Chapter 1752: Opportunists

Villain Ch 1752. Opportunists

Red_King muttered something under his breath and finally just flopped onto a nearby rock. “Screw it. Let’s not fight the Emperor today. Let’s go get drinks instead.”

Alex raised a hand. “Seconded.”

“Strong ones,” another added—Yuna was still breathing hard, her arms cradling a broken tonfa that had somehow survived the fight. Barely.

Rei, the support mage, gave a tired nod. “Anything that tastes like it could set my soul on fire and reset my cooldowns.”

Red_King chuckled, turning to Allen with a lazy smirk. “Alright, let’s go!”

Allen opened his menu, fingers already moving toward the inventory when—

“Not yet,” Elio said.

The pause hit hard. Like a command spell that stopped time mid-cast.

Allen’s hand froze.

All eyes turned to Elio, who stood now with his arms crossed, his armor still faintly glowing from residual buffs. His eyes were sharp. Determined. And maybe… haunted.

Alex frowned. “You still want to hunt the Emperor?”

Red_King blinked, clearly caught off-guard. “Wait a damn second. You haven’t even told me why you brought Alex out here in the first place.”

He turned toward the healer, brows furrowing. “And you—why the hell did you lock your positions and DMs, huh?”

Alex flinched slightly. “Oh. Right. I… forgot about that.”

He opened his menu and began swiping through settings. The soft blue glow of the interface reflected against his tired face.

“I’ve been getting spammed. Like, a lot. Messages from other players. Some from our guild, some not. Most asking me to switch sides, join their team to hunt the Devil Emperor. Others wanted to duel me. Some were just…” He winced. “Weird.”

Red_King nodded slowly. “Yeah. That checks out.”

Alex sighed. “I just wanted some peace. So I turned everything off for a bit.”

Rei nodded. “Smart move.”

“Still would’ve been nice to know,” Red_King muttered. “I thought you died somewhere. I almost sent a scouting party.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you—”

Red_King waved it off. “Nah, nah. I get it. Just don’t disappear on me like that again.”

Alex gave a sheepish smile. “Okay. Deal.”

Allen just watched the conversation quietly, arms folded, head tilted slightly, like he was cataloguing every word without comment.

Then Red_King turned to Elio. “And you?”

Elio met his gaze without flinching. “I was already planning to come here. After the world chat started spreading rumors that the Emperor was sighted near this zone. People were saying he was spotted near the Field’s edge. A few even claimed he wiped some parties without using his skills. Thought it was bait at first, but then I tracked a pattern—wipe zones, weird mob resets. All clustered around the leyline rift west of here.”

Allen stayed quiet, though his gaze sharpened just slightly. Since yeah, this was the place where he wiped a couple of groups to complete his daily mission.

“Then…” Elio continued, “I saw Alex in Gorroc City. He was hiding in the alley, near the quest vendor. Looked half-burnt.”

Alex made a noise of protest.

Elio didn’t slow. “I assumed he was prepping for something big. Getting ready. Stocking potions. So I asked if he wanted to come along. He said yes.”

All eyes turned to Alex.

He scratched the back of his neck, wincing. “I was… honestly just dodging more messages.”

“I figured,” Elio muttered. “Didn’t think you’d say yes.”

“Well,” Alex shrugged, “you looked like you needed a healer.”

“That’s it?” Red_King huffed. “So this wasn’t even a planned raid?”

“Nope,” Elio said, shaking his head. “It was just me chasing rumors. Trying to catch a glimpse. I didn’t expect to find a fake Emperor cosplay cult in full gear, sacrificing raid teams for content.”

“And what were they trying to do?” Yuna asked. “Convert us? Kill us? Both?”

“Make a statement,” Allen said simply, his voice cutting through the moment. “They weren’t hunting the Devil Emperor. They were trying to be him. Or make others believe he’s always watching. Always winning.”

Rei shivered. “That’s… kind of terrifying.”

“Pathetic,” Allen corrected. “If you want power, you earn it. You don’t wear someone else’s name like a borrowed cloak.”

He said it calmly, but something burned behind his words. Just under the surface. Something dark.

Alex studied him quietly. The way he stood. The blood still staining his gloves. The casual way he tossed aside the entire massacre like it was barely worth remembering.

“You really hate them,” Alex said, not as a question.

Allen gave a slow nod. “They’re not strong. They’re opportunists. Trying to act like something they’re not.”

Red_King crossed his arms. “You sound like you’ve thought about this a lot.”

Allen didn’t reply. Just looked out over the battlefield, the stormclouds still churning overhead like the world hadn’t decided if it wanted to rain or bleed.

“So what now?” Yuna asked. “If this wasn’t the real Emperor, then we just go back?”

Alex looked around. “We could.”

“But that doesn’t mean the rumors are wrong,” Elio said.

Rei’s head tilted. “You think he’s still here?”

Elio stared at the horizon. “If he’s smart, he would’ve left the moment we started gathering. Or he’s watching. Waiting.”

Red_King grimaced. “I hate when you say creepy stuff like that with that deadpan voice.”

Elio turned. “We’ll rest here. Catch our breath. Then we can decide.”

“Rest?” Alex echoed. “Here? In this cursed warzone?”

“Just a few minutes,” Elio said. “Nothing will hit us right after that slaughter.”

Alex muttered, “Unless the Emperor shows up.”

Allen smiled faintly, like that would be a pleasant surprise. But yeah, that wouldn’t happen since the emperor was here. With them.

Red_King groaned. “I still vote for drinks after this.”

Elio didn’t answer. He just stared at the bloody ground. At the faint trails that still smoked where Allen had moved.

He was thinking about that fight.

About Allen’s precision.

About the look in his eyes.

It wasn’t just skill. It wasn’t even just confidence.

It was something else.

Something cold.

And Elio couldn’t help but wonder—what if that wasn’t his full power?

What if that was Allen still holding back?

And if it was…

Then what kind of monster would he become when he didn’t?

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