Chapter 318 - Pride
A week passed.
More starships arrived at Cascade every day.
Some came from surviving UNSC colonies. Others arrived directly from Earth, carrying military personnel, engineers, and scientists.
The reports they brought were reassuring and grim at the same time.
Earth had begun preparing for the worst.
Although ONI and High Command believed the Covenant would most likely focus their attention on Cascade, humanity could not afford to gamble the survival of its homeworld on probabilities.
Deep underground bunkers were being expanded across multiple continents. Massive civilian shelters were under construction. Emergency evacuation plans were being prepared, and entire military districts had shifted into wartime production.
Even if the Covenant never attacked Earth, humanity intended to be ready.
Above Cascade, newly constructed vessels continued to leave the fabrication complex and take up position around the planet.
The number had already surpassed twenty ships.
Many of them were being loaded with personnel, equipment, and supplies in preparation for the inevitable conflict with the Covenant.
Humanity was preparing for every possible outcome.
Meanwhile, down on the surface, another kind of preparation was taking place.
The training grounds had changed drastically over the past week.
What had once been a relatively simple training field had evolved into a specialized combat facility.
Rows of strange mechanical devices had been installed throughout the area.
Mounted on poles, walls, and elevated platforms, the machines pointed toward the center of the field from every possible angle.
Standing before them were dozens of Spartans.
Their bodies were covered in dirt and sweat.
Bruises could be seen through gaps in their training suits.
The morning's physical training had been brutal as usual.
Fortunately, after several hours of rest and a meal consisting primarily of Sea King meat, their enhanced bodies had recovered much of their strength.
Nearby, Naruto stood among them, wearing the same full-body training suit.
The only exposed area was the head.
At the front of the group stood Gaius.
His gaze swept across the assembled Spartans before he raised a hand toward the strange devices surrounding the field.
"These machines were created by Tony and JARVIS at my request," Gaius explained.
The Spartans examined the devices with curiosity.
Gaius continued.
"They fire specialized projectiles designed for training."
"The rounds won't cause serious injury."
"They will, however, hurt."
Several Spartans exchanged glances.
Gaius pointed toward one of the suits.
"The training suits contain pressure-feedback systems. When struck, they amplify the sensation of impact. A successful hit will feel like being struck directly in that area."
"A painful lesson."
A few Spartans immediately understood what that meant.
Pain without injury.
A perfect training tool.
Gaius turned toward Naruto.
"Naruto."
"Step forward."
Naruto shrugged.
"No problem."
Without hesitation, he walked into the center of the training area.
The Spartans watched with interest.
Gaius gave a small signal.
A sharp mechanical click echoed through the field.
One of the devices fired.
A small projectile shot toward Naruto.
The round traveled relatively slowly.
Its launch produced only a faint sound.
Naruto casually shifted his body.
The projectile missed completely.
Another round fired.
Naruto tilted his head.
Miss.
A third followed.
Naruto stepped aside.
Miss.
The Spartans observed carefully.
The projectiles were nowhere near the speed of a real bullet.
In fact, they were slow enough that an alert and prepared ordinary person might be capable of avoiding them.
Confidence immediately spread through the formation.
Many of the Spartans were already thinking the same thing.
This doesn't look difficult.
Gaius noticed.
Of course he did.
The faint smiles.
The relaxed expressions.
The assumption that this would be easy.
A small grin appeared beneath his helmet.
"Before we begin," he said.
"There is one more piece of equipment."
Several assistants brought forward bundles of black cloth.
The Spartans stared.
Confused.
Each bundle contained a blindfold.
Silence filled the training ground.
Most of them had no idea what they were looking at.
Except for one.
Kelly's eyes widened slightly.
Unlike the others, she immediately understood.
A moment later she spoke.
"They're blindfolds."
The others turned toward her.
Kelly continued.
"We're supposed to avoid getting hit while we can't see."
Understanding slowly appeared on several faces.
Then Kelly added,
"This is Observation Haki training, isn't it?"
For the first time, Gaius looked directly at her.
A hint of approval appeared in his gaze.
"Correct."
The Spartans immediately became interested.
Kelly, however, felt a sudden realization.
Over the past week, she had occasionally seen Tanya performing strange training exercises.
At the time, Kelly had assumed Tanya was simply improving her reflexes.
Now she finally understood.
Tanya hadn't merely been training her reactions.
She had been training Observation Haki.
