Conner stumbled forward the moment his feet hit the open ground.
"F**k you, 067!" he cursed loudly, barely managing to keep his balance after being thrown out without warning.
Reever's voice followed almost immediately, calm and irritatingly relaxed.
"Well, now you've alerted them. So kill them fast."
Conner glanced back just in time to see Reever casually sit down on a broken slab of concrete, one leg crossed over the other, his weapon resting beside him like he was about to enjoy a performance.
"Tch…" Conner clicked his tongue.
The screeching started almost instantly.
Green spider ants poured out from the massive hole in the wall, their sharp limbs scraping against the concrete as they rushed forward. The first wave were soldiers. Their bodies glistened under the dim light as they raised their heads and fired sticky, web-like strands toward him.
Conner reacted on instinct.
He twisted his body, sliding sideways as the first web smashed into the ground where he had been standing a moment ago. He rolled forward, narrowly avoiding another shot, then sprang back to his feet.
The webs hit the walls and floor, hardening almost immediately.
"Annoying," he muttered.
More ants appeared. Then more. The screeching grew louder, sharper, filling the hall until it echoed painfully against the concrete walls.
Instead of attacking, Conner ran.
He moved closer to the hole, weaving between broken debris and half-destroyed structures. Webs chased him from every direction, some missing by inches.
He didn't swing his swords.
He didn't counterattack.
He didn't even slow down.
"I should attack once they're all together," he thought, eyes scanning his surroundings as he ran. "If I move too early, it'll just waste the skill."
Behind him, the swarm grew.
Reever watched silently from his seat, his gaze fixed on Conner's movements.
"He hasn't killed a single one," Reever thought. "He's deliberately dragging this out."
More spider ants poured out from the hole, responding to the disturbance. Soldiers came first, then heavier units followed.
"What is going on in this kid's head?" Reever wondered. "Is he misjudging the situation?"
The number of enemies was quickly becoming absurd.
Reever placed a hand on the concrete and leaned forward slightly, ready to step in if needed.
That was when Conner shouted.
"067! Don't move!"
Reever paused.
"No need for you to do anything," Conner continued, dodging another volley of webs. "I want them angry. I want all of them on me."
Reever straightened slightly, interest replacing concern.
"So that's the plan," he thought.
Minutes passed.
The swarm thickened.
Thousands of green soldier ants surrounded Conner from every direction. Above them, ten bishop ants crawled along the walls and ceiling, their larger bodies casting long shadows. Five rooks stood behind the swarm, their massive frames blocking part of the hole itself.
Conner finally stopped running.
He stood still.
The ants froze for half a second, confused by the sudden halt.
Conner slowly closed his eyes.
For a brief moment, the screeching faded. The hall seemed to fall silent, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
Then his lips moved.
"Limitless Assault."
The words were barely louder than a whisper.
The space around him exploded into white light.
Reever's vision blurred as the hallway was flooded with brightness. Instinctively, his systems adjusted, filtering the sudden glare.
Behind Conner, silver shapes began to form.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
No—thousands.
Countless silver swords floated in the air, arranged in impossible patterns, each one humming faintly with restrained power. Thin streams of silver electricity flowed along Conner's body, crawling over his arms, shoulders, and face.
His eyes glowed faintly.
Reever felt something unfamiliar.
Shock.
"With this many constructs…" he thought. "How is he controlling them?"
Conner raised one hand.
He didn't swing it.
He didn't point.
He simply moved it slightly forward.
The swords vanished.
Not shattered.
Not launched.
They disappeared.
Reever's sensors flared as he tried to track them, but there was nothing to lock onto.
Then it happened.
The ants collapsed.
Every spider ant surrounding Conner dropped at once, their bodies slamming into the floor in a deafening wave. Silver swords protruded cleanly from their heads, perfectly placed, perfectly lethal.
Soldiers.
Bishops.
Rooks.
None survived.
The silence that followed was heavy.
Conner opened his eyes and looked back at Reever, a smug grin forming on his face.
"Killing enemies with unseen attacks…" Reever thought. "That alone makes this skill abnormal."
Conner walked back toward him, stepping over ant corpses and shattered limbs before crouching behind the rubble near Reever.
"So," Conner said casually, "how was it?"
Reever didn't answer immediately.
"How does it work?" he finally asked, his tone sharp. "There has to be a limitation. Energy cost. Weapon dependency. Something."
Conner chuckled.
"Let me tell you something interesting."
Reever remained silent, listening.
"This skill doesn't use my energy directly," Conner explained. "Earlier fights—you saw the light when I blocked attacks with my swords, right?"
Reever nodded.
"That light stores the energy from incoming attacks," Conner continued. "When I release the skill, it converts all that stored energy into output."
Reever's eyes widened slightly behind the mask.
"So you're recycling damage," he thought. "That's dangerous."
"And the best part," Conner added, clearly enjoying himself, "I don't even need swords."
Reever focused.
"The skill is called Limitless Assault," Conner said. "Not Limitless Sword. Any weapon works. Even a stick. The stronger the weapon, the higher the damage."
He paused briefly.
"And if I haven't taken any damage yet… I use my own energy instead."
Reever processed the information quickly.
"A skill with no fixed weapon, adaptable energy input, and mass targeting," he thought. "That's not balanced."
"The skill is good," Reever said flatly.
Conner's grin faltered slightly.
"That's it?"
"How many points do you have?" Reever asked.
Conner pulled up his interface.
His expression froze.
"…Thirty-seven thousand points."
A laugh burst out of him.
"Hahaha! I told you I'd catch up! I'll surpass you soon!"
Reever reached out and smacked the back of his head.
"Ow!" Conner groaned.
"Be silent," Reever said calmly. "Unless you want to attract something worse."
Conner rubbed his head, sulking.
Reever stood up.
"Let's enter the hole," he said as a golden trident materialized in his hand. Tehom gleamed faintly in the dim light. "I want to test my skills on something worthy."
He stepped forward, activating camouflage.
His form blurred and vanished.
"Try to keep up," his voice echoed faintly.
Conner tightened his grip on his twin swords and followed, stepping into the darkness of the hole.