23. The Power of the Evil God

The moment the bunny girl’s delicate hand touched Shiki’s chest, a voice suddenly interrupted:

“So noisy! So damn noisy!”

Hidan walked into the private room, a fried chicken leg in his mouth.

“All this damn music and smell everywhere—it’s driving me crazy!”

President Sakamoto frowned slightly, but remembering what Shiki had said, he held back his anger and gave a signal with his eyes.

Several bunny girls immediately approached and pressed their soft bodies against Hidan, surrounding him.

“Please, sir, don’t be angry.”

This kind of approach would be irresistible to an ordinary man.

But Hidan was no ordinary man!

He shoved the two girls away coldly and said, “Wanna test me? I’ll slaughter all of you and offer you as a sacrifice to Lord Jashin.”

A chilling killing intent spread from Hidan, instantly wiping away all the previous sensual atmosphere in the room.

Shiki lightly adjusted his glasses and gave Sakamoto a small smile.

“President Sakamoto, I apologize. My younger brother here…”

He tapped his temple, giving a “you know how it is” expression.

Sakamoto had no choice but to return an awkward but polite smile. “Understood. In that case, why don’t we talk business over there?”

“Mhm.”

Shiki stood up.

Upon hearing this, Hidan’s eyes widened. “Damn it, Shiki, who are you calling your younger brother?!”

Suddenly, Shiki raised his hand, and a flood of spider silk shot out between his fingers, tightly wrapping Hidan up like a cocoon in the blink of an eye.

If he weren’t worried about exposing his abilities, Shiki would’ve already been holding Hidan’s head in his hands.

President Sakamoto was clearly surprised by Shiki’s web-slinging ability.

A special secret technique? Or a Kekkei Genkai?

He stared at Shiki’s hand for a moment until Shiki’s voice brought him back.

“President Sakamoto, shall we go?”

“Oh—yes, this way please.”

Sakamoto raised his hand, his attitude obviously more respectful now.

To him, only the strong were worthy of being allies.

To ensure confidentiality, he dismissed all the bunny girls, leaving only a few subordinates behind.

Judging by their stances, movement, and scent, these subordinates were likely ninjas—just like Kikuchi Miura.

Shiki and Sakamoto each sat on one side of a long table.

Sakamoto had eight subordinates beside him. Shiki had only the bug cocoon that could become a weapon at any moment.

“You two truly live up to your name as Holy Sons of the Evil God—pillars of the cult,” Sakamoto began.

“Unmoved by beauty, uninterested in pleasure… surely you both carry great ambitions.”

Sakamoto folded his hands and immediately began with flattery.

Shiki merely smiled faintly. “You flatter me, Mr. Sakamoto. We’ve only come on orders from our cult leader to relieve you of your troubles.”

Seeing Shiki skip the formalities, Sakamoto got straight to the point.

“In that case, Abu, bring the information on Gato for our guest.”

“Yes.”

A subordinate quickly produced a thick folder.

It was clear that Sakamoto took the outsider businessman Gato very seriously—just his dossier alone was a hefty stack.

The subordinate called Abu brought the folder over and placed it in front of Shiki.

“Please have a look, Mr. Shiki. If everything is in order, I hope you can remove this major threat for me as soon as possible.”

Sakamoto’s tone carried urgency—after all, Gato had significant influence in the Land of Waves, and if he entered the Land of Rivers, Sakamoto’s business would suffer greatly.

But instead of opening the folder, Shiki calmly adjusted his glasses and said:

“Apologies, Mr. Sakamoto. We don’t plan to personally take action against Gato.”

As soon as he said that, the room’s atmosphere turned tense. Sakamoto’s expression darkened.

“So, Mr. Shiki… are you playing me?”

His eyes narrowed, and his pig-like face revealed a trace of killing intent.

As he spoke, his subordinates reached for their weapons. The oppressive aura they emitted made the very air feel heavy.

“Mr. Shiki, I respect the Jashin Cult because we are allies. But if your cult can’t deliver what the Sakamoto Trade Union needs, then the millions—tens of millions of ryo we give each year—are pointless.”

Sakamoto gently rotated the jade ring on his finger.

He was being blunt: he paid the Jashin Cult to get things done. If they couldn’t, not only would he stop paying—they might even have to return the money.

Surrounded by hostility, Hidan struggled inside the cocoon, itching to break free and start killing.

But Shiki kept his calm smile.

Leaning back in his chair, he looked completely relaxed.

“Mr. Sakamoto, you misunderstand. I don’t plan to take action personally—that’s all.”

“Oh?”

Sakamoto straightened, showing interest.

Seeing this, Shiki stopped being cryptic and opened the suitcase he had brought.

As soon as the black case opened, a strong, putrid smell wafted out!

Everyone looked inside. The suitcase was divided into dozens of small compartments, each containing a pulsating, heart-like…

Bug egg.

Or rather—

Kagune cores.

“What’s this?”

Sakamoto looked puzzled, and his subordinates immediately grew alert, ready to strike at any moment.

Shiki reached in, picked up a kagune, and lightly tossed it toward Sakamoto.

The crimson organ traced a red arc through the air, caught by a ninja-like subordinate.

At last, Shiki explained:

“This is a gift from Lord Jashin. It’s called a Kagune.
Even an ordinary person who consumes one can gain the power bestowed by the Jashin.”

“The Jashin's power?”

Sakamoto looked unconvinced. So did his men, wearing expressions that clearly said “Yeah, right.”

Shiki only smiled. “You can test it yourself, Mr. Sakamoto.”

Still holding a thread of trust in the Evil God Cult, Sakamoto ordered a servant to fetch a random waiter.

“Eat this thing. I’ll give you 200,000 ryo.”

Simple and to the point.

The waiter’s face immediately shifted from fear to joy upon hearing that.

“I’ll eat it!”

He braced himself and swallowed the bug egg whole, fighting the urge to gag.

It’s just a bug egg, right? Worst case, diarrhea. As long as I don’t die, I’ll get 200,000 ryo!

Then I can leave this trade union and start my own little business!

As he dreamed about the wonderful life that awaited, the bug egg began dissolving inside him.
It traveled through his bloodstream and concentrated at his lower back.

Then—

A gut-wrenching scream echoed through the room.

“AAAAAAHH!!!”