Apocalypse: King of Zombies

"Alright, boys—charge! Kill the humans, and feast on Neurocore!"

With that thunderous command from Big Thighs the Zombie King, a deafening roar erupted from the horde behind him. The sound rolled like thunder across the mountains, and then—like a pack of wild beasts unleashed—they surged down the snowy slopes, pouring into American territory.

Behind him, a massive army of twenty thousand zombies followed, a black tide crashing down from the pristine white mountains like a dark waterfall.

Big Thighs led the charge himself. His already massive legs bulged with even more muscle, thick and powerful, pounding the ground with explosive force. He moved like a storm, his figure a blur, leaving streaks of afterimages in his wake.

By now, only the weak, the sick, and the elderly remained in this part of the U.S. Big Thighs didn't hesitate—he swung his claws and tore through their throats like paper.

The zombies behind him pounced immediately, pinning the helpless victims to the ground and tearing into them with savage hunger.

Filthy, dark blood sprayed across the snow, staining the white landscape a sickly, blackish brown.

"Damn, these zombies are weak as hell!"

Big Thighs muttered to himself, realizing Chrome Dome hadn't been lying—Redgaze's forces were all bark and no bite. They looked intimidating, but they had no real fight in them.

"And Chrome Dome said this place was dangerous? What a load of crap. Looks like I made the right call coming here!"

Fueled by bloodlust and confidence, he led his crew deeper into the snowy plains, cutting through the enemy like a hot knife through butter.

Up on a ridge, Logan stood watching, eyes narrowed as the cross-border zombies stormed toward him.

"They're here…"

If he was going to sell this act, he had to go all in. Staying hidden wouldn't convince anyone.

So, with a sharp command of his own, he led his own horde down the slope.

Two black waves collided in the middle of the snowfield, crashing into each other with a deafening roar. Chaos erupted instantly—screams, snarls, and the sound of flesh being torn filled the air.

Zombies from both sides tackled each other, biting, clawing, and ripping with feral rage. The battlefield turned into a brutal, blood-soaked frenzy.

Redgaze Zombie King Logan's crimson eyes scanned the chaos. Then, with a flicker, his ocular powers activated—his pupils flared with a blinding red light that swept across the enemy ranks.

The zombies caught in his gaze froze mid-attack, their minds trapped in endless illusions. Some stood paralyzed, others screamed in agony, and a few collapsed, convulsing violently.

Logan's own zombies wasted no time. They lunged forward and tore the stunned enemies apart, clearing a wide circle around their king.

"Shit… am I going too hard?"

Logan frowned. If he kept this up, the enemy might just turn tail and run.

With a thought, he dialed back the intensity of his eye powers.

Then he glanced to the side—and saw Rebar Zombie King, one of his lieutenants, completely losing it. With his hardened skin and brute strength, Rebar was plowing through the enemy like a wrecking ball, leaving a trail of mangled corpses behind him. He'd already pushed over three hundred feet into enemy lines.

The snow beneath him was soaked red, the blood pooling into rivers.

"Rebar! Fall back!"

"Oh—right!" Rebar snapped out of his frenzy at Logan's command and quickly retreated from the enemy ranks, realizing he'd gotten a little too carried away.

With Logan and his crew pulling back a bit, the enemy horde surged forward. The cross-border zombies came in waves, packed tight, their grotesque faces filling the horizon.

At first, Big Thighs had been nervous when he saw that eerie red glow flash across the battlefield—clearly Redgaze had shown up.

He'd even considered retreating.

"Damn, Redgaze really is the Northern King for a reason. That power's no joke," Big Thighs thought, a chill running down his spine.

But then he noticed something.

Redgaze's zombies were weak—old, slow, barely able to fight. They were just meat shields, really. No real threat.

All Big Thighs had to do was keep throwing bodies at them. No matter how strong Redgaze was, he couldn't hold out forever against a swarm.

"Boss, look! Redgaze's attacks are slowing down!" one of Big Thighs' underlings shouted.

"Huh? You're right…" Big Thighs raised an eyebrow, noticing the shift. Redgaze was losing steam.

So much for the mighty Redgaze. Turns out he was all show—barely into the fight and already struggling.

"Alright, boys—full charge!" Big Thighs roared, his confidence surging.

The horde behind him responded with a feral scream, flooding forward like a tidal wave, ready to drown the enemy in sheer numbers.

Meanwhile, Logan was watching the battlefield closely. Seeing the enemy's full-force assault, he decided it was time to play his part.

"Shit, we can't hold them off—they're too strong! Fall back!" he shouted.

His zombies didn't hesitate. They stopped attacking and turned to flee, scattering across the snow-covered field.

"Huh???"

Big Thighs stared ahead, completely baffled.

Wait a minute… was he really this strong?

Did he just—single-handedly—scare off the Northern Overlord, Redgaze?

His zombie underlings were just as hyped, their faces lit up with wild excitement.

"Boss, we're freakin' unstoppable! Redgaze is running—should we chase him down?"

"Uh…" Big Thighs hesitated. His original plan was to pull a Chrome Dome—grab some easy wins, then dip before things got messy.

But he hadn't expected Redgaze, the infamous Zombie King of the North, to be this much of a pushover.

What really had Big Thighs thinking, though, was the human town nearby. If he backed off now, some other Zombie King would swoop in and take it for themselves.

And now that the fight had started, there was no turning back.

If not now, then when?

"Screw it! We're going after him! Kill Redgaze—take the humans!"

"RAAAHHH!"

The horde behind him roared in unison, their bloodlust boiling over. They charged forward like a stampede of monsters, chasing after the retreating enemy.

Logan glanced back over his shoulder.

Perfect. Just what he wanted.

"Thanks for playing your part…"

...

Meanwhile, across the snowy borderlands, the other foreign Zombie Kings had all planted spies to keep tabs on Redgaze's movements.

When word came in that Big Thighs had driven Redgaze back and was about to storm his nest, they were stunned—and immediately rushed to report to their own bosses.

One by one, the foreign Zombie Kings reacted with disbelief.

"Big Thighs is actually beating Redgaze?"

"Could it be… falling in love with a human made Redgaze weaker?"

"Maybe love made him stupid…"

"This won't do. We're going too!"

"..."

Just like Ethan predicted, Big Thighs had cracked open the vault—and now every Zombie King along the northern U.S. border wanted a piece of the prize. No way they were letting Big Thighs hog all the spoils.

So, one after another, they rallied their underlings and began to mobilize.

Zombie Hordes from all directions started converging, pouring into American territory like a plague—thick as locusts, endless as the tide.

Back at one of the largest strongholds, the Zombie King wearing a slouchy beanie got the news.

"What did you say? Big Thighs already broke into Redgaze's territory?"

"Yup," one of his zombie lieutenants confirmed. "Looks like Chrome Dome was right. And not just that—our whole alliance of Zombie Kings is mobilizing. Everyone's heading into the U.S."

The Slouchy Beanie Zombie King's eyes gleamed with a cold, calculating light.

If every major Zombie King was making a move, how could he sit this one out?

Maybe… it was finally time for the ultimate showdown with Redgaze.

Live or die—it all comes down to this.

"Alright then. Launch the full-scale assault."

"Yes, sir!"

The entire city shook as the order went out. Roars of rage and hunger echoed through the streets. Countless elite zombies surged forward like a tidal wave. This Zombie King's forces were the largest of them all—his horde numbered over sixty thousand strong.

He had grown to rival the infamous Nightbane Zombie King from back in the San Diego days.

Now, all across the border, Zombie Hordes were converging—marching toward the northern U.S. frontier.

The slaughter was about to begin.

...