Apocalypse: King of Zombies Chapter 1251

"Mia, what about you?" Ethan inquired, turning his attention to her.

Mia appeared somewhat hesitant. "When I reached Stage C, my new ability manifested as Soul Spike. It targets the opponent's very soul. I… honestly don't know its current power level yet. I haven't encountered any skill comparable to it before."

"A soul attack?" Every person present widened their eyes in surprise.

To be completely honest, none of them had ever witnessed such a thing.

Skinny Pete's Enthrallment skill was somewhat in the same vicinity, but that power was more about enforcing obedience—and it wasn't particularly effective in direct combat.

Mia's Soul Spike, however… that was direct damage to the soul itself.

How was one even supposed to defend against such an attack?

Merely contemplating it sent shivers down their spines.

"A soul attack, you say…" Chris rubbed his hands together with a broad grin. "I'm rather curious to see its effects. Big Mike, would you like to volunteer?"

Big Mike flinched as if someone had shouted "fire." "Absolutely not! Don't mess with that! If something goes wrong and I end up braindead, even Henry won't be able to bring me back!"

Chris burst into laughter. "Relax, I was only joking. Just look at your face."

Ethan nodded, his curiosity still piqued. "I'm interested too. Later, we can test it out on a mutant beast."

Mia exhaled a small puff of air. "…Alright."

Ethan made a gesturing motion. "And your Innate Ability?"

"After it evolved, I acquired Frost Armor," Mia stated. "It allows me to withstand attacks. It greatly enhances my survival rate."

"Nice," Ethan commented. "One offensive skill, one defensive skill, combined with your control abilities—you're becoming quite well-rounded."

Mia quickly nodded in agreement. "Mm."

Ethan shifted his gaze. "Emily?"

Emily hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "My Stage C ability is a Nature-type skill—Vampiric Vines. I can cause numerous vines to sprout within an area, and once they ensnare someone… they begin to drain blood relentlessly."

She visibly flushed with embarrassment the moment the words left her lips.

Chris stared at her, surprised. "Damn. I didn't expect the quiet one to be into bloodsucking."

"I—I'm not!" Emily's face grew even redder. "I just… chose it randomly."

Ethan chuckled softly before turning back to the practical aspects. "It's a formidable skill. It offers area control, multi-target incapacitation, and it wears down opponents effectively."

"Alright—what about your original ability? How did it evolve?"

Emily's embarrassment began to recede slightly. "I gained Energy Link. I can connect with one individual and continuously replenish their stamina and mental energy."

Ethan's expression sharpened with noticeable interest. "Oh. That's quite potent. What's the operational range?"

"Uh… a little over three hundred feet, I believe," Emily replied, not entirely certain.

"That's sufficient." Ethan nodded. "That capability is exceptionally useful. Particularly when we encounter a formidable opponent—I'll certainly need that."

Emily's eyes lit up. "Mm. As long as I can be of assistance."

To be truthful, she had always perceived herself as the weakest member of the team. She worried about becoming a burden to everyone… constantly fearing that one day Ethan might decide she wasn't worth retaining.

If she could demonstrate her value, she might finally find some peace of mind.

Ethan surveyed the room. "Excellent. Now that we have a clear understanding of everyone's skills."

"Frankly? This excursion into the Void Realm has resulted in an incredible surge of power for our entire squad."

He paused, the atmosphere shifting to a more serious tone.

"With our current strength, the zombies and mutant beasts on Earth pose hardly any threat to us anymore."

"However, lately, I've been plagued by a persistent sense of impending danger. It feels as though something monumental is on the horizon."

"And even after this significant upgrade… that unsettling feeling has not dissipated."

He let his words sink in for a moment. "Therefore, do not become complacent. Continue to strive. Grow as powerful as you possibly can."

Big Mike frowned. "Captain, please don't frighten me like that. You're Tier 16 now. Who on earth could possibly pose a threat to you?"

"Earth's native threats cannot," Ethan stated. "But what if the entities residing within the Void Realms begin to emerge?"

"…What?" A wave of cold dread washed through the room. Eyes widened among everyone present. "Don't tell me monsters from the Void Realms are already making their way out?"

