"Oh?" Cloud looked at them and smiled. "My training is quite... special, you know. Are you sure you want to accept it?"
"We're sure!" Both spoke in unison, voices resolute.
"Even if it's... devil's training, we'll gladly endure it!"
Looking at their "death-defying" expressions, Cloud couldn't help but quip internally.
Good grief, why do I feel like these two tough guys both have masochistic tendencies?
"Alright then." Cloud nodded. "In consideration of Commander Heidern's reputation, I can stay here for half a month and put you through hellish enhancement training."
"Excellent!" Ralf and Clark's faces lit up with wild joy, as if they'd won the lottery.
...
The following days were pure "hell" for Ralf and Clark.
Cloud's training methods were simple, brutal, and extremely "inhumane."
He would directly seal both their powers, then have Leona "beat them down" in various ways.
He would make them perform extreme physical training in a vacuum with no oxygen.
He would even use his "Chaos Divine Power" to simulate the techniques of bosses like Orochi and Goenitz, forcing them to dance repeatedly on the edge of "death."
Every day, Ralf and Clark ended training dragging their "half-dead" bodies.
But the results were also remarkable.
Their understanding and control of "Ultimate Power" was improving at rocket speed.
...
And amidst this "hellish" training atmosphere, a deep friendship quietly formed between two young women.
Though Leona appeared cold on the outside, her heart was extremely sensitive.
Whip had a dashing demeanor, but hidden in her bones was a maiden's tenderness.
Two girls with equally mysterious pasts, both raised in the military, quickly found common ground.
They ate together in the base cafeteria after training.
They lay in their dormitory beds late at night, sharing little secrets they couldn't tell anyone else.
"Leona." One night, Whip looked at the moon through the window and suddenly spoke. "Why... are you so strong?"
Leona was silent for a moment, then said softly: "Because... of him."
"Him?" Whip naturally knew who Leona meant by "him."
"He pulled me out of the darkness." Leona's voice was soft but filled with conviction.
"He told me that power has no good or evil. What matters is... how you use it."
Hearing this, Whip also fell silent.
"Leona..." Whip hesitated for a long time before finally mustering the courage to ask, "Do you think... I... could I also ask Lord Cloud to guide me?"
"Of course you can." A faint, encouraging smile appeared on Leona's face. "He's... a very gentle person."
...
With Leona's encouragement.
The next day, Whip went alone to find Cloud, who was leisurely enjoying afternoon tea.
She stood before Cloud, so nervous she didn't know what to do with her hands.
She took a deep breath and gave Cloud a perfect military salute.
"Reporting! Lord Cloud!"
Her voice was crisp, clear, and full of a soldier's characteristic efficiency.
"I... I have a request!"
"I hope... you could... personally guide me!"
...
When Whip summoned every last ounce of courage and, like a soldier about to charge into battle, shouted "Please personally guide me!"—
Cloud, who had been leisurely enjoying Mexican tortilla chips, paused mid-motion.
He slowly raised his head, those eyes deep as the starry sky scanning the military beauty before him—dashing yet as nervous as a little quail.
His gaze traveled from her neat orange short hair, down to her chest—rising and falling slightly from nerves, perfectly wrapped in her uniform—then to her slender, grabbable waist, and finally to those straight, long legs brimming with explosive power.
Finally, his gaze settled on the ordinary-looking brown long whip coiled at her waist.
Then... he smiled.
That smile—how to describe it?
Very bright, very warm, like a friendly neighborhood big brother, full of approachability.
But!
In the eyes of Leona, who had already had "in-depth exchanges" with Cloud, that smile translated to something else entirely—
"Hehehe... an interesting little rabbit has delivered herself to my door."
The corner of Leona's mouth twitched imperceptibly.
She knew this guy's brain was definitely brewing "bad ideas" again.
But she couldn't say much. After all, she was one of the "beneficiaries" too.
She could only silently cast a "good luck" look at her new best friend—Whip.
Unfortunately, at that moment, Whip was so immersed in the overwhelming joy and nervousness of "my idol is finally going to personally guide me!" that she completely missed Leona's "morse code."
"Oh? You want me to personally guide you?" Cloud popped the last tortilla chip into his mouth and asked leisurely. "That's fine. But before we begin, I need to understand your fighting style."
"Reporting!" Whip immediately snapped to attention, answering reflexively. "My combat techniques are based on the assassination arts Commander Heidern taught me, combined with my personal specialties, to create my own unique whip techniques!"
"Whip techniques?" Cloud stroked his chin and repeated the words, his smile becoming even more... suggestive.
In his mind, countless indescribable images flashed by instantly.
Things like "leather whip," "candles," "queen," "training"...
...
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