Lord Takeda's territory began three kilometers north of the checkpoint.
I crossed the boundary just after midnight, moving through the forest with [Shadow Stealth] active. The darkness embraced me like a second skin, rendering me invisible even to the patrol I passed—six soldiers with torches, scanning the underbrush for threats they'd never see.
I was twenty meters away, standing in plain sight. They walked right past me.
The power was intoxicating. And terrifying. I'd become the thing that hunted in darkness, the predator that struck from shadows. Exactly what the Specters were supposed to be.
Exactly what I was becoming.
I pushed the thought away and focused on the mission. Captain Oda's intelligence indicated Lord Takeda maintained a network of "special operatives"—assassins, spies, and controlled Specters—operating from a fortified compound five kilometers into his territory. That's where the Shadow Demon had come from. And that's where more would be waiting.
Strike the compound. Eliminate the threat at its source. Send a message that couldn't be ignored.
The Ghost Stomach pulsed with anticipation. It had tasted the Shadow Demon's power and wanted more. Needed more. The hunger was a constant pressure now, driving me forward with predatory focus.
The forest thinned as I approached the compound. Through the trees, I could see walls—wooden palisades similar to the checkpoint's but taller, reinforced with what looked like paper talismans inscribed with protective seals. Guard towers at each corner, torches burning bright to eliminate shadows.
Smart defensive design. Against normal Specters, those seals and lights would be effective deterrents.
But I wasn't a normal Specter.
I circled the compound slowly, my enhanced vision picking out details. Eight guards visible on the walls. Two at the main gate. Movement inside suggested at least a dozen more within the compound itself. And something else—a spiritual pressure emanating from the central building. Multiple Specters, contained or controlled somehow.
Lord Takeda's arsenal. His tame monsters, kept ready for deployment against enemies and rivals.
Tonight, they'd meet something they couldn't have prepared for.
I approached the eastern wall, staying in the deepest shadows between torch circles. [Shadow Stealth] kept me invisible, but I could feel the protective seals trying to detect me—spiritual energy washing over my position like searchlight beams. But I was human enough that the seals didn't register me as a threat. The Specter essence I'd absorbed was too integrated, too much a part of me now to trigger typical detection methods.
I activated [Rapid Movement] while maintaining [Shadow Stealth]. The fusion was easier now, more practiced. I blurred up the wall in complete silence, clearing the ten-meter height in a fraction of a second. The guard at the nearest tower never even turned his head.
I was inside.
The compound's layout matched Captain Oda's intelligence. Barracks buildings flanking a central structure—probably administration and command. And in the back, a separate building with no windows and reinforced doors. The spiritual pressure was strongest there.
The Specter containment facility.
I dropped from the wall into the compound's interior, landing in a shadow cast by one of the barracks. Two guards passed within arm's reach, their torches illuminating everything except the darkness I'd become part of. They were discussing the Shadow Demon—how it had been sent to eliminate a foreign scholar at the border checkpoint.
"Think it succeeded?" one asked.
"Must have. It's been two days. If the target survived, we'd have heard something by now."
"Lord Takeda will be pleased. One less variable to worry about before the summit."
Summit? I filed that information away. Something bigger was happening, some gathering of lords or political maneuvering that I'd stumbled into the middle of.
The guards moved on, oblivious to the predator listening from three meters away.
I made my way toward the containment building, staying in shadows, moving only when guards' attention was elsewhere. The protective seals were denser here, paper talismans covering every surface. But they were designed to keep things in, not to detect threats approaching from outside.
The door was locked and barred. Not a problem. I positioned myself in the deepest shadow near the entrance and waited. Patience was easier now, the Ghost Stomach's predatory instincts making stillness feel natural rather than tedious.
Twenty minutes passed before a guard approached—different from the wall sentries, better equipped. He carried a ring of keys and moved with the confidence of someone who'd made this rounds dozens of times.
He unlocked the door and stepped inside. I slipped in behind him, so close I could smell the sake on his breath. He never knew I was there.
The interior was dimly lit by oil lamps, revealing a long corridor with cells on either side. But these weren't prison cells—they were containment units, each one covered in seals and inscribed with binding circles. And inside each unit...
Specters.
A dozen of them, maybe more. Varied types—some humanoid, others bestial, a few that defied easy categorization. All of them trapped, bound, their spiritual pressure contained by the seals. Lord Takeda's collected arsenal, ready to be deployed as weapons.
