Orochimaru stopped dead, scanning his surroundings in disbelief.
There was no red Sharingan backdrop here, nor the usual illusionary dome hung with countless tomoe. Everywhere he looked, vast stretches of dark red scorched earth filled his vision. The sky was an eerie shade of dark red, without clouds or moving air. The air was severely distorted, and the heat bore directly down on Orochimaru's spiritual body.
He looked down. The scales covering the giant white-scaled serpent he had become were rapidly charring and falling away. No blood flowed. The pain of his wounded soul exploded deep within his consciousness, utterly eclipsing the agony of having his flesh sliced apart.
Orochimaru opened his enormous maw and screamed.
"Genjutsu? Release!" Orochimaru frantically formed hand seals within his consciousness, marshaling his spiritual power to break through the scene before him.
Nothing happened. The scorched earth remained, and the temperature within the space kept rising.
Orochimaru forcibly twisted his enormous serpentine body, putting some distance between himself and what lay ahead, then raised his head. His pupils contracted violently.
At the heart of the scorched earth stood an enormous black blade that spanned heaven and earth. Its blade was broad and heavy, with black-and-gold flames flowing across its surface. Its overwhelming pressure severed Orochimaru's outward-reaching perception outright.
The black-and-gold flames burned silently along the blade. Under their searing heat, the surrounding space continually collapsed and reformed.
Orochimaru's spiritual power ranked among the highest in the entire Shinobi World. Years of performing Living Corpse Reincarnation and frequently changing vessels had given his soul immense reserves. Yet the instant he stepped onto this scorched earth, the soul power he took such pride in was pinned inside him. He could not extend it even half a meter. Any spiritual power that touched the Black-Gold Flames dissolved instantly,