34. Mere Ants

"Oh? Seems like I accidentally caught this monster's attention."

Feeling Sakamoto's terrifying gaze upon him, Hidan remarked with utter indifference.

To Hidan, this creature—one that would strike fear into any ordinary person—was nothing at all.

After all, in Hidan’s eyes, whether it was Sakamoto, Shiraishi Mori, or any other Ghoul, they were nothing more than lowly minions created by Lord Jashin.

But him!

Well, maybe that annoying Shiki counted too.

He was the true emissary of Lord Jashin! The avatar walking among mortals, the glorious Child of God!

These lowly creatures should be kneeling before him in reverence—how dare they raise their filthy eyes and look at him with such defiance?

"Tch, just a bunch of worthless minions!"

Hidan spat in disdain.

Whether it was because he sensed Hidan’s contempt or due to the frenzied will raging inside him, Sakamoto let out a furious roar at Shiki and Hidan:

"KILL! KILL! KILL!"

The next moment, his massive body lurched forward with terrifying speed, charging straight at the two of them.

"Seeking death."

Hidan’s icy gaze swept over the creature as a black spear materialized in his hand.

Just as he was about to slaughter this ignorant, blasphemous minion, Shiki slowly raised a hand, signaling Hidan to hold back.

"What? You wanna deal with it yourself?"

Though confused, Hidan obediently halted.

At that moment, the glowing purple centipede monster was already upon them.

Sakamoto’s kagune-covered arms, sharp as scythes, thrust forward, aiming straight for Shiki’s face.

Neither Shiki nor Hidan showed even a flicker of fear in response to such a vicious attack.

In Hidan’s opinion, if Shiki could be killed by such a pathetic insect, that would be the real joke.

The violent thrust stirred the air, slightly ruffling Shiki’s bangs. Only then did he finally lift his head, adjusting his glasses with a casual push.

No words, no movement—just a single glance at the oncoming monster.

Time seemed to freeze.

The sharp kagune blade stopped just a centimeter away from Shiki’s forehead.

The monster’s frenzied pupils shrank violently, trembling uncontrollably.

A primal fear, buried deep in its bloodline, instantly seized its entire body. What stood before it was no longer a human, nor any living creature—but a…

God.

It felt as though an invisible hand had clenched around its body, rendering it completely immobile. The slightest thought of resistance would, without a doubt, cause it to explode into pieces the next second.

"Mere ants…"

Shiki finally spoke, his glasses reflecting a chilling glint.

With just that one indifferent remark—

BOOM!

Sakamoto’s grotesque insect-like face twisted in agony.

Then, the kagune covering his forehead, shoulders, and chest exploded like fireworks, splattering disgusting fluids everywhere.

The exoskeletal armor on his face, shoulders, and chest melted away like shadows, revealing a deathly pale human face beneath.

"Mere ants… dare to defy a god?"

Under Sakamoto’s horrified gaze, Shiki took a step forward and raised his foot—

CRACK!

A sonic boom erupted as Shiki’s foot landed squarely on Sakamoto’s face.

The colossal body collapsed instantly, smashing into the ground with a thunderous impact.

Shiki calmly withdrew his leg, only to notice Hidan staring at him with a constipated expression.

"Hm? What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?"

Shiki touched his flawless skin in confusion.

Seeing his nonchalant demeanor, Hidan exploded:

"DAMN IT, YOU BASTARD! YOU JUST HAD TO STEAL THE SPOTLIGHT AGAIN!"

"I knew I should’ve just killed him myself!"

Shiki smirked. So even this guy could feel jealous of his coolness.

After raging for a few seconds, Hidan glared at Shiki suspiciously.

"Hey, what was that about ‘defying a god’ earlier?"

Shiki replied matter-of-factly, "We’re the envoys of Lord Jashin. For this ant to attack us is to attack Lord Jashin. Isn’t that defying a god?"

Hidan scratched his nose, suddenly enlightened. "Ohhh, so that’s what you meant."

As the two bantered, Shiraishi Mori stared at the fallen monster in utter… despair.

Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that even after abandoning his humanity, his power would still be so pathetically weak.

  "Not enough... This power is still far from enough!"

Gritting his teeth, he shakily rose from the pool of blood.

But he wasn’t the only one standing back up—the terrifying monster was, too.

That’s right. The grotesque Sakamoto, who had just been kicked to the ground by Shiki, climbed back to his feet once more.

However, this time, under the threat of death, it didn’t dare attack Shiki again. Instead, it turned its gaze toward the corpses littering the ground.

If I devour these bodies… I can grow even stronger!

A sinister light flickered in its eyes.

Shiraishi Mori stared intently at Sakamoto.

After Shiki’s attack, the exoskeleton covering Sakamoto’s chest and face had completely shattered, exposing the human flesh beneath.

Even one of the kagune blades on its arm had exploded, leaving only a single scythe-like limb.

In other words, Sakamoto’s defenses had been drastically weakened.

If Shiraishi didn’t seize this opportunity now—if he let Sakamoto consume the other Ghouls and regenerate—he would stand no chance against it.

That meant he would never avenge his parents…

"I absolutely… won’t allow it!"

"I will wipe this thing from this world!"

His face twisted into a snarl as he clenched his jaw.

Just as Sakamoto began coiling its body around the Ghoul corpses, preparing to devour them and repair itself—perhaps even evolve—a lone figure suddenly leaped into the air.

Then, like a falling meteor, he shot straight toward the towering monster.

"Kill…!"

The monster let out a guttural roar, thrusting its remaining kagune blade toward the incoming attacker.

Shiraishi was mid-air, with no way to dodge.

"Is this kid trying to get himself killed?"

From the stands, Hidan frowned in confusion.

This was nothing short of suicide.

Unlike him—blessed by the great Lord Jashin with an immortal body—this kid had no such protection. How could he be so reckless?

Beside him, Shiki chuckled softly. "Sometimes, humans need just a little bit of courage. Courage is humanity’s greatest hymn."

"Ugh, stop being so cryptic."

Hidan shot Shiki a disgusted look. For someone so strong, this guy sure loved acting mysterious.

As they spoke, the monster’s blade was already upon Shiraishi.

Yet, instead of dodging, Shiraishi let the sharp kagune pierce straight through his unprotected body. Blood sprayed from the wound once more.

But rather than screaming in pain, Shiraishi laughed.

Using the momentum from his fall, he forced himself deeper onto the monster’s arm—until he was right at its shoulder.

"Got… you!"

His lips curled into a maddened grin.

Even in its frenzied state, Sakamoto felt an inexplicable dread.

Unlike the fear Shiki had instilled, this was something different—a will more twisted than its own distortion.

Shiraishi hung from the monster’s arm, laughing wildly… before opening his mouth and biting down.

His target?

The very spot where the monster’s kagune emerged.

A vile, metallic explosion of blood filled his mouth as he ripped the entire kagune free and swallowed it whole.

"Gulp… gulp… gulp…"

As if he already knew what would happen next, Shiraishi raised his arm in anticipation.

Sure enough—his limb swelled violently, dark-red exoskeleton bursting forth and forming a grotesque, blade-like appendage.

Without hesitation, he swung it down in a lightning arc—

Straight toward Sakamoto’s neck.