Chapter 367: The Sudden Attack

Normally, Spirit Lance had a ten-second cooldown. Because he had used Reverb to activate it a second time, the immediate cooldown had become twenty seconds.

Kai wasn’t particularly bothered by it.

Twenty seconds could certainly matter during a battle, but the ability to suddenly use the same skill twice in succession could be far more valuable when dealing with a powerful enemy. If he used the repeated activation at the right moment, he might be able to finish the battle before the increased cooldown became a problem.

More importantly, the penalty only applied to the immediate cooldown after the repeated activation.

Once that cooldown ended, Spirit Lance would return to its normal ten-second cooldown.

Kai nodded in satisfaction since it was only Level 1 in the first place.

"That’s acceptable... If I level it up a few more times, the cooldown will also drop anyway..."

He still had plenty of time remaining in the training room, but he was no longer interested in simply attacking the targets randomly.

He wanted to understand exactly how far he could push this ability.

Kai looked toward the remaining training machines, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

He had only just obtained Reverb...

Yet after seeing it in actual combat, he was already beginning to understand why the Aries Trait had attracted his attention in the first place.

It wasn’t simply giving him more power.

It was giving him more choices in the middle of a fight.

And for Kai, that might be even more valuable.

***

Kai decided to make full use of the remaining time.

His gaze shifted toward one of the training machines.

Kai activated Shadow Dash and his body instantly disappeared before reappearing several meters away. The machine immediately turned toward him and fired several projectiles.

Kai waited until the attacks were almost upon him before activating Reverb.

"Shadow Dash."

His body vanished again, and this time, he didn’t simply move backward. He reappeared directly beside another training machine, causing the projectiles to pass harmlessly through the space where he had been standing.

Kai’s eyes lit up.

"This is too OP..."

If he were surrounded by enemies, he could use Shadow Dash to escape and then immediately activate it again to reposition himself. He could even use the first activation to dodge an attack before using the second to close the distance toward his target.

The possibilities were surprisingly broad.

He then activated Titan Step and rushed toward another training machine. His body accelerated forward, and he slammed his foot against the ground before driving his fist into the machine’s chest.

Boom!

The machine was thrown backward.

Kai immediately activated Reverb and Titan Step triggered again.

His body surged forward a second time, allowing him to cover the distance almost instantly before his fist struck the machine again.

Boom!

The second impact sent the training target stumbling backward.

Kai nodded.

Titan Step was different from Shadow Dash. Shadow Dash was better for repositioning, while Titan Step provided more explosive movement and physical force. Being able to use either one twice in succession meant that he could drastically change his movement during a battle.

Kai’s attention then shifted toward Spirit Dominion.

This was one of his strongest fused Gene Skills, and unlike Spirit Lance, it wasn’t simply a direct attack.

Kai activated it.

A powerful wave of Spirit spread through the training room, and several of the machines were soon bound by almost invisible chains made of Spirit Energy...

Then, the moment he activated the trait, Spirit Dominion triggered again.

A second wave of Spirit pressure and chains swept through the room.

The first Spirit Dominion was still active when it was released, so the strength of the skill really stood out.

His expression became serious.

’This might actually be more useful than Spirit Lance in certain situations.’

Spirit Lance could deal heavy damage to a single target, but Spirit Dominion affected a wider area. If he were surrounded by several enemies, activating it twice could potentially overwhelm them before they had a chance to react.

Kai was beginning to understand more possibilities with this new trait...

It didn’t simply make one particular skill stronger.

It strengthened his entire collection of Active Gene Skills.

Just like that, Kai continued testing Reverb with his remaining Active Gene Skills until he was finally satisfied.

After confirming its compatibility with Spirit Lance, Shadow Dash, Titan Step, and Spirit Dominion, he felt that he had a good understanding of the trait’s strengths and limitations. The increased cooldown was certainly a drawback, but it was a price Kai was willing to pay for the ability to instantly repeat one of his skills when it mattered most. Once the training session ended, he returned the access token to the receptionist and left the facility.

The moment Kai stepped outside, however, he immediately sensed that something was wrong.

"Mhmm?"

The streets of Cameron City, which had been busy only moments ago, had suddenly descended into chaos. Survivors were running through the streets while several soldiers rushed toward the outer districts, and the distant sound of explosions echoed between the buildings.

Kai stopped in his tracks and looked toward the sky.

A massive metallic fortress was floating above the city.

It was not an ordinary aircraft and Kai realized that it was similar to the fallen Citadel-9 from before!

The enormous structure was covered in layers of dark metal armor, with countless mechanical components rotating along its surface.

Several sections of the fortress opened simultaneously, revealing rows of launch ports.

Then, one after another, countless flying machines emerged from within...

"Shit... This is serious..."

Some resembled heavily armed drones, while others were larger mechanical units equipped with glowing weapons beneath their bodies. They spread across the sky like a swarm before rapidly descending toward different parts of Cameron City.

"Cameron City is under attack..."

Although he knew that the city was incredibly strong, with so many Level 80 Survivors, barriers, factions, and high-level weapons, he couldn’t help but worry after seeing such a massive fortress flying above!