The guard moved down the corridor, checking each cell methodically. I followed in his shadow, studying the prisoners. Most were weak—Wild Ghosts and minor Yokai, barely more dangerous than animals. But three of the cells contained High-Tier threats.
A creature made of animate flame, burning silently behind reinforced seals.
Something that looked like liquid darkness given vaguely human form—similar to the Shadow Demon but more refined, more controlled.
And in the furthest cell, a Specter I recognized from Captain Oda's briefings. A Crimson Oni—massive, red-skinned, with horns like sword blades and muscles that would put oxen to shame. Easily three meters tall, radiating raw physical power even through the binding seals.
The Ghost Stomach screamed with hunger. So much prey. So much power, contained and ready for consumption. All I had to do was break the seals and let the feeding begin.
But that would be reckless. Stupid. Breaking all the seals at once would release a dozen Specters into Lord Takeda's compound, likely killing everyone here including me. And while I'd accepted becoming more predatory, I wasn't ready to massacre an entire compound of human soldiers just to feed my hunger.
Not yet, anyway.
The guard completed his inspection and left, locking the door behind him. I remained inside, hidden in the shadows, considering my options.
I could consume the Specters one by one. Methodical, controlled, minimizing chaos. But that would take time, and eventually someone would notice the missing prisoners.
Or I could take a more direct approach.
I moved to the Crimson Oni's cell. The creature was awake, its yellow eyes tracking back and forth despite not being able to see me. It could sense something, though—probably the Specter essence I'd absorbed triggering its predatory instincts.
"Can you understand me?" I whispered.
The Oni's eyes snapped to my position. Its lips pulled back, revealing fangs like daggers. It couldn't speak—the binding seals prevented that—but its intelligence was obvious in those eyes.
"I'm going to break your seal," I continued. "Release you. And in return, you're going to help me kill everyone in this compound who tries to stop me. After that, you're free to leave. Or—" I let some of the Ghost Stomach's hunger bleed into my voice, "—I can consume you like I consumed the Shadow Demon. Your choice."
The Oni stared at me for a long moment. Then, slowly, it nodded.
Good enough.
I studied the seals on its cell. Complex binding circles, layered protections, probably decades of accumulated mystical knowledge. I had no idea how to properly dismantle them.
So I wouldn't try proper. I'd try violent.
I activated [Rapid Movement] and struck the central seal with my full strength. The paper talisman shattered, and spiritual backlash exploded outward in a wave of blue light. Alarms began wailing immediately—a piercing shriek that would wake the entire compound.
The binding circles flickered and died. The Oni surged forward, smashing through the cell door like it was made of rice paper. It roared—a sound that shook the building's foundations—and turned to face me.
For a moment, we locked eyes. Predator to predator. Monster to monster.
Then it grinned, showing all those dagger-fangs, and charged toward the exit.
Smart Oni. It knew revenge when it saw an opportunity.
I moved to the next High-Tier cell—the liquid darkness Specter. Struck the seal. Backlash. The creature flowed free, immediately attacking the guard who burst through the door responding to the alarms. The man died screaming as darkness poured into his mouth and lungs.
The flame Specter next. Seal broken. Fire exploded outward, instantly incinerating the wooden walls. The entire building was burning within seconds.
Chaos. Perfect, absolute chaos.
I released [Shadow Stealth] and activated [Rapid Movement], blurring through the flames toward the exit. Behind me, I could hear the remaining Specters breaking free of their weakened containment, drawn by the destruction. The entire compound was erupting into violence—freed monsters attacking their former captors, guards trying to respond to threats coming from every direction.
I emerged into the compound's courtyard to find absolute pandemonium. The Crimson Oni had smashed through one of the barracks, killing indiscriminately. The liquid darkness Specter was hunting soldiers in the shadows. And the flame Specter had turned the entire containment building into an inferno.
Guards were shouting, trying to organize, but they were trained to fight external threats—not an internal rebellion of their own captured weapons. They were dying by the dozens.
And in the center of the chaos, I stood invisible, watching it all unfold.
This was the message. This was what happened when Lord Takeda tried to control things he didn't understand. When he thought he could weaponize monsters without consequence.
A figure emerged from the central building—older man, richly dressed, surrounded by a personal guard of six elite soldiers. Lord Takeda himself, probably. His face was a mask of rage and disbelief as he watched his compound burn.
