On the east of Sapphire Island was a mist-shrouded blue-gray mountain with a dark forest thriving beneath. On the west was a stone mansion, with a forest to its right and a wide clearing to its left. In the wide clearing, two figures faced each other. One sat on a white crane, her ink-black hair bellowing behind her, as she looked down with a placid expression on her face like an immortal gazing down at the filthy world. While the other stood in the midst of blood fog, her visage like that of a blood demoness from hell, as a stream of glowing orbs streaked toward her. One above and one below, the disharmony between the two females made them a sight to behold. "Heee...you didn't run...want to die in my hands...?" As more and more of the glowing orbs seeped into her forehead and fused with her Nuclei Orb, the aura of the crimson-haired female grew stronger and stronger. As if a stream of light pierced through a haze, Naomi felt her mind clear and bits and pieces of images flashed b
The clash with the Zombie Queen gave Ella a painful awakening. For all her advantage on future events and knowledge, her own personal strength was nothing to speak of. Gathering superhumans and regulars to build a fortress would help her realize her dream of ruling as a Superhuman Queen. Her schemes and plots would get her somewhere, but in the face of a formidable opponent, they would not get her far. If her individual power was low, any Tom or Jerry walking on the street would crush her with a single pinch. At the end of the day, the most significant power was personal strength. To survive and live a long life, to enjoy the treatment and lifestyle of a Queen, she needed power to secure her own life. Power domineering enough to confront a Zombie Queen and come out on top! Therefore, the moment Radiance crash landed inside the courtyard of the stone mansion, the first thing she did was find an isolated corner and enter her spatial space. Time inside the house didn't move. So even
"Who...who are you?" Mina croaked. "Heh. You'll know soon enough." Throwing her like a rag doll, the large man strode past her splayed figure with a stern command over his shoulder. "Take her away and place her with the others. Our Mad Scientist will be quite pleased this time." Shackled and chained on an experimental bed, tears streamed down her face as another syringe stabbed her flesh, and she screamed. It should've gotten better. Or at least, she should've adapted to the pain by now. But the uninvited groping and touches, the never-ending needles drawing her blood and filling her system with who knew what types of drugs, never got easier. On the contrary, as time went on, the pain intensified to an unbearable degree. More times than she could remember, the excruciating pain plunged her consciousness into a pool of darkness. She couldn't remember her name. The memory, and all the information associated with her identity, shattered and disintegrated under the torture of bright l
Two lines of four military trucks marched out of a military compound. They rumbled out the wired gate, ignoring the emaciated humans staring bleakly at their formation. A small group of superhumans strode out of the run-down building and leaned against the walls, crossing their arms and sticking out their legs as they watched the trucks disappear out of sight. "Another search party for Mina Muzhir?" "Last I heard, that seemed to be the case." "Pa! I really regret coming here. We're already starving to death, and all the military officials are concerned about is finding one more mouth." "I agree. If she's gone, then she's gone. It's not like the General is the only one who lost a family member." "If I knew a drop of water and a stale bread a day would be all I'd get, I wouldn't have slaved myself to rise up those walls." The group of superhumans were dissatisfied with the contribution system of the safety base. Not only because they performed hard labor to keep the zombies away,
While a bloodshed was unfolding inside the military compound, a group of people were gathered at the back of the compound. "You got all the food?" "Yes, we took everything. It'll last us about a month." "Hehe...that'll be enough. We'll replenish our supplies once we form a new base." Stacy and Kuram exchanged a glance. Two days ago, they left their base in a hurry to avoid a reencounter with the armored troop and escape the problem of food shortage. Without the presence of their loyal followers, they felt as if time went back to the days before the apocalypse. Serving and slaving for others in exchange for food and shelter was no longer the life they wanted to live. They had ambition and awakened a superpower, so why couldn't they command a force and live the life of a bigshot? So they planned a raid. Infiltrate a military base, gather a group of superhumans, incite and provoke a riot, and raid the warehouse, then leave the compound with weapons, trucks, superhumans and food.
