31-35

Chapter 31: The Path of Vengeance Lies Within

The monster before him opened its mouth, filled with sharp teeth.

"Not enough. This power... it’s still not enough!"

Shiraishi Mori had completely succumbed to his insatiable thirst for power.

Under Abu’s terrified gaze, Mori leaped—but his target wasn’t Abu. Instead, he landed beside another ghoul—his father, Shiraishi Ao.

Without the slightest hesitation, Mori grabbed the kagune from his father’s waist, tore it off, and threw his head back, swallowing it whole.

“This guy...”

Abu’s pupils trembled, utterly shaken by the scene before him.

After devouring his father’s kagune, Mori let out a sound of immense satisfaction. His body began to transform once again.

*"Glug, glug, glug..."*

His lower back seemed to boil, countless bubbles surging beneath his skin.

Suddenly, a thick, dark red centipede-like tail burst out of his back, writhing in the air like a menacing appendage. On either side of the tail, razor-sharp limbs extended, exuding a palpable aura of violence.

From the stands, Hidan watched with a hint of confusion on his face.

“Eh? Hey, Kaneki, how’s this kid able to handle so many kagune, just like you?”

Hidan wasn’t particularly invested in these matters, but he’d heard Kaneki talk about them enough to know the basics.

Kagune were parasitic in nature and required a host to continuously supply them with energy. Moreover, due to their insect-like traits, they inflicted severe mental interference on their hosts.

This explained why some people implanted with kagune immediately lost control and rampaged as ghouls.

Typically, a person could only bear one kagune at most.

As for Kaneki?

He was the creator of all kagune, their master. Their willpower couldn’t affect him in the slightest. Additionally, his modified body was capable of enduring the strain of multiple kagune, allowing him to control as many as he pleased.

But Mori was different.

This guy was just an ordinary person. The fact that he could fuse with three kagune had genuinely surprised Kaneki.

“Looks like his hatred is shielding him from the kagune’s mental interference,” Kaneki mused, adjusting his glasses with interest.

The simplest way to resist mental corruption was to overlay it with an even stronger, more twisted psyche.

*"If I’m twisted enough, you can’t twist me further."*

That was likely Mori’s current state.

The deaths of his parents and his accusations against the world’s injustices had overwhelmed his identity as a "human."

To take vengeance on the world, he was willing to abandon his humanity entirely, fully embracing life as a monster.

His willpower now burned more fiercely than the corruption of the kagune.

“This just keeps getting more fascinating,” Kaneki murmured, his gaze locked on the battlefield through his glasses.

Having devoured two kagune, Mori’s mental state became even more distorted, his madness escalating.

By discarding the chains of his human identity, he had grown far stronger.

Raging power surged wildly through every corner of his body.

Mori crouched slightly, his crimson gaze locking onto Abu.

A terror beyond words descended on the seasoned ninja’s heart.

In all his years as a shinobi, he had never encountered a scene like this.

The being standing before him was no longer human—it was a demon god from the depths of hell!

*"Haaa..."*

A gust of air blasted from Mori’s mouth, like the roar of a train whistle.

In the next instant, his now-thickened legs crushed the ground beneath him, leaving deep craters. Cracks radiated outward as terrible force erupted from his feet.

Standing over three meters tall, his body clad in black, armor-like flesh, Mori charged forward like an unstoppable tank.

“Earth Style: Mud Wall!”

Abu drained the last remnants of his chakra to summon a defensive earthen wall, hoping to block Mori’s attack.

But the hastily constructed Mud Wall crumbled like paper before Mori, who barreled through it with the force of an unstoppable tank.

*Boom!*

The wall shattered as if struck by a cannonball, sending shards of stone flying everywhere.

Amid the rubble, Mori’s massive shadow loomed.

*“Too weak! Pathetic!”*

Mori roared as his enormous, dark red tail kagune swept through everything in its path, effortlessly ensnaring the exhausted ninja.

The overwhelming force radiating from Mori’s tail caused Abu’s bones to groan under pressure, threatening to shatter at any moment.

Mori dragged Abu close, then suddenly released him.

