Apocalypse: King of Zombies Chapter 1519: The Old Trump Card Wakes Again

"Boss, bring Dopey out. I want to see if I can break its seal." Skinny Pete looked at Ethan excitedly.

Ethan nodded and waved a hand. Dopey appeared in front of them.

For a moment, everyone stared at it in a daze.

There had been a time when Dopey’s power was beyond their reach. It had once been the Fallen Star Squad’s strongest trump card.

Dopey had saved them more times than they could count. Without it, they never would have made it this far. They would’ve been dead and buried long ago.

Whether it was the Infernal invasion, the appearance of the Stoneborn, or the Winged Clan that came afterward, Dopey had been the key to turning the tables.

Without it, the Atlas Federation would have fallen long ago.

That was why Dopey held a special place in all their hearts. None of Ethan’s other soulless thralls could compare.

Now that they had entered Stage SS, however, they had surpassed Dopey in strength. Their enemies were growing stronger as well, leaving Dopey with fewer chances to fight.

Ordinary Stage SS fighters couldn’t do much damage to it, but Dopey couldn’t hurt them either. Eventually, Ethan stopped summoning it altogether.

That was especially true now that they were facing so many peak Tier 41 enemies. Ethan had no idea whether Dopey’s body could withstand attacks at that level, so he didn’t dare bring it out casually.

But now, Dopey might finally return to the battlefield in all its glory and reclaim its place as their strongest trump card.

Everyone was excited.

"Ethan, I’m a little worried," Chris said. "If we break Dopey’s seal, will the method for controlling soulless thralls still work on it?"

Concern appeared on Ethan’s face. He had been wondering the same thing.

They already knew that the soulless thrall creation method could only create thralls up to Tier 35.

Dopey had probably only been successfully turned into a soulless thrall because the seal suppressed its true power.

If they released that power, would it break free from Ethan’s control?

No one knew.

Ethan wondered.

After thinking it over, he shook his head.

He had always felt that the creature was hiding something from him. Besides, it had been close to Dopey, so it certainly wouldn’t want Dopey to remain under his control.

Even if Ethan could still control Dopey after the seal was broken, that creature might find a way to make sure he couldn’t.

Asking it for help would probably backfire.

Ethan rubbed his forehead, unable to decide.

This was a massive gamble. If it worked, they would gain a Stage SSS combatant. If it failed...

Actually, failure might not be that dangerous.

A soulless thrall without a master would simply lie there like a corpse. It wouldn’t attack anyone.

When Ethan had first found Dopey, it had been lying motionless inside a coffin. If the binding failed, Dopey would probably return to that state.

Besides, controlling Dopey the first time had taken several buckets of blood and an entire week. Ethan had performed the thrall-binding ritual countless times before it finally took hold.

That bond shouldn’t be so easy to break.

Still uncertain, Ethan turned to Skinny Pete.

"Do you think Dopey will break free from my control?"

"No." Skinny Pete answered without hesitation. "I feel like once I break Dopey’s seal, we’ll gain a Stage SSS fighter."

That was all Ethan needed to hear.

"All right. I trust you. Break the seal."

"Got it."

Skinny Pete walked up to Dopey and pressed a finger to the center of its forehead. Pure white light emerged from his hand and flowed into Dopey’s brow.

The others quickly moved back, watching him nervously.

Ethan had already drawn his poleaxe. He was even more tense than the rest of them.

Light continued pouring from Skinny Pete’s hand into Dopey.

After a long while, a faint crack seemed to echo inside Skinny Pete’s mind.

Dopey’s presence exploded.

The force sent Skinny Pete flying. He slammed into the spatial barrier of the Deadlock Dimension.

"Pfft!"

He coughed up blood before crashing heavily to the ground.

"Skinny Pete!"

Henry and Big Mike rushed over to help him up. Henry immediately cast a healing ability and began treating his injuries.

The others stared at Dopey in alarm, their expressions grave.

Aside from Ethan, this was the first time any of them had personally felt the presence of a Stage SSS being.

It was terrifying.

The sheer force of its presence had thrown Skinny Pete that far. If they actually had to fight something like this, they couldn’t imagine whether they would survive even one blow.

Ethan was both excited and nervous.

Suppressing his excitement, Ethan sent Dopey a mental command to move.

Dopey remained perfectly still.

Ethan’s expression sank.

Had it broken free?

He could still sense a faint connection between them. Their bond hadn’t disappeared completely.

So why wasn’t Dopey obeying him?

"What’s wrong, Boss?" The others noticed his expression and immediately grew nervous. "Did Dopey really break free?"

"I’m not sure. The connection between us hasn’t been completely severed."

Ethan tried several more times, but nothing changed. Dopey simply stood there without moving.

Frowning, Ethan walked up to it. After a moment’s thought, he took out a dagger and cut his wrist.

Blood poured from the wound.

He pressed his bleeding wrist against Dopey’s forehead and began performing the thrall-binding ritual again.

As Dopey absorbed his blood, the faint connection between them grew clearer.

"It’s working."

Ethan’s eyes lit up. He laid Dopey on the ground and let his blood drip steadily onto its forehead while repeatedly performing the ritual.

Perhaps because Ethan’s blood had been what awakened it in the first place, Dopey showed no resistance. It absorbed every drop.

Ethan finally relaxed.

As long as it accepted his blood, he still had a chance.

Time passed.

Ethan continued performing the ritual without rest. Blood flowed steadily from his wrist, and his face gradually turned deathly pale.

The others watched anxiously, but none of them interfered. They knew they couldn’t disturb him now.

By the time Ethan had lost more than half the blood in his body, Dopey finally stopped absorbing it.

A smile appeared on Ethan’s face.

The bond between them had returned to what it had been before.

"I’m exhausted..."

Completely drained, Ethan toppled over.

Mia rushed forward and caught him in her arms.

Feeling the softness against him, Ethan forced his eyes open and looked up at her with a gentle smile.

He desperately wanted to sleep, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay awake.

He knew he wasn’t merely tired. He was about to pass out.

If he lost consciousness, the Deadlock Dimension would collapse, and they would be in serious trouble.

Henry immediately cast a healing ability, closing the wound on Ethan’s wrist.

But Henry couldn’t replace the blood he had lost. That would have to recover naturally over time.

Fortunately, Ethan’s body was incredibly strong. Anyone else would have died after losing that much blood.

"Uh... couldn’t you guys... give me a blood transfusion?" Ethan asked weakly.

"Oh, right. We can do that." Everyone suddenly realized the obvious.

Since the apocalypse, Henry could handle almost any injury with a single ability. They had nearly forgotten how people treated injuries before the world changed.

"What’s the boss’s blood type?"

"Ethan’s AB. Any of us will work," Chris said.

"Oh. That makes things easy."

Everyone donated some blood, and Ethan’s condition finally improved.

They didn’t have hospital equipment, but at their level, something as simple as a blood transfusion was hardly a problem.