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.

opportunity that you have

had happened, Everblood had a faint feeling

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

a polite demon,

thinking along those lines made him

a truly

"kukuku, hahahaha"

-Rustle!

"hm?"

direction of where the sound was coming from and his eyes soon paused

and a panicked face, Matthew pointed towards Everblood as he

"Y-you, who are you?"

putting the core away, the smile on Everblood's

of his hands in the air, Everblood

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

Matthew pointed

do you

Everblood tilted

we share a common acquaintance, how could I not know

mouthful of saliva,

perhaps referring to

be able to infer who

to 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 'his parents' and how

Matthew,

it seems like you

corpse beneath him, Everblood

foggy and

Matthew

"A contract...with you?"

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

"Revenge?"

fall this low. If you work with me, I'll show you the grandest of spectacles...what

"...Revenge on Ren?"

Yes...

of this

way to cure his parents he would've still comfortably been relaxing

what happened he

knew that he would soon find his body slowly

forcefully making him digest pills and feeding him devil fruits that contained demonic energy, Matthew knew that

hide like a rat. He could no longer live the

He didn't want this!

for just got

his teeth, Matthew

"Ren..."

current state of

someone must've noticed that something was wrong...after all,

red

"Okay, I agree..."

response, smiling widely,

fun will await

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

-Fwua!

like

-Bang!

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

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

direction of the door, Mathew soon

"Dad!"

around 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!?

father as his

"Yes, I did"

eyes wide,

killed a demon?!

phone and turning around, Matthew's father quickly tried to dial a number

press, and everybody. I have to let them know that my son killed a demon. Our guild's fame

-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 head to the side,

"M-matthew!?"

-Spurt!

his father's body

gently laid him down on the

a bit longer but I really

gold-graded guild, ranked hero,

"W-why!?"

smile on Matthew's face disappeared as his face

"Why you ask?!"

just ask me

towards the ceiling, Matthew laughed out loud as he proceed

don't even know your own wrongdoings?

grabbed his

think I

his son who was shouting at him

you talking

him, Matthew's voice raised a

ignorance with