But Void Fang worked perfectly, and more importantly, his Devouring ability functioned.

He'd consumed seven nightmare demons so far, each one granting him new resistances or abilities:

[Fear Resistance (Minor)] from the first demon. [Illusion Detection (Weak)] from the second—which had been trying to create false images. [Mental Fortitude (Minor)] from the third, making his mind more resistant to psychological attacks. [Nightmare Resistance (Weak)] from the fourth, reducing the effectiveness of fear-based attacks. [Dream Sense (Basic)] from the fifth, allowing him to better perceive the true nature of this realm. [Shadow Vision] from the sixth, letting him see through the fog more clearly. [Pain Suppression (Minor)] from the seventh, reducing how much the dream wounds hurt.

Each consumption made him stronger, more adapted to this environment. The nightmare demons seemed to sense this and were becoming more cautious, attacking in coordinated groups rather than individually.

Satou faced three of them now—one massive creature with multiple arms, another that could phase partially out of visibility, and a third that attacked with psychic screams that caused mental damage.

He'd learned to be strategic. Wait for openings. Use Void Fang's reality-cutting properties to maximum effect. And most importantly, devour every demon he killed before they could potentially reform.

The massive one lunged first, all its arms reaching to grab him. Satou ducked under the grab and slashed upward with Void Fang, the blade carving through two of its arms. The demon shrieked, and Satou immediately activated Devouring, pulling the severed limbs into himself.

[Strength Enhancement (Minor)] acquired.

The phasing demon attacked while he was focused on the first, appearing behind him and raking claws across his back. Pain exploded—real, intense pain despite this being a dream. Satou spun, catching the demon mid-phase with Void Fang's edge. The blade didn't care about partial existence; it cut through the demon's essence regardless of what state it was in.

[Phase Resistance (Weak)] acquired as he devoured it.

The psychic screamer was hanging back, sending wave after wave of mental attacks. Satou's new Mental Fortitude helped, but each scream still felt like nails being driven into his skull. He needed to close the distance quickly.

He tried Shadow Step again, more out of habit than expectation. Still nothing. But wait—he had Shadow Vision now from the consumed demon. What if...?

Satou focused on the shadows themselves in this realm. They were everywhere, thick and substantial. He couldn't teleport through them normally, but what if he could manipulate them as a weapon instead?

He reached out with his will, and to his surprise, the shadows responded. Not the same way they did in reality, but they moved, thickened, became more solid. He sent a tendril of shadow toward the psychic screamer, and when it connected, the demon's scream cut off abruptly.

"Interesting," Satou muttered. "My powers don't work normally here, but the abilities I gain from consuming these demons do. They're native to this realm, so their powers function properly."

That changed his strategy. Instead of just trying to reach the door as quickly as possible, he should hunt these demons systematically. Each one he consumed made him stronger in this environment, more adapted, more capable.

The massive demon was still alive, regenerating its severed arms. Satou moved in quickly, Void Fang cutting through its defenses. The demon tried to grab him again, but Satou's new Strength Enhancement let him push back against its grip long enough to drive Void Fang through its core.

As he devoured it, he gained [Regeneration Enhancement (Minor)]—not full regeneration in this realm, but faster healing of dream wounds.

The psychic screamer, realizing its companion was dead, tried to flee into the fog. Satou sent shadows after it, the tendrils wrapping around the demon and dragging it back. One clean strike with Void Fang, and it was over.

[Psychic Resistance (Weak)] and [Mental Attack (Basic)] acquired.

Satou took a moment to assess his situation. He was maybe halfway to the door, and his new abilities were making progress easier. But he could feel something watching him from beyond the fog. Not the nightmare demons—something else. Something intelligent and patient.

The person that trapped him here , had to be closer watching him from somewhere.

"I know you're there!" Satou called out. "Watching me struggle through your nightmare realm. Waiting for me to break. But I've got news for you—I don't break easily!"

No response. Just the oppressive silence of the fog and the distant shuffling of more nightmare demons approaching.

Satou pressed forward, fighting methodically. More demons emerged from the fog—some humanoid, others completely alien in form. He cut them down one by one, devouring each and gaining new abilities:

[Poison Resistance (Dream-Type)] from a demon that attacked with toxic dream-smoke. [Enhanced Reflexes (Minor)] from a fast-moving demon with multiple legs. [Damage Reflection (Weak)] from a spiky demon covered in thorns. [Life Drain (Dream-Type)] from a vampiric nightmare creature.

Each new ability synergized with his existing ones. The Enhanced Reflexes made dodging easier. The Damage Reflection punished demons that attacked him physically. The Life Drain let him recover health by attacking enemies.

He was adapting to this realm faster than whoever had trapped him here probably expected. Turning their own creations against them.

After what felt like hours of fighting—though time was meaningless here—Satou finally got close enough to see the door clearly. It was massive, ornate, made of some dark wood carved with disturbing images of suffering and fear. The kind of door that screamed "final boss behind here."

Between him and the door stood a final group of nightmare demons—the largest, most powerful he'd encountered. Seven of them, each radiating power that dwarfed the previous creatures.

"Guardian demons," Satou muttered. "Of course there'd be a final test."

He was tired. The constant fighting had worn him down despite his dream-adapted regeneration. His mana was lower than he'd like. But he'd come too far to stop now.

Satou gripped Void Fang tighter and charged.

The battle was brutal. These demons were smarter, faster, more coordinated. They worked together, covering each other's weaknesses, creating combination attacks that were difficult to counter.

One demon created illusions while another attacked from within them. A third manipulated the ground itself, creating pits and spikes. A fourth could teleport short distances. The remaining three provided constant ranged harassment with various projectile attacks.

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