As Abu fell helplessly, two scythe-like appendages sprouted from Mori’s shoulders and struck with blinding speed, unleashing a storm of crimson death.

When Abu finally hit the ground, his body was flayed, with raw, bloody muscle exposed to the air. His heart continued to beat, and his chest heaved, but his eyes were filled with pain and terror.

*"You’re too slow."*

“Haaa...”

Mori picked up a steel rod from the ground and plunged it through Abu’s right chest, pinning him firmly to the earth.

He didn’t intend to kill him yet—that would be far too merciful.

“Next... it’s your turn.”

The monstrous Mori slowly raised his gaze, locking eyes with Sakamoto, the president of the merchant guild.

Sakamoto felt as though he had been targeted by a demon god, a chill running from his feet to his head.

“Quick!”

“Kill this guy now!”

Sakamoto’s six remaining ninja, though shaken by Abu’s gruesome demise, had been paid handsomely to do their job. Besides, with six of them together, they should stand a chance against this monster, right?

The six exchanged glances and leaped from the stands.

Meanwhile, Mori began to march toward the platform with his massive strides.

“Earth Style: Rising Ground!”

This time, they didn’t target the ground beneath Mori. Instead, they elevated the earth around him.

Walls rose sharply, enclosing Mori in a four-sided trap like a kettle.

Another Earth Style ninja quickly formed hand seals, pressing his hands to the ground.

“Earth Style: Rock Cannon Technique!”

The ground before him erupted, a massive boulder firing like a mortar shell toward Mori’s position.

If the walls were the kettle, this boulder would be its lid.

Once the rock landed, they could completely seal the monster within!

*(End of Chapter)*

Chapter 32: O Great Evil God, Bestow Your Power Upon Me

Clearly, the scene they had imagined did not unfold as expected.

Just before the lid of the water vessel fell, a massive, dark-red centipede emerged from within the "kettle," forcefully piercing into the surrounding rock.

Shiraishi Mori leaped out from the encircling stone walls with surprising agility.

The powerful tail kagune unleashed an incredible force, swinging the massive rock attached to it like a meteor hammer.

The gathered ninjas were struck with disbelief as they witnessed this scene.

"Is this a joke?"

Whether they believed it or not, Shiraishi Mori was already swinging the rock with all his might, smashing down from the air like a meteorite.

"Scatter, now!"

The six ninjas quickly dispersed. An attack of this magnitude was far beyond what these low-defense, high-agility assassins could withstand.

After all, ninjas are typically designed for assassination. Only a rare few possess physical resilience.

These six were just ordinary ninjas.

The rock landed with a tremendous crash, causing the entire ship to shake violently.

Amidst the tremors, Shiraishi Mori planted a single foot on the stone wall.

The terrifying force shattered the wall instantly. In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of one of the ninjas—the very one who had just used the *Earth Release: Ground Elevation* technique.

The ninja tried to form hand seals, but a crimson slash arrived first. In an instant, the swift scales of the kagune severed his neck.

"This guy is too fast! We must not let him get close!"

The remaining ninjas, seasoned in combat, quickly analyzed the monster before them.

"Understood," one of them responded.

The Lightning Release ninja wiped his mouth and, after forming hand seals, slammed his palm onto the ground.

*"Lightning Release: Ground Web!"*

Once again, countless arcs of electricity spread outward from his hand.

But Shiraishi Mori was not purely a speed-type combatant.

He pushed off the ground with tremendous force, launching himself into the air once more.

The lightning coursing over the ground had no effect on him.

Not only that, but the centipede-like tail kagune behind him grew rapidly, stretching like an extendable spear to strike the enemies below.

*"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"*

A blazing fireball shot forth from another ninja's mouth, hurtling toward Shiraishi Mori in midair.

Being airborne, he had no way to evade.

*Boom!*

The fireball exploded upon contact, engulfing Shiraishi Mori in a sea of flames. The shockwave from the explosion rippled outward in all directions.

Surely such a powerful attack must have done some damage?

The ninjas held their breath, watching intently.