"The white-furred apes managed to escape," Ethan pointed out. "Why wouldn't other beings be able to do the same?"

"And we can locate entrances to the Void Realms. This implies that others can similarly discover their exits."

"That…" The elation from their recent breakthroughs evaporated, replaced by a heavy, sinking tension.

They possessed no understanding of the potential strength of creatures within a Void Realm. Their power was entirely dependent on the specific Realm itself.

But one thing was undeniably clear: they were still merely at the beginning of their journey. Compared to a Void Realm that had existed and evolved for untold millennia, they were insignificant.

On Earth, they might appear virtually invincible.

However, within certain Void Realms… they could be utterly annihilated in mere seconds.

Ethan raised a hand. "Hey. Don't look like that. It's still just my guess. We've got time to grow."

"And Clearford City's Void Realm showed something important," he added. "Earth's mysterious energy is actually pretty dense. In a lot of Void Realms, the mysterious energy can't compare."

"If that's true, our growth rate will be faster than theirs."

"Yeah…" Everyone nodded, but the worry on their faces didn't fade much.

Even if Ethan wasn't wrong—Earth's mysterious energy really was pretty rich right now—Earth's "revival" had been going on for less than a year.

Some Void Realms had existed for thousands, even tens of thousands of years. In terms of sheer accumulation, there was no comparing them.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Ethan! Grace asked me to come get you guys for dinner!"

"Got it. We'll be there in a minute!"

Ethan stood up and glanced around at everyone. "Come on. Eat first. Tomorrow we get ready to head back to Fallen Star City."

"Yeah."

They headed to the dining hall. Dinner was already laid out.

At lunch they'd been so wiped they'd only shoved down a few bites before passing out, but this dinner was clearly something Grace had planned on purpose—there was a ton of food, and it looked damn good.

Everyone took seats around a long farmhouse table, eating and chatting at the same time.

"Ethan," Grace said after a moment, "I already talked to the others. Everyone agreed—our whole compound wants to join yours. When do you think we should move?"

She'd originally thought convincing everyone to relocate to Fallen Star City would take a lot of work.

Instead, it had gone shockingly smoothly. One meeting—unanimous approval.

Later, when she looked into it, she found out why.

Ethan and his people had executed Jared and those men right at the compound entrance, in front of everyone.

It had scared the hell out of them.

And only then did Grace really understand: in the apocalypse, running a compound meant being willing to be hard.

If people feared you, they listened.

A gentle management style might've worked before the world ended, but after? It didn't fit anymore.

You could treat people well and they still wouldn't be grateful. Some would just decide you were easy to bully—like Jared had.

Once Grace truly accepted that, it only made her more determined to merge into Fallen Star City's compound. If the Fallen Star Squad were the ones keeping order, she wouldn't have to carry that pressure every day.

"You guys start packing over the next few days," Ethan said. "I need to get back and talk to Miles first. We'll see how he wants to arrange the move."

Grace blinked. "Huh? Ethan, aren't you the Commander of Fallen Star City?"

"I'm a Commander on paper," Ethan said with a grin. "I don't handle day-to-day operations."

"No wonder you're so chill and always running around," Vivian said, sounding honestly envious. "You're a total hands-off boss."

As a compound leader, there were endless things to deal with. Every day was packed, exhausting—you worked yourself like a dog.

Right now, she genuinely admired Ethan's foresight.

"Ethan, but if you're never around, aren't you worried about letting other people manage it?" Grace asked, still confused.

"Worried about what?" Ethan said lightly. "If I don't trust someone, I don't use them. If I use them, I trust them."

"And as long as my strength stays ahead of the pack," he added, voice calm but edged with certainty, "nobody underneath me will dare to mess around."

That was something Ethan had decided from day one, back when he first built the compound.

And reality had proved him right. He hadn't let management slow down his Tier growth—and at the same time, he'd built up a ridiculously powerful force.

Vivian nodded. "Then I'll head back to the Deepwater City compound tomorrow to get ready. When the time comes, my people will move over too."

"Sounds good," Ethan said.