[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-apocalypse-king-of-zombies":3,"chapter-apocalypse-king-of-zombies-apocalypse-king-of-zombies-chapter-1292":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Apocalypse: King of Zombies",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},697389,930,"Chapter 1290: He Let It Go","apocalypse-king-of-zombies-chapter-1292",1292,"\u003Cp>While Chris and Big Mike were still messing around, Skinny Pete slipped over to Ethan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Captain—take me to chase those guys down. Let's grab a few of those as mounts. Imagine it: Fallen Star Squad, one per person. That'd look sick.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was thinking the same thing,\" Ethan said, nodding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those red birds were ridiculously fast, could use abilities, and were high tier. Way better mounts than Flint and the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Skinny Pete laughed, full of confidence. \"Then let's go. With my current strength, getting one for each of us is easy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"One each?\" Ethan rubbed his chin. \"Nah. My plan is… to take the whole pot.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Skinny Pete blinked. \"Huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Captain, that's like—tens of thousands. You could kill me and I still couldn't control that many.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who said you're controlling that many?\" Ethan shot him a look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed toward the distant sky. \"I've already figured out which one's the leader. It's been hiding well, but it didn't fool me. I left it alive on purpose—for you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Skinny Pete's eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As long as you can control the leader,\" Ethan went on, \"we basically control the entire Flamebird flock.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Oh.\" Skinny Pete's face lit up. \"Oh, that's actually genius.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others crowded in too, having overheard. The moment they caught on, the mood spiked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If we can control the whole flock, that's insane,\" Big Mike said, already getting carried away. \"Take those Flamebirds outside and it's straight-up cheating. Give one to every Fallen Star Guard—then we just roll over everything!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan's expression stayed cautious. \"The idea's good, but pulling it off won't be easy. That leader never shows itself. And it's Stage B. It's surrounded by peak Tier 17 Flamebirds.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused, then said bluntly, \"If we just wanted it dead, that'd be simple. Controlling it? That's the hard part.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to the team. \"Henry, you're coming with us. Everyone else stays here and digs out crystal cores.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Got it,\" they answered in unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan reached into his storage ring and pulled out his poleaxe. With a thought, he lifted it into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he hopped onto it like it was a surfboard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get on.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Skinny Pete stared. \"Uh… what?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry frowned. \"I thought you were doing the telekinesis dagger thing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The dagger's too short,\" Ethan said, dead serious. \"One dagger fits one person. If I use more, I can't control them all at once. Poleaxe is long enough for three—me, you, and Pete.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Telekinetic flight wasn't the same as telekinesis attacks. Attacking was simple—lock target, push, dagger shoots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flight was constant control. Every second took focus. It was literally multitasking in real time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One platform was fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two was pushing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than that and he'd end up killing his passengers by accident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Alright,\" Henry said, still not looking thrilled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Skinny Pete swallowed. \"Sure.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They climbed on—carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan at the blade-end where it was widest, Henry behind him, Skinny Pete clinging to Henry. Both of them looked tense as hell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan pushed off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The poleaxe lifted and accelerated, faster and faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wind screamed past them. The world below blurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry grabbed Ethan like his life depended on it. Skinny Pete grabbed Henry like his life depended on it. Neither of them was breathing right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn't a flying mount with a broad back and stable wings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a long metal shaft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were basically balancing on the handle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this speed, the gusts alone were trying to peel them off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pete—ease up!\" Henry hissed, face twisted. \"You're crushing my ribs!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Henry,\" Skinny Pete squeaked, \"I'm scared…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This telekinetic flight thing is not fun at all…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Scared my ass,\" Ethan called over his shoulder. \"You're Stage B. Even if you fall, you won't die. Chris just ate the ground a minute ago and he's fine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Yeah,\" Henry muttered, not sounding convinced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back at the mountain, Chris—still digging crystal cores—suddenly sneezed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who the hell's talking about me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He narrowed his eyes and whipped his head toward Big Mike. \"Don't tell me you're cursing me in your head again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big Mike didn't even look up. \"I'm busy. I'm literally digging cores. When would I have time to curse you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then who was it?