Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Ethan didn’t hesitate for even a heartbeat.

Teleportation snapped him directly above the charging sabertooth. His poleaxe ignited with black light as he chopped down—an all-in, kill-first swing.

To make sure it landed, he layered in Absolute Stasis.

With this many Outland Beasts nearby—and this many Stage S monsters in the mix—Absolute Stasis lasted only a fraction of a second before it shattered under pressure.

But that fraction was enough.

A thunderous impact exploded across the mountainside as the poleaxe hit dead-on.

BOOM—!

The ground sank from the force, dirt and rock compressing like wet clay.

For a moment, the sabertooth’s body dipped under the blow.

Then it straightened.

Unhurried.

Its head… didn’t even have a cut.

It stared up at Ethan with pure killing intent and pounced.

Ethan Teleported away again, jaw tight with frustration.

Of course.

At Tier 26, he simply couldn’t hurt a Tier 30 opponent. Not even with a full-power Annihilation Strike. The gap was just too big.

The sabertooth didn’t pause. It lunged again the instant Ethan reappeared.

Ethan could only keep Teleporting, dragging it around, baiting it, pulling it off the others.

He couldn’t win.

All he could do was stall and pray the other battlefields ended first.

But when Ethan risked a glance across the chaos…

His stomach sank.

Everything was still a mess.

Dopey was being double-teamed by two beast kings. Dopey’s defense was ridiculous—he wasn’t in real danger—but he also couldn’t finish them quickly with two Tier 36 bodies taking turns absorbing hits.

Aeralon was still locked in with its three opponents. Only the Tier 32 had taken visible damage. The two Tier 33 Lionfang Beasts still looked like they could keep going for a long time.

Aerisara was tangled up with a Stage S Lionfang Beast in a deadlock—her wind-type skills couldn’t crack that golden protection, but the Lionfang Beast also struggled to land clean hits on her. It was a brutal stalemate.

As for the Umbral thralls?

Even two-on-one, they were getting pushed back.

They’d been counting on Decay as their trump card, and the golden light shut it down hard. So it turned into close-quarters fighting—and in close combat, their bodies simply couldn’t match the Lionfang Beasts’ physical advantage.

The only reason they’d lasted this long was because thralls were difficult to kill.

A few of them were already missing arms or legs, still fighting like broken machines.

And Chris’s side was even worse.

Without Ethan holding a direction, the pressure on the dome spiked immediately.

Sean had already forced himself back out to block the heaviest lane again, but the rest of the team went from managing two directions to three—while already exhausted and injured.

It was turning into a slow collapse.

This won’t work. Ethan’s mind raced. We need to change the plan.

His eyes flicked to Dopey’s battlefield.

An idea formed—ugly, risky, but real.

Ethan started running, dragging the Stage S sabertooth with him and pulling it straight toward Dopey.

It was dangerous as hell to bring another Stage S into that mess… but he didn’t have a choice. The only way to get this thing off his back was to have Dopey smash it.

Otherwise, Chris and the others were going to break.

He was almost there—

Almost close enough for Dopey to grab the sabertooth—

When the earth suddenly began to tremble.

Not a small vibration.

A deep, heavy shaking that rolled up through Ethan’s boots and into his bones, like the mountain itself was bracing for impact.

Ethan’s face went white.

”…No way. Not another one.”

From the rhythm alone, whatever was coming was huge.

And strong.

Terrifyingly strong.

But it wasn’t just Ethan.

Even the Outland Beasts around them started to falter, confusion rippling through the swarm. Heads turned. Ears angled. Wings stilled mid-flap.

Outland Beasts sensed danger far better than humans ever could.

They could already feel what was approaching.

And what confused them wasn’t the fear.

It was the question behind it—

Since when was something this terrifying this close?

A moment later, a gigantic snow-white figure entered every creature’s line of sight.

Even from far away, it was impossible to miss—an enormous body moving through the mountains like a living glacier.

”Holy shit…” Ethan’s throat went dry. ”It’s that thing.”

He recognized it instantly.

The Stage SS Glacial Bear they’d seen back in the Rus Federation.

”Why the hell is it here?” His face went pale, something bitter flooding his chest.

This was bad. Really bad.

”You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered. ”We were already playing on nightmare mode, and now the game tosses a Stage SS beast onto the field too?”

For the first time in a long while, Ethan felt genuinely powerless.

This wasn’t just danger.

This was a dead end.

Chris and the others saw it too. One by one, their faces drained, despair crawling in.

”Looks like today’s where we die,” Sean said, voice rough.

”Damn it,” Big Mike spat, his expression twisting. ”After everything we went through just to get here… this is how it ends? Torn apart by a bunch of damn beasts?”

”Then we die,” Garrick said, weirdly calm. ”At least I, Garrick, got to be glorious with the boss. Worth it.”

”Yeah,” Henry said quietly. ”We’ve stood on the peak. We’ve felt what it’s like to have everyone looking up at us. Worth it.”

”Chris,” Mia suddenly said, sharp and urgent. ”Go invisible and get the captain out. Run. We can’t make it, but you two can!”

”Yeah!” Sean latched onto it instantly. ”Chris—Boss—get out! Humanity’s hope is on you. Fallen Star Squad can’t get wiped out here!”

Because the Glacial Bear had appeared, the battlefield had gone strangely silent.

Even the Outland Beasts froze, trembling as they stared toward the distant white giant. No one had the stomach to keep attacking.

It gave Ethan’s team a thin slice of breathing room.

But breathing room wasn’t freedom.

Even with the swarm paused, they were still trapped inside a ring that felt endless.

Aside from Ethan and Chris, nobody else had a real chance of escaping. Even Big Mike—who could fly—wouldn’t make it. The sky was jammed with flying Outland Beasts.

Chris hesitated.

His eyes moved over the people who’d fought beside him through life and death.

Then he looked at Emily.

At the woman who’d already claimed his heart.

In the end, he clenched his jaw—and dropped his stealth.

”I’m not leaving,” Chris said, forcing a smile. ”I’ll stay. As long as Ethan lives, Fallen Star Squad lives. Whether I’m here or not doesn’t change that.”

”You…”

Everyone stared at him—furious and helpless at the same time.

”You stupid bastard,” Henry cursed.

But even as he said it, his eyes glistened.

Chris walked over to Emily and lowered his voice. ”Don’t be scared. I’m here with you.”

Emily’s eyes were wet. She reached up and touched his face—hands trembling against skin that wasn’t especially handsome, but was suddenly precious in a way that made her chest ache.

”You really are an idiot,” she whispered.

Chris smiled. ”Then let me be an idiot this once.”

Not far away, Mia watched them with a quiet, heavy warmth in her eyes.

Then her gaze drifted to Ethan.

She envied Emily—envied the fact that Chris was willing to stay and die with her.

But she didn’t want Ethan to do the same.

Mia knew Ethan too well. He wasn’t the kind of man who let emotion choose for him. No matter how desperate it got, he’d take the path that left the most hope alive.

So she only stared a little longer.

Because this might be the last time she ever got the chance.