Apocalypse: King of Zombies

"W-What the hell is that thing?"

Ryan and Jason were utterly horrified.

The shadowy figure tossed the corpse aside, then extended a dark purple tongue to lick the crimson blood off its claws. Its bloodlust was palpable.

It was a B+ class Zombie King, with the awakened ability [Shadow Veil], which allowed it to hide in shadows and move through tiny gaps like window cracks, door crevices, or even fissures in walls.

While in its Shadow Veil state, it could also evade detection, making its ability particularly eerie and unpredictable.

"Not bad..."

Ethan silently mused to himself. Killing it to harvest its crystal core seemed like a waste. It might be better to recruit it as a subordinate—after all, manpower was in short supply these days.

With that thought, Ethan stepped out from the wall, his figure slowly materializing.

"Huh?"

The moment Ethan appeared, the shadowy figure immediately sensed his presence. It whipped its head around, its fierce eyes locking onto him.

Although its face was as black as charred coal, making its expression unreadable, the shock it felt was unmistakable.

Ryan and Jason, on the other hand, were completely dumbfounded. They had just witnessed Ethan materialize out of thin air, and their minds were reeling.

"What the hell is going on today? First monsters, now this guy just pops out of nowhere!"

The shadowy figure grew visibly wary. Ignoring Ryan and Jason entirely, it focused all its attention on Ethan. A deep sense of unease crept into its mind, a primal instinct warning it that this man was dangerous.

"Who... are you?"

"I'm the Zombie King of this building. You have two choices: submit to me or face the consequences," Ethan said bluntly.

The shadow shook its head.

"I know you're strong, but I will never submit to anyone!"

"Oh?"

Ethan raised an eyebrow, intrigued by this little shadow's defiance. It seemed like this one had some backbone.

In truth, the shadow was also a Zombie King, ruling over a territory on the far side of Serpent-Eye's domain. It had once commanded over ten thousand subordinates, but after several clashes with Serpent-Eye, its forces had dwindled to just five thousand.

Serpent-Eye had also tried to recruit the shadow, but it had refused to yield, leading to a bitter conflict between the two.

The shadow was no match for Serpent-Eye and had suffered defeat after defeat. At one point, it was even driven out of its territory entirely. However, through guerrilla tactics and sheer determination, it managed to reclaim half of its land with its remaining forces.

Its [Shadow Veil] ability made it incredibly hard to kill, and Serpent-Eye eventually gave up trying.

But life in its diminished territory was tough. Other zombies could at least scavenge rats or insects for food when supplies ran low.

The shadow's territory, however, was so small that even rats and bugs were scarce. Catching three flies was considered a feast.

So, it had no choice but to rely on its [Shadow Veil] ability to roam far and wide in search of prey.

"If I want to leave, there's no way you can stop me," the shadow said confidently.

"Wanna bet?" Ethan asked with a smirk.

Without another word, the shadow's body began to blur, as if engulfed in black flames. Its form dissolved into a liquid-like state, slipping into its Shadow Veil mode.

Like a pool of dark fluid, it moved swiftly across the ground, darting into a nearby wall crack.

At the same time, Ethan's figure vanished from where he stood.

The shadow moved silently, like a ghost, slipping through walls, door cracks, and window gaps. It twisted and turned through the building, moving so erratically that even it began to lose track of its direction.

Finally, it emerged in a room, stepping out of its Shadow Veil state. Its charred body rose from the ground, solidifying once more.

"Phew—"

The shadow glanced back in the direction it had come from. Seeing no sign of pursuit, it let out a long sigh of relief. It had heard of Ethan before—rumors of how he had killed Bone-Spike, one of Serpent-Eye's top lieutenants.

His strength was no joke.

"Damn it... I finally found some prey, and now it's gone. My brothers back home are still waiting for food."

"Gone? I wouldn't say that." Stay connected via empire

Suddenly, a voice rang out behind the shadow.

"Huh?"

