Clearly, the scenario they had imagined failed to happen.
An instant before the rock lid fell, a massive, dark-red centipede lunged out from the "kettle" and stabbed deeply into the stone. Mori Shiraishi then vaulted out from between the four rock walls. His thick Bikaku erupted with startling power, swinging the massive boulder attached to its tip like a meteor hammer.
The sight left the ninjas' faces filled with disbelief.
"You've got to be kidding me, right?"
Regardless of their belief, Mori Shiraishi swung the rock with all his might, and it crashed down from mid-air like a falling star!
"Scatter, now!"
The six ninjas scrambled to get away. Attacks of this magnitude were simply not something ninjas—who typically possessed high offensive power but low defense—could withstand. After all, the role of a ninja was that of an assassin; only a rare few possessed a truly powerful physical constitution. At the very least, these six were merely ordinary men among shinobi.
The boulder slammed into the ground, sending a violent shudder through the entire ship. During the tremor, Mori Shiraishi kicked off one of the stone walls. The terrifying force shattered the wall instantly, and his figure appeared before a ninja in the blink of an eye.
It was the man who had just used Earth Style: Earth Rising. He tried to form hand signs, but a crimson slash had already arrived. The lightning-fast Rinkaku severed his neck in an instant.
"This guy's attack speed is too high! We absolutely cannot let him get close!"
The remaining ninjas had enough combat experience to quickly analyze the traits of the monster before them.
"Understood."
The Lightning Style ninja wiped his mouth, formed hand signs, and slammed a palm onto the ground.
"Lightning Style: Ground Net!"
He attempted the same trick again as countless electric arcs spread out from his hand. Unfortunately, Mori Shiraishi was not just a speed-based fighter. He pushed off the ground with his legs and, relying on his immense strength, soared into the sky once more. The lightning crawling across the floor didn't affect him at all. Furthermore, the centipede Bikaku behind him grew rapidly, acting like an extendable spear that pierced toward the enemy from the air.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A scorching, boiling fireball was spat out by another ninja, flying straight toward Mori Shiraishi. Since he was in mid-air, Mori Shiraishi had no way to evade the strike.
"Boom!"
The moment the fireball touched him, it turned into an endless blaze that swallowed him whole. The shockwave from the explosion rippled outward in all directions.
An explosion that intense should have caused him some damage, right?
The ninjas stared through the smoke, holding their breath. Among all ninjutsu, the destructive power of Fire Style was the most direct. Even a monster like this shouldn't be able to walk away from a Fire Style attack unscathed.
This hope vanished as the smoke screen was torn apart. The thick red Bikaku sliced through the dense smoke and impaled the Lightning Style ninja's body. The width of the Bikaku did not exceed a human body, but the horrific impact accompanying it shattered the flesh around the ninja. Under Mori Shiraishi's single strike, the man was snapped in half at the waist!
The scent of blood spread rapidly. The sight of a man being torn in half dealt a massive psychological blow to everyone watching. At the very least, the remaining four ninjas were shaken. They began to hesitate, wondering if it was worth throwing away their lives for money.
Looking at the charred marks on Mori Shiraishi's armor, they doubted whether the four of them could actually defeat the monster before them. If even Fire Style couldn't deal with him, did they really have a better way?
In response to their doubt, Mori Shiraishi reached out and violently ripped off the scorched exoskeleton! As the burnt armor was discarded, a large patch of raw, red flesh was exposed to the air. However, it soon looked as if countless insects were crawling beneath his skin as a massive amount of energy within his body was triggered. The injured area was quickly covered by a new exoskeleton once again.
Everything looked as good as new!
"Too weak! You are all far too weak!"
Mori Shiraishi radiated an aura of pure tyranny, plunging the entire Colosseum into an atmosphere of terror.
"How are we supposed to fight that?"
The ninjas were stunned. They were merely Chunin with a limited repertoire of offensive ninjutsu, and none of them worked against this monster! This battle was unwinnable. Instinctively, the four of them exchanged looks and decisively chose... to run!
They simultaneously performed the basic Body Flicker Jutsu, fleeing in different directions.
"Hrrr..."
Seeing this, Mori Shiraishi let out an incredibly raspy roar from deep in his throat. This roar acted like the call of an alpha wolf; the eyes of the surrounding Ghouls instantly glowed with crimson light. After only a moment of hesitation, they spontaneously charged at the fleeing ninjas, using their overwhelming numbers to surround them.
These ninjas had been through several major battles, and both their physical stamina and chakra reserves were nearly empty. With the advantage of overwhelming numbers, the Ghouls soon brutally murdered the four ninjas. Of course, the Ghouls still suffered casualties from the ninjas' desperate counter-attacks.
But none of that mattered to Mori Shiraishi. At this moment, he was walking toward Sakamoto, one firm step at a time.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
"You bastards... how dare you strike at me! Curse you!"
Sakamoto frantically pulled out a weapon. It was a kunai gun, appearing somewhat like a crossbow, except the bolts were replaced with the common kunai of this world.
"Die! Just die!"
He pulled the trigger frantically. One kunai after another whistled through the air, flying toward Mori Shiraishi. Mori Shiraishi didn't care at all, continuing his approach one step after the other. The kunai, powerful enough to pierce human bone, struck his black exoskeleton. Aside from producing a few sparks, they did nothing.
As the kunai fell uselessly to the floor with a metallic clatter, Sakamoto's mental state began to crumble. He couldn't understand how a mere brat could obtain such terrifying power in such a short time.
Above, Simu seemed to see through Sakamoto's thoughts and suddenly spoke: "This is the power of Lord Jashin, Mr. Sakamoto."
Those words struck Sakamoto like a lightning bolt, leaving him dazed.
"The power of Lord Jashin..."
"That's right... I still have the power of Lord Jashin!"
His eyes erupted with a terrifying light. He threw the kunai gun to the floor and threw open the black briefcase he carried. Inside, rows of blood-colored Kagune were revealed.
"Hahahaha! I have the power of Lord Jashin too!"
Sakamoto's eyes were wide and bloodshot. Driven by desperation, he didn't care about the consequences. He reached out, grabbed four or five Kagune, and shoved them into his mouth. Then, his other hand grabbed another handful and stuffed them in as well.
The man let out a frenzied scream:
"Lord Jashin, grant me strength!"