After all, among all the techniques, *Fire Release* boasts the most direct offensive power. Even a monster like this shouldn’t come out unscathed.

But this hope was shattered the moment the smoke cleared.

The thick, crimson tail kagune slashed through the dense smoke, piercing the Lightning Release ninja’s body with ease.

Though the kagune wasn’t wider than a human torso, the resulting shockwave was devastating. Flesh and blood exploded outward, leaving the ninja's body severed in two.

The scent of blood quickly spread through the air.

The sight of a body being torn in half was enough to mentally shake even the most seasoned warriors.

At least, that was the case for the four remaining ninjas.

They hesitated, questioning whether risking their lives for money was worth it.

Seeing the scorched marks on Shiraishi Mori's armor, doubt crept into their minds. Could the four of them really defeat this monster?

Even *Fire Release* couldn’t take him down. Did they have any other options?

Shiraishi Mori gave them no time to dwell on this. He reached out, ripping the charred exoskeleton from his body.

As the burnt armor fell away, exposing a mass of fresh, crimson flesh, countless writhing insects seemed to move beneath his skin. The energy within his body surged, rapidly regenerating the injured area with a new layer of exoskeleton.

Everything appeared... good as new.

*"Too weak! You're all far too weak!"*

Shiraishi Mori’s entire body radiated a brutal aura, enveloping the arena in a suffocating atmosphere of fear.

"How can we fight this?"

The remaining ninjas froze.

They were mere *Chūnin*, equipped with limited offensive techniques, none of which worked against this monster.

This fight was unwinnable.

Without hesitation, the four exchanged glances and made a swift decision.

They ran.

Using the basic *Body Flicker Technique*, they bolted in different directions.

*"Heh."*

Shiraishi Mori let out a raspy growl from deep in his throat.

The sound was like a wolf summoning its pack. Instantly, the surrounding ghouls’ eyes gleamed red with bloodlust.

After a brief moment of hesitation, the ghouls swarmed toward the fleeing ninjas, relying on their overwhelming numbers to encircle them.

The ninjas, drained from battle, were already low on chakra and stamina.

Outnumbered and overpowered, they were quickly and brutally killed by the ghouls.

Of course, the ninjas’ desperate counterattacks inflicted some casualties on the ghouls, but this mattered little to Shiraishi Mori.

He steadily made his way toward Sakamoto, step by step.

*"Damn it! Damn it!"*

"You filthy mongrels, how dare you attack me! Damn it all!"

Sakamoto, in a fit of rage, pulled out a weapon—a *kunai gun* resembling a crossbow, modified to fire kunai.

"Die! Just die already!"

He fired relentlessly, each kunai slicing through the air with a sharp whistle.

But Shiraishi Mori paid no attention, continuing his unyielding march forward.

The kunai, powerful enough to pierce human bones, merely sparked against his black exoskeleton, falling harmlessly to the ground.

With each clatter of kunai hitting the floor, Sakamoto's confidence crumbled further.

He couldn’t understand how this child had gained such terrifying strength in so short a time.

From above, Kaneki seemed to read his thoughts and spoke suddenly.

*"This is the power of the Evil God, Mr. Sakamoto."*

The words struck Sakamoto like lightning, leaving him frozen in place.

*"The Evil God’s power…"*

"That's right! I still have the Evil God’s power!"

A crazed glint filled his eyes as he threw the kunai gun aside and opened a black suitcase he carried.

Inside, rows of blood-red kagune gleamed.

"Hahaha! I have the Evil God’s power too!"

Sakamoto’s eyes widened maniacally. In his frenzy, he grabbed four or five kagune and stuffed them into his mouth, then grabbed another handful and did the same.

As he chewed and swallowed, he screamed into the void:

*"O Great Evil God, bestow your power upon me!"*

(End of Chapter)  

Chapter 33: Completely Insane

"Wait, is this guy crazy?"

Hidan looked at Sakamoto, who had just devoured eight or nine kakuja in one go, and exclaimed in shock.

It was already incredible for an average person to endure the mental distortion caused by consuming even one kakuja. Yet here Sakamoto was, gobbling up so many at once—he was clearly seeking death.

