Midnight. Northern docks.
Iron Fang territory.
I moved across rooftops like a ghost, using [Shadow Stealth] fused with [Rapid Movement] to stay invisible and fast. Below, the docks bustled with illegal activity—smugglers unloading cargo, enforcers collecting protection money, deals being made in shadowed corners.
And underneath it all, spiritual corruption.
[Psychic Defense] was picking up multiple signatures. Three moderate threats within a quarter-mile radius. One strong presence near the main warehouse complex.
"Target the strong one first," Kasumi had said during the briefing. "Maximum psychological impact. Show that even their most protected areas aren't safe."
Sound strategy.
I dropped from the rooftop into an alley, landing silently despite the twenty-foot fall. [Magma Body] absorbed the impact easily, heat radiating from my skin in the cool night air.
The strong signature was ahead. Moving. Patrolling, maybe.
I approached carefully, enhancing perception with fused abilities. Saw it through the spiritual sight—a massive shape, eight feet tall, heavily muscled. Oni-class Specter, probably. Mid-Tier verging on High.
It was guarding the main warehouse. Walking a perimeter with deliberate purpose.
Not wild. Controlled.
Someone had bound this Specter. Given it instructions. Made it serve as supernatural security.
Grand Master Kurosawa's work? Or just local criminal innovation?
Either way, it was in my path.
I circled around, getting a better angle. The Oni was heavily armored—not physical armor but spiritual reinforcement. Its essence was dense, compressed, refined through decades of existence.
Tough prey.
The Ghost Stomach pulsed with eager hunger.
I activated [Rapid Movement] and closed the distance in a blur.
The Oni sensed me at the last second. Turned with impossible speed for something so large. Its fist came around like a wrecking ball.
I ducked under the strike and drove my superheated palm into its abdomen.
[Magma Body] at maximum intensity. The contact point glowed white-hot.
The Oni roared—sound that shattered windows in nearby buildings. Its spiritual armor held but started cracking under the sustained heat.
It grabbed me with both hands and squeezed.
Pain. Actual pain despite [Magma Body]. The Oni's strength was overwhelming—physically and spiritually. It was crushing me, trying to shatter my ribs, collapse my lungs.
I activated [Rapid Regeneration].
Felt bones cracking, then healing. Cracking again, healing again. Constant cycle of damage and repair that was burning through energy at a terrifying rate.
Couldn't sustain this.
The Oni lifted me off the ground, preparing to slam me into the pavement hard enough to paste a normal human.
I activated the Ghost Stomach.
My jaw unhinged and the devouring force exploded outward, but this time I didn't aim for external consumption. Instead, I bit into the Oni's wrist where it gripped me.
Spiritual flesh tore. Essence flowed directly into my mouth.
The Oni shrieked. Not from pain—from violation. I was consuming it from the inside. Breaking down its structure from within rather than overwhelming it externally.
New technique. Born from desperation.
The Ghost Stomach processed the stolen essence immediately. Used it to fuel [Rapid Regeneration]. My injuries healed faster, and I bit deeper. Tearing away larger chunks of the Oni's spiritual body.
It tried to throw me away, but I held on. Locked my legs around its arm. Kept biting, kept consuming, kept feeding.
The Oni's grip weakened. Its spiritual armor began collapsing inward as I hollowed it out from the consumption point.
One more massive bite. I tore away its core essence—the concentrated power at the center of its being.
The Oni collapsed.
I fell with it, landing in a crouch, the core essence still dissolving in my mouth.
[GHOST STOMACH SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
[ONI-CLASS SPECTER CONSUMED]
[MID-TIER ESSENCE DETECTED]
[INTERNAL CONSUMPTION METHOD DETECTED]
[ANALYZING TACTICAL ADVANTAGE...]
[ABILITY ENHANCED: GHOST STOMACH - Internal Consumption]
[New capability: Can consume essence directly through physical contact, bypassing external defenses]
The Ghost Stomach settled with deep satisfaction.
I'd discovered something critical. Standard consumption required overwhelming the target completely—breaking down all defenses, processing the entire entity. Expensive. Time-consuming. Risky against strong opponents.
But internal consumption? Bite through a weak point. Consume from the inside out. Let the target's own struggling accelerate the breakdown.
Efficient. Brutal. Effective.
I stood, testing my energy reserves. Still decent. The internal consumption method had actually been cheaper than standard devouring—less spiritual mass to process, more concentrated essence.
"Impressive."
