Chapter 114: Calamity Torrent
Knowledge is power!
Perhaps because he witnessed the cruel reality of death from such a young age, Orochimaru craved knowledge even more intensely than most.
From 'Adam,' he glimpsed for the first time a deeper stratum of knowledge—something transcending the entire shinobi world and operating beyond conventional understanding.
This was precisely why he had chosen to submit and obey 'Adam's' commands.
But that didn't mean he would obediently become a loyal dog.
A hint of sardonic mockery flickered in the depths of Orochimaru's cold serpentine eyes as he muttered with dark amusement: "Trying to control me with just a few manipulative words? That won't work."
Long ago, he had been secretly plotting, intending to conduct a careful 'experiment.'
The subject of this test was naturally the supposedly omnipotent 'Adam,' who arrogantly called himself an angel. The entire process would be slow, meticulous, and utterly covert—he was confident he wouldn't be discovered.
Of course, while confident, he wasn't foolishly overconfident.
Having planned this dangerous experiment, he prepared thoroughly for potential failure. He used an experimental technique to separate a portion of his soul beforehand as insurance.
That fragmented portion of his soul was then further subdivided into several smaller pieces and hidden within the bodies of carefully selected subordinates.
This method, though cumbersome and grotesque, greatly ensured that his consciousness would be preserved should catastrophe occur. While the time required for resurrection would be considerable, it remained a viable contingency plan.
Since he intended to test a being suspected of possessing godlike power, Orochimaru considered this level of precautionary sacrifice entirely reasonable.
"Now then, all preparations are complete."
Orochimaru's lips curled into a cold, predatory smile as he prepared to officially begin his audacious challenge. "Let me witness just how capable you truly are, Adam!"
Crackle—
The instant those words left his mouth, a sudden electrical crackling sound echoed throughout the dimly lit laboratory.
Simultaneously, the illumination in the entire room seemed affected by some invisible force, constantly flickering between light and darkness at an increasingly rapid, disorienting pace.
Whoosh!
In that instant, Orochimaru's pupils contracted sharply as genuine terror crept down his spine.
Such an abnormal phenomenon was impossible not to recognize as significant—especially since he had literally just uttered the name 'Adam' with clear intent to challenge him.
No... that's impossible, right?
Cold sweat broke out across Orochimaru's body as an inexplicable chill enveloped him, as if he'd been plunged into a frozen abyss.
He hadn't even begun implementing his actual plan yet!
Zzzzzt! Zzzzzt!
The crackling of electrical discharge grew increasingly sharp and piercing. The temperature throughout the entire laboratory seemed to plummet dramatically.
An invisible, overwhelming pressure surged inward like a crushing tidal wave. The darkness within the room seemed to come alive, slowly devouring what little light remained.
Little by little... until with a final resonant buzz, the entire laboratory suddenly plunged into absolute darkness.
"Who's there?!"
Orochimaru leaped up from his chair in genuine alarm, his hands flying through rapid hand seals. His pupils contracted to pinpoints, clearly entering a state of maximum combat alertness. "Show yourself!"
However, no one answered his challenge in the empty, echoing laboratory.
The eerie, oppressive silence sent genuine chills racing down Orochimaru's spine. He felt unmistakably as if a pair of unseen eyes were watching him intently from within the consuming darkness.
His pale golden serpentine eyes searched frantically in every direction, but he couldn't identify his observer's location.
The sensation of being watched grew stronger and more oppressive with each passing second—eventually feeling like an invisible blade pressed directly against his exposed throat.
"Come out, damn you!"
Orochimaru unleashed a summoning technique, sending a massive swarm of serpents spreading outward in all directions.
Each snake functioned as an extension of his senses—an additional pair of eyes.
The serpents searched methodically throughout the entire laboratory but couldn't locate the source of that malevolent 'gaze.'
Unknown fear gripped Orochimaru's heart, making him increasingly uneasy and paranoid.
Suddenly!
From the corner of his peripheral vision, he caught a fleeting glimpse of a shadowy figure standing motionless in the darkness.
"There!" Orochimaru's body twisted with inhuman flexibility, launching himself forward like a striking python. "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
But the serpents that shot from his extended sleeve crashed uselessly into an empty wall—there was absolutely no one there!
"What the hell is going on?!"
Orochimaru felt even more terrified than before. Was something completely invisible, utterly unreachable, and entirely unknown stalking him through the shadows?
The mere contemplation of this possibility completely shattered his initial confidence.
"Adam...?"
Orochimaru felt genuine shock flood through him, a bitter taste spreading across his tongue. His voice trembled slightly despite his efforts to control it. "Are you... is this you, Adam?"
Silence. Still that deathly, oppressive silence—an eerie stillness so profound you could hear a pin drop from across the room.
