Chapter 67: Strike after strike

Ormann’s palm shattered the stalagmite, sending hundreds of sharp pieces hurtling towards Eren.

It was too fast. Eren couldn’t duck behind cover. He covered his face before the stones pelted him all over his body.

The stalagmite fragments were imbued with a ’burning’ affliction. It was a side-effect of Ormann completing his combo.

Parts of Eren’s black body suit began to fray and burn as fiery shards bombarded his arms, his legs, and his torso. It cut through the fabric, leaving behind red marks on his skin.

It felt like getting scorched by hundreds of cigarettes at the same time. Annoying, more than painful. He patted embers before it burned more of his suit.

If that palm strike hit him, he’d be in real trouble.

Ormann spat on the ground. He repositioned himself before charging at Eren with a punch.

Eren stepped back to dodge. But the scorching hotness in his body remained. Now, it was replaced with a thin line under his chest that burned like lava.

A blade’s edge scraped Eren’s stomach, drawing blood.

Eren winced as he steadied his footing. So he’s using his knife now...

Ormann hid it well. Obscured behind his blinding flashlight, Eren barely saw the glint of his blade as he gripped it upside down.

Even if Eren dodged the punch, the blade would still graze him along the arc.

Smelling blood, Ormann turned aggressive. He threw strike after strike. The added length of the blade caught Eren a few times.

Eren’ skin accumulated cuts all over his arms and torso. They were superficial, but it was only a matter of time till his injuries slowed him down for a critical strike.

Thankfully, the [Immolating Irons] isn’t compatible with a knife. He’s using it inefficiently.

Despite that, he knew he needed a change in the paradigm.

’Never play the game. Play the person,’ Athan always told him.

Whether it be negotiations, conversations, or discussions, it was a mistake to focus on the details.

Instead, he needed to focus on his opponent. Find out what they wanted, what they kept a secret, and why they were keeping it so.

Eren didn’t know how to fight. But he knew how to be prepared. How to observe a person.

The principle was mostly the same.

As long as he knew his opponent, he could win any scenario.

He’s getting impatient. He’s going to attack soon. I need to stun him right at the moment he throws his attack.

A sudden heat in his right ribs warned him of what was coming.

"You’re a failure, aren’t you?"

Eren’s sudden question staggered Ormann’s strike. "... what..."

You have his attention. Don’t let him recover.

"I’ve always wondered why you know so much about the License Exam. You had the foresight to surround yourself with a malleable group of people. You moved fast when it came to gathering sunspores. And you seemed to know everything there is to know about lootboxes and the corresponding organizations behind it.

At first, I thought you were just well-prepared. But now I realize it’s just because you’ve already gone through this test before.

You’re one of the failures of the License Exam a few months ago."

Ormann’s inaction proved that Eren was poking at a sensitive area. A weak point he could exploit.

"It explained why you know so much about this Burrow. Everyone else thought it was a dead end. But you... you knew it was a test by the Lindbergs. You were waiting for it.

Regret ate at you when this opportunity passed by the last time. You need the Lindbergs."

Ormann clearly favored the knife. And yet, he couldn’t Reinforce it with Ræzoň.

He needed to learn another Martial Manual from the Realm of Perdition if he wanted to implement the knife to his moveset.

And from what he heard, the Lindbergs had a lot of scrolls from that realm. It’s what made them famous.

That’s why he was so focused on them. Why seemed a fanatic.

"Now that you chanced upon their test again, you were willing to do whatever it takes to complete it. Even if you have to sacrifice others to do so. It’s what a ruthless person would do."

He’s vulnerable. Time to make him angry. Force him to make a reckless move.

"Because if you didn’t, you know you’d fail. Just like last time."

A scorching pain in his head alerted him that his taunt worked extremely well.

"ARRGGHHH!" Ormann screamed. He threw his whole body in his punch, eyes flaring with anger.

Eren weaved sideways, avoiding the strike and the knife’s edge.

Ormann lurched forwards, carried by his own momentum. There was no stalagmite to catch his strike.

In that moment of instability, Eren twisted his arms and delivered a powerful Primal Strike from Ormann’s side.

It missed. Ormann’s trained physicality allowed him to duck out of the way despite his awkward position—an exhibition of a Middle Proficiency mastery.

But Eren knew it wouldn’t hit anyway.

His fist struck the flashlight on Ormann’s shoulder, sending it flying out into a stalagmite.

A thud echoed before glass shattered. The light on the bulb flickered for a few moments, before turning dark completely.

"NO! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

Darkness enveloped them both. No sunspore to illuminate even their own bodies.

This is my only chance. I can’t let him use a sunspore.

He squatted deep and released another Primal Strike. Ormann raised his hands to protect himself.

[Immortal Irons] Reinforcement versus a [Primal Strike]. The former would win out every single time.

Eren’s punch barely displaced Ormann’s hands.

But Eren punched again. The clashing of their Reinforced hands sent red particulate matter puffing away into smoke that dissipated in the air.

He didn’t end it there. One punch after another, he unleashed his Primal Strike with no delay.

Ormann turtled in defense. He hid behind his arms, waiting till Eren ran out of Reinforcement.

But the punches kept coming. The fiery chains around Ormann’s hands began to lose its luster. Its shape, more translucent than smoke.

Ormann peeked in between his hands. In comparison, Eren’s fists grew more fiery with every punch!