Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Donovan felt like a meteor had just crashed into the earth—his entire body tensed up in an instant.

"So strong!" Ethan's gaze sharpened as he raised his hand. In a flash, a tachi appeared in his grip, and with a swift motion, he slashed downward.

The blade cut through the air, its arc sharp and deadly, as if it was destined to draw blood.

Donovan's heart skipped a beat. He quickly released his Little Shadow, bracing himself against the overwhelming pressure as he desperately stepped back.

Swish!

The blade's tip grazed past his face, slicing through the air so close that it shaved off half his bangs. Golden strands of hair fluttered to the ground.

Absolute Domain. This was Absolute Domain!

Donovan's shock deepened as he realized what was happening. He hadn't expected to encounter a zombie king who had awakened Absolute Domain the moment he arrived here.

Back in the metropolis he used to live in—a city with a population of over twenty million—zombie kings who had evolved Absolute Domain were exceedingly rare. But they all had one thing in common: they were infamous. Their lairs were human no-go zones, marked as death traps on every map.

Ethan, of course, didn't care what Donovan was thinking. He kept swinging his blade, slashing relentlessly.

The air around them grew hotter and hotter.

Flames ignited along the edge of Ethan's tachi, the heat radiating outward.

Donovan frowned, not daring to let his guard down for even a second. Black mist began to swirl around his hands as he raised his arm to block the incoming strike.

Clang!

The clash of their powers rang out like the sound of metal colliding.

Donovan had actually managed to block the tachi.

Ethan raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised. It seemed Donovan's body-enhancement abilities weren't half bad. An A-rank Awakener, huh? He had some skill. But… that was about it.

Ethan pressed forward, his blade slashing down again and again.

Even though Donovan was trapped within the Domain of the Dead, his A-rank physique allowed him to move—barely. But the cost was immense. His energy was draining rapidly, his strength ebbing away with every passing second.

"This isn't going to work…" Donovan thought to himself, his mind racing. He prayed that this zombie king's evolution wasn't too advanced. If that were the case, he might still have a chance to escape. Besides, from what he could tell so far… the attacks were straightforward. Powerful, yes, but not particularly complex.

From a distance, Kai and the others, who were locked in their own battles, noticed the intense fight between Donovan and Ethan.

"He's really going toe-to-toe with him," one of them muttered, watching the fierce exchange.

"And it's intense," another added.

"Donovan, sir, what's the plan now?" Kai called out.

"In my experience… now's the time to run," Donovan replied, retreating step by step as he fought.

"…" Kai and the others were speechless. It seemed Donovan really did have a lot of experience dealing with Phantom Infected… though not in the way they'd hoped.

Ethan's tachi hummed with power, the blade vibrating as it clashed repeatedly with Donovan's Spectral Grip, a shadowy phantom arm that Donovan had summoned to defend himself.

But no matter how fierce Ethan's strikes were, the tachi couldn't cut through the spectral arm.

Clearly, this level of weapon wasn't suited for a battle of this intensity.

"Should've asked Mia if this thing came with a warranty," Ethan muttered to himself.

After a moment's thought, he decided it wasn't worth it. With a casual flick of his wrist, he dismissed the tachi, storing it back in his spatial ring. Now, he stood unarmed, his hands empty.

"Huh?" Donovan blinked in confusion.

Mid-fight, Ethan had just… put his weapon away?

What was going on? Was he… giving Donovan an opening?

Donovan hesitated, his mind racing. He extended his spectral arm, aiming to grab Ethan.

But Ethan's eyes flashed red. The Domain of the Dead expanded to its absolute limit, and he clenched his fist, punching forward with devastating force.

BOOM!

The sheer power of the strike exploded like a cannon blast. Donovan's spectral arm shattered instantly, the phantom energy dissipating in a flash. His real arm twisted unnaturally, the bones cracking audibly as it bent into a grotesque angle.

Donovan's body was flung backward like a broken kite, tumbling through the air before crashing nearly 500 feet away.

The pain was suffocating, so intense that he almost blacked out on the spot.

"Ahhh…" Donovan gasped, his teeth clenched as he struggled to stay conscious. He lay on the ground, his vision swimming, and looked up.

Ethan was walking toward him, step by step.

The Domain of the Dead, now fully unleashed, was wreaking havoc on the surroundings. Objects near Ethan disintegrated into dust, and even the buildings lining the street were collapsing, their structures crumbling under the immense pressure. The sound of destruction echoed all around.

It was like a natural disaster in human form, steadily approaching.

