Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The walls surrounding New Atlas stood ninety feet high and seventeen feet thick. Built with vast amounts of steel and reinforced with rare materials harvested from Void Realm creatures, they were far stronger than conventional city walls.

Against truly powerful fighters, walls no longer offered much protection. Even so, their presence gave the people inside some peace of mind.

Teams of soldiers patrolled the ramparts around the clock, ready to spot any approaching threat at the first opportunity.

New Atlas had four main gates, one facing each cardinal direction. All four were monumental, designed to project the city’s strength and grandeur.

As the Atlas Federation’s sole remaining capital, New Atlas represented nearly everything Miles, Maxwell, and the others had worked for. Its construction had also consumed an enormous amount of resources.

From the outer walls to the buildings within, almost every district had been carefully planned to ensure that the Federation’s people could build decent lives here.

No one knew how long the apocalypse would last. They no longer dreamed of returning to their old lives. All they could do was protect New Atlas and ensure the Atlas Federation lived on through future generations.

The outside world was even more dangerous now than it had been when zombies roamed everywhere. Void Realm creatures had attacked repeatedly during both the Federation’s mass migration and the construction of New Atlas.

Fortunately, Fallen Star City had grown powerful enough to deal with them.

All three hundred members of Fallen Star’s second echelon had reached Tier 35, and every one of them was an Awakened. Beyond that, all twenty thousand members of the Fallen Star Guard had reached Stage S, while the Fallen Star Corps had a hundred thousand soldiers, each at a high Tier within Stage A.

After Ethan and the others left, no one in Fallen Star City had slacked off.

Under Miles’s direction, half the Fallen Star Guard went out nearly every day to hunt Outland Beasts from the Void Realm. That relentless effort had produced Fallen Star City’s current strength.

Most of the Void Realm creatures on Earth were only part of the vanguard, and the strongest members of those forces generally peaked at Tier 35. A few Stage SS fighters had also entered Earth, but they were extremely rare.

With its current strength, Fallen Star City could crush the vast majority of Void Realm forces.

That was why the Atlas Federation had successfully completed the merger and established New Atlas despite the constant harassment.

At that moment, outside New Atlas’s northern gate...

A large group stood before the city, staring enviously at the magnificent gate.

”These Atlas Federation people sure love putting on a show,” said the burly man at their head. He stood over six feet tall, and jealousy dripped from every word. ”It’s the apocalypse, and they’re still wasting this many resources on a city gate. So it looks impressive, imposing, and powerful. What else is it good for?”

”Exactly. A city like this should belong to the Cathay Republic. The Atlas Federation doesn’t deserve it!”

”Once we take the place, we should ask the president to make it the Cathay Republic’s new capital. We can keep the Federation’s people as slaves and put them to work for us.”

”Shouldn’t we... take it first before we start making plans?” A short Black man pointed toward the Fallen Star Guards stationed outside the gate. ”Those people don’t look weak.”

The others glared at him, clearly annoyed that he had ruined the mood.

Still, when they turned their attention to the twenty thousand people guarding the entrance, their expressions grew serious.

Those twenty thousand were the reason they hadn’t simply charged into the city. The pressure coming from them was impossible to ignore.

The Cathay Republic had twenty thousand Stage S fighters of its own, but it hadn’t brought that many on this expedition.

With the backing and prestige of that lord, the Cathay Republic had expanded at a staggering rate. Its forces were already strong enough to dominate the Void Realm creatures on Earth.

For this operation, they had dispatched five Stage SS fighters and five thousand Stage S fighters. That alone showed how seriously they took the Atlas Federation.

After all, they had discovered that the Federation continued to hold firm despite the constant threat from so many Void Realm creatures.

That was why they had sent such a powerful force. They intended to conquer the Atlas Federation in a single move.

Originally, they had assumed such overwhelming strength would be enough to destroy the Federation with ease.

Instead, the moment they arrived, New Atlas greeted them with twenty thousand Stage S fighters.

Even as Stage SS fighters, they couldn’t help feeling uneasy in the face of so many Stage S opponents.

Rather than launch a direct assault, they had decided to negotiate with the Atlas Federation’s leaders and demand their submission.

They could afford to be this confident for one simple reason: they had a Stage SSS powerhouse backing them.

It was a tactic they had used many times before. By invoking that Stage SSS fighter’s power, they had forced numerous Void Realm groups into submission. That was the real reason the Cathay Republic had developed so quickly.

They were certain that once the Atlas Federation’s leaders learned they had a Stage SSS powerhouse behind them, surrender would be the only sensible choice—unless they were willing to gamble the Federation’s survival.

”Are your leaders coming or not?” Briggs, the burly man at the front, shouted impatiently.

”What’s the rush?” Vivian replied flatly. ”Shut up and wait.”

”You...!”

Briggs’s face hardened.

”Talk to me like that again, and I’ll kill you with one blow. Your leaders won’t dare say a word about it!”

As one of the few Stage SS fighters on Earth, he had every reason to be confident.

”You’re welcome to try.” Vivian’s expression turned cold. ”You think reaching Stage SS makes you invincible? Lay a hand on me, and I guarantee you’ll die.”

As the captain of Fallen Star Squad’s second echelon, she had confidence of her own.

Three hundred Tier 35 Awakened stood behind her. If a real fight broke out, even a Stage SS fighter wouldn’t walk away unscathed.

Briggs’s face darkened.

He was a mighty Stage SS fighter, yet this Stage S piece of trash had dared to threaten him?

”I’ll kill you right now!”

He lunged toward Vivian, but the two men beside him quickly grabbed him.

”Calm down, Briggs! Don’t do anything rash. We came here to negotiate first!”

”That’s right. Just put up with her for now. Once the Atlas Federation submits, you can torture this woman however you want.”

Their words finally brought Briggs’s anger under control.

”Fine. She isn’t worth ruining our plans over.” He glared at Vivian. ”Once they surrender, I’ll make damn sure she learns what happens to anyone who crosses me.”

Then he addressed her directly.

”I’ll let it go for now. But you’ll soon realize that offending me was the stupidest mistake of your life.”

”Stage SS, my ass,” Vivian scoffed. ”All bark and no bite.”

”Fuck!”

Briggs erupted again. The men beside him nearly failed to hold him back.

Just then, the crowd inside New Atlas parted, opening a path through the middle.

A group soon emerged from the city.

Miles walked at the front, followed by Maxwell and the rest of New Atlas’s leadership.