Apocalypse: King of Zombies

There were too many unanswered questions. Too many pieces that didn't fit.

Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly. If this continent's so-called "Forbidden Zone" held even a fraction of the secrets he suspected… then yeah, it was definitely worth a visit.

He turned back to the Chieftain. "I heard from one of your men that you can use runes. Is that true?"

"Uh, I…" The Lizardfolk Chieftain hesitated, then shot Kragg a murderous glare, as if blaming him for spilling the beans.

"Lord, those runes… they channel the forces of nature. They're mysterious, complex—used for support, enhancement, that kind of thing. But they're extremely difficult to control."

"So, can you use them or not?" Ethan pressed, his curiosity growing. From the sound of it, these runes were similar to the ones used by rune mages in fantasy novels—able to tap into elemental forces, but requiring a strong foundation to wield effectively.

The Chieftain scratched his scaly chin, then nodded. "I… I can! I can use rune power to draw moisture out of fresh meat and dry it into jerky really fast."

"…" Ethan stared at him, deadpan. Seriously? That's your big rune trick?

He glanced up at the tree behind the Chieftain, where strips of meat were hanging to dry. Sure enough, there were some crude carvings etched into the bark—primitive runes, barely more than scribbles.

Figures, Ethan thought. If this guy actually knew what he was doing, he wouldn't be stuck out here in the ass-end of nowhere playing tribal chief.

Just then, a group of Lizardfolk came sprinting over from the forest, their faces tense, some of them bleeding.

"Chieftain! Bad news! Humans are attacking! Real humans this time!"

"What?!" The surrounding Lizardfolk froze mid-dance, their eyes flashing with fury.

"Those damn humans! They've got some nerve, launching a full-on assault on our village!"

"Could be a trap. Humans are the most cunning creatures alive."

"Trap or not, we'll crush them all!"

The Chieftain's expression darkened. He glanced at Ethan, then let out a furious roar. "Those filthy humans dare disturb our honored guest's rest?! Warriors! Go capture every last one of them!"

"Yes, Chieftain!"

With a chorus of battle cries, the Lizardfolk warriors surged out of the clearing like a kicked hornet's nest. Some sprinted on two legs, others dropped to all fours, leaping through the trees with terrifying agility.s showing up in Xenorift wasn't exactly shocking. Most of them were criminals, exiles, or desperate mercenaries—people who'd burned every bridge back in human civilization and had no choice but to flee here, where they fought tooth and claw against the man-eating Xenobeasts just to survive.

The Chieftain might've been all smiles and groveling in front of Ethan, but to humans? He was a nightmare made flesh.

Once the Lizardfolk warband disappeared into the forest, the clearing fell quiet again.

But high up in the branches of a massive, ancient tree, several figures stirred.

They slipped out from behind thick leaves, their bodies shimmering with a strange, liquid sheen. Their skin seemed to ripple like water, blending into the surroundings—completely invisible to the naked eye.

It was the Aqua Stealth technique, a high-level concealment spell used by elemental-type Awakeners.

"The lizard freaks took the bait…"

"Looks like the boss's diversion worked like a charm."

"All we gotta do now is take out the Lizardfolk Chieftain, and we can rescue our people."

The group whispered among themselves, voices low but urgent.

Leading them was a young woman—an S-rank water-type Awakener. The Aqua Stealth cloaking them all was her doing.

But one of the men beside her frowned, squinting down at the clearing. "Wait… who's that standing next to the Chieftain?"

"No way that's a human," the girl replied, eyes narrowing. "He's probably one of them—some kind of shapeshifting monster. Could be using a disguise. Either way, we take him out too."

In Xenorift, monsters that could mimic human appearance weren't exactly rare. And with time running out, they couldn't afford to hesitate. The Lizardfolk could return any second.

"Let's move!"

With that, the group's eyes turned cold and sharp. Without another word, they leapt from the treetop, blades drawn, diving straight toward the Lizardfolk Chieftain.

The young woman led the charge, her movements fluid and precise. With a flick of her wrist, elemental energy surged around her, coalescing into a shimmering blue glow.

"Water Prison!"

Rippling waves of water erupted around the Lizardfolk Chieftain, instantly forming a swirling cage that locked him in place.

Right behind her, a young man radiating intense heat raised his hand, a massive fireball forming in his palm. Without hesitation, he hurled it straight at the Water Prison.

Their coordination was tight—clearly not their first time pulling this off.

"Hm?"

The Chieftain's eyes narrowed, his yellow pupils flashing with a dangerous gleam.

Humans? Here?

He instantly realized what was happening—a textbook decoy-and-assassinate tactic.

But with the water cage swirling around him, he had no room to dodge.

With a guttural snarl, he raised both claws and braced himself.

BOOM!

The fireball slammed into the Water Prison, and the clash of fire and high-pressure water triggered a violent steam explosion. Scalding vapor and raw elemental energy burst outward in a chaotic shockwave, tearing through the forest like a hurricane.

Trees cracked. Leaves vaporized. The ground trembled.

Ethan didn't move an inch.

The moment that chaotic energy got within a few feet of him, it simply… vanished. Dissolved into nothing, like it had never existed.

The entire ambush lasted less than three seconds.

When the smoke and steam finally began to clear, a crater had formed where the Chieftain had stood. The ground was cracked and scorched, debris scattered everywhere. The Chieftain himself was still standing—barely. His claws were charred, dark red blood dripping from his fingertips. He'd taken a hit, and it showed.

"Bastards…" he growled, baring his fangs.

Unlike a Zombie King, his body didn't regenerate quickly. Injuries like this would take time to heal—and time was something he didn't have.

His pupils contracted into razor-thin slits. With a snarl, he unleashed a wave of psychic energy, ready to retaliate.

But the girl was already one step ahead.

"Hydro Blade!"

She shouted, and the water around her arm surged forward, forming a razor-sharp blade that sliced through the air with deadly precision.

The Chieftain's psychic wave split in two, disrupted mid-cast.

"Kill him!"

Two more figures darted in—speed-type Awakeners, moving like blurs. They closed the distance in a flash, engaging the Chieftain in brutal close-quarters combat.

Ethan stood off to the side, watching the chaos unfold like it was a street performance. To him, it was barely more than a scuffle between overconfident kids.

Still, he had to admit—their teamwork was solid. The water and fire Awakeners were both S-rank, and the two speed-types were A+ at best. But together, they were bold enough to try and take down an S+ ranked Lizardfolk Chieftain.

Gutsy, Ethan thought. Or stupid. Maybe both.

The Chieftain was getting overwhelmed. He staggered back under the relentless assault, claws slashing, tail whipping, but it wasn't enough. Blow after blow landed, forcing him back until his spine hit the thick trunk of an ancient tree.

"Die!" the girl shouted, her voice sharp with fury.

She raised her Hydro Blade again, this time longer, sharper, and glowing with condensed elemental power. She lunged, aiming straight for the Chieftain's skull.

But the Chieftain's eyes gleamed—not with fear, but with something far more dangerous.

Cunning.

With a sudden motion, he slammed one clawed hand against the tree behind him, channeling a surge of psychic energy into its bark.

The runes carved into the trunk—those crude, seemingly useless markings Ethan had noticed earlier—suddenly flared to life.

One by one, they lit up, glowing with eerie, pulsing light.

And then—

Everything changed.

...