Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”What about you two?” Chris asked. ”What skills did you get?”

”After reaching Stage SSS, my Innate Abilities gained Damage Amplification,” Emily said. ”It increases the damage of any attack you make by twenty percent.”

”Holy crap! That’s a god-tier ability!” Chris exclaimed.

”I thought it was pretty good too. Once I cast it on you, the effect lasts for ten minutes.” Emily looked delighted.

”More than good. Ethan’s going to love that ability. What about your Stage SSS skill?”

”The skill I gained at Stage SSS is a nature-type ability called Nature’s Renewal. If I suffer a fatal injury, it can quickly restore me to full health.”

Emily frowned. ”But I don’t think it’ll be that useful. If I get hurt, Henry can heal me.”

”It’s still good to have another lifesaving ability,” Chris assured her. ”Henry won’t always be able to reach you in time.”

”True.”

”What about you, Mia?” Chris and Emily turned to her.

”I gained a new ability called Frozen Dominion. It’s a large-area control ability, although the actual range depends on how much mental energy I have. At my current strength, I can only freeze an area a few thousand feet across.”

”...”

”’Only’ a few thousand feet?” Chris muttered. ”That’s terrifying.”

”It’s all right, I guess. My Stage SSS skill is mental-type. It’s called Endless Illusion, and it traps the target inside an illusion they can’t escape. It’s a form of mental control, but the skill’s upper limit is extremely high. Based on my estimate, I should be able to trap someone at Tier 44. As long as no one touches them, the illusion should hold them for several minutes.”

”Damn. No wonder Ethan fell for you.”

”Enough flattery. The Captain is still working on his breakthrough, so you should get back to the forest and collect more crystal cores.”

”What about you two?”

”We’re staying here to guard the city.”

”...”

Goldcrest City...

After leaving New Atlas, the Pyrathi soon returned to Goldcrest City.

The moment they appeared, the Nivari fighters inside the city flew out to confront them.

”What, you still haven’t gotten enough of your people killed?” the Nivari Patriarch asked coldly.

”No, no. I didn’t come here to fight.” Zareth gestured toward the northeast. ”There’s a magnificent city about a thousand miles in that direction. It probably belongs to this world’s natives. This miserable dump of yours doesn’t even deserve to be compared to it.”

With that, Zareth turned and left with his people.

”???”

”What the hell is that supposed to mean?” the Nivari Patriarch demanded.

Zareth didn’t answer. He and the other Pyrathi flew off without looking back, apparently worried that the Nivari might force them into another fight.

”What’s wrong with that guy?” one of the Nivari elders complained. ”He flew all the way here, said something completely random, and ran away.”

”It sounded like he was trying to lure us there,” the Nivari Patriarch said thoughtfully.

”Patriarch, don’t fall for it. That bastard is obviously up to no good.”

”Don’t worry. I’m not foolish enough to take his bait.”

He paused.

”Still, I am curious about this world’s natives. They should know quite a few of its secrets. Send a few people to verify whether the city he mentioned really exists.”

”Yes, Patriarch.”

Meanwhile...

”Patriarch, do you really think they’ll take the bait just because we said that?” the High Elder asked Zareth.

”No, but they’ll still be curious. Curiosity will drive them to send someone to investigate. Once they see that city, they’ll want it for themselves. That’s all we need,” Zareth said with a smile.

”Brilliant, Patriarch!” the elders chorused.

”Still, the Nivari alone probably won’t pose much of a threat to that city.”

Zareth’s smile deepened.

”But what if we spread word that there’s a peak Tier 47 Outland Beast there? That should draw plenty of powerful fighters to the area. And when they arrive... heh.”

”Hahaha! Brilliant, Patriarch!” The High Elder could barely contain his excitement. ”I’d like to see just how powerful that city really is!”

”Contact the rest of our people. We’ll spread the news together.”

”Yes!”

Before long, rumors that a peak Tier 47 Outland Beast had appeared in New Atlas began circulating.

The news tempted plenty of powerful fighters, especially those above Tier 47.

To them, a peak Tier 47 crystal core was a priceless treasure.

An Outland Beast at that level was almost impossible to find.

Highspring City...

A large group of alien fighters had just finished slaughtering a pack of Beasts and were taking a break.

They were Kethari, the dominant race of Cosmara.

After entering this world, they hadn’t tried to seize territory or fight the other races that had arrived from the Void Realm.

Their objective had always been clear.

Outland Beasts.

The Kethari had risen to their current position largely because of their ability to rapidly absorb the energy within crystal cores.

They didn’t cultivate. Every ounce of their strength came from crystal cores.

Thanks to their racial talent, they didn’t need hours—or even days—to absorb a single core like other races did. The moment they obtained one, they could refine it completely, converting all its energy into their own without wasting any of it.

That was why the Kethari were so obsessed with hunting Outland Beasts.

They had already wiped out every Beast of any real strength in Cosmara.

Then they came to this world and discovered that it was home to countless Beasts.

The Kethari had been ecstatic.

In the few days since their arrival, they had spent nearly every waking moment either hunting Beasts or traveling to their next hunt. Their strength had soared in that short time.

When they first arrived, the Kethari had only thirty-five Stage SSS fighters. Now they had forty, with some of them even advancing an entire Tier.

More than thirty new fighters had reached Stage SS, while the lower-Tier Kethari had made even greater gains.

At that moment, the Kethari Patriarch was examining an object resembling a runic disk.

It was one of the Kethari’s greatest treasures: the Beastseeker Compass, capable of detecting powerful Beasts within a radius of several miles.

Thanks to the Beastseeker Compass, they had been able to locate and kill so many Stage SSS Beasts.

As the Kethari Patriarch studied the disk, one of his clansmen hurried over.

”Patriarch, great news! Someone discovered a peak Tier 47 Beast!”

”Really?” The Kethari Patriarch’s head snapped up. ”Is the information reliable?”

”We can’t be certain, but a rumor like this probably came from somewhere. We were also given an exact location. I think it’s worth investigating.”

”Of course it is. True or not, we have to take a look. It’s a peak Tier 47 Beast. If we miss this chance, who knows when we’ll find another one?”

Longing filled the Kethari Patriarch’s voice.

”If I can obtain another peak Tier 47 crystal core, I may finally be able to reach that elusive higher Stage.”

He rose and addressed the others.

”Everyone, pack up. We’re leaving!”

”Yes, Patriarch!”