Chapter 396

"...In summary, that's why I came back early." After confirming that the Kamado siblings had cut down the thwart stone, Ms. Okita rushed back to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters from Samagiri Mountain that night.

"Oh, that's just right. I just discussed with them whether we should mix you into the ordinary team members to stimulate their ambition." Abe Haruaki tilted his head with a smile. "After all, during the day, Mr. Sanyashiki also mentioned that the difficulty level of the daytime pillar training should be cancelled. But if the soldiers lose confidence because of the high difficulty and don't want to continue training, it will not be a good thing."

"So we need to go there and prove that 'this is something that can be done' right?" Ms. Okita looked around the courtyard at the nine pillars that were rarely neatly arranged, and confirmed to Abe Haru, "But we didn't participate in the previous pillar training... Can you tell us the specific arrangements for the pillar training?"

"There were some pillars that didn't join the previous training, so I'll tell you about the tentative version this time." Abe Haruaki sat under the eaves where the moonlight could shine, watching the nine pillars tidying up their appearances that had become untidy due to the night training without disturbing each other. "First of all, physical fitness needs to be improved - whether it's escaping or fighting, you need enough physical strength."

"Ah... like the training that Master received before?" Miss Okita asked.

"It shouldn't be that cruel." Abe Haruaki blinked and replied to Ms. Okita, "After all, no matter what, it shouldn't require walking across North America, right?"

"Didn't she have to use a means of transportation to travel half the distance of France in the first anomaly?" Okita-kun asked in surprise.

"Didn't you read the report?" Lord Nobunaga raised his eyebrows at Okita-kun. "The fifth singularity of the savior was explored right after the fourth singularity. They set out right after returning to the control room. Leonardo didn't even have time to talk to them. No matter how you think about it, they were prepared to walk, so they didn't even need to bring their means of transportation."

"Ahem." Abe Haruaki cleared his throat and drew everyone's attention back to the schedule of the Pillar training. "In short, just like the Master's previous schedule, the most important foundation - physical training is the first step. But they haven't actually decided who will be in charge of physical training yet."

"Who was in charge before?" asked Yagen Toushirou.

"It's the fastest running Sound Pillar." Abe Haruaki replied.

"How about this arrangement this time?" Oda Nobunaga stood under the tree with his arms folded, and proposed to everyone, "Let's not talk about other aspects, but if we want to ensure the survival rate - that is, if staying alive is the first goal, speed is also very important, right? Although I don't agree with running away, if you want to avoid fatal injuries, speed is also an indispensable ability."

"The second level is high-speed movement training." Abe Haruaki continued to introduce, "Although it is called high-speed movement, you can understand it if it is replaced by the mock battle training that the Master receives. It is a difficult training that requires you to dodge the opponent's attack while counterattacking. It is difficult to use your brain in a tight situation, but attacking without thinking will only make you die faster."

"Ah, I remember the Master's agile figure in the simulated battlefield." Ms. Okita sighed with a smile, "Although most of the time we are the main force in the battle, there are always a few times when the enemy will clearly try to attack the master - after all, no matter who it is, it is impossible to be with the Master all the time."

"The effect of training can be seen at times like this - but I hope this situation will happen less often." Abe Haruaki smiled at everyone, "The third level is also part of the basic training, but compared to those projects that anyone can take charge of, there is not much controversy about who will be in charge of this project. Love Pillar, Kanroji Mitsuri will be in charge of the soft training that is as strong as hell."

"Then comes the fourth stage, the hell-like endurance and reaction training - aimed at training the team members to maintain their self-awareness and react to any situation." Abe Haruaki blinked and looked sideways at the two people who did not participate in the previous round of pillar training. "The previous basic training part ends here... After that, it is the project that was tentatively determined in the discussion just now."

"The fifth stage currently tentatively scheduled is the time-limited self-first aid special training for the Insect Pillar, Kocho Shinobu. This way, the basic training items have been expanded to five." Abe Haruaki explained the arrangement of the basic training items. "However, if there is no special training in first aid skills, the injured can only wait for medical personnel to come to support, and it is easy to lose their lives while waiting."

"And, considering the actual needs, the soldiers may be required to continue fighting with injuries--" Shinobu Kocho smiled and supplemented Abe Haruaki's introduction, "In short, it's not a bad thing to let them master some medical skills. After all, I am a rare swordsman who uses poison, and not every member of the Demon Slayer Corps is suitable for using poison to kill demons."

