Apocalypse: King of Zombies

"Uh…" Everyone froze for a second, thinking, Seriously? That's it?

The most cowardly zombie really lived up to his reputation…

Samuel sneered when he saw this. "At least you know your place. Now, where's Damon, the leader of the Black Hand Legion?"

"He's dead," Mia said calmly. "Waiting for you in the afterlife."

"What?" Samuel's brows furrowed. He'd suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed still caught him off guard.

Damon was an S-rank powerhouse. And he just… died?

Looking at Chris and the others, Samuel noticed they were all carrying Crystal Core Firearms—the very weapons Damon had been trading with Genesis Biotech. Clearly, that shipment had ended up in their hands.

Mia's lips curled into a faint smirk. "If you came looking for him, you might as well have come to die."

"Arrogant bitch!" Samuel's face twisted with rage. Even now, she dared to talk like that? Once he got his hands on her, he'd make sure she begged for death.

"Kill them all!"

At his command, the Black Hand Legion soldiers behind him—already itching for a fight—unleashed their energy. Some drew weapons, others charged forward, all of them ready to tear their enemies apart.

Mist's eyes gleamed with a feral light. Seeing the situation, he stopped pretending to beg for mercy. A thick black fog erupted from his body, surging forward like a living storm cloud.

The inky mist engulfed the Black Hand Legion, blinding them completely. It was like someone had flipped a switch and turned off their vision.

"Shit! Not this crap again!"

"Fucking zombie! I'm gonna gut him!"

"This time, don't let them get away!"

"..."

The Black Hand Legion was furious, shouting over one another in the chaos.

But just then, Chris and the others—along with the survivors they'd rescued—raised their Crystal Core Firearms and pulled the triggers almost in unison.

A surge of volatile energy blasted out like a barrage of shooting stars.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The Black Hand Legion was packed in tight, so there was no need to aim. They just fired straight into the fog.

Explosions rocked the underground mall, the walls trembling as debris rained down. It felt like the whole place might collapse.

Many of the Black Hand soldiers were blown to pieces. Even the stronger ones weren't spared—arms and legs were torn off, bodies mangled beyond recognition.

"Mind Storm!"

One of the A+ rank Black Hand elites roared. He was second only to Samuel in strength—a core member of the Legion.

His powerful psychic energy burst outward like a hurricane, sweeping away the black fog. Anyone caught in its path was hit with a mental shockwave.

"Die, all of you!"

He snarled, eyes wild. As the mist cleared, his vision stretched out again—only to lock onto a pair of sharp, intelligent eyes staring right back at him.

"Huh?"

He blinked, confused. Their eyes met.

Who the hell is this idiot? he thought. The guy had just taken a full blast of his Mind Storm and looked completely unfazed.

"Hey, what's with that look?" Sean said, clearly annoyed, and launched himself forward.

The elite frowned. "I was about to ask you the same thing!"

As Sean charged, the elite focused his psychic energy into a barrage of mental spikes, aiming straight for Sean's brain.

But the moment his attack entered Sean's mind, something felt… off. It was empty. Like tossing a rock into a bottomless pit—his psychic assault just vanished without a trace.

What the hell? Why isn't it working? Panic flickered across his face.

But it was too late.

Sean's bones cracked and popped as he entered his [Fearless Berserk] state. He raised a fist and slammed it into the elite's skull.

BOOM!

The guy's head exploded like a watermelon under a sledgehammer—blood and brain matter splattered everywhere. A crystal core shot out from the mess.

Sean caught it mid-air, turning it over in his palm, eyes gleaming with a strange, thoughtful light.

"This is the kind of thing Ethan likes…"

Not far away, Samuel's expression darkened. What the hell is going on?

They'd just lost a top-tier fighter right out of the gate. Was this guy an S-rank Awakener?

"Kill him!" Samuel barked.

At the same time, he raised his hand—his fingers morphing into long, wooden tendrils like serpentine roots—and lashed them toward Sean.

Sean wasn't exactly known for his awareness, so he didn't notice anything was wrong—until he suddenly felt a tight pressure around his wrists, ankles, and waist, like something had wrapped around him and was squeezing tighter by the second.

He twisted and jerked, trying to break free, but whatever had him was tough as hell. The more he struggled, the more it held him down. He couldn't get any leverage.

So there he was, flailing in place, doing what looked like some kind of weird interpretive dance—but no matter how much he thrashed, he couldn't shake it off.

Meanwhile, the other Black Hand Legion members were closing in, weapons drawn, ready to strike.

But just then—crack!—a flash of lightning split the air. A sleek tachi blade sliced through the space like a bolt from the heavens, arcs of electricity dancing along its edge. It moved so fast it was practically invisible.

Shing—!

The blade swept clean through the wooden tendrils binding Sean, severing them all in one fluid motion.

Mia landed lightly beside him, her slim figure poised and calm. "Picking on a dumbass—real impressive," she said with a smirk.

"Huh?" Samuel raised an eyebrow. She still had the nerve to act cocky? And from her aura, she wasn't even that strong—maybe A+ rank at best.

"You're asking for it."

He stomped the ground, activating his S-rank wood-type ability. The floor beneath Mia trembled, and in the next instant, razor-sharp Root Barbs shot up from the ground, aiming straight for her.

These weren't just roots—they were like spears, slicing through the air with a series of sonic booms.

Mia glanced down, eyes sharp, and moved. She twisted and flipped, dodging each barb with uncanny precision. Her movements were fluid and fast, almost like a gymnast mid-routine—at one point, she even pulled off a full 360-degree spin in midair.

But every time she landed, more Root Barbs erupted from the ground beneath her, giving her no time to breathe.

"Kehehehe…" Samuel chuckled darkly. "That's all you've got?"

Entangling Roots.

He muttered the command, and the ground rumbled again. This time, a swarm of thick roots burst forth, forming a cage-like Wooden Prison around Mia. The roots twisted and coiled, reaching for her limbs, trying to bind her in place.

Mia slashed with her tachi, cutting through several of them in a single stroke.

But then—snap—something caught her ankle.

A root had wrapped around it.

"Kehehe… You're not going anywhere now," Samuel sneered. If this were any other day, he might've taken his time with a beauty like her—maybe even had a little fun. But he had a mission to finish, so he pushed the thought aside.

With a flick of his wrist, a long, needle-like Root Barb shot up from the ground, slicing through the air with a deadly whistle—aimed straight at Mia's heart.

She instinctively raised her hand to block.

Shlkk!

The sound of wood tearing through flesh echoed in the air. The Root Barb punched clean through her palm and buried itself deep into her shoulder blade.

Blood poured down her arm, soaking the root in crimson. It dripped steadily, painting the ground beneath her.

But Mia's expression didn't change. Her face was calm—eerily calm. In fact, there was a strange glint in her eyes… something like excitement.

The pain lit up her nerves like fire.

Her cells were waking up.

Samuel blinked, surprised. Most people would be screaming their lungs out by now. But this girl? Not even a whimper.

"You've got some nerve," he muttered.

"It's just a splinter," Mia said, her voice steady. "No big deal."

...