Villain MMORPG: Almighty Devil Emperor and His Seven Demonic Wives - Chapter 1525

Chapter 1525: Unknown Number [Part 3]
Villain Ch 1525. Unknown Number [Part 3]

Darren stood there in the alleyway, heart still racing from the call, but this time not from dread—for once, it was adrenaline.

Hope.

Maybe even a spark of something that almost felt like freedom. Real freedom. Mr. Bell was legit. Sophia’s own supervisor had called her behavior a crime. This wasn’t just Darren and Liam whispering into the void anymore. They had backup. Witnesses. Leverage.

And he sure as hell wasn’t going to keep this to himself.

He immediately pulled up Liam’s contact and hit call, pacing near the edge of the sidewalk with nervous energy pumping through his legs.

The phone rang once. Twice.

Then Liam picked up. “Sup, dude? You don’t usually call me at this hour. What’s up? You wanna talk about tonight’s raid or something? Or… wait, is this about Elio’s invite to come back to his guild again? Or—” Liam snorted. “—did Sophia go berserk on a forum again? ‘Cause man, she really needs another hobby.”

That last part made Darren blink. He paused mid-step. “Wait. What? Berserk? About what?”

Liam laughed on the other end. “You didn’t see it?”

“No, dude, I’ve been working. I mean, if it’s about Father^Alex and that epic staff—yeah, I saw that thread. That thing’s a nuke. But I didn’t see her post.”

“Nah,” Liam said, amusement bleeding into his voice. “It wasn’t on the usual Hell’s Gate forums. She went off in Arcane Warden’s guild thread, her new guild. Totally exploded.”

Darren stopped. “You mean our new guild?”

Liam sighed dramatically. “Yeah, man. Our new guild. The one she forced us to join because we ‘needed to be seen backing a winning team.’ Her words. Not mine.”

Darren leaned against the wall again and groaned. “What the hell happened this time?”

“So…” Liam’s voice got that casual storytelling vibe, like he was settling in with popcorn. “You know Kael—our oh-so-wise and always-busy guild leader?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, apparently Kael’s been swamped IRL. Some job stuff. His fiancée too. And a few other core team members have only been logging in to do dailies and chill, not hardcore grinding or joining PvP scrims. Jacob (INeedAHotGF) is also busy. His mom got sick again. Sophia didn’t like that.”

Darren rolled his eyes. “Of course she didn’t.”

“Yup. She posted this long-ass rant, like three paragraphs, saying stuff like: ‘How do you expect to grow if you’re not willing to push your limits?’ and ‘We need ambition, not excuses.’ Bro, she even said, ‘If you’re not hungry for victory, step down and let real leaders take over.’ Like girl, please. You’ve been in the guild for a few weeks.”

Darren winced. “Oh, God.”

“Right? Kael responded super chill, said something like, ‘Thanks for the input, we’re just trying to balance real life and the game.’ And she FLIPPED. Full caps. Said it was a disgrace to the guild’s name, accused people of being lazy, called that other healer girl a ‘freeloader.'”

“Wait,” Darren said, laughing now, “She went after Cureberry? She’s the most wholesome player in the guild!”

“I know!” Liam wheezed. “Like, come on. Cureberry’s the type to send you potions even if you teabagged her in PvP.”

Darren shook his head, unable to stop the grin from spreading across his face. “I swear… back when Sophia was dating Allen, we all thought she was like this patient, sweet type. Always quiet. Always supportive. Remember that?”

“Yeah,” Liam said. “We thought she was a goddess. Like the elegant, soft-spoken queen to Allen’s devil-king vibe.”

“But it turns out,” Darren muttered, “she’s just a competitive, manipulative lunatic with a superiority complex.”

Liam made a choking noise. “Facts. And the longer you spend around her, the more it shows. I mean, she does play a decent healer, but I swear, every time she speaks, I lose my HP.”

Darren laughed, but then sobered. “Actually, that’s why I called.”

Liam paused. “Wait, it wasn’t just about Sophia’s latest meltdown?”

“No,” Darren said, lowering his voice a little. “It’s bigger than that. I got a call just now. From someone named Mr. Bell.”

“…Who?”

“Her supervisor. At the magazine.”

There was silence on the line.

“I didn’t even know she had a supervisor,” Liam finally said.

“Same,” Darren muttered. “But he knew everything. Knew my name. Said Sophia’s under internal investigation. For blackmail. For harassment. He said my name came up—our names came up.”

Now Liam was quiet for real.

“You still there?” Darren asked.

“Yeah, just—holy shit.”

“Right?”

“Holy shit, dude.”

Darren nodded like Liam could see him. “He asked if I’d be willing to talk. I said yes. Meeting’s tomorrow. But I told him I’d bring another victim.”

“You mean me.”

“Obviously.”

Liam didn’t answer for a second. Then, “So they’re finally going after her?”

“Seems like it. They’re building a case. But they need backup. Us.”

Liam exhaled hard. “Dude. This could finally be it. Like, done done.”

“Yeah.” Darren looked at the cloudless sky, suddenly feeling that tightness in his chest loosen just a bit. “We might actually get out of this clean.”

“You think it’ll stick?” Liam asked. “She’s slippery. Always has a backup plan. Always makes it look like she’s the victim.”

“I know,” Darren said. “But Mr. Bell? He sounded serious. And tired. Like someone who’s been dealing with her. Not enabling her.”

Liam made a low noise. “Okay. Yeah. I’m in. Tell me when and where.”

“Tomorrow. 3 PM. Café called Nimbus. On 8th and Camden. Ask for Mr. Bell.”

“Got it. I’ll wear something that makes me look like I have trauma.”

“Don’t need to try, man.”

“Ass.”

Darren grinned. “Thanks for backing me up.”

“No, man. Thank you for not blocking that number. This could be our shot.”

They hung up a moment later, and Darren stood in the sun a little longer, letting it hit his face. The breeze shifted. The smell of grilled chicken wafted over from the corner stand.

For the first time in what felt like forever, the idea of tomorrow didn’t make his stomach drop.

This wasn’t just a chance to clear their names.

It was their chance to fight back.

And this time?

They weren’t going in alone.