Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The woman forced out her words through clenched teeth, her face twisted with rage.

She picked up the sharp knife from the ground and lunged at the crowd, driving it into a man's neck. Blood sprayed everywhere, splattering across her face.

The rush of adrenaline hit her like a drug. The suffocating confinement, the humiliation of being tormented, and all the pent-up negativity inside her erupted like a volcano in that moment.

She lost all sense of reason, completely consumed by madness. Without hesitation, she began stabbing wildly at the people in front of her.

The dimly lit warehouse was instantly filled with screams of agony. In mere seconds, she had taken down five or six people.

One man felt a sudden chill in his abdomen, followed by a sharp, searing pain.

"You bitch! You dare stab me? I'll kill you!" he roared.

He grabbed her wrists with both hands, wrestled the knife away from her, and, gripping the handle tightly, plunged it into her chest four or five times in quick succession.

The woman let out a bloodcurdling scream before collapsing into a pool of her own blood.

Blood dripped steadily from the knife's tip. The man, his eyes now bloodshot with rage, turned to see someone else grabbing for the pack of sausages.

"Die!" he snarled.

Like a rabid dog, he charged at the crowd, stabbing indiscriminately.

More screams echoed through the warehouse as others fell. Realizing the man was a threat, the remaining people scrambled to wrest the knife from him.

What had started as a fight over sausages had now devolved into a battle for weapons.s are rarely rational creatures. When their interests are threatened, or when they're consumed by despair and anger, they lose all sense of reason. It's as if they're possessed, with only one thought left in their minds:

Kill the others.

Some even began fighting each other over scraps of food, clawing at throats, gouging out eyes. The chaos spiraled into a full-blown massacre.

The warehouse descended into utter madness. Screams of pain, curses, and roars of rage filled the air as one person after another fell.

Bodies lay scattered across the floor, blood pooling and flowing like rivers. The air grew thick with a metallic tang, the stench of blood so strong it was suffocating.

It was like a slaughterhouse.

Ethan stood at a distance, his pristine white shirt untouched, watching it all unfold.

Before long, fewer than ten people were left alive in the warehouse. Most of them were gravely injured, lying on the ground, barely clinging to life.

Only one man still had some strength left. Crawling through the blood, he gritted his teeth and dragged himself forward. With trembling hands, he reached for half a sausage lying on the ground. Ignoring the blood smeared all over it, he shoved it into his mouth.

"Heh… heh… heh…"

His bloodied face twisted into a grotesque smile, his eyes narrowing in satisfaction. He looked utterly deranged, his mind shattered by everything he had just endured.

Ethan decided it was time to end this farce.

He began walking toward the survivors, ready to grant them release from their suffering.

But the commotion inside the warehouse had drawn the attention of the patrol outside.

"What the hell's going on in there?"

"Are they fighting again?"

"Damn it! These two-legged sheep just can't behave, can they? Let them starve to death!"

Grumbling and cursing, the two patrolmen made their way toward the warehouse.

However, the moment they opened the door, their expressions froze. Even the ruthless members of the Black Hand Legion couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines.

The sight before them was horrifying.

Over fifty bodies lay sprawled across the floor, blood soaking every inch of the ground. The air was thick with the stench of death.

And amidst the carnage stood a lone figure, tall and composed, dressed in a spotless white shirt.

His cold, piercing eyes locked onto theirs.

The scene was utterly surreal, a vision of pure terror.

"What the… fuck…?"

The two men stared, completely petrified, their fear palpable. A wave of icy dread washed over them, sending shivers down their spines. It felt as though a tiger had wandered into their sheep pen—and they had walked in at the worst possible moment.

With all the survivors now dead, Ethan's identity was no longer in question.

"Quick! Go find Bruno!"

The two patrolmen, realizing they were no match for him, turned to flee.

But in the next instant, an overwhelming pressure descended upon them, like a mountain crashing down, pinning them in place. Their legs trembled uncontrollably, as if they were stuck in quicksand, unable to move an inch.

"There's no need. I'll go find him myself."

