Apocalypse: King of Zombies Chapter 1262: Shattered Shields and Broken Skulls

The moment Ethan downed a Tier 17 red-skin with merely two strikes, Chris and the rest of the crew were utterly astonished, their eyes widening in disbelief.

Was the boss already defeated before they had even truly begun their assault?

Could battles that spanned across tiers be this ferociously decisive?

The Captain was indeed the Captain, his prowess unfathomably immense.

"We need to pick up our pace too," Chris declared.

"Agreed," came the universal assent, everyone nodding in understanding.

"Sean, you take the first engagement!"

"Understood!"

"Hold on—Chris," Big Mike interjected, a flicker of confusion crossing his features. "Why aren't you activating your invisibility?"

"Invisibility, my foot," Chris retorted, rolling his eyes with exasperation. "The entire area is engulfed in flames. Do you honestly believe I can cloak myself amidst this inferno?"

It was, quite frankly, the very first time he had ever felt so decisively countered.

Big Mike blinked, processing the information. "Uh… in that case, aren't you, like, half as effective?"

"Even without invisibility, my damage output remains the highest," Chris asserted, his confidence unwavering.

"Enough idle talk," Ethan commanded. "Sean's already engaged. Let's move."

"Right—of course!"

By then, Sean and Garrick were already in the process of engaging the two Tier 16 red-skins.

Sean’s entire physique had transformed into a metallic shell, with Thornmail manifesting from his head to his toes, and Henry subsequently layering a Divine Shield over him.

He presented the image of a veritable walking fortress.

Charging directly through the searing flames towards one of the red-skins, he brought his massive club down upon its head.

The red-skin remained unfazed, countering by driving a fist forward to meet his assault head-on.

At the critical juncture, Sean skilfully shifted his club's trajectory, narrowly evading the monstrous fist and redirecting it towards the creature's vitals regardless.

Thump—!

Thump—!

Twin impacts landed simultaneously upon their targets.

The red-skin demonstrated remarkable speed. Just as the club descended, it violently jerked its head aside. Sean’s strike, consequently, collided with its shoulder instead.

However, the monster’s retaliatory punch landed with crushing force squarely on Sean’s chest.

Sean was sent hurtling backward over thirty feet, executing several rolls across the ground before forcefully springing back to his feet.

No visible wounds marred his form.

The red-skin, conversely, remained rooted to its spot—yet its arm was visibly trembling, clearly absorbing the damaging repercussions of Thornmail's activation.

Sean didn't falter for even a single heartbeat. The instant he regained his footing, he surged forward once more.

Garrick mirrored his approach—Earthen Armor encased his body, with Henry’s Divine Shield artfully superimposed upon it. He advanced directly towards the other Tier 16 red-skin, initiated Suppression Field, and commenced unleashing a barrage of colossal meteors upon it, one after another.

The remainder of the squad promptly joined the fray. Each member was ensconced within a Divine Shield, effectively nullifying the majority of the ambient fire damage.

Henry’s Divine Shield's efficacy was directly proportional to his mental energy expenditure—the more he channeled, the more potent and enduring the shield became.

Having provided shielding for the entire team, he was nearly depleted. He promptly ingested a crystal core and retreated to a more secure vantage point, making it evident that direct combat was not his intended role.

At this juncture, he had strategically positioned himself as a pure support unit: if no direct offensive action was necessary, he would abstain.

More crucially, he was tasked with maintaining constant surveillance of the battlefield and strategically refreshing the shields at opportune moments.

The inferno unleashed by the red-skins blanketed the entire combat zone. Without the protective embrace of the Divine Shield, none present could possibly endure for an extended duration.

Upon achieving Stage C (Tier 12), each member had acquired a substantial array of novel abilities, significantly diversifying their offensive capabilities.

Skinny Pete conjured a potent tornado that mercilessly sucked in the surrounding flames, subsequently latching onto one of the red-skins and viciously tearing into it with a blender-like ferocity.

Emily unleashed her Vampiric Vines, attempting to ensnare the monster as well.

However, the flames emanating from the red-skin proved devastatingly potent. The instant her vines materialized, they were instantly incinerated into ash. Emily could only clench her teeth in bitter frustration.

Big Mike was also facing considerable adversity. These red-skins demonstrably possessed formidable resistance to fire-based abilities—his Rain of Flames proved almost entirely ineffective. This reality incensed him.

