Apocalypse: King of Zombies Chapter 1190: They Learned to Throw Rocks

Fifteen miles to the south of the Clearford base, an enormous wave of zombies pressed forward in a relentless, gradual march.

Every place they traversed saw buildings crumbling and fields crushed into the dirt.

It formed a complete catastrophe—if someone hadn’t witnessed a million-strong swarm firsthand, the sheer madness of it would remain unimaginable.

Soaring high over the swarm, a huge peregrine falcon wheeled endlessly in the air.

The undead underneath had spotted it ages ago. Lacking any means to strike from afar, they simply disregarded it.

Provided the fowl stayed aloft, they remained powerless against it.

Should it descend, however? They’d tear it apart to nothing but bones in moments.

At that moment, a pair of enormous birds approached from afar.

The swarm looked up briefly, dismissed it, and continued their lumbering approach to the Clearford base.

Ethan observed Big Mike and Garrick’s arrival, and the tension furrowing his forehead at last eased.

"Captain, we’ve arrived!"

Big Mike and Garrick paled slightly as they gazed at the dense crowd far below.

"Perfect. You made it." Ethan smiled, gesturing toward the swarm below. "Spot those zombies? Arrogant bunch. You guys head down and stir up some chaos for them."

"..."

"Captain," Big Mike uttered, gulping nervously, "are you certain about this?"

"Why fear anything?" Ethan replied. "You’ll be on aerial beasts. They can’t reach you. Just unleash your abilities downward nonstop."

Big Mike’s eyes widened, then a grin spread across his face. "Right. Haha. That’s brilliant."

"Indeed," Ethan affirmed, his voice sharpening. "However, pace yourselves. You especially, Big Mike—consume crystal cores regularly to restore your mental power. Avoid exhausting yourself like before. If you tumble from the heights, I won’t rescue you."

"No concerns, Captain," Big Mike responded promptly. "We’ll be careful."

"Excellent. Proceed."

"Understood!"

Big Mike tilted his head and chuckled loudly. "Zombies! The big guy’s arrived!"

He urged Nugget ahead and plunged into the sky over the swarm. Mere instants passed—

Barrage after barrage of [Rain of Flames] plummeted from above, smashing into the undead throng like falling stars.

"ROAR—!"

The zombies beneath plunged into disorder right away, rushing and dispersing wildly.

Yet… escape routes were nonexistent.

They crowded together too densely. Fleeing proved impossible.

Every impact of [Rain of Flames] erased a whole section of zombies—incinerated to dust immediately.

Big Mike had reached Tier 10. The might of his [Rain of Flames] was utterly devastating. These undead lacked the resilience to withstand it.

"ROAR! ROAR! ROOOAR—!"

Myriad zombies craned their necks upward and roared at him, as if pure fury might drive him away.

Unfortunately for them, Big Mike remained unfazed.

Beholding the destruction underneath, he appeared utterly thrilled.

"Hahahaha! This rocks!"

He unleashed relentlessly. [Rain of Flames] poured down ceaselessly, transforming struck areas into fleeting wastelands—voids filled with acrid smoke.

Meanwhile, Garrick unleashed havoc too, flinging boulders in a continuous assault.

Enormous rocks collided with the swarm. Any undead struck burst into shredded remains.

In contrast to Big Mike’s [Rain of Flames], the zone of Garrick’s descending stones covered far less ground.

Yet he couldn’t alter that fact. Upon advancing to Stage D, his power hadn’t shifted to massive rock showers. Rather, it developed into terrain manipulation.

It offered limited gains in battle strength, yet proved incredibly useful.

As Big Mike and Garrick hammered away, the million-strong swarm began to lag.

Admittedly, their kills amounted to little against the vast numbers—a mere fraction of the total.

Nevertheless, their widespread ability usage disrupted the swarm’s order entirely. The front line became chaotic, noticeably delaying the group’s progress.

This outcome suited Ethan perfectly.

A handful of fighters couldn’t halt over three million undead. Delaying them, however? Gaining precious moments?

Such efforts counted.

The more he could hinder their advance, the greater his chances of locating the Zombie King.

And should Big Mike and Garrick’s aerial assault enrage it sufficiently to reveal itself…

All the more ideal.

Ethan refused to merely observe. As he scanned the area, he manipulated a longsword to carve through the swarm below, reaping zombies like ripe crops.

The trio exploited their sky-high superiority without restraint against a force exceeding three million. The helpless undead below made the experience exhilarating.

However, following slightly more than ten minutes of rampage, the frenzied swarm abruptly regained composure.

Next, as if following a script, the zombies crouched, seized ground stones, and hurled them toward the trio.

"Damn—climb higher!" Ethan shouted.

Golden Eagle Nugget and Dire Eagle Pebble responded without delay, ascending sharply upon detecting the attack.

Even so, the barrage overwhelmed them. Despite swift maneuvers, numerous projectiles struck true.

The impacts caused minimal true harm, but their volume inflicted sharp pain.

"Damn it!" Big Mike growled. "These zombies can actually team up!"

"Likely the Zombie King employing psychic influence," Ethan stated, his expression grim.

No alternative made sense. Achieving such synchronized motion in a colossal group? The Zombie King must be intervening to dictate the pace.

The issue lay in Ethan’s failure to pinpoint it yet.

It appeared absent from the swarm’s core.

And if it operated externally yet commanded so many undead… the implication chilled.

They had long recognized zombies’ unique communication methods. High-tier variants, in particular, could broadcast directives to subordinates instantly when dominating lesser ones.

Command capacity scaled with power. Greater strength allowed control over larger followings.

Regardless, previously, elite “leaders” always issued commands from within the swarm.

This Zombie King possibly operated differently.

Implying remote orchestration of the swarm.

Such a capability elevated the danger immensely.

"Yet if it directed rock throws at us," Ethan murmured, reasoning swiftly, "it’s aware of events here."

He squinted. "Thus, it can’t be distant."

Big Mike glared at the swarm below, annoyed. "Captain, what’s the plan? If this persists, we can’t descend to harass them effectively."

His point held merit.

Abilities possessed finite reach. Casting from extreme heights weakened potency drastically—or caused spells to vanish en route.

For instance, Big Mike’s [Rain of Flames] would fade mid-air from their present elevation.

Garrick’s summoned stones faced identical constraints. Though resembling genuine rocks, they stemmed from earth-element power—excessive height led to dissipation.

Ethan pondered briefly, then accessed his spatial storage ring to retrieve multiple pieces of Ironback Rat shell.

"Nugget, Pebble," he instructed. "Clutch these carapaces in your claws and position them beneath you. That’ll shield you from the barrage."

"Ah—yes!" Big Mike’s gaze brightened. "Forgot about those. Haha, captain, you’re a total mastermind!"

Nugget and Pebble brightened as well, each grasping a huge carapace segment and securing it below like armor.

"Fine," Ethan commanded. "Attack. Continue the assault."

Nugget and Pebble plummeted once more.

The undead below detected their approach and promptly gathered stones, flinging them skyward.

Now, the projectiles collided with the Ironback Rat armor and ricocheted away pointlessly, failing to injure Nugget or the rest.

"Haha, that’s more like it!" Big Mike bellowed.

He raised his arm, smirking wildly. "Undead—let’s find out today if your stones hold up, or my [Rain of Flames] prevails!"

With that, he erupted anew—torrents of [Rain of Flames] descending in a savage onslaught.

Garrick, unwilling to lag, propelled gigantic rocks into the swarm with unyielding, ferocious cadence.

Ethan, however, stayed aloft.

Rather, he directed Peregrine Falcon Flint to transport him peripherally, patrolling the vicinity in his hunt.