Apocalypse: King of Zombies

At a glance, there were maybe a hundred, two hundred zombies—nothing too threatening.

But soon, people noticed something strange. These zombies weren't like the usual ones. Their fingers and toes were webbed with a thin membrane, giving them an eerie, almost aquatic appearance.

"What the hell are these things?" Sean's sharp eyes scanned the scene, his voice calm but laced with tension.

Before anyone could answer, the zombies were already closing in, now only about 100 feet away.

The stench hit them first—putrid and damp, carrying a chilling moisture that clung to the air. It was suffocating, like decay mixed with the cold bite of rain.

"Kill them," Mia said coldly, drawing the tachi strapped to her back in one fluid motion. Without hesitation, she charged straight at the horde.

Her blade gleamed, slicing through the rain with a sharp whistle, as if cutting the very air itself. It tore into the zombies effortlessly, spraying black, viscous blood everywhere. The foul liquid mixed with the rain, creating a grotesque, chaotic dance of crimson and black.

Mia moved like a whirlwind, a relentless force of destruction. She was a one-woman meat grinder, cutting down the zombies with precision and fury.

Behind her, the temperature plummeted even further. The already cold air turned frigid as a wave of icy energy spread outward. The Awakeners with ice-based abilities—nicknamed "builders" for their knack for shaping the battlefield—stepped forward. They raised their hands, channeling their powers. The torrential rain seemed to freeze midair, transforming into razor-sharp icicles that shot toward the zombies like a deadly hailstorm.

Shhhk-shhhk-shhhk!

The scene turned into a frozen tempest, shredding the zombies into pieces.

Meanwhile, Chris and the others formed a tight battle formation, standing back-to-back with their weapons drawn. As Awakeners who had reached the Neurocore stage, their strength far surpassed that of the zombies. Each swing of their blades cut down another undead, their movements efficient and practiced.

This group wasn't weak by any means. Against a couple hundred zombies, they were holding their ground with ease.

One by one, the zombies fell, their numbers dwindling rapidly. Victory seemed inevitable.

At first glance, this looked like nothing more than a routine zombie attack.

But then, something changed.

Chris froze mid-swing. A faint sound reached his ears—a song, distant and haunting. It wasn't in any language he recognized. The melody was strange, shifting unpredictably between high-pitched wails and low, guttural tones. It carried an unnatural pull, like it was calling to him, beckoning him closer.

His eyes glazed over, unfocused.

Others began to falter too. Their movements slowed, their expressions vacant. Even as zombies lunged at them, they didn't react. One zombie, its grotesque face twisted in a permanent snarl, lunged at Chris. Its gaping maw, filled with jagged teeth, was inches from his neck.

At the last second, an ice spike shot through the air, piercing the zombie's skull. Black blood splattered across Chris's face, only to be washed away by the rain. But he didn't even flinch. He just stood there, motionless.

"Uncle Chris! What's wrong with you?!" Chloe shouted, her voice tight with panic as she rushed toward him.

It wasn't just Chris. The other Neurocore Awakeners were acting the same way. Some of them even dropped their weapons and started walking toward the zombies, as if in a trance.

Chloe quickly stepped in, blocking their path. "What the hell is going on?!"

"It's mind control," Sean said grimly, his voice cutting through the chaos.

"I heard it too," he added. "That weird sound… it's like something's trying to lure us in."

"What?!" Chloe's face paled. The idea of such an ability sent a chill down her spine.

She had heard faint traces of the sound earlier, but as someone who had reached the Crystal Core stage, her mental strength was far superior to those in the Neurocore stage. She had managed to resist its pull. But now, it was clear—there was something else out there, something far more dangerous than the zombies.

"Could it be… a zombie king?" she whispered, her voice barely audible over the rain.

...

Up ahead, Mia was still holding the line, cutting down zombies with ruthless efficiency. Even without Chris and the other Neurocore Awakeners, she was managing just fine. But the creature behind this mind control? That was a whole different problem.

As she fought, her mind raced, trying to figure out their next move.

Then, without warning, the ground beneath her feet shifted.

The mud softened unnaturally, sinking under her weight.

Mia glanced down, her instincts screaming at her. From the muck, a massive, glowing blue claw shot out, its sharp talons latching onto her ankle.