Still, if he didn’t do it, standing before Shiroishi Mori was no different than being dead already.

"Things are getting more and more interesting,"

Kaneki muttered, a rare smile appearing on his face.

Experiments were, after all, about observing every possible outcome.

Under Kaneki watchful gaze, an unbelievably twisted and overwhelming aura exploded out of Sakamoto like a tsunami.

The kakuja he consumed rampaged inside his body, and then all erupted at once.

"Ahhhhhhhh!"

Sakamoto opened his mouth, letting out a scream of excruciating pain.

The kakuja twisted his soul and body, as countless dark purple exoskeletal structures erupted wildly from every part of his body.

"Die!"

"Everyone, just die!"

With a guttural roar of agony, Sakamoto’s sanity finally shattered.

The proof? His body transformed completely.

His legs were enveloped by exoskeletons, fused together, and began stretching madly. Segment by segment, his lower half grew into a terrifying, massive purple centipede over 30 meters long.

His upper body also underwent horrifying changes: dark purple exoskeletons sprouted all over his skin, and his hands morphed into scythe-like claws.

Even his head was reshaped by the kakuja parasitizing his forehead. It now resembled an enormous insect head, with hideous jaws lined with jagged teeth, constantly grinding together to emit nauseating sounds.

"This guy has completely lost it,"

Kaneki murmured, pulling a hand from his pocket to adjust his glasses.

Unlike the admiring look he gave Shiroishi Mori, Kaneki gaze toward Sakamoto was that of someone observing a failed experiment.

"This guy is obviously stronger than that kid, so why do you look so unimpressed?"

Hidan asked, confused.

Stronger was supposed to mean better, right?

Kaneki shot Hidan a glance. "Fine, since this experiment yielded decent results, I’ll reluctantly answer your question."

Hidan scowled, wanting to punch Kaneki, but knowing full well he couldn’t win.

Ignoring Hidan's frustration, Kaneki continued his explanation.

"While it’s true that Shiroishi Mori’s current state isn’t entirely human, his mind—or rather, his soul—is still in control."

"In other words, despite the further integration with his kakuja, his soul remains Shiroishi Mori's."

"But Sakamoto is different. Out of fear of death, he sold both his body and soul to the dark god—the kakuja."

"As a result, what you’re seeing now is just a kakuja imbued with remnants of Sakamoto’s will. For now, his actions are still driven by that will, but it’ll fade quickly over time. Eventually, he’ll become nothing more than..."

"...a monster under the full control of the dark god."

"Tch."

Clearly, Hidan didn’t understand a word of what Kaneki had just said.

"Soul, body, will—what a pain. Whatever. When the time comes, I’ll just kill them all and offer them to the dark god."

Kaneki rolled his eyes. He had expected as much.

Meanwhile, the horrifying aura emanating from Sakamoto immediately put Shiroishi Mori on edge.

He was tense, but not afraid—fear was entirely out of the question.

"A coward who abandoned his soul..."

A flicker of disdain flashed in Shiroishi Mori's eyes as he charged toward the towering, 30-meter-tall monstrosity before him.

Sakamoto, reveling in the twisted yet overwhelming power coursing through his body, glared at him with terrifying intensity.

"Die, all of you!"

With an inhuman roar, Sakamoto's monstrous body sprang into motion.

The sharp legs of his centipede form struck the ground with a shower of sparks, stirring up clouds of smoke and debris across the battlefield.

Suddenly, Sakamoto swung his massive body, and his razor-sharp, colossal centipede tail cut across the arena like a whip, crashing straight toward Shiroishi Mori!

Despite his enormous size, Sakamoto moved with surprising speed.

The bladed appendages of his countless legs closed in on Shiroishi Mori in an instant, towering over him like a wall.

Rather than retreat, Shiroishi Mori chose to meet the attack head-on.

His iron fists, encased in crimson exoskeletons, slammed into the enemy with a ferocious punch.

Sparks flew.

The terrifying impact reverberated outward, leaving a web of cracks on the ground beneath them.

