Apocalypse: King of Zombies

"Hiss…" Garrett sucked in a sharp breath, his whole body tensing with unease. Something about this felt off. Way off.

Before he could dwell on it, one of the mimics lunged at him. Garrett's reflexes kicked in—his fist shot out like a piston, smashing the creature's head into pieces.

But instead of blood and gore, what spilled out was… white, thread-like fibers. Mycelium. And spores—countless spores—burst into the air like a sinister cloud.

"This… this isn't human!" Garrett's face twisted in shock as his gaze darted toward Lil' Shroom. She stood there, her lips curling into a chilling, almost predatory smile.

It hit him like a freight train. He'd been played.

And she wasn't part of the Black Hand Legion either.

"Quick! Get the serum back!" Garrett barked, his voice sharp with urgency.

"On it!" The Awakeners behind him responded immediately, springing into action and rushing forward.

But Lil' Shroom was faster. With a flick of her wrist, she hurled the metal case into the air. It arced high, spinning as it sailed toward the shadows beyond their reach.

The Awakeners' eyes locked onto the case, their movements shifting as they sprinted toward where it was about to land. They were so close—mere seconds away from grabbing it.

And then, out of nowhere, a slender hand shot up.

Snap.

The hand caught the case mid-air with an almost casual precision.

"Stop!" someone shouted, panic lacing their voice. The group skidded to a halt, their bodies freezing in place.

Their eyes widened in collective horror as a figure stepped into view. He was tall, dressed in a crisp white shirt, his sharp features cold and detached.

"Taking back a gift? That's not very polite, is it?" Ethan's deep, calm voice cut through the tension like a blade.

"You…" One of the Awakeners stammered, their voice trembling. The fear in their eyes was unmistakable. It wasn't just fear—it was pure, unfiltered terror. They knew who this was.

The King of the Undead. The most powerful zombie in all of Los Angeles.

Garrett's face twisted in rage and disbelief, his teeth grinding audibly. "A gift? You've gotta be kidding me! You stole it!"

"Run! RUN!" Garrett's shout shattered the silence, his voice cracking under the weight of his panic.

The Awakeners didn't need to be told twice. They bolted like frightened animals, their mission forgotten. The serum didn't matter anymore. Survival was all that mattered now.

But their escape was short-lived.

Behind them, the oppressive force of Ethan's Domain of the Dead began to spread, creeping forward like a living nightmare. It swallowed them whole, the air around them growing heavy, suffocating. It felt like being dragged to the bottom of the ocean.

One by one, their bodies froze in place, paralyzed by the overwhelming pressure. For two of the weaker Awakeners, it was too much. Their bones cracked audibly under the strain, and they collapsed to the ground, convulsing.

A female Awakener stood her ground, though barely. Her teeth clenched so hard it seemed they might shatter, sweat pouring down her face as she fought to stay upright.

Her eyes darted around, desperate for a way out. But then she saw him—Ethan—calmly walking toward her, step by step. His presence alone was suffocating, a weight pressing down on her chest.

"T-Torrent Barrier!" she screamed, pouring every ounce of her energy into the spell. A pale blue light shimmered around her as water vapor condensed, forming walls of water between her and Ethan. The barriers rippled and churned, a desperate attempt to hold him back.

But Ethan didn't even flinch. He kept walking, his expression unchanging. The barriers shattered the moment they came near him, exploding into harmless droplets that scattered in the air.

The woman's face twisted in despair, but she didn't stop. She kept summoning more barriers, her energy draining rapidly.

"So persistent…" Ethan murmured, almost to himself. His voice was soft, almost pitying.

In a flash, he was beside her. She didn't even have time to react. A blade of pure energy materialized in his hand, slicing cleanly through her neck. Her head hit the ground before her body even registered what had happened.

Garrett saw it all from the corner of his eye. He didn't stop to mourn. He didn't even look back. He was already running, his legs pumping as fast as they could carry him. He didn't care about his team anymore. They were dead. All of them. He just needed to get out of here.

The darkness ahead seemed endless, but he didn't care. He just needed to keep moving.

But then he felt it.

The air behind him shifted, a massive wave of pressure rolling toward him like a storm.

"Damn it!"

Garrett's heart sank like a stone. He could feel it—there was no way he was getting out of this alive.

The crushing pressure bore down on him, his body creaking and popping under the strain. It was like he'd been trapped in quicksand, his legs refusing to move.

