Kaguya didn't immediately attack Zixu and his group. Instead, her focus was on finding that damn snake—Orochimaru—and giving him a few good hits with All Killing Ash Bones.
Zixu noticed that Kaguya seemed to sense something they hadn't. Since she wasn't attacking them right away, there might still be a chance for cooperation.
Pushing his Silence ability to the limit, Zixu calmly stepped toward her.
"Maybe we can talk," he said, his tone composed. "We have a common enemy and a reason to cooperate. What if we share intel and deal with Orochimaru together—then decide who lives and who dies? Sound fair?"
Kaguya gave him a strange look, her expression unreadable. She couldn't quite follow Zixu's logic.
"We were trying to kill each other just moments ago..." she said warily. She was still on guard, suspicious of a possible trap—but she'd never admit she was nervous.
"There are no eternal enemies," Zixu replied smoothly. "None of us want this to get messier. You can't fight freely right now, and we're also trying to find the real threat. Our goals align. Taking down Orochimaru benefits all of us, right?"
His words were like a devil whispering from the shadows—seductive, tempting, luring her deeper.
After a moment of thought, Kaguya nodded. She decided she'd play along—at least until her chakra recovered. Once she regained enough strength, she could unleash her full power and kill Zixu in an instant.
Zixu smiled faintly and muttered to himself, so softly no one else could hear:
"There are no eternal enemies—only dead ones."
---
Meanwhile, Hatsuizumi was handling the snakes crawling out of the shadows. These weren't ordinary snakes. They were infused with faint sage chakra and looked eerily similar to those from Ryuchi Cave.
Karin and the others noticed something was off. The surrounding chakra felt strange, like it was being muffled by some kind of barrier. It was harder to control their own energy.
Hatsuizumi shredded the attacking snakes effortlessly, but the eerie rustling continued—and grew louder.
Then, out of the darkness, a massive presence emerged. Everyone, even Kaguya, turned toward the looming figure.
Flames surged with the wind, casting blue light into the dark. Fireflies danced in the air, and under the moonlight, the hidden monster revealed itself.
There was no sky—only a titanic serpent. Its coiled body blocked out the heavens, dark scales absorbing every flicker of light. The sheer size of it was overwhelming. Each scale was the size of a full-grown pacifist, and the earlier rustling was just the sound of those massive scales brushing against each other.
Its head and tail were nowhere to be seen. Only its endless body stretched across the sky.
Rustle... The grinding of scales intensified. A deep, guttural roar echoed from above, and more of those massive, blackened scales passed overhead. These new scales glowed faint red beneath the firelight—like embers in a dying blaze.
Then they moved.
The glowing scales writhed and shifted, twisting into snake-like tails. Though they appeared soft and flowing, they were lethally sharp. Hatsuizumi insects were slaughtered en masse by these scaled extensions.
The mini-snakes, split from the giant python's body, slithered across the ground. And just as quickly as it appeared, the python began melting into the night once again. It was like watching a shadow breathe.
The beast wasn't just powerful—it was wrathful, irrational, and filled with hatred. And the moment it sensed Zixu and his group, it lashed out in fury.
---
Kaguya, despite her limitations, wasn't helpless. She was like a newbie suddenly handed a maxed-out account in a fighting game. She didn't have perfect control, but she didn't need it. One or two big moves could wipe out seasoned players trying to finesse their way through the battle.
Countless pale skeletons rose from the earth. No matter how agile the snakes were, they couldn't dodge her technique. They were skewered and nailed down in an instant.
Dead snakes fed her chakra. Kaguya said nothing about it, but she knew—this was a tactical opportunity.
She didn't trust Zixu, of course. But Zixu had already deduced the truth during their earlier exchange. Her hesitation to act had to be tied to her chakra reserves. And most likely, that had something to do with the missing Divine Tree. Judging by how the environment's chakra was acting up, Zixu began to suspect the Divine Tree had been devoured by the giant python itself.
He and his companions fought back against the surrounding serpents, struggling to hold the line.
But the python seemed to realize the smaller snakes were being picked off too easily—either by Kaguya or Hatsuizumi bugs. So it stopped releasing them.
Its massive body began to condense—not shrink, exactly, but focus. The darkness didn't fade with it. Instead, it seemed like the creature had become one with the night.
Then, from the void, came something far more unsettling.
Whispers. Growls. Mad mutterings. A new figure slowly emerged, a shadow forged from the chaos.
"Hu… Ha…" It gasped, as if trying to form words. But its mind was splintered. Personalities battled for control, and no coherent thought escaped its lips.
When Zixu had first seen the sky-swallowing serpent, his mind went straight to the White Snake Sage. Back then, her full body was too massive to even perceive. This being… this thing… it had to be connected.
He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the newly formed figure. Its face was hidden, its voice lost in whispers. Energy pulsed violently from its body. The chaotic turbulence in the air twisted into a black storm, crashing down toward them.
Zixu raised a wind barrier just in time to block the onslaught. But the opposing winds collided like spinning drills, and the already dark sky dimmed even further. Bolts of energy exploded from the shadow figure.
---
Kaguya didn't care about who or what the Black Snake or this Shadow Being was. She was direct. Simple.
Kill first. Ask questions never.
She launched a All Killing Ash Bones Together attack, aiming to erase them instantly.
Dozens of deadly gray bones stabbed toward the dark serpent's scales. These bones, laced with death energy, could pierce almost any defense.
But not these scales.
Only a few scales were reduced to dust, while the rest of the beast danced on—untouched.
The shadow figure moved next.
It acted purely on instinct, with no sense of self or logic. A thread shot from its fingertip—something that looked soft and harmless—but at that moment, it was harder than steel, piercing straight at Zixu's face.
Sand mixed with the storm winds, corroding Zixu's wind wall. Then came a new attack—a black, rubber-like arm lashed toward them like a mad snake, fast and brutal.
Zixu's heart dropped. His instincts screamed danger.
These weren't just random powers. The silk threads, the sand, the elasticity—
They were abilities from other Devil Fruit users.
And all of them were being used by one body—inside an endless sea of darkness.
Zixu's eyes widened as a bold, terrifying thought crossed his mind…
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I didn't realize the Discord Link I shared had an expiration date, so I've updated it. Here's the new link
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Check my Pâtreon for (40) advanced chapters
Pâtreon .com/Fanficlord03
Change (â) to (a)
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Discord Link Here:
https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9