Apocalypse: King of Zombies Chapter 1273: A Million Followed… and He Didn’t Flinch

Word of the confrontation in Silverlake City reached Atlas City with astonishing speed. Maxwell and his associates had anticipated this news, yet they were still visibly unnerved. This feeling intensified upon learning that Ethan, alongside an unknown individual, had effortlessly obliterated three formidable experts from the Void Realm. The expressions that crossed everyone’s faces were, to put it mildly, complex.

"...Are we absolutely certain our assessment wasn't mistaken?" Arthur inquired softly. "Perhaps those three weren't as powerful as they seemed?"

Maxwell cast a sharp glance at him. "A single strike reduced dozens of Tier 9 and Tier 10 Enhanced individuals to mere paste, and you suggest they weren't strong?" He scoffed, "We should let them demonstrate their lack of strength on you; then you'll know how it feels."

"Uh..." Arthur stammered, quickly retracting his statement. "I was merely posing a question."

Gabriel maintained a grave demeanor. "I never fathomed Ethan's abilities had ascended to such a height. If we can maintain a cordial relationship with them, it would be an immense boon for The Atlas Federation."

"I concur."

Charles's brow furrowed. "But who was the other individual? Our intelligence contains no information whatsoever. Not a single trace."

"No clue," one responded. "They materialized as if from thin air. After eliminating two of the opponents, they simply vanished. We don't even know how they departed."

"But one thing is undeniable," another added in a hushed tone. "That person is even more terrifying than Ethan."

A collective nod of grim, almost helpless agreement spread around the table. It was a recurring pattern: just when they believed they had grasped the upper limit of Fallen Star's capabilities, reality would deliver a harsh, unanticipated blow. Maxwell let out a slow breath. "Regardless of who they are, our approach remains the same: maintain friendly ties. As long as we avoid conflict, their increased strength directly benefits The Atlas Federation."

"Precisely." Heads nodded in unison around the table.

Meanwhile, in Silverlake City—now designated as the new Fallen Star City—

Miles was already overseeing operations with remarkable efficiency and order. The compound, now significantly expanded, presented no apparent challenge for him. Furthermore, the inhabitants within displayed an exceptional level of cooperation, as if their very existence depended on it. And indeed, it did. With the harrowing memory of two hundred thousand deceased individuals still fresh, defiance towards the new administration was unthinkable.

Ethan and the Fallen Star Guard did not linger. Their crucial mission was to escort all survivors to Silverlake City. This included the original inhabitants of Silverlake City, the people from the Stonebridge City compound, the Deepwater City compound, and Grace’s compound. It was an undertaking of colossal proportions.

In total, approximately 1.3 million individuals needed to be relocated. Such a large-scale migration, even with a clear destination, posed immense organizational difficulties. Fortunately, the journey wasn't excessively long. Coupled with the formidable strength of the Fallen Star Guard, the relocation proceeded in a structured, albeit slow, manner.

A vast human tide flowed forward, stretching into an seemingly endless line. Enhanced individuals above Tier 6 formed a mobile shield wall along the outer perimeter, while those below Tier 6 remained in the center. Each section of the column was interspersed with Fallen Star Guard members, ensuring cohesion and preventing any breakdown in order. Behind them, semi-trucks laden with vital supplies rumbled onward, creating a continuous stream of vehicles. These trucks were invaluable assets, rare and difficult to replace, having been painstakingly acquired by each compound.

High above, the Fallen Star Squad patrolled the skies on their flying mounts, maintaining wide circles and scanning the horizon. Such a massive convoy was an irresistible lure for zombies and mutant beasts. Despite their strength, they couldn't deter every threat. Ambushes were frequent, with zombies infiltrating the ranks and mutant beasts launching surprise attacks, resulting in casualties. This occurred even with Ethan providing direct escort. It was easy to imagine the devastating losses a typical compound would suffer attempting such a feat.

In this era, zombies were predominantly Tier 6 and above, with Tier 7 and 8 being commonplace, and even Tier 9 encounters not being unusual. As the convoy neared the border between two states, the sheer concentration of human life finally drew something far more sinister—a terrifying zombie swarm, advancing from an unknown origin. The horde numbered at least a million, converging from multiple directions like a relentless flood toward the migrating population. The instant the wave of shuffling bodies became visible, sheer panic erupted throughout the column.

"Close ranks!" Ethan's commanding voice boomed from above, its clarity cutting through the rising fear. "All Enhanced Tier 6 and above, assume battle positions! Fallen Star Guard, form squads of ten. Each squad will secure one section of the line!"

