Orochimaru moved through the rock layers like a snake, transforming ground, walls, and ceiling into weapons that attacked 'White Fang'. His Chakra filled the entire space, enough to hide his presence for a short time.
"Damn it, Orochimaru, if you want to die then do not drag me with you!" Tashinsenki's fearful voice echoed in his mind. "What is Void Realm? What kind of monster did you provoke?"
Orochimaru suppressed his ragged breathing as his snake-like eyes filled with bloodshot veins. His face was pale, his neck bruised deep purple, and his bones were clearly cracked as blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
He did not answer Tashinsenki's question, nor did he feel any relief at surviving. Instead, his eyes were filled with cold rational calm.
While using Chakra to mend his injuries, he replied coldly in his mind, "Tashinsenki, if you want to live and do not want to die here with me, then you have only one choice."
"Stop resisting Kusanagi Sword and let your soul fully enter it. This is our only chance."
"Never!" Tashinsenki screeched sharply. "Let that broken sword swallow my soul? That is no different from death. You only want to get rid of me!"
"Yes, I do want to get rid of you. So what?"
Orochimaru's lips curled into a cold, crazed smile. "Before I obtain that kind of power, I will never abandon Zetsu."
"I can tell you this. If you enter Kusanagi Sword and devour those 'Xu' souls, you might still keep your awareness and even gain a higher level of power."
"But if that monster catches us," he paused briefly before continuing in a flat voice. "It will chew up your soul along with mine, and there will not be a single scrap left."
As their souls confronted each other in his mind, an extremely faint sound came from a corner. It was Hyde, who looked utterly pathetic before the power of Orochimaru and 'White Fang'.
He crawled toward a collapsed passage, trying to escape this hell during the chaos. He no longer wanted the Stone of Gelel.
These two were monsters, not humans at all. The power they displayed was beyond anything human.
Yet the small sound he made was like a stone dropped into still water for 'White Fang'. 'White Fang' snapped its gaze toward the sound, ignored all obstructions, and grabbed the broad sword from behind its back.
Highly compressed white-colored light gathered along the blade. Then it drew the blade.
Shriek!
A razor-thin yet incomparably sharp white-colored slash screamed through the air, sending out a violent shockwave. Its speed exceeded visual limits, and all that could be seen was rock and dust split cleanly in two along its path.
Splat!
Hyde's body froze. A thin line of blood appeared from the top of his head, running straight down through his face and torso.
In the next moment, his body, hardened by absorbing the "Stone of Gelel", split neatly into two along that line. Hot blood and organs poured out like a waterfall, dyeing the ground a glaring red.
The white-colored slash did not slow after cutting him down. It slammed into the rock wall at the end of the palace, leaving behind a deep, smooth crack.
Seeing this, both Orochimaru and Tashinsenki changed expression, though Orochimaru quickly regained his calm. "Do you see now?" he said firmly.
"I can tell you that before I defected from Konoha, I already prepared a way to revive. Dying here means nothing to me."
"You have no choice. Either gamble with me and bet that you can still take control after devouring those souls in Kusanagi Sword, or die here together with this body."
At the same time, 'White Fang' realized it had not killed Orochimaru and swung its sword again. Several slashes tore indiscriminately through everything around it.
The attacks skimmed past Orochimaru's body, and he barely avoided them by weaving through the rocks. Those slashes that could cut anything apart completely destroyed Tashinsenki's last bit of hope.
She had no doubt that the next strike would fall on both of them. She also had no doubt that Orochimaru meant every word he said.
Their souls were connected, and she could feel his resolve clearly. He was serious.
"Orochimaru, you lunatic bastard!" Tashinsenki shouted in humiliation and anger. "I never should have believed that old thing's lies!"
They said Orochimaru was hard to kill and valued his life. They said his fate had changed and that following him meant leaving the cave and gaining greater power.
Now it was clear that Orochimaru was a madman who did not care about his own life. "I will gamble with you!"
With that scream full of fear and unwillingness, Tashinsenki stopped resisting Kusanagi Sword's pull. Her soul, along with the part fused with Orochimaru, poured into Kusanagi Sword like a broken floodgate.
Buzz!
The blade of Kusanagi Sword erupted with an unprecedented dark blue glow. Vast mental energy gathered and compressed wildly.
"Cough, cough!"
After cutting away part of his soul, Orochimaru's face turned deathly pale, and his breathing became weak. The moment his aura fluctuated violently, 'White Fang's crimson gaze locked directly onto his position.
It slowly raised the broad sword, deadly white-colored light gathering again. A slash tore through the air toward the exposed Orochimaru.
"Damn it, if I just had a bit more time…"
Orochimaru's expression darkened, but he did not hesitate. He burst out from the rock wall, formed hand seals midair, and bit his finger.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
As the slash approached, he slammed his palm to the ground and shouted hoarsely, "Triple Rashomon Gate of Life!"
Three massive gates rose from the ground with thunderous crashes, standing firmly between Orochimaru and the incoming slash. Red, green, and blue gates with fierce demon faces formed an unyielding defense.
The white-colored slash struck the first gate, and a piercing screech rang out as a smooth cut was carved into it. Without slowing, it passed through and struck the second gate.
A deafening metallic clash erupted as sparks flew. The slash was slowed slightly but still tore into the gate, leaving a terrifying dent.
Most of its power was finally spent when it hit the third gate. With a heavy thud, the slash shattered, and spiderweb-like cracks spread across the surface.
The Triple Rashomon Gate of Life blocked the attack, but the gates also blocked Orochimaru's view. He could not see 'White Fang' or judge its next move, so he immediately tried to flee deeper into the ruins.
However, he forgot one thing. The monster's true strength was not its brute force, but its terrifying speed.
The instant Orochimaru turned around, a cold shadow appeared behind him. He had no time to react before a chilling pain cut through his waist.
A pale bone blade sliced through him as easily as tofu, cutting him cleanly in half. Blood erupted like a fountain, splashing broken organs across the ground.
Orochimaru's upper body slid from his lower half and fell into the muddy pool of blood. The Scroll recording secrets slipped from his stomach and landed beside him.
'White Fang' stood next to the lower half, looking down at Orochimaru's upper body as it continued to cough blood. It raised the broad sword and aimed it at Orochimaru's head, ready to deliver the final blow and devour the soul.
But when its gaze caught the Scroll and it sensed that familiar aura, the red light in its eyes flickered. The sword paused midair.