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.

delightful opportunity that you

he wasn't fully aware of what had happened, Everblood had a faint

was aware of his parent's curse. Who else aside from him

polite demon, he naturally

lines made him uncontrollably

a truly

"kukuku, hahahaha"

-Rustle!

"hm?"

the corner of the room, Everblood turned his head towards the direction of where the

a panicked face, Matthew pointed towards Everblood as he

"Y-you, who are you?"

at Matthew in the distance, putting the core

hands in the

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

Matthew pointed

How do you know

tilted his

you..after all, we share

a mouthful of saliva,

you perhaps referring

wasn't hard for Matthew to be able to infer who the common acquaintance Everblood was referring

if he 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

Matthew, Everblood

like

him, Everblood pointed at it

leave this old foggy and sign a contract

Matthew weakly

"A contract...with you?"

"Well how about it? don't you want to take revenge

"Revenge?"

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

"...Revenge on Ren?"

Yes...

about it, none of

would've still comfortably been relaxing

of what happened he had lost

dead and his contract now gone, Matthew knew that

contained demonic energy, Matthew knew that he could no longer live as a

a fugitive and be forced to hide like a rat. He could no longer live the life that he was living right

He didn't want this!

that he worked so hard for just got ruined because of

his teeth, Matthew

"Ren..."

state of mind,

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

at Everblood with red

"Okay, I agree..."

smiling widely,

a lot of fun

Everblood was about to hand Matthew a contract, sensing something, he looked in the direction of the

-Fwua!

seems like someone

-Bang!

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

happening? I heard the sound of glass breaking. I've talked

direction of the door,

"Dad!"

of shock appeared on Matthew's father's face as his eyes remained fixed on

on here? What is a demon

at his father as his eyes flashed, Matthew smiled as

"Yes, I did"

eyes wide, Matthew's father

killed a demon?! That's

tried

have to let them know that my

-Spurt!

father opened his eyes wide.

"M-matthew!?"

-Spurt!

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

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

really wanted to stay with you a bit longer but I really

of a gold-graded guild, ranked hero, looked at his son in shock as

"W-why!?"

Matthew's face disappeared as his

"Why you ask?!"

you just ask

as he proceed to look back at

even know your own wrongdoings? Do you think I

second, Matthew grabbed his father by the collar as

think I wouldn't

his son who was shouting at

you talking

Matthew's voice raised

feign ignorance with