Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Watching from a distance, Abyron saw Ethan suddenly reappear and escape without incident. He quietly withdrew from his hiding place and followed in the direction Ethan had fled.

It didn’t take him long to catch up. Ethan was waiting for him up ahead.

”Boss, why didn’t you wait for my signal? What if you’d come out right into danger?” Abyron asked, concerned.

”If I waited for your signal, I’d probably be stuck there until the battle ended. I don’t have that kind of time.” Ethan shook his head, pulled out his phone, and called Miles.

Miles answered quickly, but the background on his end was filled with noise.

”Captain?”

”Why is it so loud over there?” Ethan asked.

”A group of Void Realm creatures is attacking New Atlas. We’re fighting them now.”

”Oh. Do you need me to come back?”

”No. There are only a few Stage SSS fighters. Senior Theron and Senior Dahlia can handle them.”

”Good. Then do something for me. Have the Satellite Operations Control Center keep a close eye on the battle at Goldcrest City. The moment it ends, let me know.”

”Got it!”

After hanging up, Ethan opened another Riftwalk and took Abyron toward their next target.

He had come out here to hunt Stage SSS Beasts. His detour to Goldcrest City had only been meant to deal with the Pyrathi problem.

Now that the Pyrathi were tied up for the time being, he could get back to killing Outland Beasts.

They had identified five viable targets in total. So far, they had only killed two, leaving three more.

Satellite navigation really did make everything easier. He always knew exactly where to go.

Before long, Ethan and Abyron arrived near Rivergate City and found a Stage SSS Beast slaughtering outsiders.

This Outland Beast was alone. Its mouth was covered in blood, and it was thoroughly enjoying its meal.

Ethan gave it no chance to react. He charged in and killed it with a single swing of his Poleaxe.

A Tier 42 Outland Beast couldn’t last even a second against him.

He removed its crystal core, but the creature’s body was too large to fit inside his spatial storage ring.

Ethan looked down at the corpse with regret. Something that big could feed them for a long time if he brought it back.

Then an idea occurred to him.

”Abyron, did Primora have spatial storage rings in the past?”

”Yes, but they were extremely rare. After the disaster, there probably aren’t any left.”

”Do you know how they were made?”

”I once read about the process in an ancient text. But even if you know how, making one is incredibly difficult.”

”What do you need?” Ethan asked eagerly.

Seeing the expectation on his face, Abyron could only explain.

”There are several requirements for making a spatial storage ring.

”First, you need the right material. Spatial storage rings are made from Spatial Crystal, which is exceptionally rare and valuable.

”Second, you need someone with an extremely high level of mastery over ritual circles. They have to inscribe a Spatial Binding Ritual Circle onto the ring. The ritual circle is extremely complex, and fitting the entire thing onto something that small requires extraordinary skill.

”Most importantly, you need someone with a spatial-type ability. They must separate a portion of their alternate space, then use the Spatial Binding Ritual Circle to seal it inside the ring.

”Every one of those conditions is incredibly demanding. That’s why spatial storage rings are so rare. Even at its height, Primora only possessed a handful passed down from ancient times. You should be grateful you have even one, but you’re still not satisfied?”

”Not really. There isn’t enough space inside.”

”...”

”Those conditions don’t sound that difficult. The only problem is finding Spatial Crystal.” Ethan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

”Not that difficult?” Abyron stared at him, speechless.

Ethan ignored his reaction. ”What does Spatial Crystal look like?”

”Why don’t you look at the ring on your hand? It’s made of Spatial Crystal.” Abyron looked at him as if he were an idiot.

”Uh... right.” Ethan scratched his head awkwardly. He hadn’t expected to make such an obvious mistake.

He removed the ring and examined it closely for a while before shaking his head. He had never seen this kind of material anywhere else.

”Is there any way to expand the space inside a spatial storage ring?”

”Yes, but it’s no easier than making a new one.

”You still need someone highly skilled in ritual circles to open the Spatial Binding Ritual Circle on the ring. Then someone with a spatial-type ability has to separate a portion of their own alternate space and merge it into the ring.

”So aside from the raw material, you still need everything else.”

”Oh. That makes things much easier.” Ethan smiled.

”...”

”The alternate space I’m talking about isn’t like your special dimension,” Abyron clarified. ”It needs to be a stable, permanent space that can store physical objects without collapsing.”

”I know. I never said I’d use mine.” Ethan smiled.

Miles has already reached Stage SS. His alternate space should be pretty large by now. He can’t use that much space in New Atlas anyway, so separating a little of it shouldn’t matter.

Miles had terrifying talent with ritual circles. Opening a Spatial Binding Ritual Circle shouldn’t be much of a problem for him.

Seeing how confident Ethan was, Abyron decided not to argue. Once Ethan ran into the obstacles himself, he would understand how difficult it really was.

”Carry this Outland Beast. We’re heading to the next location.”

”Oh, all right.”

Abyron grabbed the corpse and hoisted it onto his shoulder.

Ethan’s mouth twitched. He nearly laughed, but managed to hold it in.

Abyron looked tiny beneath the enormous carcass. The sight of him carrying it was almost too ridiculous.

But Ethan couldn’t laugh. Abyron cared a lot about his dignity. If Ethan made fun of him, he would probably drop the corpse and refuse to carry it any farther.

Hold it in.

Ethan opened another Riftwalk and took Abyron to their next destination.

They emerged over a vast plain in Windora State, where countless outsiders and Outland Beasts were tearing each other apart across the grasslands.

The open terrain stretched the battlefield almost beyond sight. Dense masses of combatants covered the entire plain.

There had to be millions of them. Both the Outland Beasts and the outsiders were too numerous to count.

The battle raged without pause. High above the plain, two Stage SSS Beasts were locked in combat with three Stage SSS outsiders.

Those were Ethan’s final two targets.

It wasn’t that there were no other Stage SSS Beasts roaming outside. There certainly were, but the rest were stronger and traveled in groups, making them difficult to attack.

The five targets they had selected were the easiest to eliminate.

Once these two were dead, Ethan planned to return and increase his Tier before coming out again. That would be much safer.

”One each. Kill them fast, then we run,” Ethan told Abyron.

”Got it!”

Abyron didn’t waste a second. He dropped the corpse he had been carrying, formed an energy spear in his hand, and charged into the battle.

Ethan followed close behind, teleporting directly into the fight.

Neither of them paid any attention to the three outsiders already fighting. They arrived and went straight for the two Outland Beasts without a word.

Bang!

Shk!

Almost simultaneously, Ethan’s Poleaxe smashed through one Beast’s skull while Abyron’s spear pierced the other’s head.

Then each of them hoisted a corpse onto their shoulders and flew away.

”???”

The three Void Realm creatures could only stare after them in confusion.

”Wait—” One of them started to call out, only for another to clamp a hand over his mouth.

”Are you trying to get us killed?”

”They killed those two Outland Beasts in a single blow! Killing us wouldn’t take them much more effort!”

Cold sweat broke out across the first creature’s body. He immediately shut his mouth.

Under the fearful gazes of the three outsiders, Ethan and Abyron carried all three massive corpses into a dimensional rift and disappeared.