This scene is very strange.
If Araki hadn't known beforehand that he hadn't done anything wrong and hadn't thought he had Orochimaru completely under his control, the latter wouldn't have had any way to break free.
This is how I feel right now.
but.
Such a thing.
This didn't bother Araki much.
He didn't care what kind of scheme Orochimaru was using; all he needed to know was that he had to be on guard, because Orochimaru wasn't someone who was easy to deal with. So even after tearing apart two souls, he still had to be vigilant.
Araki obtained the young master's soul, and in that instant, he began to rapidly swallow it into his mouth. After these souls merged into his body, they immediately transformed into his soul power.
At that very moment.
A strange thought suddenly popped into Araki's mind.
Could it be that Orochimaru did something to the soul?
Araki recalled that when Sasuke revived Orochimaru, it was within Anko's Juinjutsu. At that time, Orochimaru possessed his own soul within the seal, which was why he was able to be revived.
He is now like the Dead Demon Consuming Seal Shinigami within the Reaper Death Seal, ruthlessly devouring the soul within Orochimaru's body and rapidly strengthening his own soul power.
After these two soul-devouring experiences, Araki's soul body became significantly more substantial, and its power increased. If it were to attack again, it could tear out even stronger souls.
However, he remained vigilant, sensing that Orochimaru's actions were definitely suspicious, though he hadn't yet realized it. He couldn't afford to wait until Orochimaru had successfully completed his plan before becoming aware of the situation, otherwise everything might become passive.
Araki didn't believe he could easily defeat Orochimaru's soul in the world of souls; that was unrealistic. Even if Orochimaru was a transmigrator and his soul was stronger than the original, the strength was still limited, and all he could rely on was green Chakra.
The green Chakra within him is indeed greater than before, and it has been awakened and wrapped around his soul, providing him with some protection. However, the advantage he currently holds over Orochimaru has nothing to do with this green Chakra, because he hasn't had time to use it yet. It's just that Orochimaru keeps coming in front of him, and he attacks him, tearing apart the two pieces of his soul.
over time.
Araki faced Orochimaru's attacks three more times.
A total of five pieces of the soul were torn off and swallowed.
Araki's soul form has become extremely powerful.
at the same time.
Orochimaru's soul form became much more transparent, as if it might dissipate at any moment.
This aroused Araki's curiosity even more intensely: what exactly had Orochimaru done, and what kind of scheme was he trying to set up?
However.
Just as Araki was getting curious...
Orochimaru, on the other hand, was utterly despondent and completely broken.
He couldn't say a word.
The entire soul is out of control.
It was just like a kite being tethered by a string.
They were dragged around at will.
He could clearly sense the caution in Araki's eyes, and the doubt emanating from the depths of his pupils.
perhaps...
Araki probably doesn't know about this!
For him, this might be a kind of happiness that isn't troublesome!
Thinking of this, Orochimaru couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. When he looked again at the green light phantom behind Araki, his awe intensified.
He couldn't quite explain what it felt like to see this need; it was incredibly oppressive, more like a kind of racial insurrection, like a cat seeing a tiger—they were fundamentally different species.
Orochimaru desperately wanted to know what had happened, but he also understood that the main reason he couldn't say anything was because the green phantom behind Araki didn't want him to speak.
This means that...
The green phantom behind Araki possesses a certain degree of self-awareness.
It is not controlled by Araki.
It seems Araki is unaware of this matter either!
It's over!
It's completely over!
At this moment, some dark thoughts began to form in Orochimaru's mind. He knew very well that things had developed to this point and there was no room for maneuver, especially as he gradually felt his soul power rapidly diminishing and Araki's soul becoming noticeably stronger.
Under such circumstances...
Even if the green light were to cease its influence, Orochimaru felt that with his current weak soul and body, he was utterly incapable of defeating Araki, who was constantly being strengthened.
Moreover, the green light and shadow showed no sign of stopping.