Shiroishi Mori's raw strength managed to repel the attacking limbs, but he couldn’t ignore the fact that Sakamoto’s massive, 50-meter-long body loomed over him—a monster, through and through.

Even though he had deflected the centipede's legs, Sakamoto's enormous body swung back around, crashing down on him with devastating force.

The sheer weight of the impact sent Shiroishi Mori flying, embedding him deep into the arena’s walls.

The already battered cruise ship shook violently.

"Cough, cough..."

Shiroishi Mori struggled to climb out of the shattered wall, coughing up blood.

The terrifying power of the attack had caved in his chest, and without his exoskeleton, he would already be dead.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Sakamoto's deranged roar echoed across the cruise ship, his mind completely overtaken. His actions now were nothing more than the remnants of his shattered will—seeking to destroy everything.

Seeing Shiroishi Mori rise once again, Sakamoto twisted his massive body and launched another ferocious attack.

But Shiroishi Mori, having experienced his opponent’s terrifying strength firsthand, no longer tried to face the attacks head-on. Instead, he darted around the arena, evading blow after blow.

Several times, he found openings to approach Sakamoto, but each time, he was driven back by the scythe-like kakuja blades on Sakamoto’s arms.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

In his pursuit of Shiroishi Mori, Sakamoto wreaked havoc on the ship, massacring other ghouls with ease.

To Sakamoto, ordinary ghouls were nothing more than toys—crushed effortlessly with a single move.

The battle raged on.

"Boom!"

Once again, Shiroishi Mori was sent flying, slamming into the ground like a cannonball.

The impact shattered the earth, leaving him broken and battered.

The sheer force had obliterated parts of his exoskeleton, and his bones were fractured.

This time, he couldn’t rise.

"Kill!"

Sakamoto's triumphant roar engulfed the cruise ship.

"Tch. So, in the end, this guy won, huh?"

Hidan muttered, picking at his ear in irritation.

His sudden remark caught Sakamoto's attention.

"Kill..."

Sakamoto turned his monstrous head, locking his violent gaze on Kaneki and Hidan.

There was a flicker of doubt in his bloodthirsty eyes, as if wondering why there were still two people standing there.

But Sakamoto had no time to think.

Consumed by his urge to destroy, he twisted his grotesque body and charged straight toward Kaneki and Hidan!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 34: Mere Ants

“Oops, looks like I accidentally caught this monster’s attention.”

Feeling Sakamoto’s terrifying gaze, Hidan spoke nonchalantly, entirely unbothered.

What would leave ordinary people utterly terrified meant nothing to Hidan.

After all, in his eyes, whether it was Sakamoto, Shiraishi Mori, or any other ghouls, they were nothing more than the lowly minions created by Lord Jashin.

And himself?

Well, let’s not forget that annoying Kaneki.

Hidan was the true representative of Lord Jashin! The divine avatar walking among mortals—the great child of God!

These lowly creatures should be groveling before him, yet they dared to raise their filthy eyes and look at him like that?

“Tch, mere lowly minions!”

Hidan spat on the ground, his face full of disdain.

Perhaps sensing Hidan’s contempt, or spurred by the violent will raging within, Sakamoto roared savagely at both Kaneki and Hidan:

“Kill! Kill! Kill!”

With that, his massive body shook the earth as it twisted and charged toward them with terrifying speed.

“Want die?.”

Hidan’s cold gaze swept across Sakamoto, and in an instant, a pitch-black spear appeared in his hand.

Just as he prepared to deal with this insolent, rebellious minion, Kaneki slowly raised his hand, signaling Hidan to stop.

“What? You want to handle this yourself?”

Although puzzled, Hidan obediently halted.

At that moment, the colossal centipede-like beast radiating purple light appeared before them.

Covered in kagune resembling scythes, Sakamoto struck fiercely, aiming straight for Kaneki’s face.

Despite the ferocity of the attack, neither Kaneki nor Hidan showed any change in expression.

From Hidan’s perspective, if Kaneki were taken out by such an insignificant pest, it would be laughable.

