After some time had passed, Uchiha Madara still felt no pain at all. He was puzzled—this was different from what Belaque had said. But perhaps these black magic techniques required a long buildup; maybe not enough time had passed yet.
Uchiha Madara did not dwell on it and continued staring at the small scroll covering his eyes.
"Um..." Belaque had waited for a while as well. Seeing that Uchiha Madara had not moved at all, she asked, "Don't you feel any pain at all right now?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing." Uchiha Madara said, "When does this ritual start? Why haven't I felt even the slightest pain yet? Did something go wrong?"
"No." Belaque said, "I've seen someone use it this way before. That person was in such agony they wished they were dead. It seems completely different from what you're feeling now."
"Could it be because the magic is different?" Uchiha Madara asked Belaque. "Absolute Perception is relatively advanced magic, so maybe it takes longer to prepare?"
"That's possible. I've never used black magic myself, so I don't know exactly what the issue is. But I really did see someone learn it this way. That was a very minor spell, while Absolute Perception is much higher-level. Just wait a little longer," Belaque said.
After hearing Belaque's words, Uchiha Madara nodded without saying anything. He focused all his attention on the black scroll before his eyes, thinking that at any moment, his eyes might begin to sting.
He waited for a long time. Uchiha Madara himself had no idea how much time had passed, but he still had not felt any stinging pain.
"Could your scroll have stopped working?" Uchiha Madara asked Belaque speechlessly.
Maintaining this posture for so long had indeed left Uchiha Madara's waist