SSS-Class Overlord: My Harem Rules the Realms (18+)-Chapter 82: You’re Dead.

Ethan felt the surge of new power thrumming under his skin, like cold lightning weaving through

his veins. The name of his freshly acquired skill burned across his mind in searing white letters:

Shadow Chain Strike.

He stood in the wreckage of the dungeon chamber, chest heaving, blood dripping from a cut

above his eyebrow.

The sharp scent of stone dust and iron filled the air, mingling with the faint glow of crimson light bleeding from fractures overhead.

I have to handle this carefully... he thought, wiping his mouth. If I fall, Daniel and Reyna... they’re

dead for sure.

He glanced over his shoulder at his friends. Daniel lay slumped against a fallen pillar, eyes shut,

chest barely moving. Reyna sprawled face-down on cracked marble, her red hair soaked with

sweat and blood, one trembling hand just inches from her longsword.

Damn it... hang in there, both of you.

A low laugh rippled through the chamber.

"Pathetic," purred the vampire, her voice like velvet scraping over glass. She prowled closer, eyes

glowing like molten rubies. "All that spirit earlier... where is it now, little mortal? Are you ready to

beg me for your life?"

Ethan’s eyes narrowed. "Not a fucking chance."

Her lips curved in a wolfish grin. She tilted her head, crimson hair cascading over one pale

shoulder. "Good. I love when my prey still has a bit of fight left. Makes it so much sweeter when

they break."

Suddenly, she vanished.

A whisper of wind was all the warning Ethan got.

CLANG!

Warlord’s Fang screamed against her claws, sparks bursting between steel and talon. The impact

jolted Ethan’s bones, driving him backward until his boots skidded over rubble.

She came again—a crimson streak in the shadows. Her claws raked for his throat. He ducked

under the swipe, twisted, and slashed, but she was already gone, flickering behind him like a

phantom.

A hiss of breath on his neck. "Goodbye."

Claws shot toward his ribs. Ethan whirled and slammed his blade crosswise, barely intercepting

the strike. Sparks fountained from the clash, the vampire’s inhuman strength pressing him down,

inch by inch.

"Why fight, mortal?" she crooned, breath hot against his ear. "Yield. I promise I’ll make your

death... exquisite."

Ethan bared his teeth, blood trickling from his nose. "Shut the hell up."

[System Notification]

[Shadow Chain Strike ready.]

The words seared into his mind like a gunshot. Ethan drew a shuddering breath, gripping

Warlord’s Fang tight. Shadows gathered around his feet, seething like liquid ink.

"Time to shut you up."

He spoke the words like a death sentence.

"Shadow Chain Strike."

The dungeon seemed to tilt. Light fled the chamber, leaving only slivers of red glow. From beneath

Ethan, black fractures spread outward like glass shattering under a hammer.

Dark tendrils surged upward—thick as ropes, writhing with oily movement.

"Wh-what?!" the vampire gasped, eyes flaring wide.

The tendrils lashed around her wrists, coiling up her arms, binding her legs, her wings. She fought

back, muscles straining, wings beating so hard they kicked up gusts of wind.

But the shadows were merciless.

They pulled her into the air, limbs stretched outward. Her crimson corset creaked under the

tension. Her face twisted between rage and disbelief.

Ethan’s voice was low and cold. "Not so fast anymore... are you?"

He lunged forward, shadows rippling around him. He raised Warlord’s Fang high overhead, its

blade wreathed in smoky black light.

"Abyss Rend!"

He slashed downward. A massive arc of black sword aura tore through the room, shrieking like a

banshee. It slammed into the vampire’s torso, slicing through flesh and silk.

Crimson blood burst from the wound, spraying the stone walls. Her scream echoed like a chorus of damned souls.

She crashed into a pillar so hard the marble cracked down the center. Chunks of stone fell around

her in a thunderous cascade.

Dust rolled through the chamber. Ethan’s hair whipped around his face. He stood in the swirling

haze, chest heaving, eyes blazing.

"Ethan Graves..." the vampire choked out, pinned beneath rubble. "You... dare... bind me?!"

Ethan spat blood, voice like steel scraping over stone. "You talk too damn much."

The vampire’s aura exploded outward, dark crimson and black. Shadows cracked apart as her

power surged. She tore free of the chains, wings spreading wide, fangs bared.

"DIE!"

She lunged, claws flashing toward Ethan’s throat. But he was ready.

He pivoted, driving his blade straight through her midsection. Steel punched through bone and

flesh. Blood gushed over his hands as he shoved the sword deeper.

The vampire shrieked, clawing weakly at his shoulders. "N-no... I... am... eternal..."

Ethan yanked Warlord’s Fang free, spun it, and slashed again—a brutal diagonal arc that carved

through her chest.

Abyss Rend screamed out, tearing a dark fissure across her pale flesh. Blood splattered the floor, sizzling like acid.

The vampire staggered, clutching her gaping wound. Shadows wavered around her, flickering like

dying embers.

Ethan stood before her, swaying with exhaustion but eyes still burning. "It’s over."

"NO!" she howled, lunging one final time.

Ethan drove Warlord’s Fang straight through her heart. Dark magic surged from the blade, roaring

into the wound like black fire.

The vampire gasped, eyes going wide. Her scream died on her lips as shadows crawled across

her skin, devouring her flesh. Her body began to crumble, flaking away into dust.

Her ruby eyes locked with Ethan’s one last time. Then she dissolved completely, swept away on a

silent wind.

Silence crashed down like a stone.

Ethan staggered, nearly dropping his sword. He stared at the spot where she’d vanished,

trembling. His pulse thundered in his ears.

Slowly, he turned toward Daniel and Reyna. Both were still motionless—but alive. Relief loosened

the knot in his chest.

"...It’s over," he whispered, voice breaking.

A single chime echoed through the air.

[System Notification]

[Quest Complete: Vampire’s Secret Dungeon Cleared.]

[Rewards Processing...]

A thin, exhausted smile tugged at Ethan’s lips as the System window faded in blue light.

"About damn time..."

And the screen dissolved to black.

Updat𝓮d from freew𝒆bnovel(.)com