Mutant Showdown

"Looks like someone was impersonating the Jashin Cult?"

Killing intent surged in Sakamoto's eyes as he barked, "Throw him into a cell and find out who he is."

"Yes."

The subordinate quickly withdrew.

Sakamoto turned to Simu and asked, "May I ask whether God Child is interested in accompanying me to see this fellow who dared to disguise himself as a member of the Jashin Cult?"

Simu nodded expressionlessly. "Of course. I will not allow anyone to tarnish the Jashin Cult's reputation."

"This way."

Led by Sakamoto, Simu soon arrived at a damp, gloomy prison cell.

It had to be said that Sakamoto Trading Company's cruise ship was fully equipped. Even its prison was quite convincing.

The moment they entered, the stench of rot and dampness rushed at them, mixed with a heavy smell of blood.

Simu looked at the various torture instruments hanging on the walls, all stained with blood. It seemed the guards here had not been sparing in their treatment of prisoners.

"Chairman, God Child, that brat is up ahead."

One of the subordinates led Sakamoto and Simu to the cell in question.

Shiraishi Mori, small and dark-skinned, was curled up in a corner against the wall.

"God Child, this was found on him."

Sakamoto's subordinate respectfully handed Simu an item.

It was the necklace representing the Jashin Cult's identity, which he had deliberately left behind.

Simu smiled faintly. "This is indeed my necklace. I never expected him to pick it up."

Seeing Sakamoto and Simu arrive, Shiraishi Mori slightly raised his head. A vicious gleam appeared in his eyes as he looked at Sakamoto.

It was him. He had taken his parents!

Seeing the hatred in Shiraishi Mori's eyes, Sakamoto turned to a subordinate beside him.

"Who is this brat?"

The subordinate lowered his head and replied respectfully, "Chairman, do you remember that man who came here with a group of fishermen to cause trouble half a month ago?"

Sakamoto's eyes shifted as he frowned slightly. "That thug? I remember his name was—"

"My father is not a thug!"

Shiraishi Mori suddenly raised his head. Squatting on the ground, he let out a low growl like a savage beast.

Sakamoto snorted coldly. The subordinate beside him immediately flew into action and kicked Shiraishi Mori heavily to the ground.

The subordinate withdrew his foot, cast Shiraishi Mori a sidelong glance, and continued, "This brat is that thug's son."

Sakamoto raised his brows, suddenly interested.

"So you are that man's child. You really are as stupid as that bastard father of yours, daring to break into Sakamoto Trading Company alone."

Sakamoto's voice grew increasingly sinister. Then, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"I think I have a pretty good idea!"

He slapped his palm hard. "I remember there was also a woman who came with that rabble at the time, right?"

Sakamoto's amused gaze passed through the bars and settled on Shiraishi Mori.

"If I am not mistaken, that woman should be your mother?"

"What are you going to do?"

Shiraishi Mori clutched his abdomen tightly and climbed to his feet with a twisted expression.

Sakamoto smiled mockingly. "Perfect. The Kagune needs some test subjects, so why not try it on his parents first?"

"No! Stop!"

Shiraishi Mori charged forward again.

Although he had no idea what a Kagune was, the words "test subject" alone were enough to make him uneasy.

But all he managed was to make the cell bars shake slightly. His thin arms reaching through the gaps could not even touch the corner of Sakamoto's clothes.

Seeing Shiraishi Mori struggle, Sakamoto laughed heartily, only for his laughter to abruptly stop.

"Take his parents away."

"Yes."

The subordinates quickly sprang into action.

Two minutes later, a man and woman covered in wounds and nearly unconscious were dragged out from the depths of the prison.

"Dad!"

"Mom!"

Shiraishi Mori desperately pounded the bars. The violent banging and familiar voices roused the pair's awareness.

Through their blurry vision, they finally saw the child they had longed for. But before they could speak, Sakamoto's subordinates covered their mouths and dragged them away.

Only Shiraishi Mori remained, howling in agony.

After taking Shiraishi Mori's parents away, Sakamoto, who had long been impatient, finally began the Kagune experiment.

Given the Kagune's special nature, Sakamoto naturally could not use only two test subjects.

He selected another eighteen slaves from the prison, making twenty in total, and began the experiment.

As the Kagune were implanted into their bodies, agonized screams instantly echoed throughout the cruise ship.

"Ah!!!!"

A terrifying aura erupted from the laboratory.

The test subjects swung their Kagune and unleashed their abilities.

But Sakamoto had prepared for this. The mechanisms he had set up in advance, together with his subordinates' ninjutsu, quickly subdued the rampaging Ghouls.

About an hour later, Sakamoto's most capable subordinate, Abu, emerged and reported, "Chairman, there were twenty test subjects in total. Eleven went berserk and have all been killed. Their Kagune were preserved intact."

"Of the remaining nine, six fell unconscious, while three were still able to retain their sanity."

"Out of twenty people, only three were able to remain sane?"

Sakamoto rubbed his thumb ring. He seemed somewhat dissatisfied with the result.

Seeing this, Abu had no choice but to remind him quietly, "The Kagune of failed subjects can be recovered and reused."

Only after his subordinate's reminder did Sakamoto react. "You mean that as long as there are enough test subjects, however many Kagune we have, we can create that many Ghouls?"

Abu nodded. "Theoretically, yes."

At last, Sakamoto let out a wild laugh.

"Heh heh, the Jashin Cult really does have quite a few good things."

His small eyes rolled around between the folds of his fat, as though he were plotting something.

After a while, he turned and asked, "Who are the three who remained conscious?"

"They are the Shiraishi couple, Shiraishi Ao and Yanagishima Keiko, as well as a middle-aged man named Shimizu Ken."

Sakamoto narrowed his eyes and revealed an enigmatic smile.

"Both members of the Shiraishi Family did not go berserk?"

"If that is the case, then I have a good idea."

That night, Sakamoto personally announced something over the ship's broadcast:

"In one hour, a beast-fighting performance will be held in the Octagon Cage arena."

"[Mutant Showdown]!"

Upon hearing the announcement, the dignitaries from all over the Land of Rivers immediately began discussing it.

"What are Mutants?"

"Maybe some kind of deformed humans?"

"Probably. I once saw those tiny people at a circus. They were only as big as jars and looked absolutely hilarious."

"But what is there to watch in a fight between deformed people?"

"Never mind that. Do you not know Chairman Sakamoto's methods? If it were not exciting enough, he would never personally invite us to watch."

"That is true."

At Sakamoto's call, the beast-fighting arena known as the Octagon Cage was packed to capacity in just half an hour!