The claws dug deep, piercing through her flesh. Blood welled up, bright red against the eerie blue glow. It trickled down her leg, mixing with the rain and mud.

"ROAR—"

From deep within the rain-soaked horizon, another guttural zombie howl tore through the air. Shadows emerged, their numbers swelling exponentially. What had been a manageable horde of a couple hundred was now a sea of over a thousand.

And mixed among the zombies were new creatures—lizard-like monsters, their sinewy forms slinking through the ranks with predatory grace.

"So, there is more," Mia muttered, her voice calm, almost indifferent. She had expected this. She always expected the worst.

The pain in her ankle flared, sharp and searing, but it only fueled her. Her nerves lit up, her body responding instinctively, cells firing on all cylinders. Pain was just another form of adrenaline.

The lizard creature beneath her had fully surfaced now, its grotesque head snapping upward, jaws lined with jagged teeth lunging for her.

Mia didn't flinch. She slammed her free foot down with brutal force.

BOOM!

The ground shook as her heel crushed the creature's skull like an overripe watermelon. Bone and flesh exploded outward, painting the mud in a sickening spray of gore.

She exhaled sharply, her mind already racing ahead. The grain depot wasn't defensible anymore. There was no way they could hold this position. The only option was to break through the encirclement and lead everyone to safety.

But first, she had to find the source of that mind-controlling song. Whatever was behind it had to be eliminated. Chris and the others wouldn't snap out of it until that thing was dead.

Mia glanced back at her team. Unlike Ethan, who always had a squad of powerful subordinates to rely on, she had no such luxury. It was just her and her teammates, and she'd have to make it work.

The horde was closing in fast. Mia gripped her blade tighter and charged back into the fray.

Chloe and the others stood frozen for a moment, their faces pale as they took in the sheer number of monsters bearing down on them. Fear clawed at their hearts, but they didn't have the luxury of hesitation.

"Focus!" Chloe barked, snapping herself and the others out of it. She raised her hands, her ice abilities flaring to life. One after another, thick walls of ice materialized, blocking the advancing zombies.

But then, that eerie song crept back into her ears. The haunting melody was relentless, worming its way into her mind. Chloe clenched her jaw, her teeth grinding as she fought to stay in control. She wasn't fully under its spell, but the distraction was enough to make her powers falter.

Sean, however, seemed completely unaffected. His sharp eyes remained clear, his mind untouched by the song's pull. He shook his head as if brushing off an annoying fly, the sound having no hold on him.

When the horde surged forward, Sean didn't hesitate. He leapt into the fray, his fists swinging with raw, unrelenting power. Each punch sent zombies flying, their bodies crumpling like paper under his strength. He moved with reckless abandon, carving a path through the chaos to protect his teammates.

But as Sean fought, the ground behind him began to shift. The mud churned unnaturally, rising and bulging until a massive lizard creature burst forth. Its hulking form towered over Sean, its scales glistening with rain and muck.

"Sean! Behind you!" Chloe screamed, her voice cutting through the storm.

Sean turned, but it was too late. The creature lunged, its claws slamming into his shoulders and pinning him to the ground. The impact knocked the wind out of him, and he felt the cold, slimy weight of the monster pressing down on his chest.

"Damn it," Sean muttered, his voice more annoyed than afraid. The stench of the creature's breath hit him like a wall, and he grimaced as its gaping maw descended toward his head.

"So, you like sneak attacks, huh?" he growled, his tone almost mocking.

With one hand, he grabbed the creature's forehead, holding its snapping jaws at bay. His other hand shot up, clamping around its throat.

And then, with a guttural roar of his own, Sean twisted with all his might.

CRACK!

The sound of snapping bone echoed through the battlefield as Sean wrenched the creature's head clean off. Black blood sprayed everywhere, drenching him in the foul-smelling liquid. He shoved the lifeless body aside and stood, his chest heaving.

Sean didn't even bother wiping the blood off. He was used to this kind of mess. But as he adjusted his stance, something felt… off.

He reached into his pocket, his fingers brushing against something wet and squishy. Frowning, he pulled it out.

It was the remains of an apple. Or rather, what was left of the half-eaten apple he'd been saving. All that remained was the stem, surrounded by a pulpy mess.

Sean stared at it, his expression blank. For a moment, he looked utterly lost, as if the world had stopped turning.

...