The Author's POV

-Spurt!

"ku, ku, ku, Peekaboo"

Peeking from the side of Viscount Avelon's face, a demon with a twisted smile on his face appeared.

Black blood spilled on the ground as Viscount Avelon found himself unable to move.

Casually looking at Viscount Avelon next to him, Everblood teased.

"Am I intruding?"

"Kh-how?"

-Spurt!

Smiling widely as he looked at Viscount Avelon's shocked face, Everblood retrieved his hand back as a black orb that pulsated a black hue appeared in his hand. If one took a closer look at the black orb, as it rested in Everblood's hands, it slowly lost its hue as threads of demonic energy were steadily moving towards Everblood's body.

"Pfff...y-you"

Staring at the orb before him, Everblood licked his lips as he muttered.

"Well...with this I should be able to rank up

The orb that was in Everblood's hands was Viscount Avelon's demon core.

Aside from devil fruits, and regular training, there was another way demons could use to increase their strength.

...and that was through the consumption of demon cores.

By consuming a higher-ranked demon's core, demons could improve their bloodlines and thus raise their strength.

However, this was a taboo practice amongst the demons as it was equivalent to cannibalism.

If a demon was ever caught killing another demon for the sake of their core, they would immediately be hunted down by the other demons and regarded as traitors.

If such practice was allowed, then most demons would kill each other threatening their population as a whole.

...but Everblood didn't care.

His goals had changed.

No longer did he care for the demons, no longer did he care about what they thought of him or what their plans were...

His only goal at the moment was one person and one person only.

...unless that person tasted true despair, Everblood would stop at nothing regardless of his means to achieve his goal.

He had gone rogue.

"Kh...."

Dully looking at Everblood as he laid on the floor motionless, with the last remaining energy he could muster, Viscount Avalon opened his mouth as he tried to say something.

"phfff"

Unfortunately, the only thing that came out as soon as he opened his mouth was black blood as it spilled all over the ground.

Turning his attention away from the core in his hand, Everblood leaned his ear closer towards Viscount Avalon's mouth.

"hm? You have something to say. Last words perhaps?"

Struggling with all his might as his body rapidly shrank, Viscount Avelon muttered.

"W-hy?"

Standing up, Everblood smiled.

"Why? Well, you are after all the demon that has placed the curse on the dear parents of someone who I hold very dear to my heart, how could I not follow you when I noticed that something happened to you?"

With Viscount Avelon being the one that placed a curse on Ren's parents, Everblood naturally paid close attention to him, borderline stalked him.

...and as soon as he was alerted about the fact that something had gone wrong with Viscount Avelon, Everblood dropped everything that he was doing as he followed him around.

Although he wasn't aware of what was happening, how could he possibly let go of the opportunity before him?

Noticing Viscount Avelon's erratic aura, Everblood knew that following him would bring him a frutious opportunity.

...and he was right.

With the demon core in his hand, he was now one step away from reaching the Viscount rank.

Staring at Marquess Avelon whose life force was quickly getting drained by the second, playing with the said core in his hand, Everblood's tone became serious.

"You laid your hands on something that you should've never have touched...had you not touched them, you would've never been in this situati-"

"khhaa-!"

Cutting Everblood midsentence, Viscount Avelon's body suddenly spasmed as his eyes suddenly became white. Letting out a pained scream, Viscount Avelon's body suddenly froze as he took one last big desperate breath of air.

"kuuuu...."

He had died.

Staring at Viscount Avelon's dead body and then proceeding to look back at the core in his hand, covering his mouth as his body trembled, Everblood chuckled.

a delightful opportunity that you

had a faint feeling that Ren was the one

his parent's curse. Who else aside from him could

him being a polite demon, he naturally had to thank

along those lines

a truly

"kukuku, hahahaha"

-Rustle!

"hm?"

hearing a rustling sound coming from the corner of the room, Everblood turned his head towards the direction of where the sound was coming from and his eyes soon paused on the figure

face, Matthew pointed towards

"Y-you, who are you?"

distance, putting the core

hands in the air, Everblood casually

must be young Matthew, I've been wanting to meet

Matthew

How do you know

tilted his

know you..after all, we share a common acquaintance, how could I

of saliva, Matthew

perhaps

for Matthew to be able to infer who the common acquaintance

didn't mention his name, Matthew would've figured it out from all of the clues that Everblood left behind as he talked, like how he mentioned 'his

at Matthew,

it seems like you aren't

beneath him, Everblood pointed at

about you leave this old foggy and

Matthew

"A contract...with you?"

tempted, "Well how about it? don't you want to take revenge on the person responsible for

"Revenge?"

on the one that caused you to fall this low. If you work with me, I'll show you the grandest of spectacles...what do

"...Revenge on Ren?"

Yes...

he thought about it, none of this would've happened

found a way to cure his parents he would've still

now, because of what happened he

Avelon dead and his contract now gone, Matthew knew that he would soon find his body slowly rot as a

fruits that contained demonic energy, Matthew knew

a fugitive and be forced to hide like a rat. He could

He didn't want this!

for

his teeth, Matthew

"Ren..."

Matthew's current state of mind,

to make this quick, by now someone must've noticed that something was wrong...after all,

Everblood with red

"Okay, I agree..."

response, smiling widely, Everblood

lot of fun

hand Matthew a contract, sensing something, he looked in the direction

-Fwua!

seems like

-Bang!

a large bang, an elderly man urgently walked into the room as he

of glass breaking. I've talked to the hotel security and they will

the direction of the door,

"Dad!"

Matthew's father's face as his eyes remained fixed on the black humanoid creature that was

going on here? What is a demon doing on the

his eyes flashed, Matthew smiled

"Yes, I did"

wide, Matthew's

killed a demon?! That's my

and turning around, Matthew's father quickly tried to dial a number as he moved frantically

media, the press, and everybody. I have to let them know that my son killed a demon. Our

-Spurt!

the ground as Matthew's father opened his eyes wide. Weakly turning his head to the side, the phone in his hand dropped as he

"M-matthew!?"

-Spurt!

hand away from his father's body as blood splattered all over

father's head, Matthew gently laid him down on the ground as

stay with you a bit

open, Matthews's father, Bernard Bartley and guild master of a gold-graded guild, ranked hero, looked at his son in shock as he

"W-why!?"

on Matthew's face disappeared as

"Why you ask?!"

just ask me

out loud as he

your own wrongdoings? Do

his father by

think I

who was shouting at him maniacally, Bernard

are you

Matthew's voice raised a few

feign ignorance