The violent thrust stirred the air, slightly ruffling Kaneki’s bangs. It was only then that he slowly raised his head and casually adjusted his glasses.

No words. No movements.

All Kaneki did was lift his head and glance at the oncoming monster.

Time seemed to freeze. The sharp scythe-like kagune stopped a mere centimeter from Kaneki’s forehead.

Sakamoto’s once-raging eyes shrank violently, trembling uncontrollably.

An overwhelming fear, emerging from the depths of his bloodline, gripped him entirely. It was as though what stood before him wasn’t a human—or even a creature—but…

A god.

It felt like invisible hands had wrapped around his entire being, rendering him immobile. The slightest hint of resistance would surely make him explode into pieces.

“Mere ants…”

Kaneki finally spoke, his glasses reflecting a chilling gleam.

With just that dismissive remark, Sakamoto’s monstrous visage twisted in agony. Moments later, the kagune on his forehead, shoulders, and chest exploded like fireworks, splattering foul liquid everywhere.

The exoskeleton covering his face, shoulders, and chest crumbled like shadows, revealing a pale human visage beneath.

“Mere ants dare to defy a god.”

Under Sakamoto’s terrified gaze, Kaneki took a step forward and raised his foot, pressing it squarely against Sakamoto’s face.

Boom!  

A thunderous impact echoed as Sakamoto’s face blurred for a moment, and his enormous body collapsed, embedding heavily into the ground.

Kaneki withdrew his foot, glancing at Hidan, who wore an odd expression, somewhere between constipation and astonishment.

“Hm? What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?” Kaneki asked curiously, touching his flawless features.

Seeing Kaneki’s nonchalant demeanor, Hidan snapped, “Damn it, Kaneki, you show-off! You pulled it off again!”

“I knew it—I should’ve taken him down myself!”

Kaneki chuckled faintly. It seemed even Hidan could envy his elegance.

After his brief outburst, Hidan frowned suspiciously. “Wait… Did you just say defy a god?”

Kaneki answered calmly, “We are the representatives of Lord Jashin. If this ant attacks us, isn’t that the same as attacking Lord Jashin? That’s god-slaying, isn’t it?”

Hidan scratched his nose, finally understanding. “Ah, so that’s what you meant.”

While the two chatted, Shiraishi Mori stared at the fallen monster, his face full of despair.

He hadn’t expected this. Even after abandoning his humanity, his strength was still so pitifully weak!

“It’s not enough… This power is nowhere near enough!”

Gritting his teeth, he struggled to rise from the blood-soaked ground.

But as he stood, so too did the monstrous Sakamoto.

Yes, the beast Kaneki had stomped into the ground was rising again.

However, this time, faced with the threat of death, it didn’t dare attack Kaneki. Instead, it turned toward the scattered corpses on the ground.

If it devoured those bodies, it would surely grow stronger!

A savage gleam flickered in its eyes.

Shiraishi Mori stared at Sakamoto intently. After Kaneki’s attack, the exoskeleton on its chest and face had completely disintegrated, exposing vulnerable human flesh beneath.

Even one of its scythe-like kagune had shattered, leaving only one arm resembling a long blade.

In other words, Sakamoto’s defenses were significantly weakened.

If he didn’t seize this opportunity, once Sakamoto consumed the other ghouls and regenerated, he would stand no chance of defeating it.

And that would mean he couldn’t avenge his parents…

“I won’t allow it…!”

“I have to banish this creature from this world!”

Shiraishi Mori gritted his teeth, his face contorted with determination.

As Sakamoto began using his remaining kagune to gather the corpses, preparing to devour them and repair his body—perhaps even evolve—a lone figure suddenly leapt high into the air and hurtled toward the towering monster.

“Kill…”

The beast growled hoarsely, thrusting its blade-like kagune toward the incoming figure.

Shiraishi Mori, mid-air and with no means of dodging, was left completely vulnerable!

“Is this kid trying to get himself killed?”

Watching from the sidelines, Hidan looked perplexed. The move seemed suicidal. Unlike him, who had Lord Jashin’s blessings and immortality, this boy had no such protection.