"You're saying you don't know where my niece is?" Erick evaluated the young man. He heard many tales about the business tycoon of Cyprus. The man holding the leash of the supernatural creatures and in complete control of the country's economy. As the General of the Navy Force, Erick had the fortune to catch a glimpse of him in the Chief Deputy's office. What he never expected was to hear the news of his second brother's adopted runt getting married to the man. Of course, he didn't attend the wedding. Elladine Muzhir was a charity case of his foolish brother, and he wanted no part in the charade. But this runt...he had to say her luck and seduction skills were quite impressive to snare a man like Jabri Vaahid. "You don't have the slightest idea where Ella is. How can you still call yourself her husband?" Erick leaned back in his seat and reprimanded the man with the attitude of an elder. He had to admit. It felt nice berating the once famous and unreachable business tycoon. "I'm
Jabri strode out of the Sitting Room and tugged at his tie. "Send down my order. The Swift Troop should be ready to set out in thirty minutes." Throwing these words over his shoulder, he climbed the stairs to the second floor and entered his office. "Jabri dear, do you have to go?" Janelle squeezed in before he shut the door. "You heard him. Ella would've helped if she learned her cousin was missing." Releasing the doorframe, Jabri walked across the room and slumped into the couch. He massaged his temples with a tired expression. It was getting harder to control himself. His emotions were a constant influence on his frequent outbursts. Right now, it was only his aura. Jabri feared the coming of the day the seal shattered, and the long-suppressed force erupted. "Ella, is it?" Janella's faint voice sounded from the side. Before he could react, she stretched out her leg and sat on his lap, straddling him in a compromising manner. Jabri froze. The enticing scent of a woman's perfu
Meanwhile, on Sapphire Island, a slender figure was engaged in a battle with a horde of zombies. Slick and swift, the figure flashed back and front in front of a gated mansion, leaving only shadows in its wake. Enraged shrieks and angry snarls resounded in the air. The horde of zombies lunged forth with razor claws and bloody fangs, hungry for the blood and flesh of the human who was seemingly toying with them. The air blasted and the ground shook under their charge. But before any could lay a claw on the figure, their movements stagnated, then their heads exploded like rotten watermelons. "One more!" Ella twirled the twin blades of crimson-gold and threw them at the remaining headless zombies. Like a knife through butter, the zombies' bodies were cleanly bisected in the middle. The two halves fell apart, and a heap of glowing beads rose from amidst the macabre. She waved her hand, and the heap disappeared into thin air. "With this stack, I should be able to enter the 4th level.
Irene gasped and sunk to her knees, with tears streaming down her face. "Ella, you're finally here. Marcus...he..." "I know. I used a sedative to calm him down." Ella whispered and held out her hand to pull the woman back to her feet. She found them when the beast was scaling the trees. But she remained in the shadows and watched them fall into desperation. To gain the full loyalty of the regular humans, Ella even manipulated the mutated plants to attack them until they lost hope, before making an appearance. Her methods might be vile, and her schemes sinister. But to imprint a powerful image of herself in the hearts of her future followers, she would've even led mutated animals to encircle them before coming to their rescue. What Ella wanted was to recruit people who would never betray her in the face of personal gain or preservation. And to do that in this crumbling world, she needed to instill both gratitude and fear in the hearts of the weaker humans, which could've only been p
"We take action on three!" Brad hollered, ignoring the strange tension between them.He didn't care what relationship the two had with the beast. As long as they didn't jeopardize his life, he was more than happy to let them keep their little secret. As far as he was concerned, they were only partners until they reached open land and went their separate ways.After all, the woman he wanted to follow was no longer around, so why would he stick around to face unnecessary trouble?"One!" He got into his battle stance, a low crouch with his knife gripped backward as if he were about to slash someone's neck, and beckoned to the woman with his eyes.Thankfully, she got his message and didn't create a fuss. Walking to the other side of her friend, she held out her hands, palm up, and frost crackled on their surface."Two!""Three!" At his cry, the wood seemed to groan to live. Vines and roots shot out of nowhere, reaching for their hands and arms, while the beast on the branch lunged at them
"Grrrrr!" Larger than an ordinary wolf, their friend-turned-beast leaped from branch to branch, stalking them with glowing hungry eyes. The lack of recognition in its yellow pupils placed them on edge. "What do we do?" Irene whispered. "If he attacks, we defend until we have no choice but to...kill." Celio spat decisively. "But..." "What? Do you think you can reach him in that state? Look at him, Irene. He's a beast!" As much as it hurt to admit it, Celio knew they wouldn't be seeing Marcus again. If he was like the werewolves in supernatural stories, then there might've been a chance to talk to him and get out of this situation without any bloodshed. However, this beast wasn't like the creature in those tales. The instant it changed, there was only bloodlust, and violence in its eyes. It turned on them, and chased them all the way to this point. While he was lost in thought, the beast flashed to the other side of their barrier. Issuing a deafening snarl, he lunged at the hudd
