Apocalypse: King of Zombies

"Do you think... the Central Region secretly sent a Stage SSS powerhouse over here?" Elder Thalene asked in a low voice.

"It’s possible..."

"But why would they kill a few vicious birds?" another elder muttered. "Wouldn’t that just escalate the whole war?"

"Who knows?" Elder Calira said, shrugging faintly. "Even the top races aren’t a single united block. Maybe someone wants to stir the pot."

"Calira." Seraphine’s voice turned sharp. "Don’t say things like that again."

"Yes." Elder Calira immediately shut his mouth, realizing she was right—those words could get someone killed if they spread.

Right then—

A dimensional rift tore open in the center of the hall.

Space split like a curtain being pulled aside, and before anyone could react, a group of figures stepped out under the elders’ stunned stares.

"Matriarch," Ethan said with an easy smile, eyes landing on Seraphine, "long time no see."

"!!!"

Seraphine shot to her feet.

"You... you can just enter our core territory like this, without anyone noticing?" Her eyes were wide, the shock plain on her face.

"How is it ’without anyone noticing’?" Ethan said, still smiling. "Didn’t I greet you?"

"...."

Seraphine stared at him, and the air in the room changed.

Wariness—real, instinctive fear—slid into her gaze.

He had appeared directly inside their core hall.

Just thinking about it made her scalp prickle.

If he’d been an enemy...

No. She didn’t even want to finish that thought.

Thank the abyss they hadn’t offended him.

Then Seraphine seemed to notice something else. Her pupils tightened.

"Wait—your aura... you’re Stage SS now?"

"Yeah." Ethan nodded casually. "And I’ve got you to thank for the intel."

Seraphine’s smile froze for a fraction of a second.

Something bitter rose in her chest.

The last time she’d seen him, Ethan had only been early Tier 35—still below her. Someone she could look at without feeling pressure.

And in just two days, he’d stepped into the realm she’d chased for years.

Of course... if he really had killed the Stoneplate Behemoth, it wasn’t hard to understand how he’d leapt that far.

But that path wasn’t something she could replicate.

Even ignoring whatever agreement they’d had, she simply wasn’t strong enough. She couldn’t fight a Stage SS Outland Beast—period.

Even if she gathered every high-ranking expert the Azure Nereids had, it still wouldn’t be enough.

Because the forces under a single Stage SS Outland Beast were probably larger than the entire Azure Nereid population.

Seraphine exhaled slowly, then forced her expression back into something graceful.

"The fact you still remembered me is an honor, Ethan." She gestured lightly. "Please, sit. I’ll have food prepared."

"No need." Ethan lifted a hand quickly.

Azure Nereid food was the last thing he wanted to "experience" a second time.

"I came to ask you something," he said, getting straight to the point. "Other than Greyspine Range, are there any places in the Southern Region with a large number of Stage S Outland Beasts?"

Seraphine studied him for a long moment.

So he did know how to be cautious after all.

"For Stage S Outland Beasts..." Seraphine said after a moment’s thought, "there are plenty in Suncrest Range. Suncrest Range stretches all the way to the Eastern Region. The closer you get to the Eastern Region, the stronger the Outland Beasts become."

She looked him in the eye, unusually serious.

"But the Eastern Region is far stronger than the Southern Region. There are over a hundred higher races there. If you cross over, be careful."

Ethan nodded. "Where is Suncrest Range exactly?"

"About twenty-five hundred miles east from here," Seraphine replied. "There’s a mountain range that climbs into the clouds. That’s Suncrest Range."

"Appreciate it." Ethan didn’t waste words.

Then his expression tightened, the humor bleeding out of it.

"And one more thing—I’ve got a bad feeling the Southern Region is about to explode. You should prepare in advance. If you can hide, then hide. Don’t get dragged into it."

She’d helped him repeatedly. He didn’t want the Azure Nereids getting caught in whatever was coming.

Seraphine nodded hard. "Understood. I’ll make arrangements ahead of time."

"Good." Ethan’s mouth curved slightly. "If you can hold out for a month, the Azure Nereids can come join us."

Seraphine’s eyes flickered with confusion—she clearly didn’t understand what he meant by that—but before she could ask, Ethan lifted his hand.

A dimensional rift opened again, clean and effortless.

Just as Ethan was about to step into it, Seraphine suddenly gathered her courage.

"Ethan... may I ask... those ferocious Stage SS birds—were you the one who killed them?"

A minute ago, she’d almost convinced herself it couldn’t be him.

But after watching him rip open space inside her core hall like it was nothing... she couldn’t help doubting herself again.

Ethan paused mid-step and glanced back at her.

"Heh..." His smile was all teeth. "What do you think?"

And then he stepped through the rift and vanished.

The hall was left staring at empty air.

Seraphine let out a helpless, bitter laugh and shook her head, but deep down... she already had her answer.

"Matriarch," an elder asked, baffled, "what did he mean by that?"

"Nothing you need to debate." Seraphine’s voice went cold and decisive. "Call every clansperson back. Issue the order—unless it’s an emergency, nobody leaves the territory."

"Matriarch... we’re really going to listen to him?"

"Yes."

"B-But—"

High Elder Maris’s face darkened. "Matriarch, I know our Azure Nereids have deep ties to humanity, and you helping them is one thing... but humans are not tolerated on the Eldoria continent."

Her voice lowered, heavy and blunt.

"Those few may have some strength, but they can’t change anything. I think we should keep our distance as much as possible."

Seraphine glanced at her, expression flat.

"Right now, he’s the one helping us." Her words landed like a hammer. "If the Azure Nereids get pulled into this, we could be doomed beyond recovery."

Maris’s brows drew together. "But if we act differently from everyone else, other races will get suspicious. If they investigate and discover those humans came here, we’ll still be finished."

"Maybe the major races won’t have time to worry about that soon," Seraphine said, shaking her head. "If that day really comes, all our people will retreat into the Moonveil Sanctuary."

Her gaze drifted somewhere far away, as if she could already see it.

"There’s a ritual circle there left behind by an ancient human archmage. Even a Stage SS powerhouse won’t be able to find it."

"...Fine." The elders could only swallow their doubts and give in.

The Azure Nereids were relatively united. When it came to major decisions, Seraphine’s word was final.

Greyspine Range...

Countless Outland Beasts fled back into Greyspine Range, but the major-race powerhouses—drunk on blood—didn’t stop.

They chased them straight into the mountains.

A broken promise was never just once. Once it happened, it happened forever.

Since the pact had already been violated, its "restrictions" were basically meaningless now.

And with so many Outland Beasts—so many crystal cores—how could anyone walk away?

Not when the opportunity was finally here.

But the moment the invaders charged into their home, the Outland Beasts stopped running.

They turned and fought.

The forest was their territory. Their ground.

Why would they fear these outsiders?

So the two sides clashed again in the mountain range, the fighting reigniting with even more ferocity.

Then—

A pitch-black ship came ripping through the air toward them at terrifying speed.

If Ethan and his group had seen it, they would’ve been stunned. The ship had no wings—and yet it flew.

But the people of Eldoria knew exactly what it was.

An arcane skyship.

Something only the top-tier races possessed.

Most had never seen one with their own eyes, but everyone had heard the stories.

The moment the arcane skyship appeared, every person on the battlefield went wide-eyed.

"An expert from a top-tier race is here!"

The major-race powerhouses immediately halted and pulled back from the Outland Beasts, widening the distance between them.

And the Outland Beasts’ expressions shifted too.

In the next heartbeat, they scattered—vanishing into the depths of the forest in every direction.

Clearly, they thought the skyship had come to exterminate them.