Timeless Assassin - Chapter 852

Chapter 852: The Concept Behind Space Tunneling
“You have done well with your aura shield, boy, so now we begin the part that actually matters for space tunneling.”

Moltherak said, as he settled his massive soul form into a more relaxed posture, the chamber quieting around them as if the floating island itself understood that something far more complex was about to be discussed.

“First, I want you to imagine a long corridor in front of you filled with walls, hundreds, thousands of them, each one thick, hard, and seemingly unbreakable at first glance.”

Moltherak continued, his golden eyes narrowing slightly as he painted the picture with his words.

“These walls are full of structural weaknesses, hairline cracks and soft spots that cannot be seen easily, however if you strike one of those exact points with even a minimal amount of strength there is a chance the entire wall collapses, while if you run blindly into it headfirst you may break your skull, fall on your back, and still fail to break the wall itself.”

He said, as Leo folded his arms and listened, his mind already trying to follow the metaphor as he pictured wall after wall stretching endlessly into the distance.

“So the name of the game is simple,” Moltherak explained, his voice calm as his tail drew a slow line across the floor.

“You must learn to hit the wall at its weakest point, the one flaw that allows everything else to give way, because if you can do that again and again, wall after wall, then eventually you will move through that corridor with almost no resistance.”

Moltherak added, as Leo nodded slowly in understanding.

“Alright, so wall after wall, strike the weak points, move forward effortlessly… that is the concept?”

Leo asked, as Moltherak inclined his head.

“Yes, because when I speak of walls here, I am being metaphorical,” Moltherak clarified, his eyes gleaming faintly.

“The corridor is the path through the fourth dimension, the walls are the temporal membranes you must pierce, and the weak points are the thin spots in time-space where the structure is at its most fragile, where a precise push allows you to slip through instead of crashing uselessly against it.”

He said, as Leo’s brows furrowed slightly, the idea slowly beginning to take shape in his head.

“So space tunneling is basically… travelling through the fourth dimension by slipping through these weak points, while to someone trapped in three-dimensional thinking it would look like I covered an impossible distance in just a few steps?”

Leo asked, as he tried to put the concept into his own words.

“Exactly,” Moltherak replied, giving the faintest nod of approval.

“To anyone bound strictly to the third dimension, two points in space can seem impossibly far apart, millions of kilometres away, however, when you learn to thread through the fourth dimension between those two points, you realize that from that higher perspective they sit almost side by side, separated by only a few thin walls instead of a vast gulf.”

Moltherak said, letting the analogy settle, as he stared at Leo for a few seconds, making sure he understood.

“That is what space tunneling truly is, travelling not across the surface of the universe, but through its depth in time-space, slipping through weak segments of the temporal structure until you emerge somewhere that should have been unreachable in such a short span.”

He finished, as Leo let out a slow breath.

“Sounds simple when you say it like that,” Leo muttered wryly, as Moltherak allowed himself a small smirk.

“If it were truly simple, the universe would be full of travellers bending reality in their favor, but you know that is not the case.”

Moltherak said, his gaze turning more serious as he shifted the conversation.

“Now we arrive at the real problem. Normally, beings who perform this technique properly are King level warriors and above, because at their stage they can already perceive the fourth dimension directly, at least to a limited degree, which allows them to see the thin points for what they are.”

Moltherak explained, as his tail tapped once against the stone.

“However, you, even as you are now, cannot see the fourth dimension at all, not even as a flicker at the edge of your senses, which makes it much harder for you to do the same.”

Moltherak said, as Leo nodded quietly, accepting this limitation.

“So if I cannot see the weak points, how am I supposed to hit them?” Leo asked, frowning slightly.

“By using the only part of you that already stretches into the fourth dimension.”

Moltherak replied, his gaze sharpening.

“Your aura.”

Leo blinked as he processed those words.

“My aura…?”

He repeated, as Moltherak gestured lightly with one claw.

