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

"Uh… Sunny?"

blinked a couple

"Yeah. Sorry. So…"

what they say, the

had, on his attentive student, Sunny had accidentally stumbled on a truth about his own desperate desire to grow stronger.

immolating obsession? Would he really be able to surpass her while being

a

glanced at Rain,

can be divided into two aspects. Mastery of the body, and mastery of the mind. Your body can be trained through exercise, but your mind… is much more tricky. If you can understand the true essence of combat, however — truly grasp it with your very core — then

***

the extent that he himself understood them — to Rain. In the end, he wasn't sure that she really grasped the

blame her. It was hard, or maybe even impossible, to really understand battle without experiencing it. He had met Nephis after surviving the First Nightmare and several days of fighting for his

and Sunny certainly wasn't

this was going to

struggle to replicate them.

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

his low stature and lean build, he 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

The purpose of a weapon was to reduce the amount of force one needed to apply to deliver a lethal blow. Unless one planned to beat their enemy to death with their fists, technique and skill

make that

be sufficiently exhausted, and pushing further would not do her any good. He gestured for her to stop and placed the practice weapons

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

Is that

tilted his head a

are you

it from all sides, then

seen a real Memory up

at her

is real. What are you talking

with scorn, drank the water greedily, and then handed the Endless Spring back with a bit of

you get it after defeating some terrible monster? Or

a