"Man, you're genuinely terrible at this," Chris quipped, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Then, he surged forward like a blur, flicking his arm and launching a spear of pure darkness towards the red-skin that Skinny Pete and Emily were struggling to contain.

The red-skin instinctively sensed the impending danger. It violently broke free from the tornado's grasp and attempted to evade the projectile—

And then, a searing spike of agony pierced directly through its brain. The creature nearly succumbed to unconsciousness.

Mia’s [Soul Spike] had struck true.

It was silent, without any discernible wind-up or prior warning—practically an unguardable assault.

Chris's Corrupting Spear impacted directly, burrowing into the monster's cranium.

A terrifying corrosive force erupted upon contact. The very skin on its skull visibly sloughed away, disintegrating within mere seconds.

"RRAAGH—!"

The red-skin shrieked in agony, its eyes bloodshot, fixing its enraged gaze upon Chris. Flames instantly enveloped its arm as it unleashed a furious punch aimed directly at him.

Garrick reacted instantaneously, interposing himself before Chris and raising his staff to intercept the devastating blow.

Boom—

Garrick was violently propelled backward. His Divine Shield dissipated instantly upon impact.

Chris expertly exploited the opening. His spear pulsed with a sharp, lacerating energy, and he drove it directly towards the monster’s already compromised skull.

The red-skin reacted with swiftness, extending a hand to seize the spear’s shaft—

Another blinding flash of brain-shattering pain assailed it, momentarily paralyzing its movements for a crucial fraction of a second.

Shk—!

Chris plunged the spear with decisive force into the softened, corroded skull.

"AAAGH—!"

With a scream, the crimson-skinned monster clamped down hard, arresting the spear's advance.

Big Mike then charged in from the side, a human missile, and delivered a ferocious kick to the spear's butt end.

Shk—!

The spear impaled itself completely through the monster's head, erupting from the other side.

Rage and disbelief flickered in the creature's eyes before the light extinguished, and it crashed heavily to the ground.

“Heh.” Big Mike boasted, chin high. “Who’s ‘trash’ now? I took that one down!”

“Yeah, yeah, all you,” Chris conceded, a slight shake of his head.

Truthfully, though… Big Mike’s intervention had been impeccably timed.

Chris had already expended his momentum and lacked the necessary leverage to drive the spear deeper himself.

“Move out,” Chris commanded sharply. “Go assist Sean!”

It had taken their entire group to subdue that one opponent.

Meanwhile, Sean was still single-handedly engaging the other Tier 16 creature.

Fortunately, no significant time had been lost—less than a minute, at most.

The instant the first crimson-skin fell, the remaining members of the group converged on Sean’s battle.

Witnessing their approach, the final red-skinned monster’s resolve crumbled. It opted for the only sensible course of action—

Flight.

But the moment it turned, Sean reappeared, obstructing its path once more.

The monster glared at him, a potent mixture of hatred and desperation in its gaze.

Sean was akin to a stubborn porcupine—difficult to dispatch, inflicting harm upon any attacker. Yet, without an engagement, he clung relentlessly, an infuriating presence.

This time, the monster disregarded the pain. It unleashed a powerful punch, sending Sean reeling, poised for escape—

Suddenly, a dark appendage snaked out, seizing its ankle.

Then, a swirling vortex yanked the creature skyward, consuming it entirely.

Vines erupted instantly, twining and constricting wherever possible.

Three simultaneous control abilities extinguished any hope of escape.

It finally broke free—

Only to be met instantly by another black spear and that now-familiar, skull-splitting agony.

Chris’s spear, imbued with its razor-sharp force, pierced through, delivering the final blow.

From a short distance, Ethan observed the events unfold, a nod of approval on his face.

Their combat effectiveness had indeed surged. Their synergy was remarkably honed—swift, precise, devoid of wasted effort.

However, a distinct deficiency remained apparent.

They lacked significant burst damage potential.

When confronted by foes superior to themselves, only Chris could consistently execute the killing strike. The others primarily fulfilled supporting roles—providing control, disruption, defense, and pressure.

Nevertheless… considering they were merely Tier 14, defeating opponents two tiers above them was an extraordinary feat.

They also had no agency in selecting their abilities; not everyone received a skill as formidable as [Annihilation Strike].

Their very ability to overcome a two-tier gap was a testament to their exceptional teamwork.

And if the engagement had been against an opponent just one tier higher?

Ethan felt confident that several among them could achieve a solo victory.