Novel Full Chapter 1832: The First Battlefield
Chapter 1832: The First Battlefield
Villain Ch 1832. The First Battlefield
Vash’s momentum overextended him.
And Allen? He was already behind him.
Vash froze.
And then—he heard it.
A laugh.
Not a villain’s cackle.
Not a madman’s howl.
A genuine, amused laugh—low and quiet, like Allen was thrilled someone was still trying.
“You thought that would land?” Allen said, voice silk over razors. “That was cute.”
Vash whirled around, but Allen was already moving—circling like a predator who knew the fight was already over.
“You get points for effort,” Allen continued, his sword dragging lightly against the stone, sparks flaring with each step. “So I’ll give you a reward anyway.”
He stopped.
Tilted his head.
Smiled.
Then he surged forward.
Vash raised his shield—
CRACK.
The sword split the shield in half.
Vash staggered.
“Not bad,” Allen murmured. “But let’s end this.”
He spun.
The Emperor’s blade came up in a wide arc—glowing black-red, like a sunset laced with corruption.
Vash tried to dodge.
He didn’t.
SHUNK.
His leg went first.
Then his arm.
Then Allen kicked him onto his back.
Vash groaned, trying to cast anything, even a prayer, even a death threat—
Allen grabbed his face.
Not gently.
Fingers hooked under his jaw.
“Here’s your reward,” Allen whispered.
Then he pulled.
RRRRIP.
The sound echoed.
A wet, meat-shredding pop as the jaw dislocated. Skin tore. Bone snapped. The guildmaster’s face was ripped off like a sheet.
[Player Vash_the_Loyal has been slain.]
[Item Reclaimed: Sanctified Ember Ring.]
[Slain by: The Emperor.]
The ring floated mid-air for a moment, still glowing.
Allen caught it in his palm.
He exhaled, the thrill of the hunt slowly ebbing from his blood.
Then, finally, for the first time in an hour—he spoke into the open air.
“No survivors.”
And just like that, Allen opened a black rift in the air—a Dark Portal blooming like a rotten flower—and vanished into it without a sound. No animation. No cast time. Just gone.
The battlefield was left in silence.
The flames of Ravenspire still crackled. Corpses twitched in the heat. Gear flickered with ownership resets, their tags turning grey as the System reclaimed the dead’s inventory.
Somewhere else on the map…
A cave.
Deep, cold, damp.
Torches flickered on rune-mounted hooks. The walls glistened with mana crystal residue, blue veins pulsing softly like a dying heartbeat. A group of players sat in tense silence. One of those holographic map grids displayed territory control, live pings, and feed alerts.
Elio stood at the center. Tall, cloak thrown over one shoulder. Eyes locked on the system feed, lips drawn in a grim line.
He didn’t speak.
He didn’t need to.
The others saw it too.
[Player Vash_the_Loyal has been slain.]
[Item Reclaimed: Sanctified Ember Ring.]
[Slain by: The Emperor.]
Red_King muttered something sharp under his breath. “Fuck me sideways…”
Gil clenched his jaw, arms crossed tight across his chest. “This isn’t sustainable.”
“They’re scattered,” Arcana said softly, scanning the feed. “And the villains are coordinated. Moving like a neural net. Not parties. Not guild groups. A damn organism.”
James tapped his fingers on the map’s edge, voice low. “We can’t use the previous plan, Elio. They knew where the players were hiding. Distractions won’t work if they’re syncing like this.”
“I agree,” Noah said. Lean, twitchy, always watching. “We need to change our tactics.”
Elio’s eyes didn’t move. Still locked on the screen. Still tracking the death count.
Another ping.
[Player SolBright_Fang has been slain.]
[Slain by: The Siren.]
He inhaled through his nose. “We stick together. No solos. No split-pushing.”
“Why not ambush?” Red_King asked. “Turn the tide. Flip the narrative.”
Elio blinked. “Vans tried that. He told me his tactics yesterday. He died, which means not working.”
Everyone paused.
They all saw it earlier.
“Look,” Elio said, voice tired. “They’re not just fast. They’re… surgical. Each of them is targeting specific relic holders. Sniping through guilds. Flanking healers. They don’t fight fair.”
“They fight to win,” James added.
“More like to kill,” added Noah with a shrug.
Arcana’s eyes narrowed. “Then why are we hiding like cowards?”
Elio raised an eyebrow.
He leaned forward, eyes gleaming. “We have numbers. Resources. Why not call everyone? Full force. Get our raid leaders. Form mega-parties. Set bait, traps, counters. Fight fire with fcking hellfire.”
“I agree,” James said. “We go full offense.”
Noah added, “If we wait, we die anyway. We let them choose the map, the time, the terrain. Screw that.”
Elio exhaled through his nose.
Stared at the feed.
Another kill notification blinked red—then vanished.
His hand clenched into a fist. Jaw tight.
“Fine,” he said finally, voice firm. “Let’s do it.”
Arcana blinked. “Here?”
“No,” Elio said, stepping away from the glowing tactical map. “Not in this cave. Not in some half-forgotten ruin.”
He looked at them, something dangerous flickering behind his tired eyes.
“We fight in our home. Our very first city when we arrived in this game.”
Arcana’s eyes widened. “…Ilude?”
Elio nodded once. “Yes.”
The name hit like a spark in dry grass. Half the room inhaled.
James swore under his breath.
Noah muttered, “That’s a bit sentimental…”
“But it’s perfect for this,” Gil said, grinning.
“I don’t care,” Elio said. “We go to Ilude. We rally there. We don’t hide in the shadows—we pull the villains into our light. If it’s a war they want…”
He turned to the map, tapped the old guild sanctuary node that had long since faded grey.
“We give it to them.”
A beat of silence.
Then Arcana smiled slowly. “Ilude, huh… alright. One last stand in the cradle.”
“We try our best,” Elio said. “We go all in.”
For a moment, something like hope stirred.
But even then… they knew.
Even if they rallied the top players.
Even if they coordinated guilds.
Even if they unleashed every skill and every buff they had…
The Emperor didn’t get overconfident.
He didn’t get comfortable.
He didn’t make mistakes.
Because this wasn’t just another boss fight.
This wasn’t a final stand.
This was a purge.
And Ilude?
Would be the altar.