I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1160 Those far away, listen to my voice! Those nearby, observe my actions!
Nakamura Hanjiro, known as the "Man-Slayer," was dismembered in eight pieces after only one encounter...

This scene left everyone around—friends and enemies alike—utterly horrified!
What terrified them even more was the timing of Souji's strike—they couldn't see at all when Souji struck!
As Nakamura Hanjiro swung his sword, Souji dodged like a butterfly, and then blood began to spurt from Hanjiro's throat... This was the scene that unfolded before their eyes.

Not to mention the fleeting glint of light, we didn't even see the commander's move!
The saying "not even knowing how one dies" is roughly like this!

Just as everyone was still in a daze, a tall figure appeared beside the commander.

Souji raised his gaze, looking up at the other person, his face filled with complex emotions that were difficult to understand.

"...Xiao Si, it's been a long time."

It wasn't actually that we hadn't seen each other for a long time.

During the long period when Souji was in a coma, whenever he was in Otsu, Aoto would often visit her, sincerely hoping for her speedy recovery.

At this moment, looking at the commander standing calmly in front of him... to be honest, Aoto almost thought he was dreaming.

The long-awaited wish was finally fulfilled, but my reaction was much calmer than I had imagined.

He didn't cry tears of joy, nor did he shout with excitement; he simply smiled normally.

However, right now, a surge of emotions is indeed welling up deep within his chest!

He had so much to say to her, so many things to tell her.

However, because I had so much to say, I didn't know what to say.

In the end, all he managed to say was, "Long time no see."

However, the weight carried by these words is greater than any other words!
Souji met Aoto's gaze, her eyes seemingly glistening with tears, but her lips were smiling—her signature hearty smile.

"I'm back! Qingdeng, you don't seem to have changed much."

"It's only been half a year since we last met, how could anything have changed?"

The tranquil air enveloped them, making them stand out from the surrounding atmosphere.

Both he and she wanted to put away their knives at this moment and enjoy the warm time of their "long-awaited reunion" to ease the pain of separation.

However, it is clear that their current environment—this vast battlefield—does not allow them to do so.

The sudden appearance of the "Heavenly Sword" and the gruesome death of the man who killed Hanjiro terrified the Southern soldiers present.

One "Nioh" was terrifying enough, and now there's another "Tenken"!
They all looked like wilted rice seedlings, hunching their shoulders and bending over, their shoulders unconsciously tense, trying to make themselves inconspicuous, afraid that the couple would discover their figures.

They dared not advance nor retreat, remaining frozen in place, surrounding Qing Deng and the commander from a distance.

Qing Deng turned his gaze and calmly swept his surroundings around.

"Xiao Si, let's end our conversation here for now. We can chat more later tonight when we have some free time."

The commander nodded slightly.

"There are too many listeners here; it's really not a good place to chat."

The two quickly changed their positions and shifted their stances—Qing Deng faced east, and Zong Si faced west, back to back.

"Qingdeng, I just arrived and I'm still a bit disoriented. What should we do now? Who should we fight?"

"See that banner on the mountaintop? Go up to the top and cut that banner down. That's all."

"I like simple and straightforward tactics!"

How are you feeling?

As Qing Deng spoke, he glanced sideways and subtly cast a concerned look at the Chief behind him.

He didn't know when Souji woke up, but based on his medical knowledge, a person who had been in bed for a long time would lose the ability to move due to muscle atrophy.

Of course, all of the above is based on common sense.

Souji was cured of his terminal illness by drinking Ogata's blood and absorbing the "power of immortality".

Judging such supernatural forces with common sense is absurd.

Souji chuckled:
"I felt a little sluggish when I first woke up, but I'm much better now! Capturing enemy generals and flags will be a piece of cake!"

Qingdeng gave her a deep look, then nodded slightly to indicate that he understood.

Judging from her instant kill of "Man-Slaying Half-Roller" just now, Qing Deng doesn't know if her body has fully recovered, but she is definitely not a spineless coward who is unable to fight.

While others couldn't see clearly how she had just killed Nakamura Hanjiro, he had seen it very clearly.

It's not that mysterious. In the instant she dodged, she swung her knife to counterattack—that's all.

It is purely because the blade speed is extremely fast and the timing of the strike is perfect that it achieves the effect of an "invisible blade".

The person who was stabbed was completely unaware that he had been cut... From the perspective of swordsmanship, this is undoubtedly a divine skill!

Based on his understanding of Souji, Aoto was certain: the previous Souji could never have reached this level!

Aoto belatedly recalled what Ogata had told him: "The power of immortality" has the ability to modify the human body, not only giving people exaggerated regenerative abilities, but also turning them into superhumans with extraordinary physical abilities.

