Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Chapter 1267 - 1267: You Should’ve Thought That Through

Maybe Garrett's praying actually worked.Marek pushed himself up slowly, one hand pressed to his chest, staring at Ethan like he was looking at something that shouldn't exist.

"How is this possible?" Marek rasped. "How does a world like this produce a powerhouse like you?"

"You hiding-your-face freak," Ethan said coldly. "There's a lot you don't know. With strength like yours, you still dared run around this world acting like you owned it?"

He didn't chase.

Because that last strike had burned through about eighty percent of his mental energy.

Ethan had honestly thought that blow would finish it. He hadn't expected Marek to survive.

Marek was two Tiers higher. The gap was real. And that black energy shield had eaten most of the damage.

Still… Ethan was pretty sure that if he dumped everything he had, he could kill him.

Right now, Emily was keeping her connection on him, steadily refilling his mental energy.

All Ethan had to do was stall until it topped off—then land the real finishing hit.

No one else could see the link. Only the two of them could feel it.

Marek's eyes narrowed at Ethan's words, doubt flickering across his face.

Is this world… not as simple as I thought?

But then he shook it off. He'd seen millions of people already, and their power levels were pathetic.

Maybe this one was just an exception.

Marek lifted his chin, voice turning sharp again. "Your strength is decent. That's all. You haven't even reached Stage B—your threat comes from an overpowered skill."

He sneered. "And a skill like that has a terrifying cost. With your level, your mental energy should be almost drained. I don't believe you can use it again."

As he spoke, a massive black hand formed in the air and slammed down at Ethan.

Ethan flickered—gone—then reappeared behind Marek again.

"Who told you I'm almost drained?" Ethan said with a cold smile, and raised his poleaxe for another chop.

Marek's heart jumped. A black energy shield snapped up in front of him as he retreated hard, backing away at full speed.

"Pathetic."

Ethan suddenly stopped mid-swing. He pulled the poleaxe back and casually slung it over his shoulder, staring at Marek with open contempt.

His mental energy hadn't recovered yet. He was just scaring him.

Emily's ability was strong, but Ethan was three Tiers above her. To fill him up completely would take at least three or four minutes.

Marek realized he'd been played, and fury twisted his face. The giant black hand in the air clenched into a fist and hammered down again.

Ethan didn't even blink.

With Teleportation, Marek could swing all day and still never touch him.

Marek's attacks became pure frustration—huge, violent punches smashing the air, but nothing landing.

Then Ethan blinked behind him again, the poleaxe coming down—black light flashing along the blade.

Even if Marek suspected Ethan was bluffing, he didn't dare gamble. That first hit had left a shadow in his mind.

He threw up the shield again and jumped back, distancing himself.

Ethan immediately slung the poleaxe over his shoulder again, smiling like it was all a joke. "Haha. That's all you've got?"

"You—!" Marek roared.

The black fist in the sky tightened and started pounding again, furious and wild.

But Ethan's position kept shifting—too fast, too slippery. Marek was basically swinging blind, just throwing tantrum punches into empty space.

A heartbeat later, Ethan was behind him again.

The poleaxe arced down.

Marek's mouth curled. This time, his eyes were sharp—ready.

"Hmph. I've been waiting for that. You think I'd fall for it again?"

Black energy wrapped around Marek's arm as he drove his fist straight at Ethan, confident he'd finally caught the pattern.

Ethan's lips lifted slightly.

"You should've thought that through."

The poleaxe dropped.

BOOM—!

A thunderous impact ripped through the city.

Marek was smashed straight into the ground, the earth collapsing under him as a huge crater formed on impact.

Inside the pit, Marek's upper body had been chopped into shredded meat.

There was nothing left to save.

He was dead. Completely.

"!!!"

The scene fell into silence again—so quiet it felt like the air had stopped moving.

The people from Riverton City compound stood there stiff as statues, eyes vacant.