He didn't understand what supernatural force was at work, but that intensely unsettling gaze felt almost physically tangible, as if it wanted to pierce directly through to his very soul.
The next second, Orochimaru's survival instincts kicked in: if he couldn't identify the threat, he needed to escape immediately!
He sprinted desperately toward the door.
However, just as he was about to reach the exit, the floor tiles beneath his feet suddenly crumbled under the force of his chakra-enhanced stride.
Orochimaru's footing completely gave way and, in a bizarre and almost comically unfortunate fashion, he crashed headfirst directly into the solid wall beside the door frame.
BANG!
Two of his fangs flew out from the tremendous impact.
Orochimaru reeled from the collision, blood streaming from both his nose and mouth.
Wiping the blood from his battered face, he cursed his seemingly impossible bad luck and quickly scrambled to his feet, attempting to open the door once more.
But at precisely that moment, the massive swarm of venomous serpents he'd released earlier with his summoning technique—now completely uncontrolled and thrashing wildly—began crashing about chaotically. They struck a nearby laboratory shelf at an impossibly coincidental angle, causing the entire structure to topple over. The countless bottles and containers piled precariously on top came raining down directly onto Orochimaru's position with tremendous force.
Those glass containers held considerable quantities of highly corrosive experimental chemicals.
SPLASH!
Orochimaru was instantly drenched in the devastating corrosive liquid, which immediately began dissolving his outer layer of skin with horrifying efficiency.
"AAAAAHHH—!"
With an entire layer of flesh being corroded away, Orochimaru screamed like a man being skinned alive, frantically retreating from the spreading pool of hazardous chemicals.
He had only managed to stumble back a few desperate steps when his foot came down squarely on one of his own summoned serpents. The slippery, writhing surface sent him sprawling backward.
THUD!
His head slammed heavily against the hard laboratory floor. Orochimaru's vision exploded with stars.
However, it seemed that fate—or something far more malevolent—was playing even crueler tricks on him.
Orochimaru clutched his throbbing head in agony, but from the corner of his swimming vision, he caught another fleeting glimpse of that ghostly, shadowy figure lurking in the darkness.
CRACK!
Before he could process this terrifying observation, a sharp cracking sound came from directly above him.
Orochimaru jerked his head toward the source and saw that the overhead light fixture—struck by the splashed corrosive chemicals—had broken free from its mounting and was falling toward the floor.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Shattered glass shards from the broken bulb fell from a height of approximately eight feet, producing a terrifyingly sharp whistling sound as they descended.
Orochimaru's pupils constricted to pinpoints. His hands flew through seals on pure instinct. "Orochimaru-Style Body Replacement Technique!"
The instant his original body opened its mouth impossibly wide and a new form began crawling out, the falling glass shards followed with uncanny precision. Moving with bizarre, physics-defying speed and trajectory, they pierced directly through his abandoned body!
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
His discarded form was instantly impaled through multiple vital points by dozens of razor-sharp glass fragments.
Absolutely precise—as if each shard had been deliberately aimed at critical locations beforehand.
If his reflexes had been even a fraction of a second slower, he would have been killed outright by common laboratory glass!
Watching this nightmarish scene unfold, the deep-seated fear within Orochimaru's heart spread like wildfire and grew exponentially.
He—a Kage-level shinobi with decades of combat experience—had nearly been assassinated by falling glass shards. If word of this ever got out, it would become the laughingstock of the entire shinobi world.
But Orochimaru couldn't find any humor in his situation whatsoever.
"What the hell is happening?!"
Even a complete fool would recognize that this absolutely could not be mere coincidence!
The repeated occurrence of such "coincidental" near-death experiences couldn't possibly be random chance—they were clearly the result of deliberate supernatural manipulation!
"I'm sorry! I was wrong!"
Orochimaru decisively dropped to his knees without hesitation, slamming his forehead heavily against the cold floor. His voice filled with genuine shock and terror. "Please, I beg you—spare me this one time!"
Admitting defeat and showing submission wasn't shameful when facing overwhelming power.
His plan hadn't even been properly implemented yet, and he'd already nearly died multiple times in increasingly absurd ways.
If this continued, he couldn't even begin to imagine what would kill him next!
"The last time..."
A faint, ethereal voice echoed directly inside Orochimaru's mind—not through his ears, but resonating within his very consciousness.
Then, that oppressive sensation of being watched from the shadows vanished instantly, as if it had never existed at all.
"...Yes. Understood."
Orochimaru's forehead remained pressed firmly against the ground, his expression bitter with defeat and hard-learned wisdom as he released a long, shuddering sigh of relief.
[End of Chapter 114]
[Reader Event Active]
500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter
10 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter
Thanks for reading!
20+ advance chapters on P2treon DarkFoxx