Upon realizing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but glance at the commander a few more times, his gaze strange.

"...Can you still hold the knife in your hand?"

He lowered his gaze and glanced at the katana in her hand.

The knife in her hand was tattered and broken, with nicks and chips all over the blade; it was probably an unmarked knife she had picked up from the ground.

There's not much else to see on Autumn Mountain right now, but there are plenty of swords, muskets, and other weapons lying on the ground.

"It's alright, I still have a knife."

As he spoke, Souji threw away the broken sword in his right hand and then held up the long object tightly wrapped in old strips of cloth in his left hand in front of his chest.

"This is?"

"This is a precious gift from the owner of Old English Sheep."

A meaningful, enigmatic expression appeared on her face before she deftly untied the strip of cloth.

……

……

Osaka, the headquarters of the Gourd House, a certain courtyard—

Ogata, Omachi, Kinoshita Rin, and Kiryu sat side by side on the veranda, looking north towards Toba and Fushimi.

Kinoshita Rin looked sullen, with the corners of her mouth turned down, making her already prominent nasolabial folds even more pronounced.

Ogata glanced at her helplessly:
"Miss Lin, are you still angry?"

Kinoshita Rin answered without hesitation:
"Of course! Honestly, it's one thing for you and Atachi to be different, but even Kuro isn't on my side. If something happens to Tsukasa, I'll be too ashamed to face Tachibana-kun afterwards!"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Kiryu awkwardly touched his nose.

Ogata, Omachi, and Kiryu all agreed to send Souji to the Toba-Fushimi battlefield.

The couple even proactively prepared clothes and weapons for her.

With the strong support of Ogata and others, Souji, whose confidence was greatly boosted, "coerced" Kinoshita Rin with the momentum of "pressing on the momentum".

Unable to persuade her alone, Kinoshita Rin finally gave in and could only politely see her off.

Kinoshita Rin values ​​promises above all else. If she agrees to something, she will do it even if it means going bankrupt or risking her life—this is one of the key reasons why her Gourd House has been able to thrive for so long.

She had promised Tachibana-kun that she would take good care of Souji, but she had watched helplessly as Souji went to a dangerous place... This feeling of breaking her promise bothered Kinoshita Rin a lot.

Looking at the sullen Kinoshita Rin, Ogata chuckled a few times.

“Miss Lin, although you are quite old, your overly serious personality has never changed.”

"What? Are you trying to start a fight with me? You have such a young face, and you're telling me 'you're already old,' it really annoys me, even though we're the same age."

Ignoring Kinoshita Rin's complaints, Ogata continued speaking to himself:
"Miss Lin, you should know very well that we can't possibly stop Xiao Si."

"That's not the look of someone who 'can stop' you."

“Even if we use force to keep her in this mansion, she will do everything she can to escape.”

"Instead of making things so ugly, it's better to just do what she wants from the start."

After hearing this, Kinoshita Rin pursed her lips, her face full of conflict.

Although her expression was still not good, it had obviously improved a lot.

At that moment, as if remembering something, she turned to Ogata and asked:
"By the way, why did you give that sword to Tsukasa? Didn't you always value that sword? You even said you would entrust it to a worthy swordsman."

"Yes, that's why I entrusted it to Xiao Si."

Kinoshita Rin raised an eyebrow.

"You and Xiao Si aren't that close, are you? How can you be so sure she's the swordsman who matches that blade?"

Ogata Kanji:

"Xiao Si and I aren't really that close."

"However, sometimes, intuition is more accurate than reasoning."

"When I saw her righteously declare that she had to go to Toba and Fushimi, for some reason, a voice rang in my mind: the new owner of that sword is her."

Ogata paused for a moment, then adopted a half-joking tone:
"Even putting everything else aside, just looking at her appearance, I think she is the most deserving swordsman in the world to wield that blade."

"That sword is quite beautiful in appearance, the most beautiful sword I have ever seen. It is very suitable for a heroic and talented female swordsman like Xiao Si, isn't it?"

Having said that, he withdrew his gaze and looked again in the direction of Toba and Fushimi, a slight smile playing on his lips, and whispered:

"Reappearing in the world after a long absence, only to be involved in a battle of this scale... If that sword had a soul, it would be overjoyed."

……

……

The commander untied the strips of cloth one by one.

Soon, the object under the cloth strip was revealed.

This is a slender katana, resembling a rice seedling, with a blade length of nearly 80 centimeters. Near the hilt, it is decorated with sixteen-petaled chrysanthemum patterns and horizontal lines, and even the tsuba (handguard) is in the style of a sixteen-petaled chrysanthemum.

