Chapter 296: Failure, Orochimaru Flees in Disarray

However,

once he uses his trump card, the Skeleton Sea, which cost a full 400,000 Reward Points to cultivate, along with all his elite undead, will be sacrificed.

His strength will plummet.

Yan Zhaoxiong in the Fire Empire had already been quietly killed by him and turned into a Puppet through Necromancy to fool the commoners, so he had long ceased to be a threat.

But there was that Qi Master brat from the Hyuga Clan; if he showed even the slightest weakness, the other party would pounce like a vicious wolf and turn the Fire Empire upside down.

"If I use my trump card and am still blocked by the Leader of the Dragonmen, the consequences are something I simply cannot bear."

If he cannot kill Lucas,

and fails to obtain the clear reward from the Samsara Game, the Fire Empire he worked so hard to build might erupt into civil strife.

The former Sound Ninja Village was just something he had created on a whim; he felt no heartache in handing it over to others.

But the Fire Empire was his life's work, his experimental base, and his Reward Point collector; it absolutely could not be lost.

"Lucas, if fate favors us, we should meet again."

The Necrotic Curse Snake vanished.

Orochimaru gave up on clearing the stage, opened his arms to receive the massive Thunder Ring, and had his defenseless body torn apart by the lightning.

"Did he fail?"

"Even Orochimaru failed the challenge; the Second-tier Lord is truly terrifying."

The battle came to an end.

The light screen projections in each town gradually dissipated, and the final image was of Lucas's Thunder Fork piercing through Orochimaru's chest.

Low-level players felt nothing; they were simply enjoying a display of strength from a top-tier player.

But those who were also top-tier players had mixed emotions.

"A guy even more evil than me, hehehehe. I wonder if I can strike a deal with that ninja from the Fire Empire?"

Doflamingo let out a gloomy laugh.

He hated the self-proclaimed righteous types; perhaps because they were the same kind of people who trampled on the beauty of humanity, he smelled a familiar scent on Orochimaru.

That foolish guy Kaido had already been killed by the Straw Hat Pirates, and he did not have the habit of exposing himself to the public eye.

Joker should be the Emperor in the shadows.

Orochimaru was an excellent partner for cooperation; he wondered what kind of bargaining chips the other party liked.

"Not satisfying enough!"

In the tavern, Roger slapped his thigh hard, recalling the battle just now.

He tilted his head back and finished an entire bottle of rum.

Rayleigh looked pained, grabbed the rest of the drinks on the table into his arms, and said, "Roger, drink slower. These aren't just any cheap swill found on the street."

Taverns in every town across Arad sold high-end liquor.

These drinks had various functions.

Some could increase four-dimensional attributes, while others could increase skill intensity or restore health and Energy Value.

Not only did one need Reward Points, but one also needed the corresponding Contribution Value.

Contribution Value referred to a portion of special rewards obtained after killing monsters in a Dangerous Region or helping residents complete tasks.

That was why every bottle of wine was extremely expensive. Rayleigh regretted bringing Roger to the tavern; a crude man who guzzled like that should just stick his head into the sea and drink his fill.

"That guy, his name is Orochimaru, right?"

Seeing this, Roger pulled out the ale he had brought himself from his pocket with a wronged expression, finished it, and said, "His strength is immense; even if everyone in the Roger Pirates joined forces, I'm afraid we couldn't beat him."

This was an affirmation of Orochimaru's strength.

But Roger frowned and said, "However, his fighting style is all schemes and calculations."

"And, he clearly had follow-up measures at the end, yet he was willing to give up the challenge."

"If he were a Pirate or an adventurer, he would definitely be one of the people I dislike the most."

Listen to the Breath of All Things, besides being able to perceive souls, also meant Roger possessed extremely keen observation skills.

Orochimaru's final hesitation and trade-offs were all seen clearly by him.

It was a Leader of the Dragonmen that no one had ever challenged before, an unprecedented, greatest adventure right before his eyes, yet he just walked away like that.

If it were Roger, even if it meant risking his life and sacrificing everything, he would fight until the very last moment.