Beside him, Kaneki chuckled softly. “Sometimes, humans need just a little courage. Courage is the greatest hymn of humanity.”

“Ugh, stop being so pretentious.”

Hidan shot Kaneki a disdainful look. For someone with immense strength, Kaneki sure loved to grandstand.

While they talked, the monster’s kagune blade closed in on Shiraishi Mori.

He made no attempt to dodge. The sharp kagune pierced through his unarmored body with ease, and crimson blood sprayed from the wound.

Yet Shiraishi Mori didn’t show pain. Instead, he laughed maniacally, using the momentum of his fall to drive his body directly onto the monster’s shoulder.

“Got you!”

Grinning wildly, his unhinged expression unnerved even the mindless beast.

Unlike the fear Kaneki instilled, this terror came from a twisted resolve more deranged than the monster itself.

Clinging to Sakamoto’s arm, Shiraishi Mori laughed maniacally as he opened his mouth and bit down.

Right where the kagune blade emerged.

The putrid blood exploded in his mouth, but with one bite, he tore the kagune from Sakamoto’s arm and swallowed it whole.

Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.  

It was as if he had anticipated the power of the kagune. His arm swelled, dark red exoskeleton forming into a terrifying blade. With a roar, he slashed at Sakamoto’s neck with lightning speed.

(End of Chapter)  

Chapter 35: The White-Haired Boy

Before their eyes stood an enormous, half-human, half-centipede monster, clad in a dark purple exoskeleton. Yet, it had its head severed by the very man it had impaled moments ago!

The grotesque pale head fell from a height of forty or fifty meters, landing with a dull thud. Without its head, the monster’s massive body finally collapsed with a thunderous crash.

“Boom!”

The colossal body hit the ground, sending thick clouds of dust into the air.

Due to being pierced by the centipede-like appendage, Shiraishi Mori had been buried beneath the shattered earth.

“Well, that was…”

Hidan, witnessing the scene, seemed taken aback. He quickly turned to Kaneki, standing nearby.

“Damn it, Kaneki! Don’t tell me you actually predicted this would happen when you kicked that little ant away?”

Knowing Kaneki’s strength—and his natural dominance over the Kagune—Hidan couldn’t believe the so-called “ant” would have been left with any chance of survival unless it was deliberate.

The only explanation was that this guy had purposely let the ant live to stage this grand finale.

Kaneki raised an eyebrow, his voice dripping with mock surprise. “Wow, I didn’t think you were sharp enough to figure out I went easy on him.”

“Damn you, Kaneki! Are you mocking my intelligence?!”

Kaneki gave him a curious look and said, “You figured that out too? Impressive.”

“I’m gonna kill you!” (╬▔皿▔)╯

As the two bickered, the massive corpse of the centipede monster suddenly twitched a few times.

Kaneki calmly adjusted his glasses and muttered, “Looks like this kid got lucky.”

Hidan narrowed his eyes, watching as the monster’s body trembled. Suddenly, a hole was torn open in its flesh, and Shiraishi Mori’s pale arm emerged from the wound.

Although not particularly bulky, the arm’s taut, sinewy muscles exuded explosive strength. Using his arm for leverage, Shiraishi hauled himself out of the beast’s carcass.

Compared to before, his body now appeared emaciated and unnaturally pale. His once-dark hair had turned snow-white, and his eyes were pitch-black, crisscrossed with jagged, blood-red veins radiating from the pupils.

His entire aura had changed. It was as if…

He had been reborn.

“Well, look at that,” Hidan said, genuinely surprised. “The kid’s still alive.”

He had assumed that the injuries would have led to mutual destruction between the boy and the monster. Clearly, his luck was extraordinary.

Kaneki smiled as he observed the crimson-eyed, white-haired Shiraishi below. “It’s not just luck that kept him alive.”

“Oh?”

Curious, Hidan scrutinized Shiraishi, trying to discern what had changed besides his appearance.

Shiraishi remained unperturbed by Hidan’s impolite gaze. He simply raised his head slightly, his white hair swaying gently in the breeze.

“Who exactly are you people?”

