25. The Ghouls'' Duel

"It seems someone is impersonating the Jashin Cult?"

Sakamoto's eyes burned with killing intent as he barked, "Lock him up and find out who he is."

"Yes, sir!"

His subordinates quickly retreated.

Sakamoto then turned to Shiki and asked, "I wonder if the Mr. Shiki would be interested in joining me to see this fool who dares impersonate the Jashin Cult?"

Shiki nodded expressionlessly. "Of course. I won’t allow anyone to tarnish the Jashin Cult’s name."

"After you."

Under Sakamoto’s lead, Shiki soon arrived at a damp, gloomy prison cell.

Admittedly, Sakamoto’s cruise ship was fully equipped—even its prison was meticulously designed.

The moment they stepped inside, the stench of rot and dampness assaulted their senses, mingling with the thick scent of blood in the air.

Shiki glanced at the bloodstained torture instruments hanging on the walls. Clearly, the jailers here had put them to frequent use.

"President, Holy Son, the brat is right ahead."

A subordinate guided Sakamoto and Shiki to the corresponding cell.

Crouched in the corner was a small, dark-skinned boy—Shiraishi Mori.

"Mr. Shiki, we found this on him."

Sakamoto’s subordinate respectfully handed something to Shiki—the necklace symbolizing the Jashin Cult’s identity, which he had intentionally left behind.

Shiki smiled faintly. "This is indeed my necklace. I didn’t expect him to pick it up."

When Shiraishi saw Sakamoto and Shiki approaching, he slowly raised his head, his eyes burning with hatred.

This man… was the one who took my parents!

Noticing the venom in Shiraishi’s gaze, Sakamoto turned to one of his men.

"Who is this brat?"

The subordinate bowed. "President, do you remember that troublemaker who led the fishermen in protest half a month ago?"

Sakamoto’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Ah, that thug. I think his name was—"

"My father wasn’t a thug!"

Shiraishi suddenly lunged forward, his voice a low, feral growl.

Sakamoto sneered, and one of his men immediately kicked Shiraishi hard, sending him crashing to the ground.

The subordinate scoffed. "This kid is that thug’s son."

Sakamoto’s eyebrows rose in interest.

"So, you’re that bastard’s child? Just as stupid as your father, barging into the Sakamoto Trading Company alone..."

His voice grew darker, then suddenly, his eyes lit up.

"Actually, I just had a wonderful idea!"

He clapped his hands together. "Wasn’t there a woman with that rabble-rouser back then?"

Sakamoto’s mocking gaze pierced through the bars, landing on Shiraishi.

"If I’m not mistaken, she was your mother?"

"What are you planning?!"

Clutching his stomach, Shiraishi snarled as he struggled to stand.

Sakamoto smirked. "Perfect timing. We need test subjects for the Kagune. Why not start with his parents?"

"NO! STOP!"

Shiraishi charged forward again.

He didn’t know what a Kagune was, but the word "test subjects" alone filled him with dread.

But his efforts only made the prison bars rattle slightly. His thin arms couldn’t even graze Sakamoto’s clothes through the gaps.

Watching Shiraishi’s desperate struggle, Sakamoto burst into laughter—only to abruptly cut it short.

"Take his parents away."

"Yes, sir!"

His subordinates moved swiftly.

Two minutes later, a battered man and woman, barely conscious, were dragged out from the depths of the prison.

"Dad!"

"Mom!"

Shiraishi slammed against the bars, the violent clanging and his cries briefly rousing his parents.

Through their blurred vision, they finally saw their beloved child—but before they could speak, Sakamoto’s men gagged them and hauled them off.

All that remained was Shiraishi’s agonized screams.

After taking Shiraishi’s parents, Sakamoto—unable to wait any longer—finally began the Kagune experiments.

Given the Kagune’s unique nature, Sakamoto didn’t limit himself to just two subjects.

He selected eighteen more slaves from the prison, totaling twenty people for the experiment.

As the Kagune were implanted into their bodies, screams of agony echoed throughout the ship.

"AAAAHHHH!!!"

A terrifying aura erupted from the laboratory.

The subjects flailed their Kagune, unleashing their newfound abilities.

But Sakamoto was prepared. Pre-set traps, combined with his subordinates’ ninjutsu, quickly subdued the rampaging ghouls.

About an hour later, Sakamoto’s most trusted subordinate, Abu, emerged to report:

"President, out of twenty subjects, eleven went berserk and were executed—Kagune intact. The remaining nine include six in comas and three who retained their sanity."

"Only three out of twenty kept their minds?"

Sakamoto rubbed his ring, seemingly dissatisfied.

Noticing this, Abu quietly reminded him: "The Kagune from the failures can be reused."

Realization dawned on Sakamoto. "You’re saying that as long as we have enough subjects, we can create as many ghouls as we have Kagune?"

Abu nodded. "In theory, yes."

A savage grin spread across Sakamoto’s face.

"Heh. The Jashin Cult really does have some interesting toys."

His beady eyes darted around, scheming.

After a moment, he turned back. "Who are the three who stayed sane?"

"The Shiraishi couple—Shiraishi Ao and Yanashima Keiko—and a middle-aged man named Shimizu Ken."

Sakamoto’s eyes narrowed with amusement.

"Both Shiraishi parents survived? Well then... I have a wonderful idea."

That night, Sakamoto made an announcement over the ship’s broadcast:

"In one hour, a special gladiatorial event will be held in the Octagon Arena..."

"The Ghouls' Duel!"

The aristocrats aboard the ship—hailing from all over the Land of Rivers—immediately buzzed with speculation.

"What’s a ‘Ghoul’?"

"Probably some kind of deformed human?"

"Must be. I once saw a circus troupe with dwarf performers—ridiculous little things."

"But why would deformed humans be worth watching?"

"Don’t question it. You know President Sakamoto—if it wasn’t entertaining, he wouldn’t invite us."

"True enough..."

Under Sakamoto’s call, the Octagon Arena was packed to the brim within half an hour.