They stared down at Marek—someone they'd treated like a god—now hacked into pieces.

And one by one, their legs started to tremble.

"It's over…" Garrett collapsed onto the ground, legs giving out under him. His mind went blank with despair.

He'd never imagined Ethan was this strong—strong enough to kill something that came out of the Void Realm.

If he'd known, he wouldn't have come to Fallen Star City even if someone put a gun to his head.

But regret didn't matter now. He knew Ethan's kind of people.

They weren't going to let him walk away.

"Heh… heh… hahahaha!"

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Garrett threw his head back and screamed at the sky, his face twisted with mania.

"Ethan—fine. Winner takes all, loser eats dirt. I lost to you today, that's on me." His eyes were bloodshot as he spat the words out. "But don't get cocky. You killed Marek. His brother will come for you."

"I'll even do you a favor—his brother's stronger than him. And they've got several other monsters on that level. When they show up, they'll flay you alive and rip your tendons out!"

"Hmph. A bunch of clowns," Ethan said, voice icy. "I'll send them to reunite with him."

Then Ethan's gaze dropped onto Garrett, and Garrett felt his blood turn cold.

"As for you…" Ethan said softly, almost conversational. "I'm going to make you regret you ever survived this long."

"We were following orders!" someone in the crowd finally snapped out of it and started begging. "This wasn't our fault!"

"Yeah—we were forced!"

"Forced?" Ethan let out a short laugh, sharp as a blade.

He turned his head slightly.

"Fallen Star Squad!"

"Here!"

"Kill them all."

"Yes!"

The moment the order fell, Fallen Star Squad moved.

Meteors screamed down from the sky. Sheets of Rain of Flames poured over the mass of people, detonating on impact and wiping out whole swaths at once.

Then a massive tornado formed inside the crowd, snatching people up by the dozens—hundreds—and shredding them into pieces.

Vines burst from the ground, whipping around bodies, binding them tight. In seconds, the struggling figures went limp, flesh shriveling until only dried husks remained.

It was brutal.

It was spectacular.

Garrett stared, slack-jawed. Even with his hope already dead, the methods still hit him like a punch to the soul.

Every single member of Fallen Star Squad was terrifying.

He'd actually thought he could step on them.

Now it just felt… absurd.

…

Compared to Garrett's despair, the people of Fallen Star City were shaking with a different kind of energy—rage and excitement tangled together.

"Goddamn… they're terrifying!"

"So this is Fallen Star Squad…"

"Deputy Commander didn't lie. They really are invincible!"

Fallen Star City turned into a literal hellscape. Screams and begging filled the ruins.

The ones who'd charged in earlier, laughing and smashing everything in sight, finally understood—

They hadn't entered a city.

They'd walked through the gates of hell.

Under wave after wave of wide-area skills, that force of over thirty thousand lasted only a few minutes before it was completely wiped out.

Bodies carpeted the ground.

The squad stood there looking down at the massacre, expressions all over the place.

It was the first time they'd killed that many people.

But the feeling didn't linger.

If you dared invade Fallen Star City, you deserved to die.

Garrett—and two high-Tier Awakened from Riverton City compound that Ethan had specifically ordered spared—were white as sheets.

Thirty thousand gone in minutes.

The shock of it carved itself into their bones.

Ethan glanced at the two Awakened. "You know why I left you alive?"

They swallowed and looked at each other, confused. "Why…?"

"Because you still have value."

Their eyes lit up.

"So we… we don't have to die?"

"Yes! We'll follow you—swear it!" they blurted, voices shaking with hope. "We have abilities, we're strong—we can help!"

Ethan's smile was thin. "Heh. Break their arms and legs. Take them away."

"You—!" one of them choked out.

Sean didn't waste a word.

He walked over, swung his club, and in a few savage strikes snapped bones like branches—Garrett and the two Awakened all screaming as their limbs folded the wrong way.

A moment later, three guards came up, grabbed them, and dragged them toward the rear.