Ethan's deep, magnetic voice echoed in their ears. Before they could react, their consciousness faded, and they collapsed to the ground like puppets with their strings cut.

Two more bodies joined the pile.

With a casual wave of his hand, Ethan gathered up all the corpses and blood, as if tidying up a room. Then, as if taking a leisurely stroll, he made his way toward the final room.

...

At that moment, Bruno was still in the middle of an intense session with four women.

"Bruno, I'm hungry…" one of the women said coyly, her voice dripping with seduction.

"Alright, I'll cook some pasta for you later," Bruno replied with a grin, clearly enjoying himself.

But suddenly, he felt something was off. It was as if a pair of eyes were watching him. Uneasy, he instinctively glanced toward the door.

"What the hell?!"

Bruno let out a startled yell. Standing in the doorway was a young man, staring directly at him.

Ethan's sudden appearance had shaken Bruno to his core. His entire body froze for a moment, and his confidence faltered.

"When… when did you get in here?" Bruno stammered, his voice tinged with panic.

Quickly regaining his composure, he jumped out of bed, cursing loudly. "Who the hell are you? A new recruit? You think you can just barge in here without saying a word?"

Bruno was a strength-type Awakener, with weak sensory abilities. Even though chaos had erupted outside, he hadn't noticed a thing, too preoccupied with his "activities." Your next chapter awaits on empire

Ethan didn't respond. His gaze shifted downward, briefly glancing at Bruno's exposed body. Then, with a faint smirk, he said, "So small…"

"What did you just say?!" Bruno's eyes widened in fury, his face turning red with rage.

"You're dead!"

Even the four women behind him were outraged.

"Who is this guy? How dare he interrupt us while we're with Bruno!"

"Exactly! And he insulted Bruno too!"

"Doesn't he know Bruno's the boss around here? He's as good as dead!"

"Yeah, Bruno will take care of him, and then we can get back to having fun!"

The women, clearly suffering from Stockholm syndrome, had become infatuated with Bruno despite their circumstances.

But before they could finish their complaints, Bruno had already charged at Ethan. His massive, muscular frame moved with the speed and ferocity of a raging bear.

However—

Just as Bruno was about to reach Ethan, his body froze mid-stride. His legs began to tremble violently, his eyes bulging in shock. The arrogance on his face vanished, replaced by sheer terror.

"What's wrong, Bruno? Hurry up and teach him a lesson!"

"Yeah, show him who's boss!"

"Once you're done with him, we can pick up where we left off!"

The women's voices were filled with impatience, completely oblivious to the shift in the atmosphere.

But in the next moment, Bruno's trembling grew worse. Unable to withstand the crushing pressure of Ethan's Domain of the Dead, his knees buckled, and with a loud thud, he collapsed to the ground.

"Huh?"

The four women froze, their expressions filled with confusion.

What was going on?

Bruno… was kneeling?

That was their usual position, not his!

Bruno, on the other hand, was overwhelmed with fear. He finally understood the sheer terror of the man standing before him. Known for his incredible physical strength, Bruno prided himself on his resilience, yet he couldn't even get close to Ethan.

"RAAAAHHH!"

With a desperate roar, Bruno activated his trump card. His ability allowed him to enter a berserk state, temporarily enhancing his physical strength. However, it came with a steep price—severe exhaustion that left him bedridden for an entire day after use.

His muscles swelled grotesquely, veins bulging across his body like writhing snakes. Blood visibly coursed through them, giving him an almost monstrous appearance.

Fueled by his berserk state, Bruno forced himself to stand within the oppressive Domain of the Dead. Summoning every ounce of strength, he lunged to the side, crashing through the wall to escape the room.

BOOM!

The wall crumbled as Bruno burst into the hallway, desperate to put distance between himself and Ethan, hoping to escape the range of the domain.

Bruno was no weakling. As a B+-rank Awakener, he wasn't someone who could be instantly crushed by Ethan's aura alone.

His neck veins bulged as he shouted frantically, "Help! Somebody, help me!"

...