The Author's POV

-Fwap!

Appearing from the other side of a tall building, standing in the air, a two-meter tall demon with two large bat-like wings covered the sun. Staring at Angelica from above, Everblood slightly laughed

"Kukuku, it seems like nothing escapes your perception, Madam Matriarch, or would you prefer it if I called you Angelica Von Droix?"

-Vooom!

As soon as those words escaped from Everblood's mouth, as if he had triggered Angelica's reverse scale, an overwhelming pressure bore down on everything that was around her. Everything that was around her blew away as fine miniature crevices appeared beneath the ground of where she was standing.

Staring at Everblood with bloodshot eyes, she venomously spat

"It seems like you have a death wish, Everblood..."

Noticing Angelica's expression, Everblood covered his mouth. From time to time his body would tremble as he tried his best to hold his laughter...in the end, he failed.

"Kukuku...kukuku...kuku-hahahahahaah"

"What are you laughing at!"

After a couple of seconds of maniacal laughter, wiping the tears that had appeared on the corner of his eyes, Everblood couldn't help but say

"...there's no need for you to pretend anymore"

"What are you talking about?"

Leisurely standing in the air, Everblood glanced at Angelica with slight contempt in his eyes.

"...That as of right now you are not my match"

As if Everblood's words pierced her heart, Angelica couldn't help but grit her teeth in anger. Staring at Everblood in the air, with her jaw clenched, Angelica angrily spat

"...so it was you who planned all of this?"

Pausing for a moment, whilst still in the air, Everblood shook his hands as he innocently said

"No, no, no, believe me. I'm innocent with regards to this incident."

"...Than what are you here for?"

Pausing, a wide smile appeared on Everblood's face. Glancing at the black coffin in the corner of his eyes, he slowly said

"...I'm just here to borrow the coffin of the cursed night"

-Vuam!

Instantly, the world around Angelica became dyed in red, as a humongous pressure bore down on everything that was within her vicinity. Taking a step forward, Angelica glared at Everblood.

"How dare you!-pfff"

However, before Angelica could finish her sentence, abruptly putting her hand on her mouth, black blood dripped from the gaps of her hands.

Noticing Angelica's predicament, licking his lips, Everblood couldn't help but chuckle as he slowly descended from the air.

"Ah...it seems like you've run out of gas, what a pity...kukuku"

"Y-ou"

Kneeling with one leg on the ground, Angelica gazed at Everblood's figure slowly descending in the air. A hint of helplessness appeared in her eyes.

Glancing away from Everblood, Angelica couldn't help but stare at the black coffin a few meters away from where she was.

The coffin of cursed night.

An ancient demon artifact that she was granted due to her meritorious deeds.

It had the miraculous effect of granting fast recovery as well as increase training speed. It was an almost god-like item that every demon below Viscount-rank would drool over.

Its value was tremendous.

If not for her tremendous strength, she would've never been able to keep the coffin until now. However, as soon as news of her contractee dying spread, lower-ranked demons instantly tried to fight her for it.

...winner takes all.

That was how the demons operated. Even if you were of the same race, the demons didn't care. To them, primordial desires overtook their rationality, prompting them to greedily take whatever they desired.

Only through power could a demon rule over another demon...and now that Angelica was in a weakened state, it was her turn to face the music.

She was alone and powerless.

"Here"

Throwing a black round object towards Angelica, Everblood made his way towards the black coffin.

-Swoosh!

Taken aback, catching the object with her right hand, Angelica couldn't help but take a look at the object she caught.

"Huh? A demon fruit?"

"...Take it as a little compensation for me borrowing the coffin of the cursed night"

Staring at the demon fruit in her hand, Angelica wanted to throw it back at Everblood...but considering her current strength, she could only helplessly take the fruit.

Smiling at Angelica's resignation, Everblood arrived before the coffin.

"Ah...just the thing I needed"

Glancing at the coffin a couple of more times, Everblood nodded in satisfaction. This was indeed what he was looking for.

...because of an incident in the past, he had been severely injured and lost a major part of his strength. Now, with the aid of the coffin, he could finally recover from the injury and even climb towards a higher rank.

Taking the coffin with both hands, Everblood's smile deepened. Before leaving, glancing at Angelica who seemed to have lost all reason to live, Everblood amusingly said

'It's time...'

"Listen here Matriarch...I may have a clue with regards to who was responsible for your little puppy's death"

Snapping her head in Everblood's direction, Angelica's face became ferocious. Her body suddenly became revitalized as the ground around her shook.

-Rumble!

"Who? You better not be playing tricks on me..."

"kukuku, no need to be so aggressive...Here"

Smiling widely, Everblood shook his head. Taking out a picture from out of thin air, Everblood lightly threw it in Angelica's direction

-Swoosh!

"Huh? What's this?"

