Apocalypse: King of Zombies Chapter 1264: This Time… We’re in Trouble
Inside Fallen Star City, Miles found himself engrossed in the Ritual Circle Compendium within his private quarters.
He possessed a greater affinity for such matters than Henry, spending any available moment immersed in its pages, diligently studying and cross-referencing.
Suddenly, one of his subordinates burst in, his breathing ragged.
“Deputy Commander! A force numbering in the tens of thousands is advancing directly towards Fallen Star City from the south!”
Miles’s brow furrowed, annoyance instantly surfacing. “…Do we truly appear so easily intimidated?”
The subordinate’s expression grew sheepish. “Perhaps… perhaps we’ve maintained too low a profile?”
“Let’s investigate,” Miles declared, rising and storing the Ritual Circle Compendium in his subspace. “Summon Blizzard and the others as well.”
He then proceeded to exit.
…
Garrett and his contingent arrived at the city gates swiftly. His gaze was fixed upon the imposing structure, the sign above proclaiming: FALLEN STAR CITY.
A sneer contorted his features. “So, they truly are that audacious. They’ve actually rebranded Redmont City, even incorporating the name of the Fallen Star Squad.”
A lone guard stepped forward, assessing the approaching multitude with an unruffled demeanor. “Who are you? State your purpose here.”
“You lack the standing to know my identity,” Garrett responded coldly. “Inform Ethan to emerge at once.”
“….”
One guard leaned towards his companion, murmuring, “Is this fellow… deranged?”
“If you bring an entire army to Fallen Star City with the intent to provoke conflict,” the other guard whispered back, “your sanity has likely departed.”
Garrett overheard their exchange, his face darkening. “You court death.”
He snapped his head back, commanding, “Eliminate them.”
“Yes!”
Several Tier 8 Enhanced individuals emerged from behind Garrett and charged forward without hesitation, directly targeting the guards.
Bang. Bang. Bang—
The cacophony of combat erupted—
—and mere moments later, the Tier 8 Enhanced combatants were flung backward as if struck by a colossal force. Two of them failed to regain their footing, collapsing onto the ground and remaining inert.
One of the guards casually brushed his hands together, completely unfazed. “Is that all? You initiated the attack with such a display? Utterly laughable.”
“!!!”
The assembled crowd stood frozen in disbelief.
Those were Tier 8 Enhanced individuals—beasts of immense power in any ordinary settlement.
And they had just been swiftly neutralized by a few gate guards?
Could it be that these guards were Tier 9?
As this realization dawned, a wave of shock permeated the tens of thousands gathered outside the gates. Many faces tightened with apprehension, and a palpable reluctance to be present suddenly settled upon many.
If the gate guards were indeed Tier 9, then just how formidable was Fallen Star City?
However, their gazes drifted towards the figure clad in black robes positioned near Garrett, and their anxieties began to subside.
With him present, the strength of the opposing side seemed less significant.
Garrett’s expression had also shifted. He had not anticipated Fallen Star City possessing such formidable strength—Tier 9 personnel assigned to gate duty?
“…Not bad,” he conceded, attempting a smile that failed to reach his eyes. “Fallen Star City indeed possesses a certain resilience.”
He then pivoted, his tone becoming smooth and persuasive. “You individuals are too valuable to be relegated to guarding a mere entrance. Accompany me to Silverlake City. I assure you a life of comfort—of ample food and drink.”
Silverlake City had recently suffered the loss of its high-tier Enhanced personnel, leaving their compound desperately in need of powerful individuals. Garrett was determined not to let these Tier 9s slip through his grasp.
The guards regarded him as if he were a rabid stray dog.
“This one is genuinely suffering from a damaged mind,” one of them remarked, a clear note of pity in his voice.
Garrett’s veins pulsed visibly.
“You… are you seeking your own demise!”
With a flick of his wrist, a spear of golden light shot forth like a projectile, striking a guard directly and impaling him against the wall behind the gate. The man convulsed, blood seeping out as he struggled futilely, pinned like an insect specimen.
“Matt!!!” The faces of the other guards turned ashen. They stared at Garrett, a mixture of shock and incandescent rage contorting their features.
“Stage C…”
Observing their reaction, Garrett was suffused with a profound sense of triumph, reveling in the moment.
“Well?” he sneered. “Do you still believe me to be delusional?”
“Whether you are delusional is irrelevant to your strength,” a voice interjected, sharp and level. “You are merely Stage C. From what abyss did you gather the audacity to instigate trouble within Fallen Star City?”
