Apocalypse: King of Zombies Chapter 1285: That Debt Doesn’t Fade

Maxwell’s satellite phone immediately began to ring. Glancing at the caller ID, a subtle smirk touched the corner of his lips as he answered, "Prime Minister Takahashi. Hello." A moment of quiet followed on the other end before the man’s voice, speaking hesitant Federation Standard, inquired softly, "And you are...?" "Maxwell Kane," Maxwell replied, identifying himself. "I am currently the one in charge of the Atlas Federation." "Oh... so it is General Maxwell Kane." Takahashi's tone shifted instantly to one of deference. "I have heard a great deal about you." Maxwell settled back, oozing an air of unhurried confidence. "Prime Minister Takahashi, with everyone struggling for survival in the wake of the apocalypse, I find it surprising you have the free time to contact me." "Well," Takahashi said smoothly, "it has been quite some time since the end of the world commenced. Conditions are not nearly as dire as they were in the initial stages. It is only natural that we check in on one another, is it not?" "Mm." Maxwell gave a thoughtful nod. "Fair enough." "And how fares the Atlas Federation?" Takahashi inquired, his voice laced with apparent concern. "Are things stable on your end?" "Quite splendid, actually," Maxwell stated with a pleasant demeanor. "We are currently enjoying a war movie on television. An apocalypse-themed one. Quite entertaining." "...." Takahashi's voice grew strained. "General Kane possesses refined tastes, I see. You still have the leisure to watch television." "One requires methods of decompression during an apocalypse," Maxwell remarked, his gaze drifting towards the large screen displaying Ethan’s ongoing massacre. "Speaking of which—Prime Minister Takahashi, how are conditions progressing on your side?" "We were managing adequately," Takahashi managed to say, forcing the words out with evident difficulty. "We weathered the initial zombie assaults. However, of late, we are... not faring so well." "Oh?" Maxwell feigned ignorance, though he was already aware of the situation. "And why is that?" Takahashi let out a sigh, as if bearing the immense weight of the world. "Recently, a contingent of individuals from the Atlas Federation arrived in the Yamato Empire. They are like veritable demons—engaged in rampant killing, destruction, and devastation. In a mere span of days, they have already annihilated over a million of our citizens. First, we faced relentless zombie hordes attacking our cities, and now we contend with demonic entities perpetrating massacres upon our populace. Our people are gripped by sheer terror." Maxwell widened his eyes in a display of feigned astonishment. "Truly? Prime Minister Takahashi, are you absolutely certain they hail from the Atlas Federation?" "Yes," Takahashi confirmed swiftly. "Nine individuals in total. I am unequivocally certain they are from your Federation." "Nine individuals," Maxwell repeated slowly, as if meticulously calculating. "A million casualties in just a few days? Come now. That is simply not feasible. Even if we were discussing a million livestock, such a swift slaughter would be impossible." His voice remained level, but a razor-thin edge of amusement cut through it. "General Kane," Takahashi stated, his voice tight with agitation, "do you truly believe I would jest about matters of such gravity?" "I cannot say for certain," Maxwell responded. "It is merely difficult to accept. What you are describing strains credulity." "It does seem absurd," Takahashi conceded, before pressing on with urgency. "But it is the unvarnished truth. Their combat prowess is astonishing—at least Tier 16, perhaps Tier 17. They wield devastating area-of-effect abilities. Their kills are tallied in the hundreds, even thousands, at a time!" Initially, Takahashi’s analysts had estimated their strength at Tier 15. Upon witnessing Infernals being obliterated in a single strike, they had revised that estimation upward by two subsequent tiers. Maxwell emitted a brief, dismissive laugh. "Prime Minister Takahashi, I suspect the immense pressure of the apocalypse has induced hallucinations. How could there possibly be humans possessing Tier 16 or Tier 17 capabilities at this juncture?" He paused, then added with saccharine sweetness, "I trust Yamato still has functioning psychiatrists, does it not? Perhaps you should consult one. Should your facilities be lacking, I would be willing to dispatch one out of sheer goodwill. It is the least we can do." "I am not unwell!" Takahashi retorted, his voice escalating in volume. He then seemed to catch himself, recalling the purpose of his call, and managed to suppress his rising anger. "I assure you, I speak the absolute truth," he declared, each word painstakingly enunciated. "Countless witnesses have observed these events. General Kane—this is the apocalypse. The struggle for human survival is arduous enough as it is. We ought to be extending support to one another. I implore you to make contact with these individuals and urge them to cease their actions. Cease this relentless killing. Do not continue to accumulate further sins upon your ledger." "Cease the killing?" Maxwell echoed, the amiable facade vanishing completely. A cold, furious heat surged from the depths of his being, so potent it nearly induced dizziness. "When your people launched that ambush upon us—and our allies—did the thought of 'stopping' ever cross your minds?" Maxwell's voice escalated, each word becoming sharper and more accusatory. "When you were incinerating cities, plundering resources, engaging in rape, abduction, and perpetrating massacres as if it were a mere pastime—did you ever contemplate ceasing your atrocities?" He leaned forward, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the phone with unyielding force. "Ninety-year-old elders. Pregnant women. Unborn infants still within the womb." His tone turned utterly brutal. "Did you ever exhibit even a shred of hesitation?"