Catching the picture with her hands, Angelica glanced at it. On it, a picture of a youth with jet-black hair and deep blue eyes appeared. In the picture, he was seen wearing a casual set of clothes, walking in a busy shopping district.

Glancing at Everblood, Angelica questioningly asked

"Who is this?"

Smiling, Everblood didn't respond.

-Fwap!

Extending his enormous bat-like wings, he took the large black-coffin and slowly levitated in the air.

"Well, I guess that's it for me, I hope you resolve your little problem"

"Wai-t"

Ignoring Angelica's voice, levitating in the air with the coffin in his hands, Everblood flew in the air. Soon he disappeared into the distance.

Helplessly watching Everblood fly in the distance with her coffin, Angelica stared at the picture in her hand.

"So you are the one..."

-Fuuuua!

Burning the picture in her hand, Angelica slowly stood up. Stumbling a couple of steps, she deeply etched the image of the boy in the picture.

"I don-t care if you aren't the one who killed Elijah...but since you are my only lead, you will have to be the one to bear the consequences of my wrath!"

...

Not so far from where Angelica was, in the air, glancing below him, the smile on Everblood's face vanished.

"...oh, how I waited for this moment"

Because of what had happened three months ago in the dungeon, Everblood has lost a lot of supporters within the tribe he was in. Recalling the humiliation he faced at the hands of a young kid, Baron of Everblood's face couldn't help but savagely twist.

'...because of you little bastard destroying my clone, I lost part of my strength and everything that I had worked hard for...my position, my strength, my honor...EVERYTHING"

Fiercely glaring at the ground below, unbounded thick bloodlust enveloped the area he was in. His bloodlust was so thick that it slowly created a tangible wave of red.

-Fwuuuuaa!

However, the bloodlust left as fast as it came. Staring into the distance, Everblood's smile relaxed.

"...but that's fine."

Taking out a similar photo to the one he had given to the Matriarch, Everblood caressed it slightly as his face twisted savagely. Looking at the picture, Everblood spoke to it. Almost as if he was speaking to the person himself.

"Can you imagine my surprise when I saw your picture when I was investigating what had happened to Angelica?"

"At first the very sight of you caused me to be overwhelmed with rage...you wouldn't believe what I went through because of you..."

Levitating in the air as he casually talked to the picture in his hand, it looked as though Everblood was talking to one of his old lifetime friends

"I lost my elder position, I was scorned by those of whom used to be my subordinates...and what made things worse was that I couldn't fight back as my strength dropped below the Baron rank...I was no longer called Baron of Everblood...just Everblood"

Pausing, Everblood looked into the distance as he reminisced about the things he went through the past two months. After a couple of seconds, staring at the picture in his hands, Everblood continued

"...In the midst of my despair, the only thing that kept me sane was the very image of you."

"Ahhhh...just imaging myself torturing you in the worst possible ways caused my heart to shudder uncontrollably, I wanted to meet you so so many times. Just imagining myself skinning you alive enthralled me to no end...but I realized something"

Stopping there, Everblood's face became serious. Glancing at the picture he rhetorically said

"Wasn't that a little bit too anticlimactic?"

"...wouldn't killing and torturing you now be a bit too anticlimactic? I wanted you to despair...despair just as much as I did...no, on a level that was far beyond what I had experienced"

Pausing there, a smile returned on Everblood's face. Recalling something, Everblood's body trembled as he started chucking uncontrollably

"kukuku, at first I thought that targeting your family would've been enough...but guess what? To my surprise, when I saw them from the distance, they were both already under the Mindbreaker's curse...oh the laughs...on that day, I laughed like I had never done before. Just imaging your predicament as you found out about your parent's curse...ahhh, the chills I had on that day...kukukukuku...hahahah"

Covering his mouth to stop himself from laughing, Everblood continued

"And so, after realizing how much joy I took in from imaging your suffering, I decided to hold back..."

"...you just weren't fat enough for me yet."

"For me to reach an even bigger euphoria I needed for you to grow even more...stronger, more successful, happier...only when you fall at your highest that my revenge will finally be complete

-Crump

Crumpling the picture in his hands, Everblood slowly spat

"...only when you have a face of utter despair will I finally be able to wash away the shame that you had given me...and finally be complete"

-Fuuuu!

Burning the picture in his hands, Everblood stared at the embers flying in the distance.

"I hope that once I wake up from my little slumber, you will still be alive. After all, I have high expectations of you...Ren Dover"

Glancing at the Matriarch in the distance, Everblood's smile deepened.

"Though you may not have been the one who killed her contractee, I'm sure Angelica cares none for that...but, oh well, If you can't accomplish this much...what worth is there in me putting all of this effort to get back at you...kukukuku"

-Fwap!

Flapping his enormous bat-like wings, whilst carrying the enormous black coffin with both hands, Everblood disappeared in the distance.