was suicide.

They had one option—stall.

Hold Dopey in place and buy time, praying Slate could finish off the human.

At least with their power boosted, their control abilities finally had some effect.

Stacked gravity pressed down, and a swamp-like terrain skill spread under Dopey’s feet, slowing him—if only a little. A sandstorm whipped up to mess with his sight, while meteors kept hammering down in a steady barrage.

It was barely enough to keep Dopey from instantly tearing them apart.

Barely.

And it wasn’t stable.

The leader’s jaw tightened as he watched Dopey force his way forward anyway, step by step, like the world itself couldn’t stop him.

Slate, he thought, anger and fear twisting together. Move. Hurry the hell up.