The decree of separation was a wall erected between them. For one month, their paths diverged, each facing a forge meant to temper them in ways they desperately needed.
Sarah's Crucible: The Foundation of Self
Week 1: Deconstruction
Jokedone did not teach Sarah a single new skill.Instead, he became a relentless critic of every one she possessed.
"Your fire magic is a bonfire when it should be a laser,"he'd bark as she conjured a wall of flame. "Wasteful! Control it! Contain it!"
He forbade the use of the System's Auto-Battle mode."That is a crutch! I will break your legs before I let you lean on it again!"
Her days were agony.She drilled the same basic punches, kicks, and parries until her muscles screamed and her mind went numb. The System's interface was a constant, silent observer.
[Stamina: -32%. Muscle Fatigue: Critical.]
[Recommendation: Cease activity.]
She ignored it.Jokedone's method was brutal, but she understood the goal. She was being stripped down to her core, her foundation exposed and reinforced.
Week 2: Refinement
The mindless repetition began to yield results.Her movements became more economical, her ki flow more precise. She stopped trying to overpower her training dummies and started dismantling them with surgical strikes.
[S-Rank Unarmed Combat: Upgraded from Mid-Grade to High-Grade.]
A spark of genuine triumph ignited within her.This was her progress, earned through sweat and will, not granted by a program.
She moved on to weaponry,applying the same principle of flawless fundamentals. The sword felt lighter, the staff an extension of her own bones.
[S-Rank Sword Mastery: Upgraded from Low-Grade to High-Grade.]
[A-Rank Elemental Magic (Fire): Upgraded from Mid-Grade to High-Grade.]
Week 3: Integration
Jokedone began to have her combine her skills.She would block a strike with her staff, channel fire through her free hand to create a distraction, and close the distance for a debilitating joint lock. The System's role shifted from a director to a data analyst.
[Efficiency of combat pattern: Increased by 18%. Ki expenditure optimized.]
Her body transformed.It was leaner, harder, every ounce of fat replaced with corded muscle designed for explosive power and enduring stamina. Her stats, a passive reflection of her growth, climbed steadily.
Week 4: Ascension
On the final day of the month,Sarah stood in the training yard facing Jokedone. He nodded, a rare gesture of approval.
"Show me,"he said.
She moved.It was a whirlwind of integrated combat. A gout of precisely controlled flame forced him to shift his stance, which she exploited with a low sweep of her leg. As he adjusted, she was already in the air, a spinning kick aimed at his shoulder that he deflected with a forearm, the impact echoing with a solid thump. She landed, flowed into a grappling technique, and for a single, breathtaking moment, had him in a lock he couldn't immediately break.
He erupted with a pulse of energy,throwing her back. She landed in a crouch, panting but grinning fiercely.
Jokedone rubbed his wrist."Not bad, firecracker. Not bad at all."
[Host Rank has increased: SSR -> UR.]
[All S-Rank and A-Rank skills are now consolidated at High-Grade.]
[Auto-Battle Mode maximum duration increased to 45 minutes.]
She hadn't just gained power.She had earned it.
---
Kenta's Crucible: The Dance of Duality
Week 1: The Unification
Kenta's training was silent and internal.Jokedone had him sit in meditation, Yami no Hikari laid across his lap, Hikari no Ha at his side. The goal was not to draw them, but to feel their presence. To feel the simmering, partner-like awareness of the dark blade and the steady, supportive hum of the light.
The voice was still there,but it was no longer a taunting demon. It was a cynical, often infuriating, advisor.
Your stance is too rigid. You think like Hikari. Be fluid. Be adaptable.
At first,he fought the advice. Then, he began to listen, testing its suggestions. He found, to his shock, that they were often brutally efficient.
Week 2: The First Dance
Jokedone began their sparring.Kenta was only allowed to use one blade at a time. With Hikari no Ha, he was fast, precise, and powerful. With Yami no Hikari, he was unpredictable, overwhelming, and left decaying patches of energy wherever he struck.
But switching between them was jarring.The shift in mindset from light to dark created a fatal hesitation.
You are thinking of us as two different weapons,the voice chided. We are two hands on the same body. You do not 'switch' hands; you use the one that is best for the task.
Week 3: The Harmony of Opposites
The breakthrough came during a desperate exchange with Jokedone.Cornered, with no time to think, Kenta did the unthinkable. He parried a blow with Hikari no Ha and, in the same fluid motion, used the opening to deliver a punishing pommel-strike with Yami no Hikari's hilt, the dark energy flaring and sapping Jokedone's strength for a crucial second.
He hadn't switched.He had used them in concert.
A new style was born.He became a phantom of alternating light and shadow. He would use the light blade's speed to create openings for the dark blade's devastating, energy-draining strikes. He would use the dark blade's oppressive aura to slow an opponent, making them easy prey for the light blade's flawless precision. His agility skyrocketed, his movements a seamless blend of Hikari's grace and Yami's ferocity.
Week 4: The Acknowledged Master
On the last day,Kenta faced Jokedone, both blades drawn. There was no chaotic dark aura, no blinding holy light. There was only Kenta, centered and calm, the two legendary katanas humming in harmony with his spirit.
They fought.It was a beautiful, terrifying dance. Silver light and void-dark steel wove together in a pattern that was entirely Kenta's own. He was no longer a successor trying to live up to a legacy. He was the creator of a new one.
Jokedone,after disengaging, stood back and gave a slow, deep nod of respect. The student had not just learned; he had transcended.
The voice in Kenta's head was silent.It had no more criticisms. For the first time, it was simply… watching. A partner, satisfied with the direction of the journey.
The month of solitude was over. Two sharper, harder, and infinitely more self-reliant weapons had been forged. The wall between them was about to come down, and the world would soon feel the result.