Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Vaelor flashed in front of Chris and looked down at him coldly.

”So you really are human. It seems the rumors weren’t exaggerated. Humanity truly does possess talent far beyond the other races. You only just reached Stage SS, yet you still managed to make such a mess of us. Even if you die here, that’s something to be proud of.”

Wind energy gathered in Vaelor’s hand, quickly forming into a colossal blade of compressed wind. He swung it down at Chris.

Tempest Cleave!

Vaelor wasted no more words. He had plenty of questions, but he suppressed them all.

An enemy like this had to be eliminated immediately. He couldn’t give Chris even the slightest chance to escape.

Chris tried to dodge the colossal blade coming down on him, but his body wouldn’t move. A bitter look crossed his pale face.

This time, he was really done for.

In the end, his recklessness had caught up with him.

Ethan, Emily... everyone in the Fallen Star Squad, I’m sorry. Looks like I won’t be there when you reach the top.

Chris sighed.

Just as the colossal blade was about to crash down on his head, everything around him froze.

The blade stopped dead inches above his skull.

A figure appeared beside Chris, grabbed him, and flashed away.

Time resumed.

Boom!

Tempest Cleave slammed into the ground, carving out a bottomless trench.

Vaelor’s face darkened.

His attack hadn’t hit.

He turned and immediately locked onto the additional human now standing nearby.

”How did you get here?!” Vaelor demanded in shock.

He hadn’t seen the man arrive at all. Not only had he appeared out of nowhere, he had somehow rescued Chris from beneath Tempest Cleave when the attack was already inches from his head.

Vaelor couldn’t understand how anyone had pulled that off.

Ethan glanced at the gravely wounded Chris, then turned a cold gaze on Vaelor.

”Get your neck ready. I’ll be back for your head in a few days.”

Two daggers appeared beneath Ethan’s feet and carried him and Chris away at incredible speed.

”Who said you could leave?” Vaelor snorted and prepared to give chase.

”You should worry about what’s behind you first,” Ethan called back calmly.

Vaelor glanced over his shoulder, and his expression changed.

The Galeborn elders were being driven back by the Stage SS Outland Beasts. Two Tier 41 beasts had already broken through their blockade and were charging straight at him.

”Damn it!”

Vaelor had no choice but to turn and face them.

Ethan and Chris vanished from the battlefield in the blink of an eye. Once they reached a quiet location, Ethan waved a hand and opened a dimensional rift, then carried Chris inside.

When they emerged again, they were beneath the mountain where Ethan had been absorbing the crystal cores.

Henry and the others were waiting there anxiously. The moment the two appeared, everyone crowded around them.

When they saw Chris covered in blood, their expressions changed drastically.

”Chris! Are you okay? Henry! Henry, get over here!” Emily shouted frantically.

”Sis... I’m right here.” Henry looked exasperated. ”He’s fine. And even if he weren’t, I’m here. He’s not dying.”

”What do you mean, he’s fine? Can’t you see he’s covered in wounds? Hurry up and heal him!”

”Yeah, okay.”

Henry glared at Chris, then sent waves of healing light into his body. The wounds began closing rapidly.

The others were about to start asking questions when they noticed something wrong with the atmosphere.

Ethan’s face was dark, and Chris kept his head down without saying a word.

”What happened?” Mia asked quietly.

Ethan didn’t answer. He stared at Chris, his eyes bloodshot.

”Who told you to go out there on your own? Do you have any idea that if I’d been one second later, you’d be dead?!”

Everyone was stunned. They hadn’t realized Chris had come that close to dying.

”I’m sorry, Ethan. I was wrong...” Chris kept his head lowered, not daring to meet Ethan’s eyes.

He hadn’t told Ethan because he’d thought Ethereal Form would keep him safe.

Instead, he had nearly gotten himself killed. If Ethan hadn’t arrived in time, Chris would already be dead. No wonder Ethan was furious.

Chris could still vividly remember Ethan pulling him out from under Tempest Cleave.

Ethan’s hand had been shaking.

Chris knew that only happened when someone was terrified beyond words.

So even as Ethan chewed him out, warmth filled his chest.

But despite Chris’s sincere apology, Ethan’s expression didn’t improve. This time, he had truly been scared. Even thinking back on it still left him shaken.

”Boss, don’t be too hard on Chris,” Sean said. ”He was only trying to get more crystal cores so the rest of us could grow stronger.”

”Yeah, Boss,” Garrick added. ”We all discussed it before letting him go.”

The two who were normally the quietest and most cautious were the first to speak up for him.

Big Mike, who usually couldn’t keep his mouth shut, remained silent.

The boss was furious. Anyone who drew his attention right now was asking for trouble.

Sure enough, Sean and Garrick’s words only made Ethan angrier.

”You two have the nerve to say that? You’re normally so careful. What made you think letting Chris go alone was a good idea?”

”How many drinks did it take for that to sound smart? Even I had to stay out of their way, but you thought someone who just reached Stage SS could take on an entire higher race?”

”Well... we thought Ethereal Form was unbeatable,” they muttered. ”How were we supposed to know it wasn’t that reliable?”

”Unbeatable? I already told you there’s no such thing as an unbeatable ability! An ability only looks invincible when the difference in strength isn’t too large. If the gap is big enough, even the most broken ability can be smashed through!”

”Which of my abilities doesn’t look invincible? But when I run into someone at the peak of Tier 41, I still keep my head down and stay out of their way. Chris, on the other hand, went right up and picked a fight with one!”

As Ethan spoke, he turned his glare back on Chris.

”Uh... Ethan, I was wrong. I really was. Just punish me.” Chris looked miserable.

After seeing what had happened to Sean and Garrick, no one else dared speak up for him. They all gave Chris helpless looks.

Emily’s eyes were full of concern, but even she remained silent.

Ethan rarely got angry with his own people.

This time, he was genuinely furious.

Looking at Chris standing there like a child who knew he’d screwed up, Ethan finally sighed.

He knew Chris well.

The enemies they faced had been growing stronger and stronger. Chris had probably seen how much pressure Ethan was under and wanted the rest of the squad to grow stronger faster so they could help shoulder the burden.

That was why he had taken such a reckless risk.

”Go stand in the corner. You’re not moving until I get back.”

”Yes, sir!”

Chris hurried over to the wall and stood perfectly straight.

Ethan shook his head and returned to the cave to resume his seclusion.

The interruption had kept him from fully absorbing the Tier 41 crystal core.

He needed to finish as soon as possible.