In truth, he knew that his life might end like this, because if he regained his freedom, there was a danger in sharing what he had seen and heard.
The green light and shadow clearly indicated that they didn't want such a danger to occur.
So...
Orochimaru was utterly despondent.
This was an unprecedented sense of powerlessness. He had no way to go against fate and change things. It was as if everything was already predetermined. Now he could only try his best to prolong his life for a while longer.
During this period of time.
Orochimaru's brain was working at a rapid pace.
He was contemplating how to preserve his soul as much as possible, and then wait for his future rise.
Attacks in this soul world are based on the strength of the soul, but do not cause structural damage to the soul.
Therefore, there's nothing wrong with Orochimaru thinking about these things.
When the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, the Shinigami cut off Orochimaru's two arms, which altered his soul structure.
No matter how strong Orochimaru's soul became, he didn't have the souls from his arms, so he had to take out the two arm souls from the Shinigami's stomach.
Correspondingly.
In this situation, although Orochimaru had five pieces of his soul torn off by Araki, it was not a structural injury, but rather a damage to the strength of his soul.
At this stage, if Orochimaru were to clash with Araki in terms of soul strength, he would be at a complete disadvantage. However, if he could retain even a tiny bit of his soul, he could still survive in the future as time goes by and his soul is gradually restored.
But no matter how many methods he tried, at this point in time, he was unable to control his soul, and therefore unable to split his soul apart.
He had considered the issue of a soul body, but because the technology was not yet advanced enough, he did not split his soul in advance for storage.
So now his complete soul is here.
There's no way to escape.
On this point.
Orochimaru felt a profound sense of helplessness.
He knew all too well what he was about to face.
If one's soul is being torn apart bit by bit by Araki, then there will only be one final outcome: death.
At this moment, Orochimaru's body was still bound and motionless, remaining in the same spot. The green light and shadow were no longer controlling him, and his true form seemed to be imprisoned, firmly fixed in place without moving an inch.
but...
Araki was unaware of Orochimaru's predicament; he was currently at the height of his fighting spirit.
After repeatedly replenishing his soul power, his soul body reached an extremely strong stage. This brief increase in strength allowed him to focus on launching a rapid attack when facing the weakened Orochimaru, hoping to seize this opportunity to establish a greater advantage in this battle of souls.
Almost instantly.
Araki's spirit form appeared before Orochimaru.
Immediately afterwards.
His hands began to tear at an extremely fast speed.
Piece after piece of his soul was torn off and scattered, Orochimaru's soul becoming increasingly thin, already in a state where it might shatter at any moment.
Buzz!
At this very moment.
Araki's body trembled violently.
Immediately afterwards, a dizzying surge arose, the entire space began to rotate and twist, and everything in the space, including Orochimaru's soul, seemed to be drawn into the vortex and merged into his soul.
The next moment.
Araki opened his eyes.
The python coiled around him seemed to have lost its life, collapsing to the ground. Not far away, Orochimaru stared intently at him, his dim, yellowish snake eyes somewhat vacant.
Chapter 30 Araki's Underground Base (End of Volume)
The dark clouds dispersed, the sky returned to its azure blue, and the sunlight shone again on the mottled earth. The forest here was lush and green, and apart from some broken trees, there was no sign that a battle had taken place.
Araki walked step by step toward Orochimaru. The python that had been coiling around him had gone limp and fallen to the ground, completely lifeless. Even Orochimaru in front of him no longer instilled any fear in him.
it's over.
Everything here has come to an end.
Araki walked up to Orochimaru, his dim, yellowish snake eyes now dilated, the eerie light they once held was gone, and his original brilliance was lost.
Buzz!
Suddenly.
At this very moment.
A very strange feeling surged wildly through Araki's mind.
It's a feeling I can't quite explain.
It was as if something was drilling into his soul, the action simple and brutal, the process extremely rampant, as if it didn't care about his feelings at all.