Tucked at the edges of Ashen's hometown was his organization's main base of operations.
The building was an old corporate headquarters that Ashen rented and recomposed to his needs. One of those needs was a private gym where he could let loose without prying eyes.
Right now, he was using it to coach two women. Lapis was one of them.
Looking at his sister's frustrated expression, Ashen understood where she was coming from.
She had probably spent most of her sparring sessions clapping anyone who dared challenge her. Now, the brother who couldn't even run a kilometer without losing his breath a year ago was suddenly stomping her instead.
Ashen could see it clearly… beneath the frustration, curiosity burned in her eyes. How is that possible? they seemed to ask. Will I also get that strong? they quietly wondered.
"You should stop questioning your brother's strength and focus on improving instead." Lucia's cool voice rang from the other side of the gym, mid-stretch.
When she heard he was going to train his sister, she asked to tag along. It seemed she had decided to start taking her personal power seriously, and Ashen was glad for that.
He knew most Sin pathwalkers weren't combat-oriented. Thema dictated skill growth, and without the right talent or time spent in truly deadly conditions, even the most basic combat-related Thema remained out of reach.
That was also another reason the tutorial was so deadly. It was the higher-ups' attempt to raise the number of combat-related pathwalkers artificially.
"I know… I was just a bit surprised, that's all…" Lapis finally said, processing the fact that her brother, despite all her years of training, was now the better fencer.
In fact, this wasn't the first bout between them, but the sixth. In each spar, he had her switch sword types, from short swords and straight thrusting blades to heavy chopping swords and curved ones. And in each fight, he observed her movements and reactions to various attacks.
All of this was for the sole purpose of finding where her talent was really strongest. With his observant trait, coupled with the thousands of Bloodwall soldiers he thoroughly studied and dissected in his dreamscape, Ashen could proudly proclaim that he was a professional in every weapon.
Swords weren't an exception.
Of course, this achievement wasn't because of talent, but due to his insane and borderline maniacal methods.
'If we're talking about talent, then she takes the whole cake.' Ashen mused as he watched his sister brood over their last match, occasionally shaking her head before slashing at the air, as if dueling an invisible opponent.
He had chronicled the lives of countless others, but it was the first time seeing someone absorb techniques so easily.
She was like a sponge. The more he dished out, the more she absorbed. And even though he had her use different types of swords, she adapted on the fly and still put up a fight.
'Hehehe… this is good… Really good. I'll make you a sword goddess… let's see who dares mess with you afterwards…' He grinned creepily, barely keeping his princess-maker quirk at bay.
Lapis suddenly had goosebumps running all over her when she looked at that smile.
"Alright, come here. Let's sit." His beckoning left her no choice but to plop down on the wooden floor right in front of him.
"I mostly figured out where your talents lay…" he started, and she leaned in eagerly.
"Let's start with your qualities." He raised his index finger. "First, it's your motor control skills and spatial awareness. They are one of your best tools, and they're what make your blade angles that precise."
"Second." A second finger rose. "You have great timing and sharp intent. You don't flail. You're decisive in your strikes and can easily read movements. And most of all… you know when to choose the exact moment to act on that decisiveness."
"Third." Now holding three fingers, he continued his assessment under Lapis's now proud smile. "When you fight, it's like an entirely different Lapis. You become patient and fully in control of your emotions."
"This trait is your greatest one in my opinion, since it will be the biggest contributor to keeping you alive."
"And finally, your body unity is superb. Your cuts and swings naturally come from your whole body… hips, shoulders, feet, arms. A woman's body is normally weaker than a man's, but you use this natural coordination and balance to narrow the gap."
"And the best part is that it seems to come effortlessly to you."
"Hum hum hum~" Lapis was on cloud nine by the time he finished speaking. Someone had finally recognized her greatness!
It had always been awe and wonder without understanding the mechanics and techniques behind it. How much she had to do simultaneously to get those "easy" victories. But now someone who understood could see it all! And it was her brother to boot, making her feelings of gratification all the more fulfilling.
"And that's why I recommend this." Ashen's voice brought her out of her reverie. She glanced up to see him move toward the wooden weapons rack and fish out a curved blade.
"...A katana?"
"Yep. A katana." He tossed it to her, and she easily caught it despite the skeptical look.
"But these things are basically useless, no?"
"How so?"
"The blade cuts beautifully, but it doesn't forgive mistakes. You have to commit to every strike. If your timing is off or your distance is wrong, you're screwed. You can't even trade blows with that. And if you miss once, you're also screwed."
Even as she spoke, she stood up and did a few test swings to prove her point.
"That may be true," he nodded in agreement, "but is it also true for you?"
He crossed his arms. "You've got edge alignment. You've got timing and intent. You've got the discipline. You move as one piece."
He tilted his head slightly. "That curve might as well have been made for you."
"…But it's not strong." She pouted. "I want something that hits harder."
Ashen's lips twitched. She reminded him painfully of himself back when he was choosing his weapon. His first instinct had also been to swing around something absurdly oversized.
"What does strength matter when, to win, all you need is to be exact… once?" he argued. Then he lifted his hands in surrender. "Still, it's just a suggestion. Pick whatever you want. You're terrifying with all of them anyway."
