Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Central Region, Veilmist Range…

”Summon every Stage SSS Beast Lord from the surrounding mountain ranges to the Veilmist Range!”

The Beast Sovereign’s voice thundered across the entire range. Its fury was unmistakable.

Every Outland Beast in the Veilmist Range trembled in fear. Flying beasts immediately took off, heading toward the surrounding mountain ranges.

The Beast Sovereign had every reason to be enraged. It had specifically ordered the Stage SSS Beast Lords not to enter the war.

Yet the other races had invaded Outland Beast territory and killed the Netherfang Tiger.

They had crossed a line.

Reaching Stage SSS was extraordinarily difficult. Among the countless living beings on the Eldoria Continent, only a few dozen had reached that level.

It was even harder for Outland Beasts. The time and resources required were almost unimaginable.

The death of any Stage SSS Beast Lord was an enormous loss.

While the Beast Sovereign was raging, several uninvited visitors arrived at the Veilmist Range.

”Beast Sovereign, are you here?”

The voice silenced the entire mountain range.

They’ve got guts, coming here now.

Every Outland Beast had the same thought.

Boom!

The pool where the Beast Sovereign resided exploded, sending water high into the air. Its enormous body shot upward and appeared in front of the visitors almost instantly.

Without a word, it released a vast cloud of poison that swept toward them.

Their expressions changed. They immediately raised barriers against the terrifying poison and shouted, ”Beast Sovereign, wait! We didn’t come to fight—we came to make amends!”

”Make amends? He’s already dead. What good are apologies now?

”You escaped last time, yet you still dare return to my Veilmist Range. Since you’re here, none of you are leaving!”

The Beast Sovereign’s deep voice rumbled through the mountains. Its enormous tail, wreathed in terrifying black energy, lashed toward them.

”Block it together!” the Celestials Patriarch shouted gravely.

A massive barrier of light appeared before them.

The other Patriarchs immediately added their own energy barriers on top of it.

Boom!

The resulting impact shook the entire Veilmist Range.

Barrier after barrier shattered, but the last one held and stopped the Beast Sovereign’s strike.

The force knocked the Beast Sovereign back hundreds of feet. It fixed the five Patriarchs with a cold stare.

”Hmph. Five Tier 47s. You certainly think highly of me.”

”Beast Sovereign, we came to negotiate peace, not fight you,” the Celestials Patriarch said.

”Peace? Hah!

”Five Tier 47s show up together, and you expect me to believe you came for peace? You’re after my crystal core.”

The Beast Sovereign’s expression darkened.

”That isn’t our intention,” the Celestials Patriarch replied. ”We came mainly to discuss the Netherfang Tiger.

”I know you won’t believe me if I tell you our people weren’t responsible for its death.

”So tell us what it will take to settle this. And don’t say war. You know an all-out conflict would be disastrous for both sides.”

”Hmph. Fine. There doesn’t have to be a war. Hand over the two who entered the Netherveil Range. Their lives for his.”

”That’s impossible. The Netherfang Tiger was only Tier 42, while those two High Elders are both Tier 44. The Glamourkin and Verdantborn would never agree, and neither would the rest of us.”

”Then to hell with the negotiations. War it is.”

”Think carefully, Beast Sovereign,” the Celestials Patriarch said coldly. ”The Outland Beasts may have grown rapidly over the years, but you can’t imagine the true foundations of the pinnacle races. If war breaks out, your side won’t gain the slightest advantage.”

”You think you can scare me? If the pinnacle races were really as powerful as you claim, you wouldn’t have come here to negotiate today.

”Either hand over those two bastards to answer for the Netherfang Tiger’s death, or prepare for war. Your choice.”

”Is there truly no other option? Our races are willing to offer valuable treasures as compensation.”

”Treasures? Keep them. If you truly want to compensate me, go to your ancestral crypts, dig up a few intact Stage SSS corpses, and hand them over.”

”!”

The five Patriarchs’ expressions darkened.

It wanted them to dig up their ancestors’ bodies?

How could it even make such a demand?

”Do you truly believe we’re afraid of you?” the Thundari Patriarch demanded, his face grim.

”If you want war, then we’ll give you one!” The Celestials Patriarch looked equally furious. ”We’re leaving!”

The five Patriarchs quickly flew out of the Veilmist Range.

This was the Beast Sovereign’s territory. Fighting here would put them at a disadvantage.

The negotiations had failed. They needed to return and discuss their response.

The Beast Sovereign watched them leave without attacking again. It couldn’t stop five Tier 47 fighters by itself.

Once the other Stage SSS Beast Lords arrived, it would launch an all-out assault against the intelligent races.

That day, tension across the Central Region reached its breaking point.

The pinnacle races began mobilizing their forces. The Outland Beasts did the same, even recalling the high-tier fighters they had sent to reinforce other regions.

Everyone could sense the storm coming.

The races of the Eldoria Continent soon realized that the true war was about to begin.

Every race in the Central Region entered its highest state of alert. Meanwhile, the pressure on the other regions suddenly eased.

Western Region, Aurelian Territory…

The Outland Beasts attacking the Aurelians had withdrawn. The Aurelians had finally survived the battle.

Cheers erupted throughout the settlement.

Some danced in celebration. Others held each other and wept.

The sight stirred something in Chris and the others.

They still remembered when the other races had occupied Earth’s major cities. Whenever the Fallen Star Squad liberated one, the survivors had reacted exactly like this.

Watching the Aurelians celebrate, Chris and the others felt an unexpected pang of guilt.

They had secretly pushed this war into motion.

Countless innocent races like the Aurelians had been dragged into the conflict. Many had already been wiped out entirely.

For a moment, they found themselves wondering whether what they had done was truly right.

But they quickly dismissed the thought.

Hadn’t humanity been innocent too?

The humans of the Eldoria Continent had done so much to help this world, yet its races had still exterminated them.

Who had cared about justice then?

If Ethan’s group didn’t weaken the Eldoria Continent now, its races would eventually invade Earth, and humanity would be the one facing extinction.

When that happened, would any race sympathize with them? Would anyone come to their aid?

Of course not.

If a race like that existed, humanity on the Eldoria Continent would never have been wiped out in the first place.

Humanity was surrounded by enemies and could be destroyed at any time.

The dimensional rift would reopen in a little over ten days, and the hopes of the entire human race rested on the Fallen Star Squad.

If humanity was going to survive, they had to weaken their enemies and strengthen themselves by any means necessary.

Whatever it took, they had to do it.