Ryuunosuke Uryuu was feeling a bit restless.
His art was so ahead of its time and so perfect that it left him feeling disconnected from ordinary people.
Inside the cinema, a large silver screen was playing her favorite violent B-movie, and while he was originally immersed in the art of killing, the loud voices around him started to annoy him.
"Ahh… that scene just now was terrifying!"
"Yeah, the bloody and gory scenes are disgusting. It's really not worth it to watch such a freaky movie. Can anyone actually like a film this horrifying?"
Listening to the comments around him, Ryuunosuke felt irritated. He quietly complained while coldly staring at the backs of a few couples leaving midway through the movie.
"Clearly, this film filled with blood and flying limbs is one of the few precious artworks in this world. Why don't people understand that? It's really frustrating…"
After complaining for a while, Ryuunosuke took note of the loudest voices in front of him, feeling an irresistible impulse rising within him.
He wanted to pull out his dagger and stab them fiercely in the neck, to peel back their skin and personally extract their entrails, using their blood to create the most beautiful artwork on the clean floor.
Such thoughts filled his mind, but Ryuunosuke Uryuu suppressed them, shaking his head heavily to stifle his impulse.
Such crude murder could hardly be called good art…
True art could only begin once everything was prepared; without understanding their backgrounds and relationships, taking rash action would ruin the aesthetic of the art. This kind of impulsive killing could only be deemed second-rate; only a carefully planned and meticulously detailed killing could be the most "Cool!!" art!
Although Ryuunosuke Uryuu was a wandering killer at will, a murderer who had committed over thirty crimes in Japan without being caught must have his own logic.
Each murder had to go through prior scouting and polishing, carefully preparing for them and arranging the most suitable death, then fully immersing himself in the joy of killing them.
Dissecting them in front of their eyes, using their tragic screams to compose the best artistic melody...this was the art that Ryuunosuke Uryuu pursued.
Tonight was also a crucial night; he had already selected his target.
After several days of scouting, he could finally compose another chapter of art.
He touched the human skin grimoire in his pocket, and Ryuunosuke Uryuu's breath became somewhat hurried.
"This time it should work, right? After trying so many times, that amusing Mr. Demon should respond to me now. This will be the third time; even a demon with such a nasty temperament will feel my sincere heart and my thirst for art after receiving so many offerings, right?"
He thought again of the kind-hearted neighbor woman who had taken him in with her gentle disposition, and a smile unconsciously appeared on Ryuunosuke Uryuu's lips.
What a rare angel she was; thank you for your kindness.
"As a repayment for this kindness, I will make you my most beautiful artwork."
With a smile on his lips, his fingers never stopped, repeatedly sketching in the air the outline of the summoning array from the grimoire, pondering which part's blood pigment would be used to create this artwork.
Meanwhile...
Several pale blue butterflies flew out from the ventilation shaft of the cinema and returned to Roy's hand.
In this area, Roy, releasing his familiars, received feedback, and a smile appeared on his lips.
"I found him."
...
"Arghhhh…"
"What is this?!"
Returning to the long-lost rental apartment, Ryuunosuke Uryuu wore a smile as he pressed the doorbell of his neighbor's house.
He knew that the woman lived alone, and all he needed to do was take advantage of her not resting and stab her in the neck to easily finish it.
He had performed this operation more than ten times, becoming quite skilled at it. Now, he could hardly wait to turn this kind-hearted woman into art and then present it to that interesting demon.
Following the plan, Ryuunosuke prepared to knock on the door, holding a very sharp small knife in his left hand, ready to act.
"Eh?"
Just as he was about to knock, he heard the door make a click sound.
The door swung open from the inside, revealing the entrance of the room.
"Not locked?"
Seeing the door wide open, Ryuunosuke felt a bit confused. After surveying the scene in the room, he suddenly felt a sense of unease and began to hesitate about whether to go in.
"Aren't you coming in to take a look?"
While he was pondering, a male voice suddenly startled him. Without thinking, he quickly pulled out the small knife and thrust it toward the source of the voice behind him.
With a stab, the sound instantly ceased. When he turned around, Ryuunosuke broke into a cold sweat.
Before him, several light blue butterflies fluttered and then slowly formed into the shape of a young man, looking quite extravagant.
"You bastard...argh!!"
In his panic, Ryuunosuke didn't even have time to ask a question before his knife was snatched away by Roy, who then swiftly stabbed him hard in the stomach with it.