He forced his head to turn, and there he was—Ethan, calmly walking toward him, just like he had with the others.

There was no fighting this. No escaping it.

A wave of helplessness washed over Garrett, dragging him into the depths of despair. His mind screamed at him to do something, anything.

And then, like a flicker of light in the darkness, he remembered.

His hand shot into his pocket, fumbling for something. When it came back out, he was holding a small vial filled with a glowing purple liquid. The G-Virus.

He'd grabbed an extra dose earlier, just in case.

"You… you stay back!" Garrett shouted, his voice trembling as he raised the vial to his neck.

Ethan tilted his head, his expression curious. He stopped in his tracks.

Garrett's heart leapt. Was this it? Was this his chance? A sliver of hope sparked in his chest. He pressed the vial against his skin, his voice rising in desperation. "If you come any closer, I'll inject the G-Virus! You hear me? This won't end well for either of us!"

Ethan's eyes glinted with interest. "Oh?" he murmured, his tone almost amused. He crossed his arms and leaned back slightly, as if settling in to watch a show. "Go ahead. Don't let me stop you."

Garrett froze, his mind reeling. Was this guy serious? He wasn't scared—he was entertained. Like he was watching some kind of circus act.

The realization hit Garrett like a slap to the face. He was the monkey, and Ethan was just here for the performance.

But what choice did he have? If he didn't do something, he was dead anyway.

Gritting his teeth, Garrett made his decision. With a sharp inhale, he plunged the needle into his artery and pressed down on the plunger. The purple liquid surged into his bloodstream.

He was the first person in Los Angeles to inject the G-Virus.

"Crack!"

A searing heat spread through his body, and Garrett let out a guttural scream. His muscles spasmed uncontrollably, his bones snapping and reforming with sickening cracks.

The virus was rewriting him, cell by cell. His body swelled, his skin splitting open to reveal raw, crimson muscle fibers beneath. The exposed flesh quickly hardened, forming a grotesque, armor-like layer of keratin.

"Raaaghhh!"

Garrett roared in agony as his transformation completed. His body had grown to over 15 feet tall, his arms bulging with unnatural muscle and hanging so low they nearly dragged on the ground. His face was no longer human—his nose and mouth jutted forward into a monstrous snout filled with jagged, interlocking fangs.

His eyes, now a sickly yellow, bulged grotesquely from the sides of his head, darting around in wild, erratic movements.

He was no longer Garrett. He was something else entirely.

Ethan raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. "Wow," he muttered, almost to himself. "That's… ugly."

He wasn't sure if this was just how the G-Virus worked or if Garrett had drawn the short straw in the mutation lottery. Either way, it wasn't a good look.

But there was no denying the power radiating from the creature. Garrett's aura had shifted dramatically. What had once been a B+ level Awakener now teetered on the edge of A+. The virus had elevated him to a whole new tier.

"Raaaghhh!"

Garrett let out another deafening roar, the sound reverberating through the subway tunnel. Dust and debris rained down from the ceiling as the walls trembled under the force of his voice.

Even under the oppressive weight of Ethan's Domain of the Dead, Garrett could move freely now. He flexed his massive fists, feeling the raw power coursing through him. He was unstoppable.

With a thunderous stomp, he charged forward, his massive frame barreling toward Ethan. His fist swung down like a meteor, carrying enough force to level a building.

Die!

Ethan didn't bother meeting the blow head-on. His body flickered, vanishing just as the fist slammed into the ground.

"Boom!" Discover hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire

The impact was catastrophic. The floor caved in, leaving a massive crater in its wake. Dust and rubble exploded outward, filling the air with choking debris.

Ethan reappeared a few feet away, untouched. His Domain of the Dead shielded him from the worst of the blast, but even he had to admit—Garrett packed a punch.

Then came the heat.

The crater began to glow as flames erupted from Garrett's fist, spreading outward in a fiery explosion. The intense heat warped the air, and the flames licked hungrily at everything in their path.

"Boom!"

Ethan stepped back again, keeping just outside the blast radius.

Interesting. Even as a mutated monstrosity, Garrett had retained his Awakener abilities. The G-Virus hadn't stripped him of his powers—it had amplified them.

Garrett's monstrous face twisted into something resembling a grin. He couldn't speak anymore, but his thoughts were clear: Look at you, running away. Some King of the Undead you are. This is what you get for messing with me!

But Ethan's expression remained calm, almost… pleased.

"Not bad," he said, his voice low and steady. "Not bad at all."

...