Perhaps,

this was the difference in philosophy between the two worlds. Roger was the most standard Pirate and adventurer, enjoying adventure—to put it bluntly, a reckless man; to put it nicely, someone who followed his own heart.

Even if he died on the road of adventure, he would have no regrets.

And Orochimaru, aside from his scientific research, was also a most standard ninja.

Perfect execution, a stance of doing whatever it takes to reach his goal, never attaching his own emotions to his objectives.

Therefore, after a brief exchange, dozens of battles had already broken out between the players from the Pirate World and the Ninja World.

"These damn bastards."

Orochimaru roared in annoyance.

In the Dangerous Region shrouded by the Sky Sea, magma fists fell continuously from the sky, and the forest was frozen over.

Uzumaki Naruto's golden flames illuminated every corner of the shadows like a scorching sun, and countless Shadow Clone Jutsu and spinning tops were scattered throughout the forest.

"Apocalypse!"

Tsunade, wearing Armor and with golden hair, gave a delicate shout. A massive golden orb of light rose into the air, and as the Konoha players were bathed in its radiance, their bodies felt as if they were covered by warm sunlight.

Their combat power soared.

This Apocalypse Pearl was the core ability of a Paladin, possessing a very powerful group-buff effect.

The one who benefited the most was Uzumaki Naruto; his profession was very similar to Tsunade's, and although both were Holy Light, the feedback state was different due to the differences in their worlds.

The golden flame burning fiercely on Naruto's body is a blend of Holy Light and will, generating a power similar to a Contract.

Regarding Naruto's battles, as long as he firmly upholds the oath of Holy Light in his heart, the stronger his own conviction, the more powerful the strength he can erupt with.

Just like protecting Konoha, or protecting his companions; if his companions are harmed or destroyed, Naruto can even erupt with power that surpasses Orochimaru.

This is the path Naruto chose to protect Konoha after watching Konoha being destroyed back then.

The core of the Shendian Knight is called the 【Holy Light Contract】, which is one of Konoha's strongest trump cards.

Whenever there is an external invasion, the more tragic the casualties of Konoha ninja and civilians, and the greater the degree to which the village is destroyed, the stronger Naruto's strength becomes.

Facing Orochimaru, who once harmed Konoha, the Holy Flame on Uzumaki Naruto's body is already about to condense into substance, frantically hunting down Orochimaru.

"Do not miss this opportunity."

"Orochimaru died once in the Dragon Tower, and his Life Lock has already disappeared; if we kill him now, we can weaken his strength."

Jiraiya is riding on top of Gamabunta's head, searching for Orochimaru's tracks.

Aside from playing with corpses, the Necromancer's signature skill is fleeing for their life.

Not just the Konoha ninja, the Navy also wants to find Orochimaru to avenge the theft of the Sky Sea Secret Key.

But under the pursuit and interception of two groups of players, Orochimaru is actually able to keep slipping away; one has to say his life-preservation skills are strong.

A small snake, resembling an earthworm,

completely conceals its aura, drills into a rock crevice, and follows the rotting, damp underground toward the direction of Grand Flores to escape.

On the other side, Demon Slayer World.

Inside an alternate space that does not exist in reality and was named 【Infinite Castle】 by Muzan Kibutsuji, "Have you found out clearly?"

Muzan Kibutsuji, still maintaining the appearance of a child in formal attire, stands on a floor suspended in the sky,

surrounded by various experimental equipment, test tubes, beakers, copper stands, and all sorts of strange liquids mixed together, producing wondrous reactions.

"Lord Muzan."

The figure kneeling on the ground is trembling incessantly, as if terrified to the extreme.

With a tumor-like bulge on his forehead and two horns on his head, he looks like an old man with a somewhat deformed appearance.

"After accepting the Game Invitation, this subordinate was teleported into a strange forest."

"It is filled with monsters everywhere."

"All actions require paying a currency called Reward Point, which can be used to purchase goods."

"The feeling it gives me is just like a Noble's hunting game."

Hantengu kneels honestly on the ground, his head pressed tightly against the floor, his whole body shaking.

He pours out all the intelligence he has gathered.

"Forest, monsters, currency..."

In Muzan Kibutsuji's scarlet eyes, doubt and fear appear.

(End of this chapter)