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.

what a delightful opportunity that you have presented

had a faint feeling that Ren was the one

all, he was the only one that was aware of his parent's curse. Who else aside from him could be

being a polite demon, he

those lines made him uncontrollably

a truly delightful

"kukuku, hahahaha"

-Rustle!

"hm?"

direction

and a panicked face, Matthew pointed towards

"Y-you, who are you?"

Matthew in the distance, putting the core

hands in the air, Everblood casually

been wanting to meet you

aback, Matthew pointed towards

do

tilted his

all, we share a common acquaintance,

mouthful of

you perhaps referring

Matthew to be able to infer who the common acquaintance Everblood

overhear Everblood speaking his name from where he was. Even 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 mentioned

Matthew,

it seems like you

Viscount Avelon's corpse beneath him, Everblood pointed at it and

you leave this old foggy and sign a contract with me

Matthew

"A contract...with you?"

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

"Revenge?"

revenge on the one that caused you to fall this low. If

"...Revenge on Ren?"

Yes...

none of this would've happened if not

cure his parents he would've still comfortably been relaxing in

now, because of what

gone, Matthew knew that he would soon find his

feeding him devil fruits that contained demonic energy, Matthew knew that

would be 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!

worked so hard for just got ruined because of

teeth,

"Ren..."

current state of mind, Everblood

make this quick, by now someone must've noticed that

Everblood with red eyes,

"Okay, I agree..."

smiling widely, Everblood

lot of fun will await us in the

to hand Matthew a contract, sensing something, he looked in the direction of the door with pity as his body slowly

-Fwua!

seems like

-Bang!

large bang, an elderly man urgently

breaking. I've talked to the hotel security and

towards the direction of

"Dad!"

the room, a look of shock appeared on Matthew's father's face as his eyes remained fixed on the black humanoid creature that was on the

here? What is a demon doing on the floor!? Did

father as his eyes flashed,

"Yes, I did"

his eyes wide, Matthew's

killed a demon?!

around, Matthew's father quickly tried to

have to let them know that my

-Spurt!

as he was about to make a call, out of nowhere, red blood spilled on the ground as Matthew's father opened his eyes wide. Weakly turning his

"M-matthew!?"

-Spurt!

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

head, Matthew gently laid him down on

with you a

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

"W-why!?"

his father's question, the smile on Matthew's face disappeared as

"Why you ask?!"

just ask me

towards the ceiling, Matthew laughed out loud as

you don't even know your own

second, Matthew grabbed his father by

think I wouldn't

who was shouting at him maniacally,

are you

Matthew's voice raised

ignorance with