Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Fallen Star City…

Miles pressed the last crystal core into the ground. The moment it clicked into place, he finally let out a long breath, satisfaction spreading across his face.

”Finally. It’s done.” He wiped at his hands, grinning. ”Took me months and over a million crystal cores. This citywide warding ritual circle is a real pain in the ass.”

Then his grin sharpened into something proud.

”But it was worth it. With this warding circle’s defense… once it’s activated, even a Stage SS powerhouse won’t be able to break it.”

The moment he’d gotten his hands on the Ritual Circle Compendium, he’d started studying warding circles. He understood something most people didn’t: for a city, this was the foundation. Not walls. Not guns. Not bravado.

A real defensive ritual was what kept a city alive.

The only problem was Fallen Star City was enormous. Setting a warding circle over a whole city wasn’t something you did in a weekend, so it dragged on and on.

But now it was finished.

And the moment it was, the city felt safer—like it had finally grown a backbone.

Ethan had taken Fallen Star City’s top combat power and been gone for a month. The Fallen Star Guard spent their days hunting Outland Beasts for crystal cores, which meant most of the time the city didn’t actually have many true monsters sitting at home.

That was exactly why Miles had been obsessed with getting the warding circle up.

He didn’t want a repeat of what happened to Blizzard—the white-furred ape leader who’d been killed.

Sure, Fallen Star City currently had a Stage SS ferocious beast in residence… but it didn’t take orders from anyone. Miles wasn’t about to stake the city’s future on something he couldn’t command.

Still, the Stage SS presence had been a powerful deterrent. Ever since they’d taken it out for a ”barbecue trip,” Fallen Star City had seen almost no serious fighting. That quiet stretch gave Miles the breathing room he needed to finish the ritual.

Nerissa looked at him, skeptical. ”Miles… this warding circle is really as absurd as you’re claiming? Even Stage SS can’t break it?”

Over time, she’d come to respect the Deputy Commander’s competence—more than respect it, honestly.

But she knew what Stage SS meant.

Her entire Azure Nereids clan didn’t have a single Stage SS. That step was a wall most races never climbed.

Now Miles was saying a warding circle could block Stage SS?

If that was true, then if Fallen Star City shut this thing on, the Azure Nereids could bring their whole clan and still fail to breach the gates.

That was… ridiculous.

Miles nodded without the slightest hesitation. ”Yeah.”

”Stage SS is actually me being conservative,” he added. ”We’ve never really felt anything above that, so it’s hard to judge. But based on Glacial Bear’s level? It shouldn’t be able to break this warding circle.”

”…”

Nerissa still looked like her brain refused to accept it.

She remembered when she’d first arrived in this world. When she’d first seen humans here, she’d had one thought:

Weak. Pathetically weak.

She’d stayed because she figured she could help them survive.

But a month later, the feeling had flipped so hard it was disorienting.

Now she felt like she was the one being sheltered.

If the city didn’t still have so many ”ordinary people” walking around, she would’ve seriously wondered if she’d lost her mind.

”Deputy Commander,” one of the other senior officials said, eyes bright with curiosity, ”why don’t you show us? Give us a demonstration.”

The others nodded along. They weren’t doubting Miles—they were just dying to see it.

”Fine,” Miles said, cracking his knuckles like a man about to show off a magic trick. ”Let me show you what a warding circle really looks like.”

He activated it.

In the next instant, a transparent barrier bloomed across the sky above Fallen Star City, sealing the entire city under a clear dome.

The sudden change drew everyone’s attention.

All across Fallen Star City, heads tilted up. Countless eyes locked onto the dome, curiosity and awe spreading through the streets.

”What the hell is that?”

”No clue. But whatever it is, it looks strong as hell.”

”I heard Deputy Commander Miles built it,” someone in the crowd said excitedly. ”It’s a warding circle. As long as we stay inside Fallen Star City, those Void Realm monsters can forget about getting in.”

”For real? Damn… Deputy Commander Miles really is something else.”

Up on the command side, the senior officials of Fallen Star City—and the Azure Nereids—stared at the barrier with the same stunned expressions.

