Apocalypse: King of Zombies Chapter 1602: That’s Practically Entrapment!

The Crimsonborn froze when they heard the guards. Then they spotted the humans standing atop the wall, and surprise flashed across their faces.

"Humans?"

"Never expected to find humans in this world. But look at them—they’re only Stage B."

"Natives are natives." The Crimsonborn chief shook his head. "They’re this weak, yet they still dare threaten to kill trespassers."

"You can’t blame them. They’ve never seen the wider world," the Crimsonborn High Elder said with a laugh.

"Then why don’t we broaden their horizons?" another elder asked eagerly.

"Hahaha! Go ahead. Just don’t kill them all. We can keep some as servants."

"Don’t worry. I know when to stop."

Ignoring the guards’ warning, the Crimsonborn continued toward New Atlas.

They were a formidable group. Their chief stood at the peak of Tier 41, with dozens of Stage SS fighters behind him. The other several thousand Crimsonborn were all Stage S.

They might not compare to the strongest races, but against a bunch of natives, they felt completely superior.

"This is your final warning! You have entered New Atlas territory! Turn back now or you will be executed on the spot!"

"Executed? Do you actually have the strength to pull that off?"

"Hahaha! Come on, then! Kill us!"

The hulking Crimsonborn laughed wildly.

Then a massive flock of red birds rose from behind New Atlas. They quickly reached the Crimsonborn and surrounded them from above.

A human stood atop each Flamebird, staring down at them as if they were already dead.

The Crimsonborn felt a sudden jolt of unease.

"Stage S!" Their chief frowned. "Every human and every bird is Stage S!"

"There have to be at least twenty thousand of them. Counting the humans and birds together, that’s forty thousand Stage S fighters. I didn’t expect these natives to have an army like this."

"It’ll make things a little more troublesome, that’s all," the High Elder said coldly. "Without any Stage SS fighters, they’re still nothing."

As soon as he finished speaking, several more figures approached on Flamebirds.

The Crimsonborn were startled again.

Every newcomer was Stage SS.

"What the hell is wrong with these people?" the Crimsonborn Second Elder complained. "They have Stage SS fighters, but they put a bunch of Stage B weaklings at the gate? That’s practically entrapment!"

"It’s fine. They only have ten Stage SS fighters. We still have the advantage," the High Elder said again, though he sounded far less confident this time.

Then two more figures emerged from New Atlas, walking through the air.

Walking through the air.

Every Crimsonborn went rigid with fear.

"Dear gods... Stage SSS!"

The High Elder swallowed hard, then dropped to his knees with such speed that the other Crimsonborn leaders could only stare.

"My lords, we were blind fools who failed to recognize your greatness. Please forgive us!"

He repeatedly knocked his head against the ground as he begged for mercy, then hissed at the leaders beside him, "What are you waiting for? Beg! Do you want to die?"

The Crimsonborn leaders snapped back to their senses and dropped to their knees.

"Please forgive us, my lords! We’ll never do it again!"

Moments ago, they had acted as if the world already belonged to them. Now every Crimsonborn leader was kneeling and trembling.

It wasn’t that they had no backbone. Backbone meant nothing before Stage SSS fighters.

Was pride more important than staying alive?

Ethan looked down at them calmly.

"You were warned not to enter, weren’t you?"

"Yes, yes! We didn’t know what was good for us. We’ll leave immediately."

The Crimsonborn chief tried to lead his people away, but Ethan shook his head.

"Too late."

"Kill them all and feed them to the birds."

"Yes, sir!"

The Fallen Star Guard attacked at once, charging into the Stage S Crimsonborn.

Chris and the others went straight for the Stage SS fighters.

"No! My lord, please spare us!" The Crimsonborn chief’s face changed drastically. "We’ll serve you! We’ll be your slaves and do anything you ask!"

Ethan didn’t so much as blink.

Their pleas didn’t slow the Fallen Star Guard either. If anything, they attacked even more viciously.

"They’ve already surrendered," Abyron said, unable to bear the sight. "Why slaughter them all?"

"What is it with ancient humans? Were you all bleeding hearts?" Ethan rolled his eyes. "No wonder you were wiped out."

"If I let them leave, they’ll spread word about this place everywhere they go. Before long, enemies will be closing in on us from every direction."

"If humanity is going to survive this disaster, this is the bare minimum."

"You work for me now. Just do what I say and stop asking questions."

"All right." Abyron nodded and fell silent.

"If you’ve got nothing better to do, go kill those Stage SS fighters. Take out as many of the others as you can while you’re at it."

"That hardly seems appropriate. I’m a Tier 47 fighter. Attacking opponents this weak would be beneath me."

"Screw your dignity. Nobody here even knows who you are. Get moving. We need to end this fast and minimize our own casualties."

"Well... all right."

Abyron reluctantly took a step and appeared on the battlefield. An energy spear formed in his hand, and he charged into the group of Stage SS fighters.

Every thrust claimed a life.

Chris and the others had been under considerable pressure against dozens of Stage SS enemies. The moment Abyron joined the fight, that pressure vanished.

"You’re a Stage SSS fighter, yet you attack the weak without the slightest honor!" the High Elder shouted angrily.

Abyron looked uncomfortable, but he pretended not to hear.

Shnk!

A spear suddenly appeared and punched straight through the High Elder’s head.

"You talk too much."

Chris emerged from thin air and gave the High Elder’s corpse a disgusted glance before vanishing again.

Abyron stared at the spot where he had disappeared.

The High Elder had been Tier 41, yet Chris had killed him instantly.

Were all modern humans this strong?

Abyron glanced at the other Stage SS fighters from New Atlas. Sure enough, every last one of them was fighting above their Tier—and they were terrifyingly good at it.

"The times really have changed."

He shook his head and picked up his pace. If a group of Stage SS fighters outperformed him, he would never be able to hold his head up in front of his boss again.

For some reason, even though he was stronger than Ethan, Abyron still found the guy a little intimidating.

Go figure.