Novel Full Chapter 1904: Ice Water in His Veins
Chapter 1904: Ice Water in His Veins
Villain Ch 1904. Ice Water in His Veins
Arcana huffed, leaning back in his chair. “Typical.”
Vivian smirked into her glass. “Typical? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Means he’s got ice water in his veins,” Arcana said. “Man acts like emotions are a system bug.”
“She wasn’t worth the bandwidth,” Allen said, deadpan.
Bella let out a small laugh, swirling her drink. “I mean, he’s not wrong.”
Shea shot Allen a sidelong look. “Still, it’s weird hearing you so calm about it. I’d have hunted them down.”
“Same,” Zoe added. “Loop them in a horror quest until they cry.”
Allen glanced at her. “You’re sweet.”
Zoe grinned. “I know.”
Arcana shook his head. “You people are terrifying.” Then his tone softened. “But honestly… I’m kinda relieved Elio’s not part of that mess anymore.”
Allen’s brow twitched.
“Ha…” Arcana leaned closer, lowering his voice slightly. “He’s been… different lately. Obsessed, I think.”
Allen tilted his head. “Obsessed with what?”
Arcana met his eyes. “You.”
That earned a pause. Even the girls went quiet.
“…Come again?” Allen asked finally.
Arcana gestured vaguely. “I mean, he’s been training like a maniac. Grinding bosses nonstop. Joined every single high-difficulty raid in the last week. Keeps muttering your name under his breath like he’s trying to summon you. I think he’s pissed.”
“About?”
“The last fight,” Arcana said. “He still can’t get over it. He swears he’ll beat you next time. He even confirmed his spot in the upcoming tournament.”
Allen went quiet again. He swirled the ale in his mug slowly, eyes fixed on the amber reflection.
“Well,” he said finally, “I kinda get it.”
Arcana blinked. “You do?”
Allen nodded. “After the last time we fought… yeah. I get it.”
Arcana frowned. “You mean because he hates losing?”
Allen’s voice was quiet, but steady. “Because he hates me for making him lose. And because I hate losing to him, too. And… another thing.”
He leaned back in his chair, sighing softly. “Our relationship got better, sure. But that doesn’t mean we won’t clash again. We will. Always. It’s how we communicate.”
Zoe chuckled. “That’s the most guy-logic thing I’ve ever heard.”
Vivian laughed. “Right? Like emotional repression but make it competitive.”
Allen ignored them, gaze still distant.
Arcana smiled faintly. “I really hope you two learn to cooperate someday. You’d make a hell of a team. Seriously. You’re both brilliant. I can’t imagine what it’d look like if you fought side by side.”
There was a pause.
Then Jane, who had been unusually quiet, stirred her drink and said softly, “That… I don’t think will happen. Ever.”
Arcana looked at her. “Why not?”
Jane lifted her eyes, dark and calm. “Because it won’t. Maybe it can’t.”
Bella frowned. “She’s right.”
Larissa nodded. “Yeah. Some things aren’t meant to align.”
Arcana’s brows knit. “Because Allen’s the game owner’s son and Elio’s just a player? That’s it? C’mon. You all sound like you’re guarding some ancient prophecy.”
Zoe shrugged. “That’s one way to put it.”
Alice leaned forward, her voice almost teasing but her eyes serious. “Let’s just say… if they fought together, the server wouldn’t survive it.”
Arcana laughed. “What, you think the world would crash?”
Vivian smiled thinly. “Or burn.”
Arcana tilted his head. “You’re all very dramatic.”
Shea’s tone softened. “You have no idea.”
Jane’s voice slipped in quietly, almost like a sigh. “They already stand in the different sides of the arena since the first time they met. Face to face.”
Arcana blinked. “You make them sound like eternal enemies.”
Vivian smirked faintly, resting her chin on her hand. “Kinda are.”
Arcana’s gaze shifted from one woman to another, confusion etching deeper into his face. He could sense something unspoken beneath the teasing—something heavy. Ancient, maybe. But he didn’t push it.
“Okay,” he said finally, chuckling under his breath, “whatever secret cult-level thing you’re talking about, fine. But I meant what I said. Elio respects you, Allen. Underneath the pride, he really does.”
Allen’s expression didn’t change. “Respect’s one thing. Understanding’s another.”
Arcana nodded slowly. “You think he doesn’t get you?”
Allen took another long sip of his ale before answering. “I think he wants to. But he’s chasing the wrong version of me.”
Silence followed for a beat.
Larissa tilted her head. “Meaning?”
Allen’s gaze was cold. Sharp. “He’s chasing who I used to be and thought I was still the same. But actually, it was he who had already changed. He just didn’t realize yet. And now he wants to prove something.”
That landed heavier than expected. Even the air in the tavern seemed to pause, thick with that quiet kind of unease that comes when truth brushes too close to something unspoken.
Arcana sat back, thoughtful now. “You sound like an old man giving life advice.”
“I feel like one,” Allen said dryly.
Zoe nudged him. “You look like one too, when you brood.”
Allen gave her a side-eye. “You’re lucky I like you.”
Vivian grinned. “And yet, still brooding.”
Azura leaned in from across the table, smirking. “So, Mr. Ex-God-Tier, what are you gonna do if Elio beats you one day?”
Allen looked up slowly, eyes glinting like dark steel. “He won’t.”
Azura raised her brows. “Confident much?”
“No,” Allen said quietly, his tone calm but dangerous. “I’ve seen what obsession does to people. It burns everything except what they’re chasing. And when they finally get it—they realize they’ve got nothing left to burn.”
Arcana whistled low. “Damn. That was poetic.”
“Not poetry,” Allen said. “Just observation.”
The group fell into an uneasy quiet, broken only by the clinking of mugs and the muffled chatter of nearby players. The warmth of the tavern suddenly felt heavier—like the light couldn’t quite reach the edges of their table anymore.
Jane leaned closer to her drink, her voice almost a whisper. “Still think they’ll fight together, Arcana?”
Arcana smiled faintly, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes this time. “Maybe not. But I can hope.”
He lifted his glass halfway, then added dryly, “Well, maybe they could just hug each other at least.”
That got a few reactions.
Vivian snorted. “You’re adorable.”
Shea rolled her eyes. “Ugh, that’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard.”
Jane just muttered, “Like hell.”
Bella actually laughed. “A hug? Between those two?”
Allen didn’t answer. He just looked down at his glass, the reflection of the tavern lights dancing in the amber liquid.
For a second, it almost looked like fire.
A flicker. A memory.
A warning.
And the Devil Emperor said nothing.