Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Chris was frantic, his movements swift and decisive. He would've stepped up for any teammate in danger, but this was Sophie. There was no hesitation.

Time to show what being a man is all about.

His blade sliced through the air, aimed straight for Scarface. Victory seemed imminent—until, out of nowhere, Scarface tilted his head, and a tentacle shot out from behind him. It lashed through the air like a steel whip, slamming into Chris with brutal force.

Thud!

The impact sent Chris sprawling to the ground, landing face-first in a heap. It wasn't his most graceful moment.

"Well, that's embarrassing..." he muttered under his breath, trying to push himself up. But before he could fully recover, the sharp sound of something cutting through the air reached his ears. Another tentacle was hurtling toward him, this one aimed to pierce straight through his back.

Reacting on instinct, Chris rolled to the side in a quick kip-up, abandoning his weapon to grab the incoming tentacle with both hands.

But the thing was slick with some kind of slimy mucus, slippery and disgusting. Worse, it was strong—stronger than he expected. It slid through his grip bit by bit, coiling around his neck like a snake.

"Gah!" Chris choked, his throat tightening as the tentacle constricted. His face turned red, veins bulging as his vision blurred with golden sparks.

Scarface, meanwhile, grinned wickedly. Two more tentacles emerged from his back, slicing through the air with deadly intent, both aimed directly at Chris.

The situation was dire. Death was staring him in the face.

"Uncle Chris!" Brandon's voice rang out from behind, filled with panic. He and the others were rushing to help, but they were too far away. There wasn't enough time.

"Damn it... I told you not to play the hero!" someone shouted in frustration.

But just as despair began to settle in, something unexpected happened. Chris's body started to glow faintly red, his skin heating up like he'd been thrown into a furnace. Waves of heat radiated off him, distorting the air around him.

"What the...?" The onlookers froze, their eyes wide with confusion and disbelief.

The heat intensified, growing stronger and stronger until it reached a boiling point. Then, with a deafening whoosh, flames erupted around Chris, engulfing him in a blazing inferno.

In that critical moment, Chris had broken through. A crystal core had formed within him—he had awakened as a fire-type Awakener.

"RAAAAH!" Chris roared, the flames surging outward. The tentacle wrapped around his neck shriveled and burned, retreating with a screech of pain.

Finally free, Chris stood tall, flames dancing across his body. He looked down at his hands, flexing them as a newfound power coursed through him. His expression shifted from shock to exhilaration.

"So this is what it feels like to awaken a crystal core..." he murmured, a grin spreading across his face.

Confidence surged through him. He reached down to pick up his fallen machete, the flames licking up the blade as if it were an extension of his own body. His eyes locked onto Scarface, who now looked visibly uneasy despite his grotesque features.

"Let's see if you're worthy of being my first kill as an Awakener," Chris said, his voice low and steady.

The flames around him roared louder, the heat so intense it made the air shimmer. Then, in a burst of speed, Chris launched himself forward.

"Flame Breathing, First Form: Wildfire!" he shouted, the words spilling out instinctively. Using the explosive force of the flames, he closed the distance in an instant, raising his blade high before bringing it down in a fiery arc.

The fire surged with his strike, carving through the air like a dragon made of flames. Scarface barely had time to react. His face twisted in terror as the fire consumed him, his screams echoing through the battlefield.

And then, silence. The flames died down, leaving nothing but ash in their wake. Scarface was gone, reduced to nothing more than a pile of smoldering embers.

Chris stood there, his machete still raised, his body surrounded by the faint glow of dying embers. The flames around him flickered out, leaving him standing amidst the falling ash, which drifted down like snow.

The others stared, dumbfounded.

"Uncle Chris... broke through?" someone finally whispered.

"What was that move he just used?" another asked, still in shock.

"No idea... but it was kinda cool."

The murmurs grew louder, a mix of awe and disbelief. For once, Chris had managed to steal the spotlight.

Feeling the weight of their gazes, Chris couldn't help but let a smirk creep onto his face. He tilted his head slightly, flashing what he thought was his most charming smile.

"Man, I'm awesome," he thought to himself, thoroughly pleased. And the best part? Sophie had seen the whole thing.

Surely, she was completely smitten now.

How could she not be?

Chris turned around, his gaze landing on Sophie, her delicate features glowing softly in the aftermath of the battle. With a confident stride, he walked up to her, stopping just a step away. His voice was low, carrying a hint of authority.

"Woman, don't wander off. It's dangerous out here. You're better off staying by my side."

