When the Goat Monster learned that every single Cursed Spirit he had sent out had been killed, he froze on the spot!
Then his heart pounded wildly in his chest.
If the Master found out, he would be done for.
He immediately dropped whatever he was doing, gathered a large group of modified humanoid monsters, and hurried away.
He had to eliminate the intruders as fast as possible. He absolutely could not afford to delay the experiments, and even less could he let his master discover his failure.
But was that even possible?
---
"Is this huge mountain only guarded by such small fry?"
Shinji walked further in, seeing no sign of enemies, and was just thinking this when the Goat Monster appeared, leading at least several hundred humanoid creatures and surrounding them.
Shinji's eyes lit up with delight! Perfect! Just what I needed!
The Goat Monster was surprised by how few intruders there were, but he didn't pay it much mind.
"Kill them!"
Hundreds of monsters charged forward with a deafening roar.
Shinji lifted the Executioner's Blade — and then slowly lowered it again.
Blood swirled rapidly around him, almost solidifying into shape before dissolving back into its fluid state.
The formation the enemies were in, combined with the enclosed environment here… everything was working perfectly for him.
If he didn't shout now, he would regret it forever!
He instantly gathered massive amounts of Cursed Energy into his throat, activated Cursed Speech, and roared:
"Die!"
The word, filled with terrifying power, echoed and reverberated everywhere.
Then, the hundreds of humanoid monsters all stumbled mid-step… and collapsed to the ground in unison. Dead silence followed.
The sight was so horrifying that Tamamo Hotaru stared in utter disbelief.
Just one word… and he instantly killed so many monsters?!
Is this really something a human can do?
What kind of ninjutsu even is this?
Not just her — everyone else was shocked too.
Up until now, what he did had been within the realm of comprehension. But this? This was ridiculous!
"This guy… he's getting stronger and stronger…"
Tobi's thoughts were mixed and confused. His original plans and intentions had changed again and again.
Shinji had actually been prepared to take a heavy toll from the backlash. But when he realized the recoil was far weaker than he expected, his expression shifted instantly.
Because after killing so many monsters, not a single point had been added to his Curse Soul total.
What's going on?
Could it be… these things aren't Cursed Spirits at all?
Realization hit him. His gaze sharpened and locked straight onto the Goat Monster, who was secretly trying to slip away.
Thud!
A heavy boot stomped him flat to the ground. The Executioner's Blade pressed cold and sharp right against his neck.
"What exactly are you lot? Humans? Cursed Spirits? Or something else entirely?"
"Don't kill me! Please don't kill me! I'm human! I'm human, I swear!"
The Goat Monster begged desperately, speaking words that sounded completely absurd.
"You look like this and you still claim you're human?"
Even Hidan couldn't help but make a sarcastic comment.
Everyone else felt the same way. How could anyone with a goat's head possibly be human?
But Shinji — already sensing something was wrong — didn't dismiss it. He knew certain powerful Cursed Spirits had methods to transform humans into monsters.
And if this was the work of the specific Cursed Spirit he suspected… then things were about to get dangerous.
Because that Special Grade's Cursed Technique was terrifyingly powerful, and more importantly — it was the natural counter to both his and Hidan's immortality.
You could even say… it was an ability with no solution.
Especially since Shinji had absolutely no defense against attacks directed at the soul itself.
"Tell me everything you know."
The Goat Monster tried to bargain — until he felt the blade press harder against his skin.
Die now… or die later?
Was there really any choice?
He spilled every single thing he knew immediately.
Loyalty?
That didn't exist here. Who would ever be loyal to a monster?
And as he claimed… he really was human. Or at least, he had been.
As the Goat Monster told his story, Tamamo Hotaru and the others listened, their expressions turning darker and darker with horror.
He was just one of the many people captured and brought here, then forcibly transformed into this monstrous form.
He had never seen his Master's true appearance. He only knew the creature dwelled deep within the darkest shadows of this place — and that anyone who ventured in there had never come back out alive.
Even after being changed into this, he hadn't given up on the will to survive. Instead, he had risen to become one of the overseers here.
His daily duties were simple: carry out the Master's orders, lock captured humans into a special chamber to undergo the same transformation experiments he had endured, and keep the place clean and orderly.
And according to him, the transformation process was absolutely horrific.
At first, the death rate had been incredibly high. But now… they had successfully reduced it drastically.
The monsters he had brought earlier were actually "defective products" — failed experiments, only smart enough to follow simple orders, and used as cannon fodder.
The very few survivors who succeeded gained special abilities — mostly related to shadows and darkness.
But there was a catch: over time, and the more they used their new powers, the faster they lost their human sanity and reason.
Eventually, they turned into even more terrifying monsters… and inevitably died.
Shinji's eyes narrowed. He remembered the deformed dwarf they had encountered back in the Land of Salt.
That person must have been one of the successful experiments allowed to leave Black Mountain.
Letting them roam free was obviously part of the experiment itself.
This was completely inhuman!
Wait — what did I expect? Cursed Spirits aren't human anyway.
"Since you're one of the 'successful' transformed survivors… what special ability did you get?"
The Goat Monster hesitated, but eventually demonstrated.
"I can temporarily turn parts of my body into shadow… making me immune to physical attacks."
Right before their eyes, his neck suddenly turned pitch black, like pure shadow.
Strangely enough, even without a solid neck, he was still alive — and his head remained attached.
Shinji tested it by slicing his blade right through the shadowy neck. It passed through effortlessly, feeling no resistance or solid contact at all.
And the Goat Monster was completely unharmed.
It was a bizarre ability that could definitely save a life at a critical moment.
"Take us to your 'Master.' You claim you're human, so you must realize what you've done makes you deserve to die a hundred times over."
The Goat Monster began weeping and begging again.
"I know! I know! But I was just afraid to die! I only wanted to live! I never wanted to hurt anyone… and even if I hadn't done those things, they still would have died anyway!"
"You had no choice back then… but now I'm giving you a new choice. It's up to you whether you take it or not."
The Goat Monster gritted his teeth and made up his mind.
"Fine! I'll take you there! If we can kill that monster, thousands of people trapped here might still have a chance to live!"
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