Nerissa raised a hand. A sharp water bolt shot straight toward the transparent dome.

It passed through without the slightest resistance, flying clean out of the city.

Nerissa turned back, lips curling into something between a smile and a challenge. ”This is the warding circle you said can block Stage SS attacks?”

Miles just laughed. ”Yeah. That’s the best part. People inside can attack outward, but people outside can’t attack inward. Same deal with movement—people inside can leave, but outsiders can’t enter.”

He tilted his head toward the edge of the city. ”Don’t believe me? Step out and try.”

”Alright.” Nerissa nodded slowly, interest sharpening. ”I’ll test it.”

She really was curious now.

Nerissa sprang up, shooting into the air. In the next moment she slipped through the dome and out of the city—smooth as water, not feeling the slightest resistance.

But when she tried to go back in, she slammed into an invisible wall.

The barrier stopped her cold.

”…It’s actually like that.” Shock flickered through Nerissa’s eyes.

She raised her palm and struck the dome hard.

Boom!

The impact echoed. Her hand went numb, but the transparent barrier didn’t even tremble.

Still not convinced, Nerissa backed up a few steps. With a sharp sweep of her arm, a towering wave roared up—heavy, violent, carrying terrifying pressure—and crashed into the dome.

It looked unstoppable.

It did nothing.

The barrier didn’t ripple. It didn’t bend. It didn’t even acknowledge the hit.

All around, people stared, stunned.

”So strong…”

Nerissa and the Azure Nereids women looked even more shaken, like they were watching common sense collapse in real time.

Miles laughed, pride written all over his face. ”Well? Not bad, right?”

He lifted his chin, savoring it.

”As long as this warding circle is active, not even a mosquito is getting into Fallen Star City!”

The words had barely left his mouth when—

A crack suddenly split open in the sky above Fallen Star City, inside the barrier.

A rift.

And then a crowd of figures started pouring out of it.

”…”

Miles’s mouth twitched.

That slap in the face had come way too fast.

Captain… could you not have picked literally any other timing to come back?

Ethan and the others stepped out onto Fallen Star’s side and immediately noticed the weird atmosphere—hundreds, maybe thousands of people staring at them with blank, frozen expressions.

Ethan frowned. ”What’s with everyone? Why are you all looking at us like that?”

”Captain,” Miles said, helpless, ”you came back at the perfect time.”

Ethan gave him a strange look.

What’s that supposed to mean?

Why did it sound like Miles wasn’t exactly happy to see them?

Is this guy getting bold now?

Ethan looked around. ”Why are you all gathered here?”

Miles pointed up at the transparent dome overhead. ”We were testing it.”

Then he gave Ethan a quick rundown—how the citywide warding circle worked, what it blocked, what it allowed.

Ethan’s eyes sharpened with interest almost immediately.

”This thing’s really that strong?”

”Guaranteed,” Miles said, full confidence.

Ethan’s lips curled. ”Then I’ll test it.”

He teleported straight outside the dome.

In the same motion, he drew his poleaxe, poured power into it, and unleashed Annihilation Strike without holding back—chopping down on the barrier like he was trying to split the sky.

BOOOOM—!

A massive roar rolled across the city.

The transparent dome shuddered, rippling outward in layered waves… and then, just as quickly, the ripples faded and the barrier returned to calm, flawless and clear.

Ethan stared for a beat, then broke into a grin.

”Damn. That’s insane.”

He was already Tier 34. That Annihilation Strike had burned through eighty percent of his mental energy—its raw power absolutely exceeded peak Tier 35.

And it had only managed to make the dome wobble a little.

Miles hadn’t been exaggerating. If he said it could block Stage SS, he meant it.

With this warding circle in place, Fallen Star City’s safety just jumped through the roof.

Off to the side, Nerissa watched Ethan’s strike, her expression twisting into a mix of shock and bitter resignation.

Her own attack hadn’t even made a splash.

But Ethan’s hit had actually disturbed the barrier.

Just from that alone, she could tell how far ahead he was—so far it wasn’t even funny.

She exhaled softly, eyes complicated.

”Humans really were a race worth fearing.”