I spun. A woman stood on the warehouse roof. Mid-thirties, dressed in expensive clothes, Iron Fang colors. Her spiritual signature was... wrong. Not a Specter, but not entirely human either.
Hybrid? Like me?
"That was my security," she said calmly. "Cost me three months' profit to bind that Oni properly. And you just consumed it in under a minute."
"You bound it." Not a question. "You're controlling Specters."
"Everyone who matters in this city controls Specters. It's how the game is played." She smiled without warmth. "The question is: who sent you? Crimson Blades? Ghost Slayers? Someone else?"
Careful. This woman was dangerous. Not in raw power—her signature was moderate at best—but in political influence.
"Nobody sent me," I said. "I'm just hungry."
"Hungry." She laughed. "That's honest, at least. You're the Demon Eater. The one who's been causing problems for the Ghost Slayers."
News traveled fast.
"And you're?"
"Yuki. Iron Fang lieutenant." She studied me carefully. "We could use someone with your talents. Protection, enforcement, elimination of rivals. I can pay well. Very well."
"Not interested in employment."
"Then what are you interested in?" She leaned forward slightly. "Because you just declared war on my organization. That Oni's death will be noticed. Investigated. Avenged."
"Let them try."
"Oh, they will." Her smile widened. "But here's what you don't know: that Oni wasn't mine. Not really. It was leased. From a very powerful benefactor who supplies supernatural assets to those who can afford them."
My attention sharpened. "Who?"
"Someone you've probably heard of. Goes by many names, but the one that matters is Grand Master." She watched my reaction. "You recognize it. Good. Then you know that killing his asset will bring consequences."
Grand Master Kurosawa. Here. Active. Supplying Specters to criminal organizations.
The conspiracy was deeper than we'd thought.
"Where is he?" I asked.
"No idea. Nobody meets him directly. Everything goes through intermediaries." She shrugged. "But if you're planning to cause problems for him, you might want allies. People who know how his network operates."
"You're offering alliance?"
"I'm offering information. In exchange for a favor." She gestured at the collapsed Oni. "You consume Specters. The Grand Master has rivals. Competitors who also deal in supernatural assets. Help me eliminate them, and I'll tell you everything I know about his operation."
Tempting. But trusting a gang lieutenant who worked with Kurosawa's network seemed suicidal.
"I'll think about it," I said.
"Don't think too long. The Grand Master doesn't tolerate disruption." She turned to leave, paused. "Oh, and one more thing. That internal consumption technique you just used? Very innovative. But it has a weakness."
"Which is?"
"It requires direct physical contact. Prolonged engagement. Against multiple opponents or ranged attackers..." She smiled. "You'll be vulnerable. Think about that."
She disappeared into the warehouse.
I stood there, processing.
Grand Master Kurosawa was supplying Specters to gangs. Using criminals as distribution network for his positioned entities. Which meant Matsuyama wasn't just a test site—it was a marketplace. A laboratory for refining Specter control techniques before the False Night Parade.
And I'd just painted a target on myself by consuming one of his assets.
Perfect.
I activated [Shadow Stealth] and retreated across the rooftops. Found Kasumi waiting three blocks away at the predetermined rendezvous.
"Status?" she asked immediately.
"Oni consumed. New consumption technique developed. And we have a problem." I explained the encounter with Yuki, the Grand Master's involvement, the supply network.
Kasumi's expression darkened. "He's everywhere. The checkpoints, the city, the gangs. How deep does this conspiracy go?"
"Deep enough that we can't fight it directly." I looked at the sprawling city. "But maybe we can disrupt it. Consume his positioned Specters systematically. Break the supply chain."
"While staying ahead of the Ghost Slayers and avoiding gang retaliation." She shook her head. "Ambitious."
"You have a better plan?"
"No." She smiled grimly. "Which is why we're doing yours. Come on—Master Yamada found two more signatures in western territory. We hunt until dawn."
The Ghost Stomach pulsed with approval.
Four more Specters consumed by sunrise. All using the new internal consumption method. Efficient. Effective. Each one adding marginal essence to my reserves.
By the time we returned to the warehouse base, I'd refined the technique significantly. Could identify weak points in spiritual armor. Could bite through defensive essence with surgical precision.
And with each consumption, I felt the Ghost Stomach growing more sophisticated. More intelligent. Learning from each encounter, adapting techniques, suggesting tactical improvements.
Not sure if that was good or terrifying.
Probably both.