The next day, Riezel continued giving special training to the nine Hashira in the training ground, helping them awaken the Transparent World.
Meanwhile, other members of the Demon Slayer Corps stood by, watching as Riezel tortured and beat all the Hashira. Whenever they found something amusing, they cheered loudly, earning deathly glares from Sanemi and Obanai.
One moment they were filled with joy, the next they were miserable. Each of them was eventually caught by the Hashira and taken away for rigorous training.
Kagaya had instructed the Hashira to oversee the training of the lower-ranking members during their free time, pushing them to improve their skills whenever possible.
Originally, this task should have fallen to Riezel as the head instructor, but Kagaya seemed to notice Riezel's lack of interest in training ordinary members, thus assigning the task to the Hashira instead.
Indeed, Riezel had little interest in training these ordinary members.
After all, he wasn't here to babysit the Demon Slayer Corps. If the Hashira needed special training, so be it, but why should he bother with the ordinary members?
Although it seemed like Riezel was simply pushing the Hashira around during their training sessions, there were benefits he gained. At the very least, it allowed him to hone his swordsmanship and let his 'Swordsman' development ability absorb some excelia.
As for the ordinary members, with their combat power hovering around Level 3 at best, how much training effect could they possibly provide for him?
It would be better for them to train on their own.
For this reason, if Kagaya had tasked Riezel with this job, he would have surely declined. Even so, since Kagaya hoped to enhance the overall strength of the Demon Slayer Corps, Riezel had no reason to object.
After some contemplation, Riezel made his decision known to the Hashira.
"Every morning, I'll train you all, and in the afternoons, you'll train the other members."
However, his decision met with both approval and opposition.
Kyoujurou, Shinobu, Mitsuri, and Gyoumei were in favor. They were Hashira who valued helping others, so naturally, they supported anything that could benefit others.
On the other hand, Sanemi, Obanai, Tengen, and Muichirou were opposed. They were displeased at the prospect of their training time being halved and saw little value in improving the meager skills of ordinary members.
In their eyes, only the Hashira were crucial combat power, making the other members' roles seem insignificant.
In the end, this stark difference in views led to a heated argument.
Only Giyuu remained silent and indifferent as usual, choosing not to engage in the discussion. Ironically, this attitude explained why he had always been isolated and alone.
In the end, the argument continued until Riezel put an end to it with a single statement.
"You know, in my eyes, your skills are also insignificant and unnecessary. Why don't you all stop training and go home?"
His words instantly silenced the Hashira on Sanemi's side.
With that, the issue was finally settled.
Following Riezel's decision, the Hashira arranged a training schedule for the entire Demon Slayer Corps.
In the morning, Riezel sparred with the nine Hashira, while ordinary members engaged in basic physical training.
In the afternoon, Riezel rested while the nine Hashira conducted training sessions with various members, including sparring among other activities.
In the evening, everyone reserved it for rest.
It was decided that this new training schedule would begin from today.
At this moment, Riezel had nearly finished sparring with the nine Hashira, and it was time for them to train the other members.
Riezel left them behind and walked out of the training ground, as he had done the day before.
However, just like yesterday, he was stopped shortly after leaving.
"Big Brother!"
Clearly, that voice and the way of addressing could belong to only one person.
Sure enough, Tanjirou, looking like he had just completed his training, ran toward Riezel, panting heavily.
However, he wasn't alone, but had someone with him.
It wasn't his younger sister, who had just recovered yesterday, nor was it his usual two best friends. Instead, it was a local boy from the village, wearing a hyottoko mask.
Riezel glanced at the boy and felt a sense of familiarity.
Before long, it clicked in his mind who this boy was.
'Is it him?'
As Riezel recalled who the boy was, a flash of insight struck him, reminding him of something from the Swordsmith Village.
Instantly, his face lit up with curiosity.
At this moment, Tanjirou and the boy had already arrived in front of Riezel.
"Big Brother!"
Tanjirou seemed to have taken a liking to this nickname, calling out happily while smiling.
"Looks like you've already made up your mind, huh..."
Riezel turned his gaze toward Tanjirou.
"Yes..." Tanjirou nodded, seeming to have made up his mind. "Nezuko and I have discussed it. We promised to go back together, but not now. It'll be after everything is over, with Zenitsu and Inosuke."
"Are you really sure about this?" Riezel asked, not trying to persuade him further, just confirming. "If you die, this promise will turn into a lifetime of pain and regret."
