Shadow Slave

Rain looked at him with a serious expression, thinking.

Inwardly, Sunny sighed.

He still didn't know how to change her mentality and make her vicious enough to survive the Dream Realm. He didn't even know if he wanted to, and if that was the right thing to do.

At least she seemed to understand a little bit more about the truth of the world after surviving the Gate opening. For now, that was going to have to be enough.

And this conversation was his attempt to make the lesson stick.

After a while, Rain said with uncertainty:

"Survival?"

Sunny raised an eyebrow, looking at her with surprise.

What were the chances that, despite their different life experiences, his sister would answer the question the same way he had, all that time ago, in the desolate hell of the Forgotten Shore?

He remained silent for a while, remembering those terrible, wonderful days. Then, he shook his head.

"No. The essence of combat is murder."

Rain shivered slightly.

"M—murder?"

Sunny nodded.

"Of course. What else would it be? You have to kill your enemy, or die. Either way, someone ends up murdered, and someone ends up as the murderer. So, the purpose of combat training is to make sure that you're the murderer. It is really that simple."

He paused, and then added:

"Survival is important, of course… but that can't be your primary goal. Such a goal is a terrible one to have. Even in life, it is not enough. You have to survive to continue living, but if you only live to survive, then what is even the point? More than that, if you don't strive for something bigger, something better, then you will only ever do what is required and nothing else. Which will make you weaker than those who want and dare to do more, and that weakness will cost you your life…"

Sunny suddenly fell silent. Rain looked at him

"Uh… Sunny?"

blinked a

"Yeah. Sorry. So…"

you know? I guess it's true what they say, the best

truth about his own desperate desire to grow stronger. Everything Sunny had told Rain could be applied to himself. He had long ago abandoned his singular desire to survive

desire to live free and with dignity really comparable to Neph's passionate, immolating obsession? Would he really be able to surpass her while being driven by such a mundane

a

glanced at Rain,

your mind… is much more tricky. If you can understand the true essence of combat, however — truly grasp

***

that he himself understood them — to Rain. In the end, he wasn't sure that she really grasped the knowledge he wanted to share with her, but it was at least a

even impossible, to really understand battle without experiencing it. He had met Nephis after surviving the First Nightmare and several days of

no carapace centurions around, and Sunny certainly wasn't going

was

watch her struggle to replicate them. The progress was slow, but she was really

couldn't expect a teenage girl to be as strong as an Awakened. Her body could be trained… of course, Rain was never going to be as strong and resilient as a burly, able-bodied

couldn't compete with people like Caster or Master Roan in terms of physical might. However, this could be mitigated by Aspect Abilities, absorbing fragments, and mastering precise

to deliver a lethal blow. Unless one planned to beat their enemy to death with their fists, technique and skill were much more important than pure

Saint's battle style could make that inherent disadvantage

exhausted, and pushing further would not do her any good. He gestured for her to stop and placed the practice weapons back on the stand, then summoned the Endless Spring and offered

was breathing heavily, her pale face glistening with sweat. Noticing the beautiful glass bottle, she smiled with

Is that a

tilted his head

are you

studied it from all sides, then cautiously took a few

real Memory up close before. It… it feels

stared at

real. What

him with scorn, drank the water greedily, and then handed the Endless Spring back

defeating some terrible monster? Or bought

for a moment,