A feeling of weakness spread through Madara's entire body. He felt as though all his strength had been drained away. Like a deflated balloon, every bit of power in him was being sucked away by those hands brimming with gravitational fluctuations.
Even in life, Madara had never felt so powerless. It was as if something within those arms had him completely restrained. He no longer possessed even the bearing of a sage; even a child could easily kill him now.
"What is this..." Madara was both shocked and furious. He instinctively tried to form a Truth-Seeking Orb to attack the monster that had suddenly appeared, but the hand he raised merely froze in midair. He no longer had the strength to do such things.
The Moon Demon wore no expression. He stared intently at Madara, as though admiring a struggling ant.
Moriyue watched the Moon Demon warily. He had sensed that Moon Mountain possessed a terrifying aura before, and it now seemed there really was a problem.
"Moon Demon... Julan..."
Moriyue murmured softly. Whoever knew the secrets of the Talismans and could establish an enormous organization like Hoshikage—perhaps everything had been manipulated by Julan from behind the scenes.
The enormous Divine Tree towering between heaven and earth stopped growing. Its scarlet eye still showed no sign of closing, staring fixedly at the moon drifting farther and farther away overhead, as if it had gained consciousness.
Orochimaru hid in the shadows, watching Madara being subdued by Julan from afar, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips.
"So Hoshikage really has a way to restrain Madara. The plan is proceeding fairly smoothly. Next, I only need to... reclaim the Six Paths Power..." No one knew what Orochimaru was thinking. Though he had joined the war against Madara, his stance