“Yes, while everything around you that you can see, hear, touch, and interact with directly exists within three dimensions, your aura is not limited in the same way, since it does not stop at the visible boundary of the room when you unfurl it, but rather stretches past the surface of what you can perceive, bleeding into the fourth dimension even though your eyes cannot follow it there.”

Moltherak said, with a hint of pride that came from centuries of understanding.

“When you spread your killing intent through this chamber, you only see the part that fills the visible air, but there is an entire section of that aura extending beyond the veil, threading through fractures and currents in time-space, brushing against places you do not yet have the language to describe.”

He continued, as Leo’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

“So even if my consciousness cannot see the fourth dimension, my aura is already swimming in it?”

Leo asked, as Moltherak smiled faintly.

“Precisely, which is why we will not try to teach your eyes to see what they are not yet ready for, instead we will teach your aura to feel what you cannot look at directly, and then teach you to interpret those sensations with your current mind.”

Moltherak said, his tone turning instructional.

“Think of your aura as your hand reaching through a curtain into another room, while your eyes remain on this side of the cloth, unable to see what lies beyond, but your fingers can still feel the walls, the furniture, the objects, even though your sight is blind to them.”

He guided, as Leo slowly nodded while following the comparison.

“So what you must do is unfurl your aura not merely to suppress or intimidate, but to explore, to trace the shape of the unseen fabric around you, to find where the fourth-dimensional structure feels thin, frayed, weaker than the rest.”

Moltherak said, his voice dropping slightly.

“Those are your cracks in the wall, the spots where space-time is fragile enough to be pierced, those are the weak points you must stab through in order to tunnel.”

He added, as Leo inhaled deeply.

“How am I supposed to feel that though?” Leo asked, the question genuine rather than stubborn.

“To me, aura has always felt like pressure and weight and lethality, not like some kind of sensory organ.”

He admitted, as Moltherak let out a low chuckle.

“That is because up until now you have only used it as a weapon, never as an eye.”

Moltherak answered.

“You have focused on how much weight it can impose, how much fear it can draw, how much suppression it can exert, however, you have never trained yourself to feel what your aura feels in return, when it touches the world around it.”

He said, as Leo blinked, realizing he had never considered it from that direction.

“When you unfurl your aura, you always think about how others experience it,” Moltherak continued.

“You think about how it crushes their lungs, how it bends their knees, how it chokes their will, however, from now on, you must reverse the equation and ask yourself a different question every time you unfold it.”

Moltherak said, his gaze piercing.

“How do different parts of the room feel to your killing intent?”

He asked quietly.

“Where does your aura flow smoothly, where does it thicken, where does it shudder as if pressing against something stubborn, where does it suddenly slip through as if nothing is there at all, every minor change becomes a data point, because your aura is already brushing against temporal currents that your eyes cannot see.”

Moltherak clarified, as Leo’s brows drew together in concentration.

“So I spread it out, pay attention not to what it does to others, but to what it experiences itself, then I look for places where it feels thinner resistance, like dips in the fabric?”

Leo summarized, as Moltherak nodded.

“Yes, those dips are the early hints of temporal weaknesses, like hollows in an otherwise solid wall, and while your current senses are nowhere near fine enough to map them clearly, with repetition and focus you will begin to recognize the difference between pushing your aura against a reinforced segment of time-space and slipping it through a crack where the structure is weak.”

Moltherak said, as Leo exhaled slowly.

“So this is what you meant when you said aura control is everything,” Leo muttered, as Moltherak gave a faint smile.

“Control, sensitivity, patience,” Moltherak corrected.

“Without these, you will never locate enough of those weak points in sequence to form a proper tunnel, instead you will simply slam your aura randomly into time-space and tear yourself apart in the process.”

He warned, his tone suddenly very serious.

“However, if you can teach your aura to map this chamber in four dimensions, then when the time comes you will be able to stand in the void between worlds, extend your killing intent, and feel exactly where to push in order to move from one impossible point to another.”

Moltherak said, as Leo’s eyes hardened with resolve.

“Alright,” Leo replied, rolling his shoulders slowly as he prepared himself for the next phase.