She spun around so fast it was practically a one-eighty. "No way. As the best sister in the world, how could I not listen to my big bro?!"
She raised the sword overhead and struck a dramatic pose. "From now on, I'm a samurai!"
"Aye aye, my self-proclaimed best sister." Ashen waved her off, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Now go start your reps. After that, I'll teach you how to actually handle that thing."
"Hey! You're not coming with me…?" she protested.
"You're not the only one here, remember?" He gestured toward Lucia, who had been watching the whole exchange with a strange look. "It's time to help the lady stretch, hehe…"
"Haah…" She sighed at his shameless grin and obliged.
'Poor Alice… getting stuck with this scumbag of a brother…'
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Another week went by, and Lapis's training was progressing rapidly as he envisioned.
She gluttonously ate up every technique he taught her from his grafted fighting style, and even went as far as integrating them with each other and creating a technique of her own.
All of this in the span of one week.
It was only now that he understood the true meaning of his twin's words when he said she was talented.
'Can this even be considered talent? My sister is a monster…'
"Urghh..."
During this time, neither Alice nor Seraphine was able to get back to Esperra, so Ashen had decided to pay a visit to Alice's company headquarters to see how things were going in her prolonged absence.
Since he was one of the founders, and Alice had instructed everyone to never obstruct him, no one stopped his ascent to the CEO office.
But while he was checking the progress reports, a visitor came, and it wasn't the secretary. It was the boss herself.
Ashen was happy that Alice was back and wanted to catch up with her, but one thing led to another, and before they knew it, she found herself kneeling under the desk, giving him one of the sloppiest blowjobs he had ever received from her.
"Arghh... I'm close..."
With her mouth stuffed full, she only nodded and intensified her sucking while giving him eager looks from below. Those looks only brought him closer to climax.
GRKK GRKK GRKK—
While he held the report papers with one hand, his other hand slid down and gripped the back of her head, pulling her in and almost making her choke on his cock. Before she caught herself, she felt her mouth getting filled with that intoxicating nectar that she was slowly but surely getting addicted to.
She swallowed greedily, her throat working around him as she milked every last drop, savoring the sweet tang that lingered on her tongue. Only when he finally softened his hold did she pull back slightly, but she didn't retreat far. Instead, Alice stayed nestled under the desk, her lips brushing lazy kisses along his length, interspersed with slow, affectionate licks that made his thighs twitch.
Ashen leaned back in the chair, catching his breath as he ran a hand through her hair. They'd already talked through most of the events that happened during his coma, and he patiently answered all her questions, even the part about his unexplained strength.
He gave her the same explanation he gave Lucia for that, though.
And now, with the afterglow settling in, he shifted to the topic that had been burning in his mind.
"...Anyway, about that new secret organization I've been building," he said casually, as if they were discussing the weather. "It's coming along better than I expected. We've got a solid core group now… mostly recruits from the fringes and people who've got skills but no real direction. The base is operational, but the intel network is expanding. Managing it is becoming a headache though."
Alice hummed in acknowledgment, her tongue tracing a languid circle around the tip before she planted a soft kiss there. "Mmm... sounds promising. I also want in."
He chuckled, his fingers idly massaging her scalp as she continued her ministrations. "Wifey, all I have is yours. No need to ask."
"Hmm~" She gave a satisfied purr followed by another kiss on the crown. "Two hundred is a good start, but it's still low. We need to scale up."
Ashen shook his head helplessly. "If we want to scale, we'll need more. Training facilities, gear, and money. My funds are still not that abundant."
She paused her kisses for a moment, looking up at him from under the desk with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Her hand wrapped around him gently, stroking as she spoke. "I've got the capital to spare, and if you're serious about expanding, my resources are at your disposal."
Ashen raised an eyebrow, though a pleased smile tugged at his lips. "Heh. Thank you, my dear sugar mommy. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Sugar mommy?" she asked, punctuating her words with a long, teasing lick from base to tip. "Then you better do your best to satisfy your mommy if you want to keep the funds coming, baby~"
His hand tightened slightly in her hair as she resumed her loving attention. "Ugh… Don't you worry, I'll satisfy you thoroughly."
Alice's eyes lit up, even as she nuzzled against him.
"Oh, that reminds me... what about that old app we built? Check-In, remember? The secret meeting one we threw together in our spare time back when we were teenagers, hiding from everyone. It's got encrypted channels with real-time updates and file sharing. We could dust it off, tweak it a bit, and use it for reports. That would make everything more streamlined."
Ashen laughed softly, the idea clicking into place. "Check-In... yeah, how nostalgic. I forgot about that relic. It was basically our little spy tool for sneaking around. Perfect for this. We can update the encryption, add some features for org-specific stuff like AI agents to clean up reports and classify them neatly."
She grinned up at him, her tongue flicking out playfully. "See? We're a team. Now, about those tweaks... want me to start prototyping while I'm down here?"
He groaned in mock exasperation, pulling her closer as a fresh wave of desire stirred. "Maybe later… for now, I still have the duty to please my dear sugar mommy…"