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 have

happened, Everblood had a faint feeling that Ren was the one responsible for

was the only one that was aware of his

being a polite demon, he

along those lines made him uncontrollably

a truly delightful

"kukuku, hahahaha"

-Rustle!

"hm?"

laughing, 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

hair and a panicked face, Matthew pointed towards Everblood

"Y-you, who are you?"

Matthew in the distance, putting the

hands in

be young Matthew, I've been wanting to meet you since a long time

aback, Matthew pointed

How do

Everblood tilted

I know you..after all, we share a common acquaintance, how could I not know

a mouthful of saliva,

you perhaps

Matthew to be able to infer who the common acquaintance

would've figured it out from all of the clues that Everblood left behind as he talked, like

at Matthew, Everblood

it seems like

beneath him,

about you leave this old foggy and sign a contract

Matthew weakly

"A contract...with you?"

you want to take revenge on the person responsible for all of

"Revenge?"

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...

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

to cure his parents he would've still comfortably been

because of what happened

contract now gone, Matthew knew that he would soon find his body slowly rot

fruits that contained demonic energy,

to hide like a rat. He could no longer live the life

He didn't want this!

he worked so hard for just

his teeth,

"Ren..."

current state of mind,

quick, by now someone must've noticed that something was wrong...after all, this idiot here came straight through the

at Everblood with red eyes, Matthew slowly

"Okay, I agree..."

Matthew's response, smiling widely,

lot of fun will await us in the

he looked in the direction of the door with pity as his body slowly melted with

-Fwua!

like someone

-Bang!

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

the sound of glass breaking. I've talked to the hotel

the direction of

"Dad!"

on Matthew's father's face as his eyes remained fixed

here? What is a demon doing on

father as his eyes flashed, Matthew

"Yes, I did"

eyes wide, Matthew's

a demon?! That's my

around, Matthew's father quickly tried to dial

let them know that my son killed a demon. Our guild's fame

-Spurt!

ground as Matthew's father opened his eyes

"M-matthew!?"

-Spurt!

his father's body as

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

really wanted to stay with you a bit longer but I really had no

eyes wide open, Matthews's father, Bernard Bartley and guild master of a gold-graded guild,

"W-why!?"

his father's question, the smile on Matthew's

"Why you ask?!"

just ask me

the ceiling, Matthew laughed out loud as he proceed to

think that you don't even know your own

second, Matthew grabbed his father by

think I

son who was shouting at him

are you talking

him, Matthew's voice

feign ignorance with