Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The group withdrew to a position far from the battlefield, then had Garrick start digging.

From here, Ethan could use [True Sight] to monitor the fighting without getting caught in it. It was the ideal spot.

Nearly every Outland Beast in the Suncrest Range had joined the battle, so they were relatively safe here.

Garrick soon dug out a spacious underground chamber, and everyone moved inside. Ethan remained outside to watch the distant battlefield.

They had collected nine Tier 35 crystal cores and more than twenty at Tier 34. There was enough for everyone to improve, but Chris was the priority.

Nine Tier 35 crystal cores would bring him to the peak of Tier 35. Once he consumed another Stage SS crystal core, he could advance directly to Stage SS.

Given what they were planning next, Chris’s invisibility made him the perfect choice for a surprise attack.

Before long, everyone began consuming crystal cores and increasing their strength.

The battle in the distance remained brutal.

Outland Beasts fell every moment, while Galeborn fighters were torn apart in return.

Similar battles were now raging across the entire Eldoria Continent.

Southern Region...

The Southern Region had also descended into war.

More than a dozen fighters from the Central Region had stayed behind to find some way to mediate the conflict. Now they had been forced to join the fighting themselves.

Fortunately, their presence was the only thing keeping the Southern Region from collapsing.

Several Stage SS Outland Beasts had arrived, intending to wipe out the entire region in one sweep. Instead, they ran straight into the Central Region’s fighters, ruining their plan.

At the Azure Nereids’ territory...

The Azure Nereid Matriarch and her elders could hardly believe the chaos consuming the Southern Region.

They had known Ethan intended to throw the Eldoria Continent into turmoil, but none of them had imagined he would actually succeed in a matter of days.

"That Ethan really is trouble," Seraphine said helplessly.

"He’s only been on the Eldoria Continent for a few days, and he’s already turned the whole place upside down," one elder said warily. "He’s a walking disaster. Anyone who crosses him will probably have nightmares every night."

"Nightmares? You’re giving them too much credit." Seraphine shook her head. "If someone truly crosses him, they won’t live long enough to have any."

She had only met Ethan a few times, but she could already tell he wasn’t the type to let a grudge survive overnight.

"..."

"Matriarch, are we truly staying out of the war?" another elder asked with a frown. "The other races are already unhappy with us."

"Their feelings are none of our concern. There are more than a dozen Stage SS fighters in the Southern Region now, so it’s almost impossible for the region to fall. Our participation wouldn’t make any real difference."

"All right."

Western Region...

Aside from the Southern Region, the Western Region was the weakest part of the Eldoria Continent.

Its resources were even scarcer, and neither the various races nor the Outland Beasts there had any Stage SS fighters.

But it suffered from one fatal weakness.

Every Outland Beast obeyed the Beast Sovereign. The various races, on the other hand, didn’t always obey the top races.

When faced with a battle for survival, each race naturally put its own safety first. Convincing them to send their fighters elsewhere as reinforcements was nearly impossible.

As a result, the moment the Beast Sovereign sent several Stage SS Outland Beasts into the Western Region, its defenses collapsed.

Led by the Stage SS beasts, the Western Region’s Outland Beasts swept through everything in their path, exterminating one race after another.

Every race in the region fell into despair.

They begged the Central Region for help, but the Central Region was fighting its own difficult battles and had no one to spare.

Even the top races ignored their pleas.

In truth, those top races still had more than enough strength to handle the war. But after what the Eastern Region had done, they had lost patience with the other Regions and no longer felt inclined to save them.

At this rate, the Western Region’s total collapse was only a matter of time.

The Eastern and Northern Regions were different. Both were home to many higher races and had plenty of Stage SS fighters.

As long as no Stage SSS fighters entered the war, those two Regions were almost impossible to conquer.

But because the two sides were so evenly matched, the fighting there was also the fiercest.

The Central Region held more than twenty top races, giving the intelligent races an overwhelming advantage.

Even without those top races, the Central Region had more higher races than all the other Regions combined.

The Beast Sovereign had committed far more forces to the Central Region than anywhere else, but its armies still struggled to accomplish anything.

Even so, the races there were holding back under orders from the top races.

The top races clearly wanted to leave room for reconciliation. The situation might still be salvaged.

As the races standing at the summit of the Eldoria Continent, they had to consider the larger picture.

If the war between the various races and the Outland Beasts continued, it would eventually devastate the entire continent.

No matter which side won, all that would remain was a shattered world.

They had also noticed that the Outland Beasts hadn’t deployed any Stage SSS fighters.

That meant the Beast Sovereign was holding back as well.

All the more reason for them to keep the fighting under control.

Still, regardless of how the war ended, the Eldoria Continent would suffer tremendous losses.

While the various races and Outland Beasts fought across the continent, inside a cave somewhere in the Suncrest Range...

A violent surge of power suddenly erupted from Chris.

After consuming nine Tier 35 crystal cores and one Stage SS crystal core, he had finally advanced to Stage SS.

Everyone watched anxiously as he sat with his eyes closed.

They knew he was selecting his new ability.

They had high expectations for whatever Stage SS ability he received.

A long while later, Chris finally opened his eyes, delight spreading across his face.

"Well?" someone demanded. "Chris, tell us! What ability did you get?"

"I think I hit the jackpot this time," Chris said excitedly.

"Oh?" Ethan’s interest was immediately piqued. "Did you get a space-time ability or a spatial-type ability?"

"Yeah! It’s spatial-type—Spatial Sever!" Chris said, barely containing his excitement.

"..."

"Aren’t spatial-type abilities supposed to be incredibly rare?" the others exclaimed. "Boss is one thing, but Mia already has Spatial Banishment. And now you got one too?"

"Heh. Just lucky, I guess." Chris grinned.

Ethan looked thoughtful.

Their squad now had two spatial-type abilities. Neither was overwhelmingly powerful, but the odds of two people in the same team acquiring one still seemed unusually high.

Could it be because humanity hasn’t produced any Stage SS fighters in such a long time?

Ethan shook his head. Whatever the reason, it was good for them.

Spatial Sever dealt terrifying damage and could be used at range, making up for Chris’s lack of ranged attacks.

For Chris, the ability was a perfect fit.