\" Chris scratched his head. He couldn't figure it out, so he gave up and went right back to carving cores out of skulls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan, with Henry and Skinny Pete hanging on for dear life, caught up to the fleeing Flamebirds in no time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The whole way there, Henry and Skinny Pete looked like they were about to pass out, but Ethan kept the poleaxe rock-steady. No wobble. No sudden drops. No surprises.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Flamebirds noticed them chasing—and absolutely lost it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seriously? They weren't done?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This trip had already been a total disaster for the flock. They hadn't gotten any food, they'd lost a ton of their own, and they hadn't even been able to retrieve the bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now, even after they'd tried to retreat, these weird little ground-creatures were still coming. Like the Flamebirds were easy prey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A huge section of the flock whipped around in unison and opened fire. Streams of flame blasted toward the three of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry reacted instantly, throwing a Divine Shield over all of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan didn't slow down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rammed straight through the incoming fire and plunged into the Flamebird flock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bringing Henry wasn't just about the shield. If Ethan hit too hard and crippled the leader, he'd need Henry to patch it up. A controlled leader was worth more alive than dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They cut through clusters of Flamebirds, weaving between wings and beaks while Ethan scanned nonstop for the leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shields cracked quickly under the sheer volume of attacks—then Henry slapped fresh ones on, again and again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After more than a minute of diving through the swarm, Ethan finally spotted it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Flamebird leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The instant it realized Ethan had locked onto it, it bolted backward—and the surrounding Flamebirds shifted to hide it, folding around it like bodyguards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan's eyes narrowed. \"Yeah? Run where?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He inhaled once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Absolute Stasis.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wings froze mid-beat. Fire hung in the air like solid paint. The entire sky turned into a still frame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan teleported.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He appeared directly above the leader, his fist already wrapped in that black, annihilating glow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He drove it down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"THUD—!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A heavy, sickening impact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The leader exploded with blood, its body snapping downward as it started to fall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan teleported again, chasing it, and clamped one hand around its throat—ready to haul it away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything resumed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flock's eyes widened as one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They saw Ethan holding their leader by the neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the sky went insane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flamebirds shrieked and dove from every direction, a living red storm surging straight at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How the hell—so fast?\" Ethan's stomach dropped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That stasis had eaten more than half his mental energy. By his estimate, he should've gotten close to two full seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead it broke a little over one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It threw off his timing completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he didn't have time to dwell on it. He was in a bad spot now. If he kept holding the leader, he was not getting out—especially not with this many converging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And his Teleportation couldn't take living targets. If he wanted to blink away, he'd have to let go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Captain—help!\" Skinny Pete's scream ripped through the chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan snapped his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without his focus, the poleaxe had lost its telekinetic support and was dropping. Henry and Skinny Pete were dropping with it, falling straight down like stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the way, flaming feathers and fire blasts hammered them so hard it was hard to watch—shieldless for a beat, getting absolutely lit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan made the call.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He released the leader instantly and teleported beneath them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The poleaxe was tumbling down after them. Ethan yanked it back into control, sending it whipping up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Grab it!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry and Skinny Pete latched on in panic, arms locking around the shaft. Their fall slowed—then stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry didn't waste a second. He threw Divine Shield over them again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan pushed the poleaxe hard, dragging them out of the flock's crush and back into open air, away from the swarm's center before the Flamebirds could surround them again.\u003C\u002Fp>",1363,"2026-06-02T09:29:46.901Z",1,"novelbin.me","37efd864adb52932308baaa761f32412f23ddbddcda5f0f2f4b8ae0566e02d38","apocalypse-king-of-zombies-chapter-1293","apocalypse-king-of-zombies-chapter-1291",1329,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fapocalypse-king-of-zombies-cover.jpg"]