Chapter 69: Gerald

In the room on the top floor of the Tower of Heaven, a massive throne stood out conspicuously.

A man draped in a blue robe, wearing a hood, sat upright on the throne, staring unblinkingly at the floating crystal ball before him.

The crystal ball displayed the figures of Orochimaru and Uchiha Fugaku; their original appearances were laid bare within the ball.

The man's brows furrowed slightly, revealing a trace of displeasure: "Didn't expect two little mice to sneak in just as the game is about to begin."

No sooner had his voice fallen than a set of light footsteps came from the doorway. A woman of graceful figure and bewitching looks walked slowly into the room.

She wore a pink-and-white robe embroidered with skull patterns, eerie yet with a hint of elegance. Pink long hair was tied into a striking bow at the back of her head, then cascaded down like a waterfall, swaying gently with her steps.

Most eye-catching was the great sword at her waist, nearly as tall as she was, forming a stark contrast with her delicate appearance.

The woman said softly: "Lord Gerald, do you need me to go handle it?"

Gerald shook his head lightly, a flash of disdain in his eyes: "Unseen faces; sending Vidalus and Fukuro to handle it is enough. Just happens to let them stretch their muscles."

He paused, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly, revealing a faint, barely-there smile: "These two little mice might add some fun to our game."

Gerald lightly stroked the smooth surface of the crystal ball; beneath his fingertip a complex magic circle quietly emerged.

……

Meanwhile, Orochimaru and Fugaku were in the corridor heading to the warehouse.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the corridor changed abruptly. Countless mouths emerged on the walls, varying in size and shape, packed densely together.

The surrounding workers, upon seeing this, immediately revealed terrified expressions.

A burly man with a full beard shouted in terror: "What's going on? We've been working seriously the whole time!"

"Shh! Lower your voice!" An older worker lowered his voice in warning, "Don't speak carelessly; this might just be a routine inspection."

At this moment, Orochimaru and Fugaku's expressions turned grave. They had never seen such an eerie scene, but they knew in their hearts that this sudden anomaly was likely related to them.

Just then, those mouths suddenly all opened at once, countless voices overlapping, echoing in the corridor: "Welcome, two guests, to my domain, the Tower of Heaven. I am the master of this tower, Gerald."

The workers instantly panicked, looking around frantically, trying to find those two "guests".

"Didn't expect to be exposed this fast." Orochimaru set down the things in his hands and said.

The short worker beside him looked at Orochimaru in puzzlement, brows tightly knit. "Erlang, what do you mean by that?"

No sooner had the voice fallen than a muffled boom suddenly reverberated in the corridor.

"Bang!"

White smoke abruptly rose, enveloping Orochimaru and Fugaku's figures. When the smoke dispersed, they had already returned to their original appearances.

The short worker was caught off guard, plopping down onto the ground, hands pushing as he scrambled backward continuously. He widened his eyes, lips trembling, his gaze filled with terror.

The other workers also panicked one after another, fleeing in all directions like birds and beasts scattering; in the blink of an eye, a large open space was cleared on both sides of the corridor.

"You... who exactly are you people? Where are Erlang and Afu? What did you two do to them?"

Orochimaru ignored the workers' questioning. He narrowed his eyes slightly, vigilantly scanning those eerie mouths on all sides.

Suddenly, the mouths on the wall squirmed again, emitting a deep and magnetic voice: "Since you've trespassed into my territory uninvited, how about we play an interesting game?"

"A game?" Fugaku frowned, his tone carrying wariness.

"Hehehe... That's right."

Answering him was a burst of light laughter, full of mockery and ill intent: "A thrilling battle royale game. Let me see how long you can survive in this tower!"

Voice not yet fallen, a deafening huge boom suddenly erupted. Orochimaru and Fugaku only felt the ground beneath them shake violently, as if the whole world was turning upside down.

When they steadied themselves, the scene before them had been turned completely upside down. The originally straight corridor had vanished, replaced by countless intricate passages, like a maze.

At the same time, countless uniformed guards suddenly surged forth ahead; they held scepters flashing with eerie light.

"The intruders are here!" The lead guard abruptly raised his scepter: "Attack!"

The guards immediately raised their scepters, aiming at Orochimaru and Fugaku; bright light converged at the tips of the scepters.

