049 MOMENTUM COLLAPSE
The lieutenant chuckled, shaking his head. "You really don't do simple, do you? Still, it's a clever setup. Flash Dash gives you instant mobility, the kick delivers impact, and Kinetic Crush maximizes follow-through force."
He paused, then asked curiously, "But why Kinetic Crush for the final phase?"
Damen's grin deepened. "I know a few people who specialize in kinetic manipulation. I'll have plenty of practice partners."
The Veyran family were masters of kinetic meta powers. Damen would probably meet them frequently in 'friendly' matches and who knows… his fusion kinetic skill could improve through such exchanges.
Kalmer laughed quietly. "Fair enough. Let's get your chip configured, then."
----
It didn't take long before the machine finalized Damen's new meta chip.
Lieutenant Kalmer held it up — a sliver of luminous alloy pulsing faintly with blue light — before injecting it into the slot near Damen's neck.
"Chip synchronized. Now, into the chamber," Kalmer ordered.
Damen stepped into the liquid integration pod.
A cool, viscous fluid rose around him as the chamber sealed shut. He could feel the meta code seeping into his neural lattice, connecting with his own circuits of strength and energy. For a moment, his vision flickered white — then stabilized.
When the integration process completed, Kalmer guided him to the training range.
The walls of the simulator room glowed faintly with containment fields. A single target sphere hovered in the center, floating like a challenge.
"I've designed this room specifically to activate your fusion skill. Ready when you are," Kalmer said through the intercom.
The training was easy- striking a target sphere in the middle of the chamber.
Damen crouched low.
Flash Dash — that part came easily. But chaining it with a power kick and a kinetic crush finale? That was another story.
He launched forward, blurring through the air and kicked, but missed the follow-through. The kinetic surge dissipated harmlessly.
Despite the initial failure, he tried again. And again.
Each failure brought him back to the start, breathing harder, refining the rhythm between speed, impact, and compression. Until—
The moment clicked.
He dashed. The air cracked. His foot connected with the target dead-center — and a split second later, the target sphere imploded, collapsing inward with a shockwave of compressed kinetic energy.
The room vibrated as fragments dissolved into light.
"Outstanding!" Kalmer exclaimed, surrounded by wide-eyed scientists recording the data. "This… this really works. We're standing at the edge of fusion-meta science!"
Damen didn't stop.
Even after success, he kept pushing, and refining his skill. Day after day, he grew more precise — adjusting distance, timing, and strength until the sequence became seamless.
By the third day, his body moved on instinct. The technique was no longer experimental — it was his.
"What should we call it?" Kalmer asked, folding his arms with satisfaction.
Damen thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I'm terrible at names."
Kalmer chuckled. "No need. The AI already generated one — Momentum Collapse."
"Momentum Collapse," Damen repeated, testing the sound of it. He grinned and gave a thumbs-up. "Perfect."
Before Kalmer could respond, alarms blared through the facility. Red lights flashed across the walls.
"Blue Blood incursion — east perimeter!" an announcement echoed.
Kalmer grabbed his gear. "Training's over. We've got another invasion."
Damen was already moving toward the door. "Are the Veyran expedition team still here?"
"Yes," Kalmer said, checking his comms. "They're stationed in the west sector."
"Will they join the fight?" Damen pressed.
"They don't have a choice," Kalmer replied sharply. "Every ranked E meta and above is required by fortress law to defend when we're under attack."
Damen smirked, his pulse quickening. "That's what I wanted to hear."
He tightened his gloves and followed Kalmer out into the roaring chaos of the battlefield.
-----
Damen wasn't obligated to fight. At Rank F, the fortress law didn't compel him to defend against an invasion. But he came anyway.
That didn't mean he was reckless.
The Blue Blood invaders weren't pushovers — most were far above his rank. Charging into the fray head-on would've been suicide.
So, he didn't.
Instead, he found a high vantage point overlooking the battlefield and activated Camouflage. His body shimmered, then vanished, blending seamlessly with the walls.
Hidden from sight, he crouched down and pulled out his phone.
Even when invisible, he could still play with his phone.
He watched the chaos unfold.
The Veyran Expedition Team was out there, forced to join the defense. Nobody expected them to be noble — they were mercenaries, bound by law more than loyalty.
Damen knew they'd bolt the moment things turned ugly. But he wasn't expecting them to die defending the fortress. They'll die as long as they join the battle… whether they make effort or not.
Damen would make sure of that.
His eyes narrowed as he zoomed in on their leader- Fenyl.
Hovering in the air like a self-proclaimed god, his jet powered boots propelling him into the sky, Fenyl clapped his hands together.
A roaring cyclone spiraled into existence, tearing through the field and hurling dozens of shadow hounds skyward.
"Cyclone Spears"
"Die, you pests!" Fenyl shouted.
Damen's grip tightened.
The sight dragged up an old memory in the Cavern of Mountain Death. The day he was surrounded by shadow hounds, helpless and bleeding, Fenyl had been there.
One tornado like that would've saved him.
Instead, Fenyl watched. Waiting for him to die.
Damen's jaw clenched. Then, there was movement.
A dark figure rose from the enemy ranks — half-man, half-jackal, cloaked in shadow and gold. Damen's eyes widened.
"A Deacon of Annubis," he muttered before a smile escaped from his lips.
The Deacon raised his scythe-like staff, channeling energy. A blazing beam ripped through the air, but Fenyl darted aside with mocking laughter.
"You're too slow! Your strike would never hit me…I'm like the wind," Fenyl taunted.
The Deacon roared angrily after missing the first shot and unleashed another volley.
"You'll miss again!" Fenyl jeered.
Damen's lips curved into a thin smile. "Not this time."
He tapped his mining app. Acquire: Strength. Acquire: Charm. Acquire: Meta. Acquire: Command.
A psychic tremor pulsed outward, latching onto Fenyl's mind.
The arrogant flier froze midair, his concentration shattered for a fraction of a second.
It was enough.
The Deacon's next beam struck him square in the chest. A scream tore from Fenyl's throat as his flight faltered. Before he could recover, the Deacon flashed forward, scythe arcing through the air.
It was a perfect and clean slice through the air. Fenyl's head tumbled from his shoulders.
Damen exhaled slowly, the faintest hint of satisfaction on his face. "Good one," he murmured.
Then his phone chimed.
Notification: Your skill [Momentum Collapse] has improved.
Damen grinned. "Hell yes… I was waiting for this."