"Live dissections. Freezing humans and skinning them to the bone. All those extermination-level experiments." Maxwell spat out the words. "Did you ever lose a wink of sleep over it?"

"And now you're calling me to discuss 'sins'?" He let out a harsh laugh. "Do you even hear yourself?"

He didn’t give Takahashi an opportunity to interject.

"What they are doing doesn't even come close to what you did," Maxwell stated, his voice low and laced with venom. "Not even one ten-thousandth of it."

"You..."

Ryuji Takahashi was clearly caught off guard by Maxwell's outburst. It took him a considerable moment before he finally spoke again, his voice now small.

"Wasn't all that... ancient history?" he questioned. "It's been so long. Shouldn't we have moved past it by now?"

"Moved past it?" Maxwell's laugh held no trace of amusement. "My father, my grandfather, my wife—all of them perished in that ambush. Such a blood debt is etched into your very bones. You don't simply 'move on.'"

He clenched the satellite phone with such force that his knuckles turned white.

"If I could reach your location right now, I would personally lead our forces and obliterate the Yamato Empire from existence."

Maxwell's tone turned frigid and malicious.

"And you expect me to contact them and instruct them to cease their killing?" He practically spat the words. "You have some nerve. Do yourself a favor—stay home and await your demise."

He abruptly terminated the call.

For a fleeting second, the room was enveloped in silence, save for Maxwell's heavy breathing.

Then, he brought his palm down on the table with a bang, a wide grin spreading across his face as if he had just expelled a great burden.

"God, that felt good. So incredibly good."

Maxwell hailed from a prominent military lineage. Many of his kin had fallen during that devastating war.

He harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Yamato Empire since his childhood. Upon ascending to the position of the Federation's top military commander, his most fervent desire was to one day lead Atlas troops directly into Yamato territory.

However, in times of peace, that day never arrived.

Then, the apocalypse descended.

And somehow, the prospect of revenge re-emerged.

It wasn't him marching in person—but Ethan's contingent was also part of the Atlas Federation. If they managed to annihilate Yamato, it would feel no different to Maxwell than if he had accomplished it with his own hands.

For years, he had envisioned confronting the Yamato Prime Minister and unleashing a torrent of curses upon him.

Today, he finally had his moment.

The other individuals present in the conference room could only stare at him, a touch bewildered. Evidently, this was the first time most of them had witnessed Maxwell in such a state.

Gabriel was the first to shatter the quiet. "General Kane... why did you hang up? You could have let the rest of us get a few words in as well."

"Indeed!" someone chimed in with a complaint. "You had your fun. Let us have ours."

Maxwell let out a cough, suddenly feeling a bit sheepish. "Uh... got carried away. My mistake."

Gabriel tilted his head. "So... should we call him back?"

"..."

Yamato Empire High Command.

"Bang!"

Ryuji Takahashi slammed the satellite phone down, smashing it against the floor.

"Maxwell, you absolute scoundrel!" he bellowed. "You've crossed the line entirely!"

"Takahashi-san, please regain your composure!"

"Regain my composure?" Takahashi spun around, his voice rising. "He just screamed at me! You want me to calm down?!"

He pointed a trembling finger at the men in the room.

"This is all because of you and your brilliant notion! You orchestrated for me to present myself only for them to slap my face!"

One official nervously swallowed and ventured cautiously, "Um... Takahashi-san... perhaps the issue lay with your approach. We were the ones seeking assistance. We should have adopted a more humble stance."

"My approach?" Takahashi's eyes reddened. "I was called an imbecile and didn't even dare retort, and you're suggesting my approach was flawed?!"

Everyone immediately averted their gaze.

What remained unsaid was the unspoken truth: it wasn't that he *hadn't dared* to retort.

It was that Maxwell had offered him absolutely no opening whatsoever.

Following a protracted period of oppressive silence, Takahashi finally managed to suppress his fury, his jaw quivering.

"...So, what is the plan now?" he inquired, his voice hoarse.

"We must try again," Takeo Kobayashi declared, stepping forward. "We need to go through the Atlas Federation's leadership. At the very least, they will listen. Those individuals on the front lines will not. They don't engage in negotiations—they simply raze cities."

Takahashi's expression contorted. "If anyone wishes to contact them, be my guest. Do not involve me. I refuse to let someone hurl insults at me again."

Ichigo Ishikawa's voice was devoid of emotion. "Since it was your initial suggestion, you should be the one to make the call."

"..."

Takeo's face tightened.

Under everyone's scrutinizing gaze, he had no alternative. He swallowed hard, retrieved a new satellite phone, and dialed once more, his fingers trembling.