31. The Path of Vengeance Lies Within

The monster before him bared its fangs in a grotesque grin. "Not enough… This power is still not enough!"

Shiraishi Mori had completely surrendered himself to his thirst for strength.

Under Abu’s horrified gaze, he leaped—not to attack him, but to land beside another ghoul.

His father, Shiraishi Ao.

Without hesitation, Mori grabbed the Kagune protruding from his father’s waist, tilted his head back, and devoured it whole.

"This bastard…!"

Abu’s pupils trembled. He was utterly stunned by what he was witnessing.

The moment the Kagune slid down his throat, Shiraishi Mori let out a euphoric groan, his body undergoing yet another transformation.

Gurgle… gurgle… gurgle…

His lower back bubbled violently, as if boiling from within. Then—

A thick, dark-red centipede-like tail burst from his flesh, writhing menacingly in the air.

Each segment of the tail was lined with bladed limbs, radiating pure, unrestrained brutality.

On the spectator platform, Hidan frowned in confusion.

"Huh? Hey, bastard Shiki, how the hell is this kid like you—able to handle so many Kagune at once?"

Though Hidan didn’t care much for technicalities, he’d heard Shiki explain it before.

Kagune were, at their core, parasites. They required a constant supply of energy from their host.

And due to their insectoid nature, they exerted tremendous mental strain.

That was why some people, upon receiving a Kagune, immediately went berserk.

For an ordinary human, one Kagune was the limit.

As for Shiki?

He was the master of all Kagune—their creator. Their wills could not influence him.

His body had been modified to endure the drain of multiple Kagune, so wielding any number was trivial.

But Shiraishi Mori was different.

He was just an ordinary human. The fact that he could fuse with three Kagune was genuinely surprising, even to Shiki.

"It seems hatred has shielded him from the Kagune’s mental corruption."

Shiki adjusted his glasses, intrigued.

The simplest way to resist mental influence was to overwrite it with something even more intense—more twisted.

If I am already distorted, you cannot distort me further.

That was likely the case with Shiraishi Mori now.

The deaths of his parents, his rage at the world’s injustice—it had all crushed his identity as a human.

To take revenge on this world, he would discard his humanity and fully embrace becoming a monster.

That resolve was stronger than any corruption the Kagune could inflict.

"How… fascinating."

Behind his glasses, Shiki’s gaze remained fixed on the battlefield.

After consuming two Kagune, Shiraishi Mori’s psyche had grown even more deranged.

And now that he had cast off the shackles of humanity, he had become stronger.

Savage power surged through every fiber of his being.

Mori crouched slightly, his crimson eyes locking onto Abu.

A primal terror seized the seasoned ninja’s heart.

In all his years as a shinobi, he had never faced something like this.

The thing standing before him was no longer human—it was a demon crawled up from the depths of hell.

Haaah…

A jet of steam erupted from Mori’s mouth, like a train’s whistle.

Then—

His massive legs sank into the ground, cracks spiderwebbing outward as he launched himself forward like an unstoppable juggernaut!

BOOM!

Abu, drained of chakra, barely managed to weave a hand sign.

"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"

A feeble barrier of earth rose—but against the demonic Mori, it was useless.

He smashed through it like a cannonball, sending debris flying in all directions.

From the dust, Mori’s hulking silhouette emerged.

"Too weak… TOO WEAK!"

His roar shook the air as his massive tail lashed out, coiling around Abu’s exhausted body.

The crushing force made the ninja’s bones creak, threatening to snap at any moment.

Mori yanked Abu close, then released him—

Only for his sickle-like Rinkaku to erupt in a blur of crimson.

A storm of slashes rained down, stripping Abu’s flesh to the bone by the time he hit the ground.

His heart still beat, his chest still rose and fell—but his eyes were filled with nothing but agony and terror.

"You’re… too slow."

Mori picked up a steel rod and impaled Abu through the right lung, pinning him to the ground.

He wouldn’t kill him yet.

That would be too merciful.

"Now… it’s your turn."

The monster’s gaze lifted—locking onto Sakamoto, the merchant guild leader.

Sakamoto felt as if death itself had fixed its eyes upon him. A chill shot up his spine.

"KILL HIM! KILL HIM NOW!"

Six remaining ninja stood at his side.

They had seen Abu’s gruesome fate—but they were professionals.

Six against one?

They still had a chance.

With a shared nod, they leaped from the platform.

By then, Mori was already charging toward them, his colossal frame shaking the earth.

"Earth Style: Terrain Elevation!"

This time, they didn’t target the ground beneath Mori—but around him.

Walls of earth shot up, encasing him like a prison.

Another ninja slammed his palms onto the ground.

"Earth Style: Rock Cannon!"

A boulder launched like a mortar shell, aiming to seal the monster inside—

Turning his cage into a coffin.