The terrified workers knelt one after another, begging for mercy: "Lord Adult, spare our lives! These two weren't brought in by us!"

"Hum——" Countless blinding lasers shot out from the guards' scepters. The beams dense as raindrops, instantly piercing through the bodies of the front-row workers; blood sprayed, miserable cries rising and falling.

Right at this critical moment, Orochimaru's hands had already finished forming hand seals at high speed, and he slammed both palms onto the ground.

"Earth Release, Earth Flow Wall!"

Following his low shout, the ground abruptly bulged. A thick earth wall instantly rose from the ground, blocking in front of them.

The next moment, lasers struck the earth wall like raindrops. Roaring sounds incessant, the earth wall swayed on the verge of collapse under the fierce impact, fine cracks beginning to appear on its surface.

At this moment, a fierce glint flashed in Fugaku's eyes; he rapidly formed hand seals and shouted low: "Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

In an instant, a giant dragon condensed from raging flames surged out from Fugaku's mouth.

The fire dragon roared over the earth wall, charging at the guard group; the surrounding air twisted and deformed from the high temperature. Where the fire dragon passed, the ground was scorched black, deep burn marks left on the walls.

The guards ahead were instantly devoured by the flames, letting out shrill screams.

"Worthy of the Uchiha Clan's Great Fire Technique," Orochimaru praised, "Power truly astonishing."

Voice just fallen, another wave of guards rushed out from the end of the corridor. They held various weapons, gazing fiercely at Orochimaru and Fugaku.

A cold glint flashed in Orochimaru's eyes; his right hand shot out abruptly, and he shouted low: "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

In an instant, dozens of thick snakes shot out from his sleeve, revealing sharp venomous fangs. Like arrows leaving the bowstring, they charged at the guards.

"Watch out!" A guard cried in alarm. But it was too late; the snake swarm had already pounced before them.

"Puchi!" Sounds of sharp teeth piercing flesh rose and fell. Several guards hadn't even time to react before venomous snakes coiled around their necks. They struggled in pain, faces rapidly turning iron-green.

"Don't get too cocky!"

A person wearing a black tight-fitting suit suddenly shouted angrily; voice not yet fallen, a circle of eerie black magic circle instantly emerged beneath his feet.

The next instant, his figure abruptly vanished, as if merging into the surrounding shadows.

Black shadows shuttled between walls, ceiling, and ground like ghosts, speed so fast it was dazzling.

Three tomoe emerged in Fugaku's eyes, pupils constantly shaking, tracking the opponent's figure.

Suddenly, the black shadow solidified less than a meter from Fugaku. A coldly gleaming sharp blade went straight for Fugaku's throat.

Fugaku's pupils shrank, his body instinctively dodging to the side. The sharp blade brushed past his neck, taking a few strands of hair.

"What?!" The black-clothed man's eyes widened, clearly not expecting Fugaku to dodge this strike.

But his movements didn't pause in the slightest; the dagger in his hand immediately changed form, sweeping horizontally to stab at Fugaku's abdomen once more.

In that very instant, the three tomoe in Fugaku's eyes suddenly began to rotate.

In an instant, the ambusher's body suddenly stiffened, his movements grinding to a halt.

At the same time, Fugaku reached to his waist and drew a kunai. Then he closed in, his right hand gripping the kunai as it thrust out like lightning.

"Puchi!"

The kunai's tip accurately pierced the guard's temple. The sharp blade easily penetrated flesh, sinking deep into the skull.

"Gezhi..."

Fugaku ruthlessly twisted the kunai, fresh blood spurting out along the handle, splattering onto Fugaku's hand.

"Impossible, my speed..."

Disbelief still lingered in the black-clothed man's eyes; the next second his body slumped down limply.

Fugaku coldly watched the fallen guard, he said softly: "Before these eyes, the speed you pride yourself on is merely futile."

Just after finishing off that black-clothed man, more enemies surged from both ends of the corridor, staring fiercely at Fugaku and Orochimaru.

"It seems these cannon fodder can't be killed off completely," Orochimaru frowned, simultaneously forming hand seals; several giant snakes burst from the ground, entwining the few guards charging at the front.

Fugaku quickly scanned the surroundings, saying in a deep voice: "We can't stall here; we need to find a breakthrough point."

(Chapter End)