32. O Evil God, Bestow Upon Me Your Power!

Clearly, the scenario they had imagined did not come to pass.

Just before the "lid" of rock could seal him in, a massive dark-red centipede-like tail erupted from the "pot," spearing straight through the boulder.

At the same time, Shiraishi Mori leaped out from between the four earthen walls.

His monstrous Tail Kagune flexed with terrifying force, swinging the boulder like a flail.

The ninjas' faces twisted in disbelief.

"You’ve got to be kidding me—!"

Whether they believed it or not, Mori had already hurled the boulder down at them like a falling meteor.

"SCATTER!"

The six ninjas frantically dodged. An attack of this magnitude was far beyond what their fragile, offense-focused bodies could endure.

After all, ninjas were assassins—only a rare few possessed truly formidable physiques.

And these six? They were just ordinary shinobi.

BOOM!

The boulder smashed into the deck, shaking the entire ship violently.

Amid the tremors, Mori kicked off one of the earthen walls—

CRACK!

The sheer force of his movement shattered the barrier, and in the next instant, he appeared before one of the ninjas—

The one who had used Earth Style: Terrain Elevation.

The man barely had time to form a hand seal before a crimson slash severed his head from his shoulders.

"His attack speed is too fast! DO NOT let him close the distance!"

The remaining ninjas, battle-hardened, quickly analyzed the monster’s traits.

"Understood."

The Lightning Release user wiped his mouth, formed a hand sign, and slammed his palm against the ground.

"Lightning Style: Earth Net!"

Once again, arcs of electricity spread across the floor.

But Mori wasn’t just a speedster.

With a powerful leap, he launched himself into the air, completely evading the crackling currents.

Not only that—his centipede-like tail extended like a spear, lancing down from above toward the ninja.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

A searing orb of flames shot from another ninja’s mouth, hurtling straight toward Mori.

Trapped midair, Mori had no way to dodge.

BOOM!

The fireball exploded on impact, engulfing him in a raging inferno. The shockwave blasted outward, shaking the arena.

Surely… that had to have hurt him, right?

The ninjas held their breaths.

Among all ninjutsu, Fire Release was the most visibly destructive. Even a monster like this couldn’t possibly walk away unscathed.

But that hope shattered the moment the smoke was torn apart.

A thick, crimson tail ripped through the haze, piercing the Lightning Release user’s torso with the force of a cannon.

The tail wasn’t wider than a human body—but the impact alone pulverized the surrounding flesh, bisecting the ninja at the waist!

SPLURT!

The stench of blood flooded the air.

The sight of a man cut clean in half sent a wave of primal terror through every onlooker.

At least… for the four remaining ninjas, it did.

They hesitated.

Was this really worth dying for?

Staring at the charred marks on Mori’s exoskeleton, they questioned—

Could the four of them even win?

If Fire Release couldn’t kill him… what could?

Mori answered their doubts by ripping off his scorched armor with his bare hands.

Beneath, raw, blood-red muscle pulsed—

But within seconds, his flesh writhed as if infested by worms, rapidly regenerating the damaged tissue.

New exoskeleton swarmed over the wounds, leaving him—

Perfectly unharmed.

"Too weak… YOU’RE ALL TOO WEAK!"

Mori’s roar dripped with unhinged bloodlust, drowning the entire arena in dread.

"How the hell are we supposed to fight this?!"

The ninjas froze.

They were just Chūnin—their offensive ninjutsu arsenal was limited, and none of it worked on this abomination!

This battle was unwinnable.

In silent agreement, the four exchanged glances—

Then ran.

They activated the most basic Body Flicker Jutsu, each bolting in a different direction.

Haaagh…!

Mori’s throat released a guttural snarl—

Like a wolf king’s howl, it triggered an instant reaction.

The surrounding ghouls’ eyes flared crimson, and without hesitation, they swarmed the fleeing ninjas.

Outnumbered, exhausted, and drained of chakra—

The ninjas stood no chance.

The ghouls tore them apart brutally, though not without casualties of their own.

But to Mori?

None of that mattered.

His focus was singular—

Sakamoto.

Step by step, he advanced toward the merchant guild leader.

"Damn it! DAMN IT!"

"You filthy mongrels! How DARE you turn on me?!"

In a panic, Sakamoto drew a weapon—

A kunai launcher, resembling a crossbow but firing the standard shinobi projectile.

"DIE! JUST DIE ALREADY!"

He pulled the trigger repeatedly, unleashing a barrage of kunai that whistled through the air toward Mori.

But Mori didn’t even flinch.

He kept walking.

The kunai—sharp enough to pierce bone—merely sparked harmlessly against his black exoskeleton before clattering to the ground.
Qq
Clang… clang… clang…

With each futile impact, Sakamoto’s sanity crumbled.

He couldn’t understand—

How could a mere brat gain such monstrous power in so little time?

Above, Shiki smirked, as if reading his thoughts.

"That… is the power of Lord Jashin, Mr. Sakamoto."

The words struck Sakamoto like lightning.

"Jashin's… power?"

"That’s right… I STILL HAVE JASHIN'S POWER!"

His eyes blazed with madness as he hurled the kunai launcher aside and ripped open a black briefcase beside him.

Inside—

Rows of crimson Kagune.

"HAHAHAHA! I TOO CAN WIELD JASHIN'S POWER!"

In his frenzy, Sakamoto shoveled five, six, seven Kagune into his mouth, devouring them like a starved beast.

His voice screeched in ecstatic delirium:

"O EVIL GOD—BESTOW UPON ME YOUR POWER!!"