The taste in Akira's mouth was vile—like battery acid mixed with stagnant pond water. But as he swallowed the chunk of the Curse, the agonizing heat in his veins turned into a cold, predatory rush.
[Warning: Integrity of Cursed Spirit (Grade 2) compromised.]
[Skill Unlocked: 'Grip of the Damned' (Passive) - Physical contact now leeches small amounts of CE.]
The Curse shrieked, a sound of pure glitching static. It tried to recoil, but Akira's fingers were buried deep in its gelatinous shoulder. He didn't feel like a high schooler anymore; he felt like a starving wolf that had finally found meat.
"You're... not so scary now," Akira growled.
He lunged again, but the Curse lashed out with a whip-like appendage. It caught Akira in the ribs. He heard a sickening crack, and he was sent skidding across the concrete floor.
[Damage Detected: Broken Ribs.]
[Protocol: Emergency Regeneration.]
[Consuming 50 units of stored CE to mend bone...]
Akira gasped as his chest glowed purple. The pain vanished instantly, replaced by a strange, itching sensation as the bone knit itself back together in seconds. He stood up, his eyes now glowing with a faint, predatory violet hue.
The Curse, sensing its end, gathered all its remaining energy. The warehouse began to distort. It was trying to manifest a rudimentary 'Incomplete Domain'. Sharp shards of cursed energy began to rain from the ceiling.
[Target is desperate. Estimated CE remaining: 15%.]
[Option: Finish the meal?]
"Everything," Akira whispered.
He ignored the shards cutting into his shoulders. He sprinted, his speed now exceeding human limits. He reached the core of the Curse—a pulsing, black heart-like mass hidden beneath the translucent limbs.
He didn't use the pipe. He thrust his bare hand into the creature's chest, grabbing the core. The Curse froze. The air went silent.
[Final Consumption Initiated.]
Akira bit down on the core. A massive explosion of purple light filled the warehouse. He felt a flood of memories—not his own, but the fears of the people who created this Curse. He saw their faces, their loneliness, and then... darkness.
When the light faded, the warehouse was empty. No mist. No monster. Just Akira standing over his unconscious brother, his breath ragged, and his hands stained with a black sludge that was slowly evaporating.
[Level Up!]
[Grade 2 Curse fully consumed.]
[New Skill Acquired: 'Vocal Echo' - Can mimic the sounds of consumed spirits.]
[Evolution Progress: 1.5%]
"Akira...?" Nao stirred, his eyes fluttering open.
Akira turned, but before he could speak, a shadow fell over him. A tall man in a black jacket stood at the entrance, leaning against the doorframe as if he were watching a movie.
"That was... intense," Satoru Gojo said, tilting his head. "I came here to kill a Curse, but it seems I found a boy who thinks he's a blender instead. Tell me, kid... are you still human under those marks?"
Akira looked at his hands. The black markings were receding, but the hunger in his stomach—the void—was still there. It was deeper than before.