Chapter 541: Black emblem

That piercing howl sent a chill straight down everyone’s spine.

“He… he’s summoning his Vampire Horde!”

“That’s the signal for slaughter.”

“Shit, what do we do now?”

“…”

Panic rippled through Aiden and the others.

But after a few tense moments, Monroe’s howl faded into silence—an eerie, deathly silence.

No response came from the direction of his stronghold.

In fact, it was unnaturally quiet.

“Huh?” Monroe’s face twisted in confusion. Something felt off.

No movement?

Where the hell were his Gunners? And the hundred-thousand-strong Vampire Horde?

He let out another roar, voice echoing through the ruined streets—but no undead army came charging to his aid. He stood there, dumbfounded, a flicker of awkwardness crossing his face.

“Don’t bother yelling,” Ethan said, lifting his gaze. “Your little minions? I already took care of them.”

“What?” Monroe’s eyes narrowed in disbelief.

But just then, the sound of chaotic footsteps echoed down the street. A group of vampires did show up—maybe a hundred or so. These were the ones left behind to guard the castle. Most of them were missing limbs, had cloudy eyes, or looked half-crazed. The old, the weak, the sick, the useless. The kind even the Gunners wouldn’t bother taking into battle.

“Boss, we’re here!” one of them called out, a cross-eyed vampire reporting to a random patch of air like it was Monroe’s throne.

“Pfft!” Aiden and the others couldn’t help but laugh. They’d braced themselves for a ground-shaking arrival, a thunderous stampede of the Vampire Horde, a monstrous onslaught tearing through the city.

Instead… this ragtag bunch of rejects shuffled in like a bad joke.

It was a far cry from the fearsome reputation of Monroe, the so-called absolute overlord.

“Where the hell did the Gunners go?” Monroe growled through clenched teeth.

The cross-eyed vampire answered cheerfully, “Sir, didn’t you order them to hunt down the humans? They all charged into the radiation zone. Don’t worry, boss—we’ll get the job done!”

“What the…” Monroe’s eyes narrowed dangerously. When the hell had he given that order? Charging into the radiation zone was suicide.

Then it hit him. His gaze snapped to Ethan.

That bastard. It had to be him. Some trick, some scheme—he’d lured the Gunners away.

The cross-eyed vampire piped up again, “Boss, if you’ve got any other orders, just leave it to us. We’ll make you proud!”

“…” Monroe’s face darkened like a thundercloud. Proud? My ass.

His body flickered, shadows trailing behind him as he suddenly bolted backward, retreating at high speed. He’d seen enough—time to get the hell out.

But Ethan wasn’t about to let him go.

With a single thought, he unleashed the full force of the Domain of the Dead.

A crushing wave of pressure surged outward like a collapsing mountain range. The already-ruined buildings around them crumbled into dust, disintegrating into the wind. The shattered ground buckled and caved in.

Within the Domain, the earth sank three inches.

Monroe’s powerful Vampire physique felt like it was being crushed under a mountain. His speed plummeted.

“Time to feel what real pain is,” Mia said coldly, raising her Stellar Fang katana. Her body pulsed with energy, blood aura swirling around her like fire, her presence blazing.

In a flash, she became a streak of light, her blade slicing through the air as she lunged straight at Monroe.

At the same time, Ethan drew the Star Map tablet and attacked from the opposite side, his white silhouette streaking across the battlefield like a falling star.

They passed each other in a blur, both stopping at the exact same moment.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion erupted between them. The collision of their powers birthed a miniature mushroom cloud, the shockwave rippling outward.

Monroe was caught in the center—torn apart on the spot. Whether it was the Stellar Fang that sliced him in half or the Star Map that shattered him, no one could say.

His head exploded in a spray of gore, and a blood-red crystal core shot out from the wreckage.

His headless body collapsed with a heavy thud, blood soaking into the cracked earth.

Dead…

Monroe was dead.

Aiden and the others stood frozen, eyes wide with disbelief. The tyrant of the island—the mountain they thought they could never climb, the demon whose name alone struck fear into their hearts—had just been obliterated before their eyes.

“Guys! Monroe’s really dead! We’re actually winning!”

“Holy shit, this isn’t a dream, right?”

“We’re finally free from that monster’s grip… I can’t believe it… sob sob…”

“…”

Tears welled up in more than a few eyes. Some laughed, some cried, all of them overwhelmed by the sheer weight of what had just happened.

Aiden turned his gaze toward the heart of Monroe’s territory. The massive castle still loomed in the distance, its towers casting long shadows. There were still remnants of Monroe’s forces holed up inside.

“Let’s go, brothers! That castle’s ours now—take everything!”

“Kill ’em all!”

With victory in sight, the group surged forward like a tidal wave. Fueled by adrenaline and rage, they charged toward the castle, more ferocious than the monsters they’d just fought.

Saint Gaia City was drenched in blood by the end of it. In just a few short hours, the city underwent a complete upheaval.

The vampire regime that had ruled with an iron fist was utterly dismantled.

Monroe’s once-glorious palace, gilded and opulent, now belonged to the humans.

Well—mostly. The zombies had a fair share too.

Led by Lil’ D, the Zombie Horde had grown from a few thousand to well over ten thousand. What had started as a dream to take over a small town had somehow turned into the conquest of Saint Gaia City itself.

Life’s full of surprises.

Now, Lil’ D had his eyes on the surrounding towns. With the city under his control, he planned to expand, seize every resource he could, and maybe even continue Monroe’s model of rule—an endless supply of flesh and blood.

…

Monroe had been a powerhouse—raw strength and speed fused into one terrifying package. Add in his SS-tier mutant virus with its insane infection rate, and he was basically a nightmare for any human.

But to Ethan?

Just another bump in the road.

Brute force alone wasn’t enough to touch him. Not anymore.

In terms of overall combat ability, Monroe didn’t even measure up to Nightbane—Ethan’s old nemesis.

Nightbane was top-tier. Few Zombie Kings could match him.

So Ethan’s verdict on Monroe?

Not as good as Nightbane.

Right now, Ethan, Mia, and the others were inside one of the castle’s larger chambers. The room was stacked with documents, ledgers, and all kinds of records.

They weren’t just here to loot food, crystal cores, and supplies—they were digging for intel. They wanted to trace Monroe’s connections, figure out who was really pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Oliver was flipping through the ledgers, scanning the pages and explaining what he found.

“Monroe did have a superior. According to these records, he reported to someone called The Crimson Count. Every month, he sent them ten S-grade crystal cores.”

“Ten?!” Chris blurted out. “That’s insane!”

Brandon nodded grimly. “Yeah. And if The Crimson Count has agents like Monroe all over the world, then he’s probably collecting cores from all of them. That’s a hell of a power base.”

“With that many crystal cores to feed on…” Chris muttered, eyes wide. “I can’t even imagine how strong he must be.”

“Wait a second…” Oliver suddenly pulled a thick manila envelope from a stack of papers. “Guys, check this out.”

“What is it?”

Everyone turned toward him, curiosity piqued.

On the front of the envelope was a black emblem—an ominous image of a skeletal skull gripped by a shadowy hand.

…