"It's precisely because of this promise that I need to continue training, to become stronger, and to have the necessary strength to survive."
Tanjirou spoke earnestly as he gazed into Riezel's eyes.
"Nezuko and I have come this far thanks to many people who helped us, pushing us forward."
"Zenitsu, Inosuke, and of course Teacher Rengoku, Miss Shinobu, and Mr. Tomioka—everyone who's got high hopes for me. Plus, the Master's kindness, the will of our ancestors, and the memories of our departed family..."
"It's because of all of them that I've come this far."
"If it weren't for everyone's support, I would've definitely collapsed halfway."
Tanjirou's voice grew stronger.
"Now, everyone's heading into battle to end it all, to stop the tragedy, willing to risk everything."
"In that case, how could I abandon everyone and run away with just my younger sister?"
"In the future I dream of, I want not just Nezuko to be part of my family, but everyone!"
After declaring this, Tanjirou gave Riezel a big smile.
"That's why, I will fight together with everyone till the end!"
Clearly, this was the conclusion Tanjirou and Nezuko reached after talking through the night.
In any event, the Kamado siblings were naturally people who knew how to be grateful. Even though the bond between them had indeed sustained and brought them this far, their connections weren't limited to each other but extended to others as well.
Not to mention, they not only harbored deep hatred toward Muzan but also bore a fate inherited from Yoriichi that had been passed down through generations of their family.
In short, they had no reason to evade this battle.
"Sorry to disappoint you after all you had done for us..."
Tanjirou bowed deeply to Riezel.
"No, it's okay..." Riezel smiled faintly. "I actually had a feeling about your decision earlier. I just hope you can make it to the end and achieve the future you're looking forward to, without any regrets."
"Yes!" Tanjirou responded loudly.
Seeing the conversation between Riezel and Tanjirou coming to an end, the boy beside Tanjirou finally jumped in.
"Are you done talking? Then it's my turn!" The boy declared.
"Ahh, right... let me introduce him."
Tanjirou seemed to just remember the boy's presence and quickly introduced him.
"He is Kotetsu, from the Swordsmith Village."
"I can tell." Riezel glanced at the mask on the boy's face. "So what's the story? How did you end up together?"
"We didn't end up together... we just met recently..." Tanjirou said, scratching his head. "He was hiding and peeking from the side... Well, he looked kinda pitiful, so I brought him along."
"I-I wasn't peeking!" Kotetsu immediately protested. "I just happened to pass by! Yeah, just happened to pass by!"
"Eh, really?" Tanjirou tilted his head. "But weren't you here yesterday too?"
"What?" Kotetsu was surprised. "How did you know?"
"Because of the smell!" Tanjirou straightened up proudly. "My nose is quite sensitive, y'know!"
"I don't understand what you're talking about!" Kotetsu protested.
Nevertheless, he no longer denied coming here and began stealing glances at Riezel with a hesitant expression.
"What's up?" Riezel asked in confusion. "Do you have something to ask me?"
"Well, sort of..." Kotetsu's voice involuntarily lowered. "I heard you're the master of the divine sword, so I wanted to ask you something..."
Riezel nodded, gesturing for him to continue.
After much hesitation, Kotetsu finally mustered the courage to ask his question.
"Can you fix a mechanical doll?" Kotetsu asked with a somewhat hopeful voice.
"Mechanical... doll?" Tanjirou blinked his eyes, confused.
As for Riezel, he had a sudden realization upon hearing the boy's question.
Now, he knew why Kotetsu had come to him.
"Are you referring to Yoriichi Type Zero?"
Riezel's words surprised Kotetsu.
"Y-You know about Yoriichi Type Zero?!" Kotetsu seemed somewhat surprised.
"Yoriichi Type Zero?" Tanjirou's face displayed a question mark and his eyes widened. "What's that?"
Seeing his confusion, Kotetsu began to explain.
"It's a mechanical doll created by my ancestor for combat training. It can perform 108 different movements and possesses superhuman strength. Many members of the Demon Slayer Corps who have visited the village always used it for training, but it's quite old now, almost falling apart. Recently, fewer people come specifically to train with it, and fewer people even know of its existence..."
"Ah, I see!" Tanjirou nodded earnestly.
Seeing his reaction, Riezel doubted whether he truly understood.
However, that wasn't the priority right now.
"Are you asking me to help you repair Yoriichi Type Zero?"
Riezel voiced Kotetsu's true purpose.
"Yes."
Upon hearing Riezel's question, Kotetsu nodded heavily.