Kelly wasn't upset that Tanya had never explained it.
After all, Gaius hadn't formally introduced Haki to the Spartans yet.
Some knowledge simply wasn't hers to share.
Gaius looked across the assembled soldiers.
"Your eyes are useful."
"Humans rely on them too much."
He picked up one of the blindfolds.
"But on the battlefield, vision can be blocked."
"Smoke."
"Darkness."
"Debris."
"Electronic interference."
"Or an enemy simply moving faster than your eyes can track."
The Spartans listened silently.
Gaius tied the blindfold around his own eyes.
Then he stood there calmly.
"Observation Haki is the ability to perceive beyond sight."
"It allows you to sense danger."
"To detect intent."
"To feel the presence and movements of others."
His voice echoed across the field.
"And today..."
"You will begin learning it."
Time passed.
The training grounds remained active from sunrise to sunset.
The Spartans spent hours each day dodging projectiles while blindfolded, enduring hit after hit as they attempted to grasp the elusive sensation required for Observation Haki.
Some progressed faster than others.
Most simply suffered, as the pain was not something even a Spartan could endure without reaction.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Cascade, two people had become even more motivated after hearing a certain piece of news.
Both Mindy and Saeko had become more motivated after learning that John had successfully awakened Armament Haki before them.
While neither woman doubted John's abilities, both possessed their own pride.
As a result, both trained with renewed determination.
Especially Mindy.
Since awakening the Focus-Focus Fruit, she had discovered more applications for her ability.
Initially, she had believed the fruit merely enhanced concentration.
The reality was far more useful.
Whenever she activated her ability, her mind entered a state of absolute focus.
Distractions vanished.
Doubts disappeared.
Every movement, every exercise, and every lesson received her complete attention.
Training sessions that once took hours to understand could now be absorbed in a fraction of the time.
Even simple workouts became significantly more effective.
Her form remained perfect.
Her breathing stayed controlled.
Every repetition was executed with precision.
The Focus-Focus Fruit allowed her to extract the maximum benefit from every moment of training.
Even sleep had become more efficient.
After consuming Sea King meat, Mindy would enter a deep state of rest, allowing her body to recover far more effectively than before.
The combination of enhanced nutrition, focused training, and optimal recovery produced astonishing results.
Her physique continued to improve at a visible pace.
Muscles became more defined.
Her stamina increased steadily.
Her overall physical capabilities rose week after week.
At this rate, it would not be long before she reached the peak of what an unenhanced human could achieve.
And she was still improving.
Saeko was no different.
Although her physical growth was not as explosive as Mindy's, her progress in other areas was exceptional.
Particularly Observation Haki.
The Hyper Awareness skill granted to her had become an enormous advantage during training.
By itself, it was not Observation Haki.
However, the heightened perception it provided allowed her to sense subtle details that most people would miss.
Combined with her naturally sharp instincts and battlefield awareness, it greatly accelerated her progress.
While others struggled to grasp the elusive sensation required for Observation Haki, Saeko seemed to approach it more quickly with each passing day.
Now, as she continued training, those advantages were slowly being refined into something far more dangerous.
She learned at an astonishing pace.
Each day brought visible improvement.
Her ability to sense movement, danger, and hostile intent became increasingly refined.
At the same time, the powers of the Edge-Edge Fruit continued to develop.
Compared to when she had first obtained the fruit, her control had advanced dramatically.
She could now transform her hands into blades.
Not merely sharp blades.
Weapons capable of slicing through metal with ease.
Steel offered little resistance against her attacks.
Even her fingers had become deadly weapons.
With a thought, each finger could become as sharp as a combat knife.
A simple swipe was enough to leave deep cuts in hardened materials.
As her mastery improved, Saeko discovered that the fruit's true strength was not limited to her body.
Anything she touched could potentially gain an edge.
A terrifyingly sharp edge.
One capable of cutting through metal, armor, and numerous other materials.
The possibilities seemed endless.
As a result, Saeko became increasingly dangerous with each passing day.
Her offensive capabilities were growing at an alarming rate.
Like Mindy, she also consumed large quantities of Sea King meat and maintained an intense training schedule.
Her body steadily grew stronger, becoming faster, tougher, and more resilient with each passing week.
Combined with her growing perceptive abilities and the lethal nature of the Edge-Edge Fruit, her combat potential continued to rise at an astonishing rate.
Neither she nor Mindy showed any signs of slowing down.
~~~
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