“Hmm, this kid seems oddly calm now. Kind of reminds me of you, you bastard, Kaneki,” Hidan quipped.

Laughing, Hidan climbed onto the railing of the viewing platform, spread his arms wide, and declared flamboyantly:

“Well, since you’re so eager to know, I’ll generously enlighten you!”

“We are the followers of the Cult of Jashin, the great Jashin-sama’s emissaries walking among mortals!”

Shiraishi frowned slightly. He had initially thought the Cult of Jashin was just an organization using the deity’s name as a pretense for evil deeds. But after everything he had experienced and witnessed, could Jashin actually be real?

“You’re capable of freeing everyone, aren’t you?”

Shiraishi’s gaze locked onto Kaneki, his tone calm yet resolute—not accusatory, but certain.

Kaneki nodded without hesitation.

“I do have the power to easily deal with Sakamoto and rescue all of you.”

Shiraishi clenched his fists, about to speak, but Kaneki cut him off.

“You want to ask why, if I have that power, I didn’t save you outright. Why I went to such lengths to create an opportunity for you to take down Sakamoto yourself, right?”

“If I had stepped in sooner, perhaps your parents wouldn’t have died, is that what you’re thinking?”

Kaneki crossed his arms, tilting his head as he scrutinized the white-haired young man below.

Then he smirked, a hint of playfulness in his voice. “But why would I do that?”

Kaneki leapt down from the platform, landing in front of Shiraishi. Staring into his eyes, he said coldly:

“Let me make one thing clear—I’m no saint. Hell, I’m not even human. I’m just… a monster.”

With that, Kaneki shoved his hands into his pockets and began to walk away.

Shiraishi lowered his head, his expression obscured by the shadow of his white hair.

“But if it weren’t for you…”

Before he could finish, Kaneki appeared in front of him again, delivering a brutal knee to his stomach. Shiraishi doubled over in pain, his body twisting like a shrimp.

“If it weren’t for me, not just your parents— you would’ve been dead at Sakamoto’s hands long ago,” Kaneki said flatly, releasing the trembling Shiraishi, who collapsed to his knees.

Suddenly, a stream of information from a flock of ravens caused Kaneki’s brow to furrow.

“Well, kid, it seems something big is happening in your Village.”

Mori eyes widened in shock.

With his parents gone, his only remaining family in the world was his grandfather and younger sister.

He couldn’t— wouldn’t—let anything happen to them!

His pitch-black eyes flared, crimson veins spreading like wildfire. From his waist, a dark red, centipede-like tail Kagune burst forth, smashing through the ship’s walls as he leapt toward the fishing village where he had grown up.

The moment he reached the open air, the acrid stench of burning filled his nostrils.

What he saw next was a nightmare: an inferno engulfing the village.

Mori lips parted slightly in horror. Four Kagune sprouted from his back, slamming into the ground to propel him forward. In mere moments, he reached his home.

But he was too late.

A ninja wearing a forehead protector with three slashes had driven his blade through an elderly man—Shiraishi’s grandfather.

With his last breath, the old man turned to Shiraishi and whispered, “Run… Mori…”

Hearing this, the ninja sneered and turned to Mori.

“Well, looks like there’s one little brat left.”

A cruel grin spread across his face as he slowly withdrew his blade from the old man’s body.

Mori pupils contracted into crimson pinpoints, a terrifying aura of destruction erupting from his body like a tsunami.

“Roar!”

All of his Kagune unleashed in a violent frenzy, transforming into a monstrous centipede-like creature as black as night. Its mere movements caused the earth to quake and tremble.

“What… what is this thing?!”

The ninjas from Yuugakure, who had been wreaking havoc in the village, froze in terror.

“I told you,” one younger ninja stammered, trembling, “we should never have taken on Sakamoto’s job for a bit of money!”

Another glared at him. “If we didn’t work with Sakamoto’s syndicate, we’d rot in obscurity like the old fools back in the village!”

But no amount of regret or excuses could save them.

The monstrous shadow loomed over them, an abyssal maw ready to devour everything. The merciless avenger had come to annihilate them all.

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*(Chapter End)*