"Oh…" Sophie's cheeks flushed a deep red as she lowered her head, avoiding his eyes. Her shy demeanor made her look even more delicate.

The others froze, staring at the scene in stunned silence.

What… what kind of tone was that?

Was this some kind of over-the-top CEO romance novel moment?

Brandon, standing off to the side, scratched his head, utterly baffled. Something about today's events felt… off. Could it be? Did Uncle Chris actually score this time?

Chris, on the other hand, was practically glowing with pride. After all the humiliation he'd endured, today felt like his moment of triumph. Finally, he was the hero. Finally, he was the center of attention.

But in his self-satisfied haze, he failed to notice the subtle shift in Sophie's expression. Her shy, blushing face slowly twisted into something darker, something sinister. Her lowered head hid a growing malice, and her aura turned icy cold.

Then, without warning, Sophie's head snapped up. Her face was no longer the gentle, bashful one from moments ago. Her eyes gleamed with bloodlust, her expression twisted into something monstrous.

Before Chris could react, her abdomen split open grotesquely, and a tentacle shot out with terrifying speed, faster than the eye could follow.

"Huh?" Chris's eyes widened in shock as he sensed the danger too late. He tried to dodge, but the tentacle was already upon him.

Schlunk!

A sharp, searing pain tore through his shoulder as the tentacle pierced clean through. The wound was in almost the exact same spot as the last two times he'd been injured.

"This… this can't be…" Chris stammered, his voice trembling. His wide eyes locked onto Sophie—or whatever she had become. Her once-beautiful face was now a grotesque mask of bloodlust and malice, her monstrous form radiating pure hostility.

Chris's heart sank. It felt like his entire world was crumbling around him. The dramatic, triumphant moment he'd envisioned had turned into a nightmare.

"Not again…" he muttered, his voice hollow. "Another parasite…"

The sky above was gray and heavy, the snow outside falling in a slow, somber drift.

Brandon, watching from a distance, let out a long sigh. Somehow, this felt… inevitable. Like the universe was just correcting itself.

"Uncle Chris really did score… a hat trick," Brandon muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

Sophie—or rather, the parasite controlling her—wasn't done. Seeing that her first strike hadn't finished Chris off, she lashed out again, another tentacle whipping toward him with deadly precision.

Chris gritted his teeth, forcing himself to ignore the pain. With his free hand, he raised his machete and managed to deflect the attack, the blade sparking as it clashed against the slimy appendage.

"Hey! A little help here!" Chris shouted, his voice strained.

"Oh, right!" The others snapped out of their daze and rushed forward, joining the fight against the monstrous Sophie.

But the chaos didn't stop there. Not far away, two other women—a freckled girl and an ice-type Awakener—suddenly revealed their true forms as well. Their faces twisted into monstrous visages, and they lunged at their former teammates, their bodies morphing into grotesque shapes.

Brandon quickly pulled Chris out of the fray, helping him retreat to a safer distance. "Uncle Chris, you've done it again. You've sniffed out the parasites for us. You're like… a magnet for them."

"…" Chris said nothing, his face dark as he clutched his wounded shoulder. His mood was at rock bottom, the sting of betrayal cutting deeper than the physical pain. He hadn't even begun to recover from the emotional blow.

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All he wanted was a sweet, normal romance. Was that too much to ask? Why… why did every woman he got close to turn out to be a parasite?

Maybe… maybe he was cursed. Maybe being near women was just bad luck for him.

Chris took a deep, shaky breath, his mind racing. After a moment, his expression hardened, and he made a decision.

"Brandon," he said, his voice low and resolute. "I've made up my mind. From now on… I'm done liking women."

"Wait, what?!" Brandon recoiled, his eyes wide with shock. He instinctively pulled his hand away from Chris, as if the declaration had physically startled him.

Meanwhile, on the front lines, Zane and the others were locked in fierce combat. The battlefield was littered with the corpses of countless monsters, their bodies piling up like small hills.

But when Zane glanced back, he noticed the chaos unfolding behind them. Sophie and three others had fully transformed into monsters, turning on their own teammates with savage ferocity.

A pang of sadness flickered across his face. It was always hard to see comrades fall like this.

But before the melancholy could take root, Ethan stepped forward. His movements were swift and precise, his expression cold and unflinching. With a single, clean strike, he cut Sophie down, her body collapsing to the ground in a heap. Without missing a beat, he angled his blade and carved out her crystal core in one smooth motion.

His efficiency was almost unsettling. It was clear this wasn't his first time dealing with something like this.

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