Chapter 648: Trying to run again?

A surge of rich, potent energy flooded into Ethan’s body, wrapping him in a wave of comfort so intense it was almost euphoric. Then, something inside him shifted—again. A crimson aura of blood energy erupted from him like a geyser, shooting straight into the sky.

All at once, his entire body cracked and popped with a sound like shattering glass. It was as if some invisible barrier had just exploded.

He’d done it. He’d broken through the threshold—he was now SSS-rank.

Blood energy swirled around him like a living flame, wild and untamed. He felt stronger than ever before.

And with that breakthrough came something new—a power called

Blood Rite

.

It had been lying dormant inside him ever since he hunted down the "Perfect Team," a seed planted deep within his body. Now, with his evolution to SSS, it had finally awakened.

Blood Rite

allowed him to burn his own blood essence for a massive, short-term boost in power.

And with Ethan’s body—the body of the Zombie King—this ability was like strapping a rocket to a war machine. The power he now wielded was beyond imagination.

Gulp.

LORN stood frozen, staring at the scene in disbelief. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, a wave of primal fear washing over him.

He hadn’t been able to beat Ethan before—and now, after this transformation?

"This is all that damn Crimson Count’s fault... and I even went back to give him the crystal core!" LORN clenched his jaw, cursing under his breath.

But Ethan wasn’t giving him time to wallow in regret. He was already charging forward, his aura surging like a tidal wave. The

Domain of the Dead

pulsed around him, more intense than ever.

Now that he’d hit SSS, Ethan was on a whole new level.

LORN felt like his body had turned to lead. He couldn’t move. Couldn’t dodge. Couldn’t even breathe properly.

Desperately, he gathered his energy and conjured a thick wall of ice in front of him.

BOOM—!

Ethan’s fist came crashing down. The ice, though dense and solid, shattered like brittle glass. It didn’t even slow him down.

His punch landed squarely on LORN’s chest.

Splurt!

Blood sprayed from LORN’s mouth as his chest caved in. His body flew backward like a baseball knocked out of the park, tumbling through the air.

But before he could even hit the ground, Ethan was already behind him, another punch cocked and ready.

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

A flurry of brutal blows rained down. Ice shards flew off LORN’s body with each hit. He looked like a frozen statue being smashed to pieces, his form crumbling under the relentless assault.

With every punch Ethan threw, the entire mountain range trembled.

The onlookers could only stare, eyes wide, jaws slack, completely stunned.

He was unstoppable...

Ethan had evolved into the strongest Zombie King Earth had ever seen.

...

Meanwhile, down below, the zombie underlings were still locked in fierce combat, wiping out the last remnants of the Vampire Race. Their momentum was unstoppable.

Some of the pureblood zombies, after witnessing the death of the Crimson Count, even switched sides on the spot—turning on their former comrades without hesitation.

Laura’s alloy claws, which had previously been gripping Ravena’s severed head, now held Dexter’s instead.

The Crimson Count’s adopted sons and daughters? Almost all of them had been slaughtered by her hand.

"Is this... another defeat?" Sophia muttered, her claws trembling as she clenched her fists. She watched as the Vampire Race crumbled before her eyes, her heart filled with rage and despair.

The dream of victory—shattered once again.

But now wasn’t the time to wallow in anger.

There was still a chance to do what she did best. She’d been through this before. She knew exactly what to do next.

Her eyes darted around, scanning the battlefield like a thief casing a joint. She picked a direction and began to slip away, quiet as a shadow.

But then—suddenly—a massive wave of psychic energy slammed into her.

It hit like a steel spike, piercing straight into her mind.

"AAAHHH—!"

Sophia screamed in agony. It felt like someone had poured boiling oil directly into her brain.

That sensation... that pain... it was all too familiar.

Her mind went blank. Her vision darkened. Her body swayed, then collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

Behind her, the figure of PhD emerged from the shadows.

"Trying to run again?"

Samara, Mad Dog, and T-Rex—the infamous Japanese Iron Trio—stepped forward one by one, surrounding Sophia’s unconscious body.

"PhD, what do we do with this one?" Mad Dog asked, eyeing Sophia with curiosity.

PhD paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Take her back. I want to run some tests."

"What’s there to test?" T-Rex rumbled, his voice thick and puzzled.

PhD didn’t seem to care. "Even if there’s nothing useful, she could still make a decent mascot."

"...What?" The other Zombie Kings exchanged confused glances.

Wasn’t she supposed to be some kind of planted weakness for the enemy?

Now she’s a... mascot?

PhD’s glasses caught the light, a glint of amusement flashing across the lenses.

"If another powerful enemy ever shows up, we’ll just hand Sophia over to them..."

...

Meanwhile, at the top of the mountain, the battle was drawing to a close.

LORN was completely outmatched. Ethan had crushed him—body shattered, bloodied, and broken, lying in a heap on the ground.

"You think this is over?" LORN spat, his voice ragged. "Don’t get cocky. This is just the beginning!"

"Oh?" Ethan replied flatly—and brought his foot down.

LORN’s twisted expression vanished in an instant, obliterated beneath a surge of raw, explosive energy.

And just like that, the battle was over.

Ethan swept his gaze across the mountaintop. Under the blood-red moonlight, Mount Elbert lay in ruins.

The ground was torn apart, scarred by the chaos of war. Severed limbs and mangled corpses were piled high like grotesque monuments. Rivers of blackened blood flowed beneath them.

It was a scene straight out of hell—an ocean of death and carnage.

"Mia, wake up! Please, wake up... Ethan won! It’s over!

Please!

" A voice rang out through the devastation, raw and desperate, cracking with grief.

Not far away, Sean was kneeling beside Mia’s lifeless body, shaking her gently, tears streaming down his face.

Chris tried to stop him. "Hey! Quit shaking her like that—she’s gonna fall apart!"

"WAAAHHH!" Sean collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

Ethan’s silhouette slowly approached from behind.

Chris and the others turned to look, instinctively stepping aside, uneasy in his presence.

Ethan knelt down, eyes fixed on Mia.

She’d absorbed his blood, but still hadn’t woken up. Her body, once shattered, had healed—but she remained motionless.

Her once-beautiful face was now marred by deep, jagged cracks, twisted and terrifying, like something out of a nightmare.

Her eyes stayed shut. No breath. No heartbeat. Nothing.

"Ethan... why isn’t she waking up?" Sean asked, voice trembling.

"I don’t know..." Ethan murmured, shaking his head slowly. He’d never seen anything like this before.

Normally, when a human was on the brink of death, they could be turned into a zombie. But Mia’s body had been too far gone—her crystal core shattered. There was no telling if it would work.

And even if she did come back... she wouldn’t be the same. She’d lose her mind. Her memories. Everything that made her Mia.

"Mia! Come on, wake up! Stop pretending! Please!" Sean kept calling out, voice hoarse with grief.

But Mia lay there, still and silent, like she was just sleeping.

The light of humanity... had gone out.

Chris and the others exchanged glances, the weight of sorrow heavy in their eyes.

"Is she... really gone?"

"Doesn’t look good."

"Mia, please don’t do this..."

Tears flowed freely. The grief was overwhelming.

But then—Mia’s finger twitched.

A moment later, her teeth clenched with a sharp

crack

, and her eyes snapped open—burning with a savage, feral light.

"RRRAAAHHHH—!"

...