"Kill them!" he screamed. "Kill all the Specters! And find whoever released them!"
The elite guard moved with professional efficiency, forming a defensive perimeter around their lord. These weren't ordinary soldiers—their movements were too coordinated, their equipment too refined. And they carried weapons that glowed with spiritual energy. Oni Hunters, or something close to it.
The Crimson Oni charged them. The elite guard met it with practiced coordination—two engaging directly while four flanked, their enchanted weapons carving glowing wounds in the Oni's flesh. It roared in pain and fury, but it was outmatched. Within minutes, they'd driven it back, contained it, begun the process of killing it.
Professional monster killers. Exactly what I'd need to face if I revealed myself.
Better to stay hidden. Let them exhaust themselves fighting the Specters I'd released. And then—
The liquid darkness Specter made its move. It flowed across the courtyard faster than sight, targeting Lord Takeda directly. The elite guard tried to intercept, but darkness was already wrapping around their lord, pulling him away from his protectors.
Lord Takeda screamed.
I had a choice. Let the Specter kill him—removing the threat permanently but also declaring open war on the entire Daimyo system. Or intervene.
The Ghost Stomach didn't care about politics. It just wanted to feed. And that darkness Specter represented significant power.
I activated [Rapid Movement] combined with [Night Vision], blurring across the courtyard faster than the elite guard could track. My hand plunged into the darkness Specter's core—I'd learned from the Shadow Demon where to strike—and the Ghost Stomach exploded outward in a devouring wave.
The Specter shrieked and tried to escape, but I held tight. Its essence flowed into me, cold and viscous, fighting every centimeter of the way. But the Ghost Stomach was stronger, more refined after multiple consumptions. It processed the darkness Specter in seconds, breaking it down into raw ability.
[SHADOW MANIPULATION ABSORBED - INTEGRATING WITH SHADOW STEALTH]
[ABILITY UPGRADED: SHADOW STEALTH → SHADOW DOMINANCE]
I released Lord Takeda, letting him collapse to the ground gasping. The elite guard surrounded us immediately, weapons raised, but they hesitated—unsure whether I was threat or savior.
Lord Takeda looked up at me, his eyes wide with shock and recognition. "You. The foreign scholar. You're supposed to be—"
"Dead?" I smiled, cold and predatory. "Your assassin failed. So I came to deliver a message personally."
I activated the upgraded [Shadow Dominance]. Darkness exploded outward from my body, flooding the courtyard. Not just stealth now—active control. The shadows moved at my command, forming tendrils and blades, extinguishing torches, creating zones of absolute darkness that swallowed light itself.
The elite guard attacked. I blurred through their formation using [Rapid Movement], my shadow tendrils disarming two and throwing a third across the courtyard. Not killing—just demonstrating the gap between us. Showing what I could do if I wanted them dead.
Within ten seconds, all six were on the ground, disarmed and gasping.
I stood over Lord Takeda, shadows writhing around me like living things, my enhanced vision letting me see his terror even in the darkness I'd created.
"Here's the message," I said quietly. "Leave me alone. Stop sending assassins. Stop trying to recruit or control me. Because the next time—" I let the shadows tighten around him, just enough to feel threatening, "—I won't stop with your compound. I'll come for your manor. Your family. Everything you value. And I'll consume it all."
I released him and stepped back. "Or you can accept that I'm not a weapon you can wield. That I'm something new in your political games. Something that exists outside your hierarchies and power structures. Your choice, Lord."
The shadows receded. I reactivated [Shadow Stealth], vanishing from sight before the elite guard could recover. As I moved toward the compound walls, I could hear Lord Takeda shouting orders—calling for healers, for search parties, for some way to salvage the disaster his compound had become.
But his voice had lost its certainty. Lost its command. He'd seen what I was, what I could do. And he'd understood the message.
I was the predator now. And he was just another potential meal.
The Ghost Stomach purred with satisfaction as I disappeared into the forest, leaving chaos and fear behind. Two new abilities consumed and integrated tonight. Power grown. Territory claimed.
And Lord Takeda learned the same lesson Captain Oda had: that trying to control me was suicide.
The hunt had been successful.
And somewhere in the back of my mind, the part that still remembered being human wondered when exactly I'd started thinking in terms of territory and prey instead of survival and self-defense.
But that voice was getting quieter with each consumption.
Soon, it might disappear entirely.