The shadow froze in shock and spun around, only to see Ethan standing there. His tall, lean figure was dressed in a spotless white shirt, and a faint smile played on his lips.

"You... how did you get here?"

"I followed you, of course," Ethan replied casually, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

The shadow was stunned. It hadn't sensed anyone following it earlier, yet here Ethan was, appearing out of thin air. It was downright eerie.

How is this possible?

Could it be... an illusion?

The shadow tried to make sense of the situation, but its instincts screamed danger. Without hesitation, its body began to blur and dissolve again, slipping back into its Shadow Veil state to escape.

But just as it was about to flee, Ethan's eyes flashed with a crimson glow. In an instant, a powerful Domain of the Dead unfolded around him.

The oppressive force surged forward like a tidal wave, engulfing the shadow completely.

"Damn it!"

The shadow's liquid-like form rippled violently under the crushing pressure, as if it were carrying the weight of a mountain. It couldn't move.

Ethan's voice rang out, calm but commanding.

"Submit?"

"Never!" the shadow growled through gritted teeth, its defiance unshaken. "I'd rather die than bow to anyone!"

"Oh..."

Ethan nodded thoughtfully, his expression unreadable. Then, to the shadow's surprise, he suddenly withdrew the Domain of the Dead. The suffocating pressure vanished in an instant, and the terrifying aura around Ethan dissipated, leaving him looking calm and unbothered once more.

The dimly lit room fell silent again, the tension easing.

Then, with a casual wave of his hand, Ethan pulled out half a slab of beef from his spatial storage ring. If intimidation didn't work, maybe temptation would.

"How about this? Does this change your mind?"

"I..."

The shadow froze, its gaze locked onto the beef. In the apocalypse, beef was an incredibly rare delicacy. For zombies, it was even better than human flesh—more flavorful and packed with energy.

In the shadow's barren territory, even rats and bugs were hard to come by. Now, faced with a slab of fresh, juicy beef, it couldn't resist.

Unbidden, tears of hunger and longing... dripped from the corners of its mouth.

Ethan chuckled softly at the sight and tossed the beef over.

"No need to answer right away. Take this back with you and think it over. Follow me, and there'll be plenty more where that came from."

"Alright... fine."

The shadow picked up the beef and couldn't help but take a huge bite.

Delicious. Absolutely delicious.

Without another word, it turned and left, clutching the beef tightly.

...

Meanwhile, back in the museum, two humans were still alive—Jason and his companion. Both were trembling with fear after witnessing the terrifying zombies earlier.

"Jason! We need to get out of here, now!"

Jason's companion urged him, desperate to escape while Ethan and the shadow were gone.

"Yeah..."

Jason nodded, his legs shaking as he started running down the long hallway. But deep down, he knew the truth—after seeing the zombies' horrifying abilities, their chances of escape were slim. His only hope was to contact his brother, Ryan.

As they ran, Jason pulled out his phone and frantically sent messages to Ryan, praying for a miracle.

Their hurried footsteps echoed through the empty corridor as they sprinted toward the museum's main entrance. The closer they got, the more it felt like salvation was within reach. If they could just make it outside, maybe—just maybe—they'd have a chance.

But then, a tall figure slowly materialized in front of the entrance. Ethan's cold, piercing gaze fell on them.

"Stop."

Jason's companion screamed in terror, and both of them skidded to a halt.

He was here.

The overwhelming fear returned, suffocating them. Death loomed closer with every passing second.

Jason's hands trembled as he glanced down at his phone, hoping for a reply from his brother.

But there was nothing.

"Don't bother."

Ethan's voice broke the silence as he casually tossed something toward Jason. It landed with a clatter at his feet—a phone. The screen was still lit, displaying all the frantic messages Jason had sent.

Jason's eyes widened in horror.

"That's... my brother's phone?"

A terrible realization dawned on him.

"What did you do to him? Where's my brother?!"

Ethan's smile was cold and unfeeling.

"Your brother? Oh, he's around... in pieces. Scattered everywhere."

...