"This… this can't be happening," Donovan thought, his mind reeling.

It was clear now. Ethan's physical strength far surpassed the weapon he had been using. The moment he put the blade away, Donovan hadn't even stood a chance.

"Then why were you using a weapon to fight me earlier?" Donovan asked, his voice trembling with both pain and frustration.

Ethan replied casually, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Oh, nothing much. I just didn't want to get my hands dirty killing you."

"You…!" Donovan's teeth clenched so hard that blood seeped from his gums. In that moment, he fully understood—this zombie king wasn't just strong. His evolution was on another level, his physique far surpassing Donovan's.

This wasn't just an S-rank opponent,Ethan was leagues beyond any zombie king Donovan had ever encountered or even heard of.

From a distance, Kai and the others watched the scene unfold, their hearts sinking.

Just moments ago, it had seemed like Donovan was holding his own, trading blows with Ethan. But now? It was clear he was completely outmatched.

Was this some kind of sick joke?

As Ethan stepped closer, Donovan was once again engulfed by the oppressive Domain of the Dead. His earlier exertion, combined with his severe injuries, left him utterly defenseless. He could only watch, helpless, as Ethan reached out and grabbed his head.

Then, everything went black.

Donovan lost consciousness.

Ethan stood over Donovan's lifeless body, holding an A-rank crystal core in his hand. The core shimmered faintly, its pure energy swirling within like a soft, glowing mist.

Genesis Biotech's prized A-rank mercenary had barely set foot in Los Angeles before being utterly annihilated.

Without hesitation, Ethan reached down and tore the alloy case from Donovan's arm, ripping it free with brute force. He stashed it into his spatial ring.

The Y-Virus was now in his possession.

"Shit! This is bad!" Kai's heart raced as panic set in. But before he could act, a sudden chill spread through his abdomen. He looked down, stunned, to see Laura's razor-sharp claws piercing his stomach with surgical precision.

Blood gushed from the wound, his life force draining rapidly.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Laura didn't stop there. With a few more swift strikes, she tore him open, spilling his insides onto the ground. Finally, she reached into his chest cavity and ripped out his still-beating heart, blood dripping from her fingers.

Kai was dead.

With his death, the battle was effectively over.

The remaining Awakeners, now consumed by despair, didn't last long. They were quickly dispatched by Little Shadow, PhD, and Sprout. The fight ended in mere moments.

The street was left in ruins, littered with the wreckage of collapsed buildings and the bloodied corpses of the fallen. Ethan waved his hand, collecting the bodies and storing them away to share with his underlings later.

"Boss, let's head back," Laura said, licking the blood from her claws with a satisfied grin. She seemed thoroughly pleased with the carnage.

Nearby, Little Shadow was already feasting on a fresh heart, savoring the taste. Fresh meat like this? Too good to pass up!

But just as they were about to leave, the sound of chaotic footsteps echoed from the surrounding streets. Zombies began to emerge from all directions, their guttural growls filling the air. Among them were several agile figures, leaping and darting with unnatural speed—clearly elite zombies.

Ethan glanced over his shoulder, his expression calm and unbothered. It wasn't hard to figure out what had happened. The earlier battle had clearly drawn the attention of the local zombie king and his horde.

Still, Ethan wasn't concerned. According to Buddy Crow's earlier reconnaissance, the zombie king in this area wasn't particularly strong. Genesis Biotech had classified this territory as a two-star zombie nest, far weaker than the Red-Faced Zombie King Ethan had dealt with before.

As the zombies closed in, they didn't immediately attack. Instead, they surrounded Ethan's group, snarling and growling as they formed a loose perimeter.

Laura and Little Shadow exchanged glances, their expressions calm and unbothered. This was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

Before long, a figure emerged from the horde, pushing his way to the front.

The zombie king wasn't particularly tall—short and stocky, with a stout build. His most noticeable feature was his oversized ears, which stuck out comically from his head. This was Big Ears, a B+ rank zombie king with the awakened ability Hyper Hearing.

In the early days of the apocalypse, Big Ears had used his enhanced hearing to hunt down survivors with ease, earning himself a decent reputation. But as time went on, his lack of combat-oriented abilities left him struggling to keep up. Now, he was on the verge of being outclassed and forgotten.

Big Ears scanned Ethan and his group carefully. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have dared to provoke a zombie king of Ethan's caliber. But today, emboldened by the size of his horde, he mustered up a bit of courage.

"You come into my territory, kill people, and then just walk away… Don't you think that's a little rude?" he said, his voice dripping with false bravado.

...