While the panic didn't dissipate entirely, its contagion was halted. The people clung to Ethan's voice as if it were a lifeline. Sean's eyes narrowed as he observed the approaching swarm. "Ethan, with their numbers... is that a Tier 11 zombie?"

"Yes," Ethan confirmed, his gaze sweeping across the monstrous horde with cold, unwavering focus. "It must be. I've already identified three Tier 10 zombies within the swarm. Such a concentration indicates the presence of a controlling Tier 11 entity."

Big Mike cracked his neck, practically vibrating. "Ha! With this many? We can finally kill to our hearts’ content."

The others looked just as eager, hands itching.

Ethan’s tone stayed clipped. "You guys go. Kill fast—keep the casualties down."

His eyes lifted, searching beyond the sea of undead. "I’ll find that Tier 11 Zombie King."

"Got it!"

The squad launched forward, charging straight into the oncoming tide...

After reaching Stage C (Tier 12), none of them felt the slightest fear toward a zombie swarm like this anymore.

With the skills they each had, the speed they could mow zombies down at was on a completely different level compared to before. Give them enough time and they could wipe out a million-zombie tide, start to finish.

Once they were over the swarm, nobody hesitated. They jumped straight in.

Almost immediately, meteors began to fall.

Rain of Flames poured down in sheets.

Wide sections of the horde vanished in bursts of fire and pulverized flesh, whole clusters erased at a time.

A massive tornado rose out of the middle of the swarm, chewing through bodies. Zombies got yanked into the air, spun up, and shredded into scraps that rained back down.

Vines burst from the ground, snapping around zombie after zombie. They tightened and tried to drain them dry—

—and got basically nothing.

These things didn’t have real blood to speak of. "Lifesteal" might as well have been a joke on the undead.

Emily’s face fell. "Seriously?"

She had no choice but to draw her longsword and go in close.

Aside from the few people with true AOE attacks, the fastest killer by far was Sean.

He went full metal, activated [Thornmail], and just bulldozed through the horde like a maniac, ramming and tearing through them, having the time of his life.

As for the rest, a lot of them could only grit their teeth and rely on weapons.

And it wasn’t just the Fallen Star Squad.

Fallen Star’s second echelon was strong too—and the one who stood out the most was Calvin. Wherever he went, lightning lit the battlefield up like a signpost.

His ability was Thunder Strike. After it evolved, he gained Chain Lightning—fire one bolt, paralyze the target, and the effect jumped to others nearby.

In a packed swarm like this, it was disgusting. Sparks and lightning everywhere.

After everything he’d been through, Calvin seemed like he’d fully transformed. He barely talked to anyone in the compound anymore—just trained in the arena every day.

And now even fighting with his left hand holding a blade didn’t slow him down at all. He was vicious up close, like he’d been born for it.

Right behind him in pure impact was Vivian—violent as ever.

Her Strength-type ability boosted her raw power every time she advanced. At Stage C, her strength was already about one and a half times higher than other Awakened at the same tier.

On top of that, she had Energy Armor from reaching Stage D, and the speed boost she gained at Stage C.

Speed, defense, strength—everything cranked up.

She was a straight-up battle addict.

Watching those two fight, you could almost see the old Fallen Star Squad in them.

The others were a bit weaker, but against Tier 7 and Tier 8 zombies, they were still more than enough.

The real problem was the numbers.

The horde was too big. Even with strong lines, zombies still slipped through gaps and broke into the middle, slamming into the migration column and causing casualties.

There was no perfect fix for it. The terrain out here was wide open—flat and exposed—and the zombies were coming from all directions. You couldn’t seal every angle at once.

And outside of Fallen Star City’s people, the other compounds’ Enhanced weren’t that strong. Compared to Fallen Star, they were basically on the zombies’ level—mostly Tier 6 and Tier 7, with very few above Tier 8.

If a higher-tier zombie broke through, they couldn’t hold it.

Thankfully, Fallen Star Guard stayed locked in. The moment anything dangerous punched into the formation, they reacted immediately, putting it down fast and keeping the losses from snowballing.

Up in the air, Ethan searched for a long time with his eyes—and with his sense—until he finally found it.

A Tier 11 zombie hiding inside the swarm.

His poleaxe shot out.

A single clean throw.

It punched straight through the thing like it was paper.

Then Ethan swept the area and took out the Tier 10 zombies he’d spotted too, one after another, not giving them a chance to vanish back into the crowd.

Only then did the horde finally start to lose its shape.

The zombies began to retreat—slowly at first, then more and more, the pressure easing as the sea of undead turned and pulled away.