"Ugh…"
The intense pain in his abdomen rendered Ryuunosuke speechless.
"Since you don't want to come in, I'll have to invite you inside."
Roy cast a cold glance at him and then grabbed Ryuunosuke's hair, dragging the incapacitated killer into the house.
"What are you…?"
"It's not your turn to ask questions yet."
Gasping unevenly, Ryuunosuke tried to inquire further, but Roy clearly ignored him.
Blood splattered onto the floor as he raised his hand and delivered another stab to the scum's abdomen.
"What… are you doing… arghh!!"
With a crunch, Roy, not wanting to continue hearing Ryuunosuke's wails, crushed his jaw with one swift motion, preventing him from speaking further.
Then, he searched Ryuunosuke's body and pulled out the eerie human-skin spellbook, kicking Ryuunosuke to the center of the room.
"Count, get ready. When that guy is summoned, attack directly without giving him a chance to react."
"Krahahahaha!! Don't worry, Master, I promise to take him down in the shortest time possible."
"Okay, I'll leave it to you then, Count."
After speaking, Roy took a brush from his pocket, dipped it in Ryuunosuke's blood as paint, and began to draw the magic circle from the book.
He then threw both the human-skin book and Ryuunosuke into the mix, being kind-hearted enough to help Ryuunosuke summon the demon he longed for.
Accompanied by the incantation of the summoning spell…
The light erupting from the summoning circle grew increasingly bright, and the flowing magical power responded to the bright red mark on Ryūnosuke's hand, confirming that a connection had indeed been established.
The seventh servant, Caster, officially made his appearance.
However...
"At your invitation, I have come. I am the unworthy Gilles de Rais. From now on, I shall serve you faithfully."
Upon hearing the sadistic voice of Gilles de Rais, Roy furrowed his brow, of course not intending to give Gilles de Rais a chance to react.
Swish...
With a swift motion, he plunged the small knife directly into Ryūnosuke's neck, decisively ending his life.
"Argghhhh!!!!"
Feeling the connection to his master suddenly sever, the freshly summoned Gilles de Rais went mad, clutching his head and screaming.
"What's happening? You killed him! You actually killed my master!! I will punish you, punish you! I will make you the food for the sea demons!!!"
"Quiet down, don't disturb the peace, you stinking octopus!"
With a quick step, the Count enveloped in burning black flames, slapped Gilles de Rais on the head, igniting him instantly.
Clearly caught off guard by the sudden attack from this master-servant duo, Gilles de Rais, who had just been summoned and had yet to grasp the situation, was bewildered.
"I will kill you!!"
In an instant, Gilles de Rais ignited by the pitch-black flames unleashed his prized noble phantasm, raising his hand to summon countless sea demon tentacles to attack Roy, intending to tear this tormentor who had made him suffer so miserably into pieces.
"Count, take him down as quickly as possible; we need to retreat."
Roy's figure retreated toward the door, his calm voice resonating in the room, signaling the end of this battle.
"Krahahaha!! As you wish, my master! I'll deal with this octopus right away."
After his maniacal laughter, the dark green figure swiftly darted about the cramped room, easily dodging the attacks of the sea demon tentacles. The black light and flames surrounding him increased his speed, making the monsters, which could easily take a warrior's life outside, appear as slow as snails to him.
"Dammit!!"
Enduring the intense pain from the dark flames, Gilles de Rais frantically flipped through the Prelati's Spellbook, seeking to summon more sea demons to crush this green figure into pieces.
But he wouldn't get that chance.
In battles between the strong, the outcome is often decided in an instant.
In just a breath's time, the figure of the King of the Caverns appeared before him, catching him off guard before he could summon the sea demons. In his astonished gaze, a powerful thrust struck his chest, crushing the core within him and severing any emotional ties.
"The game is over."
Clapping his hands, the Count glanced at the now exhausted Gilles de Rais, raised his hand, and delivered a final strike, causing Gilles de Rais to dissipate into nothingness.
In such a narrow room, any warrior could easily overpower a caster as feeble as him. For the Count, a fast, high-attack, and high-evade assassin, it was even more so.
Thus, this battle held no surprises; Gilles de Rais's pitiful agility and endurance were meaningless before the Count, who dispatched him effortlessly in just a few exchanges.
However, the commotion was rather loud.
Seeing the nearly overturned house from their battle, Roy gave a bitter smile and quickly signaled for the count to flee, not forgetting to have him set a fire to erase any traces before leaving.
As for the cleanup, he left that to the church.