Laid walked through the demon-infested city after his encounter with the strange man. Despite the warning he'd received, he simply didn't care. He continued along the red-tinted streets, his expression carved from stone. A few demons scattered about stopped to stare at him—some with fear flickering in their eyes as they took in his emotionless, cold face, while others gazed with admiration. These admirers likely aspired to become just like him: a cold, emotionless killer. They didn't know whether he had actually killed anyone, though most demons had ended at least one or two lives in their time, whether demon or monster.
He pressed on until he reached a restaurant. Pushing open the doors, he stepped inside. Multiple demons sat at tables, consuming strange dishes. Some patrons appeared extremely wealthy. One man in particular caught his attention as he grabbed seven demon cores and thrust them toward a server.
"Look, I'll give you my seven demon cores if you just pay for me to get the best thing you have here," the rich man declared.
The server stammered, confusion crossing his face. "But sir, I don't understand. Why are you giving me money for me to pay out of my own pocket?"
A predatory gleam lit the rich man's eyes. "The seven demon cores will be your compensation for paying out of your own pocket to give me something good to eat. That's all. Now hurry up—I'm not going to waste my seven demon cores for nothing, am I?"
"Yes, sir!" The man quickly stammered before rushing off.
Laid observed the encounter without reaction. He walked to a table and sat down, having no intention of eating. This was simply a place for him to relax, to think, to plan his next moves in silence.
Then he overheard a conversation nearby.
"Hey man, I heard that killings have been happening in the outskirts and some parts of the city as well," a young man spoke, his voice tinged with worry.
The older man beside him smiled dismissively. "Yeah, it's probably just your average beast. Nothing too frightening to worry about."
"But why would a beast hunt in the outskirts? You know the Black Knight guards that place, right? No beast can survive against him, so how—"
"Actually, you make a good point," the older man interrupted, his smile fading. "How would a beast kill people in the outskirts if the Black Knight guards the place? It's strange, but the Demon Lord will probably handle it."
Relief washed over the young man's features. "You're right. The Demon Lord will handle this, and we'll all be safe and sound."
Laid smirked, staring at both of them with his cold, indifferent eyes. *Peace is a virtue you both will not have for long.*
---
In the outskirts, within a large and modest home, a young woman sat on a couch, cradling a baby in her arms. In the other rooms, demons moved about—some in their teenage years, others still young children. The scene radiated domestic warmth, a fragile sanctuary in this harsh world.
*Perfect,* Laid thought as he slipped into the shadows. He knew where the most powerful demon resided. He drew out the life-draining blade, its surface gleaming with malevolent promise, and smirked. *All right, just got to wait for the right moment.*
When the demon lay down for a quick nap and no one else occupied the room, he emerged stealthily from the shadowy corner. His armor gleamed faintly, but the man slept too deeply to hear or see. Laid approached silently, his heart steady, his purpose clear. He thrust the blade into the man's stomach. As the weapon performed its grim work, draining the life completely from its victim, the man's eyes went glassy. Within moments, he was dead.
A rush of energy coursed through his body, invigorating and intoxicating. *This demon really did have a lot of energy in him.*
He continued with the same method, moving from room to room, killing multiple members of the family with cold efficiency. Each death fed him more power, more strength. Finally, he reached the mother, still holding the baby in her arms on the couch. He hid behind the furniture and crept closer. *This demon is extremely powerful.*
The woman turned around abruptly. "I see you," she said calmly.
His heart dropped for just a fraction of a second. *She knows I'm here.* He recovered quickly, his expression hardening. *Well, nothing changes. Better late than never, huh?*
He lunged forward, driving the blade toward her face. The weapon stopped mere inches from her head, halted by a shimmering red aura that surrounded her like a shield. She rose from the couch with deliberate grace, laid the baby down gently, then grabbed a pair of gauntlets and slid them onto her hands.
"Come on now, don't think I wouldn't see you," she said, her voice steady despite the danger.
He smirked, intrigued by her composure. "You do know the artifact I hold in my hand at this very moment, don't you?"
"This is the energy-siphoning blade," the woman replied, her eyes never leaving his. "I've heard of it."
"And better yet," he continued, his voice dropping to a cruel whisper, "I've killed your entire family. All of them are dead. Every last one of them—except for you and that baby."
His eyes darkened with malicious intent. "I need to reach my goal quickly. After all, who knows when the Black Knight will come again to save you? So please, I'll make it quick."
The woman stared at him, her eyes watering as the full weight of his words crashed over her. Her composure crumbled as soon as she heard the news that her family was dead. She felt her knees weaken as tears began to fall, grief overwhelming her defenses.
"I should have known that would rile you up," he said coldly as he thrust the blade into her hand.
The weapon sank deep into her flesh. Her body convulsed as the blade drained her energy, sucking the very life from her veins. She collapsed to the ground, dead, the only visible wound being the stab mark in her hand.
He looked at the baby lying on the couch, innocent and unaware. *This baby doesn't have enough energy for me to progress.* He glanced at the young woman on the ground. *She had a decent amount of energy, but not enough. I need more kills.*
He left the house, leaving the baby alone on the ground, its soft cries fading behind him.
---
Laid continued walking throughout the outskirts, careful not to attract the Black Knight's attention. *Who should I target next?*
Suddenly, a man approached him. "Hello there," the man said with a polite expression. "My name is—"
Before he could finish, Laid slashed his throat. The man's energy drained rapidly, and he crumpled to the ground, dead.
"You heard the rumors about a killer being on the loose, you idiot. Leaving your home isn't the best thing to do," he muttered. "Seems like you don't listen to context clues enough. After all, they help you survive. Ignore them at your peril."
He stared down at the corpse and quickly rifled through the man's pockets. *Only two demon stones. I need five to merge them all into one demon core.* His jaw tightened with frustration. *I should go after the wealthy—at least the strong wealthy. After all, I need to grow stronger and acquire more demon cores. I barely even have one.*
His thoughts crystallized into a dark resolve. *It's time for me to go on a killing spree. I'll kill everyone who has a moderate amount of energy within them and make sure to spare the babies—at least the weak ones.*
With that grim determination, he ran off to begin his massacre.
---
The man whose neck had been cut open suddenly opened his eyes. His wound had completely healed, and his energy returned to him as he stood up, brushing dust from his clothes.
"I wasn't planning on him killing me," the man muttered, anger simmering beneath his calm exterior. "I was trying to be polite and offer him a demon stone, but he wants to be my enemy."
The man named Wolf grabbed a sharp dagger, his fingers curling around the hilt with practiced ease. His eyes burned with cold fury.
"I will send the full force of the Wolf Clan after you, murderer," he said, a dangerous smile crossing his face.
He pulled out a communication crystal that glowed blood-red in the darkness. His voice dropped to a whisper as he spoke into it. "Brothers, sisters—I'm calling in the Hunt. We have a new prey."
From the shadows around him, dozens of glowing eyes suddenly appeared, watching, waiting. The air itself seemed to thicken with predatory intent.
Wolf's smile widened as he stared in the direction Laid had gone. "Run while you can, killer. The Wolf Clan never loses its prey."
In the distance, a howl pierced the night—then another, and another, until the entire outskirts echoed with the sound of the hunt beginning.
And somewhere in the darkness, Laid stopped running, sensing something had changed. Something dangerous was coming for him now.