"Then I can only train them some skills that can be used in any situation."

"So, there are four more stages of advanced training?" Ms. Okita briefly summarized and asked Abe Haruaki, "What other training items will there be after that?"

"Correcting the swordsmanship of the Snake Pillar." The person who answered Ms. Okita's question was Ichimonji Norimune. "But for you who have been fighting in the woods outside the headquarters every night, this is not really training at all. This project is to prevent the sword from getting stuck in the wrong place, so that the soldiers will lose their lives in vain."

"Obstacle avoidance." Ms. Okita concluded in a more understandable way, bypassing Ichimonji Norimune and walking to Okita-kun's side. "Thank you for your answer, Kiku Ichimonji."

"Then there's the endless onslaught training that's just like the three-stage shooting of that demon king." Standing far away from Oda Nobunaga, Okiri Hasebe made a scathing comment, "Really, even non-humans can't be full of energy and strength all the time to launch endless attacks, and you actually ask humans to do this."

"If you can't do it when fighting a ghost, you will die." A chilly voice floated out from behind the nine pillars.

"Tomioka can sometimes speak like a human being." The other pillars turned around and looked at Tomioka Giyuu with surprised expressions.

"I think it's just stating the facts," Kashuai Qingguang complained.

"I agree." Yamato-mori Yasunari echoed Kashuu Kiyomitsu's complaints and nodded.

"The last one is the muscle strengthening training of Rock Pillar... maybe there will be some content of tempering will?" Abe Haruaki, who was not very clear about the outside world because he was always stationed in the headquarters, tilted his head, "Well, actually Water Pillar is the last hurdle, but he has never participated in the discussion, so we can only cram him in at the end as a comprehensive training."

"He's a pillar after all, so he can be of some use in training."

"So the first eight stages are specialized training, and the last stage, the ninth stage, is comprehensive practice..." Yagen Toushirou exhaled and looked at the nine pillars, "When will the official training begin? Will there be time for the team members to train themselves or rest?"

"According to the speed of the crow's transmission, we can start tomorrow." Shinobu Kocho replied to Yaken Toushirou, "Then...what do you want to do with your free time during training?"

"It's some additional support for cooperation." Ichimonji Norimune smiled while holding his fan. "Although there are only five of them who practiced breathing techniques, we are still good at swordsmanship - especially Yaken. He is very good at teaching, or training others to use swords."

"If it's just that level, it can't be considered as a proficiency at all." Yagen Toushirou, who knew very well what Ichimonji Norimune was talking about, sighed helplessly and told Shinobu Kocho his thoughts, "Although contact with strong people can help them improve their own strength, a huge gap will not only cause them to lose the will to continue to persevere, but also make it impossible for them to gain experience from you to improve their strength."

"Since Lord Harumi has arranged for us to go in and show them that your request can be achieved." Okita-kun explained Yagen Toushirou's idea to everyone, "Then while we use various unknown means to achieve the training goals, we must also point out a way for them to more effectively transform daily training into their own experience."

"By the way, we probably won't be able to meet certain targets, so we'll use some external forces to complete them. We'll only make sure that the soldiers see that we've actually completed your training. As for how we accomplish it, that's another matter. Anyway, they can't see any traces of magic."

"Only geniuses can improve their own strength by fighting against strong people." Kashuu Kiyomitsu crossed his arms and looked at the two Okita Sojis. "Geniuses are very rare. We can't force ordinary people to reach the level of geniuses. The proposal of the pharmaceutical research is necessary. After all, you have all seen real geniuses."

"…We can't force every one of them to have Tokito's talent." Iguro Obanai turned away and agreed with Kashuu Kiyomitsu's statement, "But we can't give up on strict requirements for them just because they lack talent - otherwise, after they go to the battlefield, I can't think of what use they can have other than being snacks for the ghosts."

"I didn't ask you to lower your standards." Yagen Toushirou pushed his glasses, and the thin lenses reflected a cold light under the silver moonlight. "As long as you have some free time every day, we will find a way to provide remedial lessons for the soldiers who can't understand the training content. Anyway, except for Lord Haruaki and the two Lords Nobunaga, the rest of the people are enough to cover the first eight levels."

"Indeed, we can still cover all the first eight levels of special training." Ms. Okita stroked her chin and smiled slightly, "After all, our Master doesn't like to see sacrifices - in order for them to survive the final battlefield, we will also go all out in the daytime training."

"Of course, for everyone here, the real training - it's always night training, right?"