Chapter 65: Timing

The gurgling sounds of quicksand. The rush of air from the stone pillar pistons hammering down. Everything reminded him of the dangers around him.

He ignored it. Fear only made him more excited. He told himself to chase death as if it owed him something.

And so, he looked at the darkness in front of him and leaped forwards. He reached out his hand and felt the slick surface of the stalactite right exactly where he thought it would be.

Then, he stopped. He’s nearing the end of cavern. A narrowing ceiling meant less stalactites for him to choose from. He needed to choose his path wisely.

There’s a stone pillar that punches down every 2.3 seconds between this stalactite and the next one on the right. I swing laterally to the right again and wait 1.4 seconds before jumping forwards...

He laid out his plans in his head. Dodging the stone pillars was the easy part. But he knew keeping momentum would be the critical point he needed.

The last stalactite was gone. Ormann destroyed it. Eren had to use the second nearest stalactite to jump from to reach the platform.

It was a ten meter jump. About five meters too far for Eren to swing from.

The only way to leap that far was momentum. He needed to keep building speed from swing to swing. He couldn’t stop for even one second or else he’d lose all the momentum he accrued.

It’s possible. If I hit my path correctly, I’ll barely get enough speed for a ten meter leap. It’s close though.

There was no time for him to doubt himself. The tempo of the stone pillars did not wait for him to make a decision.

He got only one chance. If he didn’t jump onto the next pillar now, he’d lose his only window.

So, here in the darkness of the cavern, Eren took the leap of faith.

He swung his body, right hand reaching out for the stalactite. It felt slippery. But he used it to his advantage.

With his grip, he pulled up and launched himself to the right stalactite just as a stone pillar retracted to the ceiling. His head almost grazed the bottom of the stone.

As his body arced downwards, his left hand gripped the next stalactite at the perfect time.

His hand anchored perfectly to the stone. It converted gravity and his downward momentum into an accelerated upward swing.

It allowed him to reach diagonally into a far-to-reach stalactite.

His fingers barely grasped the slick mineral structure. He felt debris breaking off in his hands.

But his Reinforced fist held steady. He didn’t spare any Ræzoň. He spent every single red particle in his hands to maintain his grip.

The red misty aura surrounding his skin dissipated at an alarming rate as a consequence. His Reinforcement was getting low.

Five more stalactites to go. Nothing but darkness around him. No light for him to see his own hands. It was a death sentence for most Awakeners in this situation.

But Eren didn’t need it. The Primary meridian in his wrists continued to replenish his lost Ræzoň.

He pushed on forwards. With each swing, his body barely missed the stone pillars punching down from the ceiling. His hands barely gripped the stalactites.

From an outsider’s perspective, Eren looked to be teetering on the edge of death. Dancing as its scythe’s blade hovered less than an inch from his neck.

But he faced it with absolute certainty. No hesitation. It would mire him down and stop all of his momentum.

Eren leaped to the last stalactite, catching himself with both hands.

Then, he curled his legs upwards and heaved himself forwards with every inch of his body.

Time seemed to slow down around him. It’s too far. He overestimated himself. The ledge seemed to grow farther and farther apart even as he moved towards it.

He refused to fall. Not here. Not now.

He quickly turned his body around and tucked his elbows near his waist, legs turning frigid as it tried to grasp stability underneath. Roots failed to ground itself in air.

But he still punched forwards. Left hand retracting, right hand exploding outwards in a perfect rotational purchase of power.

His Primal Strike unleashed with a shockwave.

It pushed him backwards. Just enough for the tip of his fingers to reach the rising ledge above him as he twisted his body forwards again.

He clawed towards it. His grip drifted a few inches downwards before Ræzoň anchored him safely to the cliff.

Relief was not yet earned. He reached up to the ledge with his other hand before hauling himself up to the platform.

Only when both of his feet felt the ground did he breathe a sigh of relief. "... not even close," he tried to convince himself.

He looked behind him. Sierra and the others were lit by the stack of sunspores in Celeste’s hands.

They stared at him with wide eyes. Jaws unhinged from pure shock and awe.

Was the Primal Strike really that efficient? They watched him swing from stalactite to stalactite with no breaks! By his usage, the Psions in his hands should have run out by the fourth swing.

And yet, he lasted till the end.

His quick movements left them stunned. Astonishment made them forget the dangerous situation they were in.

By comparison, the stunt he had just pulled off made the parkour back to safety look like it was as simple as swinging in a kid’s playground.

Eren smiled to himself. This was what it felt like to be a cultivator.

But the job’s not done, he reminded himself. He turned his attention to the dark tunnel ahead of him. Mystery and danger awaited.

Ormann was dangerous. He’s willing to kill someone to achieve his goals. He’s desperate. And he had the skills to back it up.

Eren didn’t. In a pure battle, he would lose a hundred percent of the time. His fighting skills were next to none. The only offensive move he had was the Primal Strike. And a Lower Proficiency mastery with it meant he only had a very static set of moves to use.

But even then, he knew he’d win.