A young man emerged from within the city walls, accompanied by a small group and a pack of mutant beasts that padded alongside as if they held dominion.
“Sir!”
The guards immediately gathered around him.
Miles offered them a brief nod. “Indeed. You performed admirably.”
His gaze then fell upon Matt, still impaled on the wall, trembling from the pain. Miles’s expression turned frigid.
He zeroed in on Garrett. “You inflicted that upon him?”
“Affirmative,” Garrett replied, a smile of self-satisfaction gracing his features. “I did. What recourse do you intend to take?”
Miles did not raise his voice; it was unnecessary.
“Blizzard,” he stated, his tone as cold as ice, “shatter five of his legs. Then, suspend him upon that wall.”
The instant his words were uttered, several white-furred apes flanking him visibly perked up, charging towards Garrett with an eagerness as if they had anticipated this very moment.
“Hmph. You overestimate your capabilities.”
With a snort, Garrett flicked his arm once more. Another blinding spear of golden light pierced the sky, its trajectory aimed directly at the white-furred ape leading the pack.
The attack was swift, potent, and carried a lethal force.
However, the ape made no move to evade.
It simply raised the long staff it held and swung it once—
CRACK!
The golden spear splintered as if it were mere glass.
Garrett’s heart tightened perceptibly.
If this creature could so easily obliterate his attack, it was undoubtedly at least a Stage C mutant beast.
Could Fallen Star City truly harbor such formidable mutant beasts…?
As the apes closed in, Garrett thrust out his hand. A surge of dark energy manifested, coalescing into a colossal greatsword within his grasp—a power he had acquired only after his own abilities had evolved to Stage C.
Gripping the hilt firmly, he unleashed a powerful cleave towards the ape directly before him.
A look of sheer exhilaration flashed across the white-furred ape's face. It met Garrett's strike head-on, its staff colliding directly with the oncoming blade.
BOOM—
PFF!
Two distinct sounds echoed in rapid succession.
Garrett’s body was violently propelled backward, as if struck by a runaway train. He tumbled uncontrollably through the air, finally landing and expelling a mouthful of blood.
“T-Tier 13?!” His eyes widened, utter disbelief etched across his features.
The ape remained undeterred.
It renewed its assault, charging forward with unyielding ferocity.
Its objective was brutally straightforward: shatter five of Garrett’s limbs and display him as a trophy. It had yet to locate the “fifth leg”… but the other four were an adequate starting point.
Observing the ape's relentless approach, Garrett's expression contorted. Without even glancing back, he bellowed at his subordinates.
“You—get in there!”
The men surrounding him turned deathly pale.
How could they possibly win, and yet he wanted to send them in?
Despite their fear, none dared to openly defy him. Gritting their teeth, they charged into the fray against the formidable apes.
These were not mere novices; they were Garrett’s elite fighters. Every single individual at the forefront possessed a cultivation of Tier 8 or higher, with several Tier 10 Enhanced individuals among them.
Yet, their strength proved insufficient.
In the face of the white-furred apes, they might as well have been ordinary individuals.
A single sweep of a staff.
A skull instantly caved in.
A body dropped lifelessly, like a discarded sack.
Their most potent skills struck the apes' bodies, but it was akin to a bothersome itch—causing no significant injury, not even prompting a flinch.
As an increasing number of his men fell victim to the apes' staffs, Garrett’s complexion grew ashen.
He had grievously underestimated the resilience of Fallen Star City. He hadn’t even encountered a single member of the prestigious Fallen Star Squad, and he was already being systematically dismantled.
With all other options exhausted, Garrett turned his gaze towards the figure clad in black robes.
“Marek, sir—I implore you, I require your intervention!”
“Trash,” Marek scoffed.
Then, he simply vanished from sight.
In the very next moment, he materialized directly before the advancing apes. Raising a single hand, an immense black hand constructed of pure energy spontaneously formed, descending to seize the leading ape.
Blizzard.
Blizzard struggled furiously, its powerful muscles straining, its staff swinging wildly, its feet carving deep gouges into the earth.
All efforts proved futile.
The obsidian hand tightened its grip.
BOOM—
Within Marek’s grasp, Blizzard’s body detonated outwards.
A gruesome spray of blood erupted in all directions.
“!!!”
“Blizzard!!”
Within the confines of Fallen Star City, cries of horror erupted. Countless faces turned ghastly pale, eyes widening in sheer, unadulterated panic.
Even Miles’s normally composed expression faltered, his color draining as he observed the grisly remnants suspended in the air.
This time…
They were genuinely facing dire peril.
