Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Sean's bones cracked and popped loudly as his body surged into a berserk state. Without hesitation, he swung a fist straight at Azure Scaled.

Azure Scaled, still basking in his fleeting sense of triumph, suddenly felt a fierce gust of wind roaring past his ears. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late. He turned his head just in time to see Sean's furious face—and a fist barreling toward him.

BAM!

The punch landed squarely on Azure Scaled's face. Already battered and drained from the earlier fight, his injuries left him vulnerable. The impact sent him flying over 100 feet through the air.

"Damn it!"

Azure Scaled cursed internally. Taking a punch wasn't the worst of it—what really stung was missing his best chance to escape. He scrambled to get up, but before he could, an overwhelming pressure descended upon him like a tidal wave.

The Domain of the Dead had enveloped him once again.

His body felt heavy, as though he were sinking into quicksand.

And then, in the blink of an eye, Ethan appeared beside him.

"Damn it all!"

Despair washed over Azure Scaled as his gaze flicked toward Sean. He had a chance to run earlier—he could've gotten away! But no, this idiot had to ruin everything!

All his careful planning, all his schemes, and in the end, he'd been outplayed in the most humiliating way possible.

Meanwhile, Ethan's undead army was closing in from every direction. Among them were familiar faces: Bulldozer, Laura, PhD, and Little Shadow. Leading the charge were Sprout and Lil' Shroom, who had racked up the highest kill counts in this battle.

Behind them came the elite strike force, the most ferocious of Ethan's troops.

The horde surrounded Azure Scaled completely, leaving no gaps, no escape routes. Even if he had wings, he wouldn't have been able to fly out of this.

"So… this is how it ends?" Azure Scaled's eyes dimmed, his once-proud spirit fading. The ruler of the coastline was about to meet his end.

The undead roared in unison, their bloodlust palpable as they surged forward, tearing Azure Scaled apart piece by piece.

And just like that, he was gone. Nothing remained of him except a few scattered, glowing blue scales on the ground—silent proof that he had ever existed.

The warm sunlight broke through the clouds, signaling the end of the battle.

Azure Scaled and his elite forces had been completely annihilated. Without their leader, the remaining ordinary zombies crumbled into disarray. Without direction, they posed no threat and were swiftly dealt with.

As for the parasitic monsters, they were either devoured by Ethan's horde or fled into the wilderness. Some were hunted down by human Awakeners, ensuring they could no longer pose a significant danger.

The once-lush jungle was now a wasteland. Trees lay toppled and shattered, some reduced to splinters. The ground was cracked and scarred, with deep fissures spreading in every direction.

Corpses were strewn everywhere—severed limbs, mangled flesh, and pools of dark, congealed blood soaked into the dirt, turning it into a foul-smelling sludge.

The devastation stretched as far as the eye could see.

Even the high walls of the nearby sanctuary had been breached, one section completely collapsed into rubble. Among the debris were bodies, both human and otherwise.

Inside the sanctuary, buildings smoldered, smoke curling into the sky. The aftermath of the battle was evident everywhere.

Most of the surviving humans had retreated deep into the mountain's interior for safety. The cost of this battle was staggering—tens of thousands of lives lost, and the sanctuary itself left in ruins. Rebuilding would take years.

The only one who truly benefited from all this was Ethan.

The fight had yielded a treasure trove of rare crystal cores. His undead minions had feasted on countless "seafood" delicacies and "stuffed cookies," leaving them thoroughly satisfied.

Ethan figured that once they got back and basked in the glow of the Radiant Crystal for a bit of a "sunbath," they'd evolve into even stronger elites.

As he mulled it over, Ethan couldn't help but think, Life's not so bad right now…

"Well, if there's nothing else, I'm heading back," Ethan said casually.

"Yeah, figures. You're the only one who came out of this unscathed," Mia muttered, giving him a side-eye. She was covered in blood, her exhaustion evident.

"Those parasitic monsters? They were after you," she added.

"Oh," Ethan replied with a nonchalant nod.

"And the zombies from Santa Monica? Yeah, they came because of you too," Mia continued, her tone sharp.

"Got it," Ethan said, nodding again, just as indifferent.

"…" Mia was speechless for a moment, unsure how to respond. Finally, she sighed. "The parasitic monsters will come back, you know."

"Yeah, they multiply fast. They're gonna run out of food at this rate," Ethan said, scanning the now-quiet valley. It seemed the parasitic creatures had wiped out most of the mutated beasts in the area.

Mia pressed on. "The monsters came from Santa Clarita. The sanctuary there was overrun, and it's where their numbers are the highest. But… there's still one person alive there. Someone we've been in contact with."

"Oh?" Ethan raised an eyebrow, genuinely intrigued.

The Santa Clarita sanctuary had been home to tens of thousands, all of whom had been slaughtered by the monsters. The fact that someone had survived was nothing short of miraculous.

And considering how dangerous the area had become, with countless monsters breeding there, surviving alone meant this person was no ordinary individual.

Mia continued, "He used to be the Number 001 Awakener of the Santa Clarita Sanctuary. If you want to know more about what's going on there, you could add him as a contact. He's got a private line that connects to our network."

"Alright, maybe later," Ethan replied casually. After the intense battle, all he wanted was to lay low for a few days, absorb the crystal cores he'd collected, and let his minions bask in the Radiant Crystal's glow to boost their overall strength.

With that, they parted ways.

Ethan led his massive Zombie Horde back home, triumphant.

...

Big Ears' brief stint as "boss" came to an unceremonious end.

"Bulldozer, how'd the fight go?" Big Ears scurried over to Bulldozer as soon as he saw him, eager for an update. As for the other zombie kings, he didn't even dare approach them.

Bulldozer gave a goofy grin. "Of course we won! The Azure Scaled Zombie King? Boss took him out."

"See? Just like I planned!" Big Ears puffed out his chest, patting it proudly.

But nearby, Shrimpy froze for a moment, not even acknowledging Big Ears' boasting.

"The Azure Scaled Zombie King… is dead?" Shrimpy asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.

"Yup. And all his zombie kings? Gone too," Bulldozer confirmed with a nod.

Shrimpy's expression turned distant, his mind swirling with thoughts. He couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. Ever since he'd gained intelligence, he'd lived under the oppressive shadow of the Azure Scaled Zombie King—a mountain he could never hope to move.

Hearing of his death now felt… surreal.

But the moment of reflection didn't last long. Something clicked in Shrimpy's mind, and a glimmer of excitement lit up his face.

"Then I can go back to Santa Monica."

"Huh? Why would you go back to that dump? Isn't L.A. better?" Big Ears asked, confused.

Shrimpy shot him a side-eye. "No lobsters here."

Big Ears: "..."

Back at home, Ethan wasted no time getting comfortable. He took a long shower, changed into clean clothes, poured himself a glass of juice, and got to work absorbing the crystal cores.

He started with Griff's spatial-type crystal core and the S-rank core from the Azure Scaled Zombie King. Both were incredibly pure and rare. Ethan wondered if they might finally push him past his current limits and into SS-rank territory.

As he absorbed the energy, he absentmindedly pulled out his phone to check the latest updates online.

Nothing.

Genesis Biotech's page was still completely blank, with no new information at all.

The sanctuaries? Even worse.

After the catastrophic battle, with tens of thousands of human casualties, they were in no position to do anything. The only word on their official site was a single, somber one: Mourning.
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"Boring…" Ethan muttered, tossing his phone aside.

The two other major factions in Los Angeles, aside from himself, were basically in hibernation mode.

...