SSS-Class Overlord: My Harem Rules the Realms (18+)
Chapter 100: New scenario?

Chapter 100: New scenario?

Here’s the fully extended continuation of the Chapter with immersive descriptions, deeper interactions, and rich atmosphere. It follows your instructions closely and exceeds 1000 words:

The sound had been loud—echoing like thunder in a cavernous tomb—and it left a ringing silence in its wake. Ethan and his companions stood tense, eyes trained toward the direction it came from.

"Let’s move," Ethan said, his voice low, steady.

Daniel gave a firm nod, spinning his axe once in his grip. Reyna cracked her knuckles and smirked, and Liora adjusted her gloves, crimson threads of mana flickering faintly between her fingers.

As they advanced through the brightly lit chamber, they arrived at the far end where the wall had collapsed.

Rubble coated the floor like shattered bones, and a thick dust cloud still lingered in the air, making the light glow hazy and silver.

Through the crumbled stone, a new passage yawned before them—narrow, unnatural, like it had been sealed off for centuries.

But before anyone could take a step, a deep metallic thud echoed behind them.

They all turned.

The door they had used to enter this place had sealed shut. Daniel rushed over immediately, pressing a hand to its smooth white surface. He gave it a push—then a kick. Nothing. No reaction.

He tapped the metal twice more before turning around with a sigh. "Nope. This shit’s locked tighter than a noble’s purse."

Ethan chuckled softly, adjusting his grip on Warlord’s Fang. "Figures. Looks like we don’t have a choice."

"No choice but forward," Liora murmured, eyes narrowed at the newly revealed passage.

Together, they advanced into the corridor beyond the broken wall.

As they stepped inside, the environment changed drastically.

The previous area had been constructed from smooth white stone and illuminated with ambient glow—but this new tunnel was older.

Much older. Cracked black bricks lined the curved walls. The scent of sulfur, ash, and something faintly metallic—blood, maybe—hung thick in the air.

Magic pulsed faintly from the walls, like a heartbeat waiting to be disturbed.

Their boots echoed on stone as they came to a wider hall. Across both sides of the wall were ancient scriptures—symbols etched deep with some kind of claw or sharp tool.

The lines curled, twisted, and wove into circular diagrams and complex runes.

Most were completely foreign, but some bore faint resemblance to what Ethan had seen before—back in the hidden tomb beneath Avalen.

Ethan approached the nearest wall, raising a hand. He pressed his palm against the cold stone and whispered, "System, can you decode this? It... it feels connected to something important."

There was a moment of silence.

Then, the familiar voice rang in his head, cool and direct:

[Decoding initiated... Match found. Subject relates to Draconian Archaic Runes, Class A Forbidden Magic.]

Ethan’s breath caught. "Forbidden magic?"

[Yes, Host. The scripture describes a ritual involving a dragon’s corpse—specifically the use of its heart and blood to perform an ancient transformation spell. This ritual is considered a lost technique that merges draconic essence into the caster’s body.]

"What the fuck..." Ethan whispered under his breath, eyes widening slightly. "This... this isn’t just history."

[Correct. It is a blueprint. A ritual that once succeeded.]

Liora had stepped beside him, arms crossed, her gaze scanning the runes. "I can’t read most of it, but this part... it speaks of ’the winged tyrant’s core’ and ’crimson fusion.’ That doesn’t sound like peaceful magic."

Ethan exhaled slowly. "Yeah... it’s about dragons. Someone tried to become one. Or use one."

Reyna let out a snort behind them. "Sounds like the kind of thing that’d piss off a whole sky full of ’em."

Daniel looked back at the group. "Do we think this is what’s causing the dragons to descend on Drakemire? This magic?"

"Maybe," Ethan said. "Or maybe it’s just part of a larger chain. But someone down here... they were experimenting."

Suddenly, the wall rumbled. Everyone snapped into combat stance—but instead of a threat, a soft click echoed from the far end of the room. A section of the stone rotated and slid aside, revealing another doorway.

Glowing red runes hovered above it, and in the center, a single word pulsed faintly.

"Dragon," Liora read aloud.

Reyna raised an eyebrow. "The wall opened when we said it?"

Ethan gave a short laugh. "Classic magical security. You hide something, then make the lock a word only an obsessed cultist would whisper."

He stepped forward carefully, motioning for the others to stay close. Beyond the doorway was a spiraling stairwell—descending deep, deeper than the previous level. The light grew dimmer as they went down, torches along the walls lighting one by one as if sensing their presence.

"I don’t like this," Daniel muttered. "Feels like we’re walking straight into something’s stomach."

Ethan nodded. "Stay alert. Whatever’s waiting down there... it’s not going to be friendly."

As they reached the base of the stairs, the hallway opened into a vast chamber.

Their footsteps halted.

The room before them was massive, almost cathedral-like. Pillars rose into the darkness, and above them, strange crystalline veins pulsed dimly, like an artificial sky. At the center of the room stood an altar made of obsidian and bone. Upon it rested something glowing faintly—a spherical object pulsating with red light. Veins of power spidered from it along the floor.

"Is that... a heart?" Reyna whispered.

The shape was unmistakable—though shriveled and pulsing weakly, it was far too large for a human. Dragon-sized.

Daniel tightened his grip on his axe. "So... this is where they did it."

Ethan stepped forward cautiously, eyes narrowed.

[Warning. Host has entered an unstable magical zone. Caution recommended.]

He clenched his jaw. "We’re in the belly of the ritual."

Suddenly, the runes around the altar ignited.

A howling sound—like the scream of a thousand souls—echoed through the chamber. Shadows coalesced into a shape at the far end of the altar. A figure slowly began to form—a draconic silhouette with twisted armor and molten veins.

The room dropped several degrees colder.

Liora whispered, "That’s not a normal construct..."

"No," Ethan said quietly, stepping into stance, his sword glowing faintly with dark energy. "That’s a guardian."

The chamber shook. Cracks raced along the ground, and the heart on the altar pulsed harder—as though waking.

Daniel exhaled. "Round two?"

Ethan grinned, battle focus already coursing through his body. "Let’s make it count."