Chapter 63: Leading the way

The [Immolating Irons] Martial Manual originated from the Realm of Perdition.

Like most of the techniques borne from that realm, this Martial Manual aimed to gather the fire energy from the universe and harvest it for their own use.

There were three main offensive moves.

The first was a simple punch, reminiscent of the Primal Strike. After that was a grappling motion that drew their opponent closer. And the third strike was a thrust of the palm.

Connecting all three attacks in quick succession inflicted a burning affliction to the target.

It was a substandard technique. A watered-down version of the more famous Martial Manuals from that realm like the [Wrath of Damnation’s Torment] used by Magnus.

Sure enough, performing the three-hit combo would exact tremendous damage to their enemies. That burning affliction was very hard to deal with. It was not something that could be put out by normal water.

But that all hinged on the combo.

After all, it was a sequence-based move. If Ormann missed his first attack, he wouldn’t be able to perform the second. And if he missed the second, he wouldn’t be able to do the third.

It was a high-risk, high-reward Martial Manual. Missing his combo meant he’d be a sitting duck for a good few seconds.

At least, that’s what he learned from the journals and texts criticizing the [Immolating Irons] Martial Manual.

Ormann, with chains of fire snaking around his fists, jumped up and grabbed onto the stalactite with ease.

He swung his body and leapt over to the next stalactite. The threat of the quicksand did not mire his movements. Swinging like a monkey through the vines of a forest, completely carefree.

"You guys coming?"

Ormann’s easy-going attitude bolstered everyone’s confidence. Sierra and the others imbued their hands with Ræzoň and jumped up into the stalactites.

Eren stayed behind and inspected his surroundings.

The opening of the cavern was large. Stalactites aplenty to choose from. Some looked more stable than others. Mineral debris falling off was not a good sign that a stalactite was a good handhold.

Further onwards, the cavern narrowed into a point. The ceiling, triangular in nature. With the very tip leading towards the very small platform at the end.

As Fowler said, the end of this Burrow seemed a dead end. No pedestal nor plinth to raise the Concrete Block as a veritable prize for those who succeeded in the obstacles.

Immediately, Eren foresaw what could happen.

Ormann’s leading the way. He wants to be the first one on that end platform.

Eren was the last one to jump up to the stalactites. His red ’fiery’ hand gripped the slick surface of the stalactite, legs dangling just above the seething sand below him.

In front of him was Celeste and beyond her was Sierra and the others. Despite the numerous stalactites around them to hang on, they stayed in a straight line. Followed Ormann’s path religiously.

"There could be traps," Ormann warned from the front. "Just follow my lead."

One by one, they swung their bodies and accrued momentum before jumping onto the next stalactite. It required deep concentration, but otherwise doable.

"Oh god!" Sky looked down and felt nauseated. The whirlpool of sinking sand felt like it was about to devour her.

"Don’t look down! Look at your hand!" Sierra shouted. "Your Reinforcement needs a recharge!"

Gripping the stalactites meant a continuous exertion of Ræzoň. Every once in a while, they had to look at their fists and reinforce it with more Ræzoň.

A small expenditure, but if they hung onto the ceiling for minutes and minutes on end, exhaustion would eventually mire them down.

The flashlight was a godsend in this regard. Sky turned her focus back on her hand. Illuminated by the beam of light coming from the front, she imbued more ’Psions’ into her grip.

Without it, she’d have to take one of her hands away from the stalactite and hold onto a sunspore for light.

Eventually, Ormann, who led the way forwards, stopped. He signalled for the others to stop as well.

"Do you hear that? There’s a trap here," Ormann said.

He swung his body, seemingly attempting to jump over to the next stalactite. But he didn’t, and only swung his feet till it almost reached the next stalactite.

Gears whirred and a stone beam suddenly shot down from the ceiling, barely missing Ormann’s feet. Its punch would have sent him tumbling straight into the quicksand’s maw.

"Nice catch, Ormann!"

"I didn’t even hear anything."

"Me too. I’d be terrified if we didn’t have Ormann with us."

Once again, Ormann earned a lot of praise from the group. Though, he didn’t seem to notice it. He seemed to be too excited at the prospect of getting closer to that platform.

He swung from one stalactite to the next, leaving the group behind.

He knows something about that platform, Eren thought to himself.

Unlike the others, Ormann needed only one hand on the stalactite. He needed less Psion resupply too. He was a veteran amongst amateurs.

"Wait for us!" Sierra shouted.

They inched forwards through the Quicksand Burrow. Ormann’s seasoned eyes and ears helped them avoid traps that laid in wait.

They’d passed the halfway point, leaving behind the eye of the quicksand whirlpool.

Finally, Ormann reached the narrowest part of the cavern. Only one stalactite remained till he reached the end.

With one big swing, he jumped forward and reached for the edge of the platform.

he gripped the ledge and hauled himself up.

"You did it!" Sierra cheered.

Ormann smiled at them, but raised his hand and stopped the others from following suit. Sierra was about four stalactites away from the final one.

"I’ll explore first," Ormann said. "There could be a lot of traps here."

The group didn’t question him. They trusted his judgement.

Eren knew better. He knew Ormann was just making the final preparations for his betrayal.

With Ormann so far forwards, the light from his flashlight was dim as it reached the group. Eren saw barely any light at all.

But even then, he saw the moment when Ormann’s eyes flared with greed and excitement as he saw the symbol of a snake eating its own tail.