"Footprints? They must be close..." Ella narrowed her eyes and looked around. The wood was dark. Too dark to make out anything beyond ten feet. After reaching level 4, her five senses became sharper. Even then, she had difficulty navigating through this wood. The eerie ambience added a sinister vibe to the place, making her unable to relax. "Da*n it! If I knew this place would be so perverse, I would've never come out to search for them." She couldn't even travel on Radiance due to how difficult it was to see from above. Cursing under her breath, she checked her guns, making sure they were fully loaded, before following the tracks. The further she entered the woods, the colder it became. Controlling her crimson-gold flame, Ella encased it around her body in a dome-like shield for warmth and precaution against sudden attacks. Fearful whimpers, enraged snarls, and hungry growls rang out from multiple directions. Ella sneered and kept walking. After mutation, some plants with early i
Jax swallowed and absentmindedly stared at the sprawling trees. He couldn't understand why they were still stuck. Considering how long they've been wandering, they should've already made it to the other side by now. Did they take the wrong direction, or... A chill slithered down his spine. If they were going around in circles...under a mutated plant's manipulation...then Marcus wouldn't need to take his life. They would all be a goner. "Keep moving." Suppressing his fear, he led the remaining regular humans, as moving forward was their only chance to survive. For the umpteenth time, Marcus contemplated slaughtering them. They were no help. Their fruits ran out, and the noise they created was enough to attract a horde. Combined with the fact they weren't even certain of the direction to the stone mansion, they became nothing but a troublesome burden. Kill. Killing them will make everything easier. Killing them will... No. I can't kill indiscriminately. They're worthless, but th
BOOK 2: The Superhuman Queen Chapter 1: Building A Fortress "Haha! That's payback!" Ella chuckled gleefully at the sound of the angry zombie's roar. Their last exchange severely affected her mental balance, to the point where she turned into a hermit. Other than going out to smash zombies and crash mutated plants and animals, she hadn't left her spatial space in a quest to reach level 4. Thankfully, she didn't need to find a healer for Radiance because of the spring water's healing ability. Her crane's mangled wing healed and became sturdier than before after a little splash with the water. "Now that I have a Lighting Manifestation Orb, I just need to consolidate my foundation. After a week, I'll consume the orb and aim to step into the fifth power level and awaken a lighting ability!" With this thought, Ella guided the crane back to the Stone Mansion. Swooping down in the front yard, she didn't wait for Radiance to land, before she hopped off her back and skipped into the mansion
Roaring thunder crackled and boomed, rippling across the crimson sky of Sapphire Island, bouncing from misty mountain to dense trees. "Radiance, fly faster!" Ella excitedly rubbed the crane's back. The murky clouds roiled as a flash of lighting seared the sky and painted her face in an eerie flare. "Kweee!" The white crane crooned and flapped her wings, kicking up gusts of wind blades and whirlpools of scarlet rain in the sudden downpour. This was the first rain after the descent of the meteor. Due to its blood-like hue and its mystical quality survivors of the zombie virus would later label it Armageddon Rain. As a manifestation of a union between a lighting ability superhuman and a level 4 zombie, the scarlet rain would raise all level 1 zombies to 2, and level 2 zombies to level 3. 'I don't know if it's Charlie, but even if it's not, it doesn't matter.' She only needed to find the location of the superhuman and level 4 zombie's union before anyone else. As a level 4 superhum
She had been wandering the woods ever since she escaped, lurking and preying on the frail creatures to sate her thirst. The thirst. It was insatiable. Always there, scorching her heart and setting her throat on fire. The crimson liquid would douse it for a while. But only a short while, and that too, when she was feasting. Then the moment she ran out, it would return with greater fury. Her heart no longer beat, and she no longer felt tired. She would walk for days and hunt for nights without experiencing the slightest discomfort. All would've been fine and well if it wasn't for the nagging urge to eat, eat, and eat. She knew her name. Naomi Miller. She knew she had a brother. Kaiden Miller. He loved her and spoiled her, giving her whatever she wanted without hesitation. She knew he was probably worried. Maybe even shocked silly by her transformation. She should go to him and ease his worries. She knew she should, but for all that was flesh and blood, she couldn't bring hersel
"Roar!" Right at this moment, a ferocious growl split through the air. Irene and Celio leaped to their feet and stood back to back, while Marcus and Brad got into a fighting stance. Charlie merely narrowed his eyes and didn't move. Sparks of lighting danced across his fingers, shrouding his features in a ghostly light. "What...what was that? A zombie or...mutated creature?" Jax stammered. "We'll know soon enough, won't we?" Brad nonchalantly smirked. Though he didn't awaken a superpower, his aura wasn't any weaker than his four friends. Jax wondered how the man managed to stay calm and confident in such circumstances, when he was just as powerless as him. The roars grew stronger, and as it drew near, the ground began to shake. Irene created a protective shield around her friends, while Celio focused on stabilizing everyone's balance. By now, the humans were frozen stiff and as pale as a corpse with fright. "Is it...Naomi Miller?" One whispered. "I don't think so. If it was, sh