Looking at the distinctive katana, Qing Deng couldn't help but feign astonishment, muttering to himself:

"Kikuichimonji Norimune...!"

Exquisite sword fittings, unique decorations and tsuba... all of these point to its name—the long-lost legendary sword, Kikuichimonji Norimune!

A legendary sword representing the highest level of craftsmanship in the Kamakura period, it is the best example of the "tachi" form!
The chief took in Qing Deng's surprised expression with a satisfied look—she had been watching Qing Deng's changes in expression the whole time.

After she was satisfied, she hung the Kikuichimonji Norimune pendant on her left waist, and then solemnly untied the light blue haori tied around her waist, putting on her clothes neatly.

The hem of the haori, reaching down to the hips, fluttered like a battle flag, producing a rustling sound.

She raised her chin, raised her gaze, and scanned the enemies present. Although she was looking at them at eye level, she gave off a sense of disdain!

"I am Okita Souji, captain of the first division of the Shinsengumi!"

"Here comes my voice, you who are far away!"

Those nearby, please observe my actions quietly!

"Although I have no grudge against you, since we each serve our own masters, we have no choice but to draw our swords against each other!"

"Next, I will attack without hesitation and kill any enemy I encounter!"

"Those who value their lives, step back immediately!" "Those who seek death, bring it on!"

After shouting, she turned her head and glanced at Qingdeng behind her.

Qing Deng also looked at her at the same time.

The two exchanged glances, smiled at each other, and then looked at their enemies in front of them, one after the other.

"Natural Flow of Mind"

“Ju Qing Deng”.

"Natural Flow of Mind and Body"

"Okita Souji"

The next moment, Vairocana and Kikuichimonji Norizumi simultaneously flashed with dazzling sword light, their brilliance complementing each other.

……

……

"Quickly, go save the captain!"

Nakajima Noboru (second division vice-captain) led more than ten squad members and hurriedly headed to Nagakura Shinpachi's location.

He just received accurate intelligence: Captain Nagakura is in danger!
The Southern soldiers first used fishing nets to restrict Nagakura Shinpachi's movements, and then used a large number of muskets to fire.

This was outrageous... Nakajima, disregarding everything else, hurriedly led a group of soldiers to the rescue.

During his journey, he repeatedly prayed in his heart, from Amaterasu to the Buddha, earnestly asking the gods and Buddhas to bless Nagakura Shinpachi.

Although he was not a fisherman, he knew how troublesome it was to get tangled in a fishing net.

Breaking free from them isn't difficult, but before you regain your freedom, the enemy has plenty of time to eliminate you...

Upon realizing this, his ominous premonition grew stronger.

Just then, he suddenly saw a burly man striding toward him.

Nakajima Noboru quickly stopped and stared blankly at the other person.

"Captain Yong...?"

The visitor was none other than Nagakura Shinpachi.

He was covered in blood and grime, his face so dirty that his features were blurred together, and there were bits of fishing net hanging on his body.

"Oh, it's Nakajima. What are you doing here?"

Nakajima swallowed hard.

"I...I heard you were in danger, so I brought people here. Captain Yongcang, are you alright?"

Nagakura Shinpachi's expression revealed his understanding:

"Thank you for your concern, I'm fine."

“Those fishing nets were really troublesome, they tied my hands and feet up very tightly.”

"Fortunately, I was more skilled and managed to cut all the fishing nets wrapped around my body to shreds before they fired."

After saying that, he raised his hand and flicked away some pieces of fishing net hanging on his right shoulder.

—Can you just cut fishing nets like that? Didn't you just say that those fishing nets bound your hands and feet tightly?

Although countless questions arose in Nakajima Noboru's mind, he quickly found peace of mind.

After all, he's Nagakura Shinpachi! With his skills, it's no wonder he achieves some outrageous feats!
As for what happened to the Southern soldiers who attacked Nagakura Shinpachi, Nakajima Noboru wisely didn't ask—was there even a need to ask? Just looking at Nagakura Shinpachi's current blood-soaked appearance, one could already know the answer.

Suddenly, Nagakura Shinpachi spoke, pulling Nakajima Noboru back to reality:
"Nakajima, you've come at the right time. Come with me quickly. There's a lot of commotion over there, and they might need our support."

Before Nakajima could respond, Nagakura Shinpachi darted forward and headed towards a dense forest not far away.

Nakajima Noboru reflexively lifted his foot to follow, responding loudly:
"understand!"

……

……

"Stop! Cease fire!"

The Southern soldier, dressed as a commander, raised his hand to signal "stop".

The gunfire gradually subsided... The more than twenty musketeers at the scene released their triggers and lowered their smoking gun barrels.

Before them lay a large rock riddled with bullet holes and charred marks from gunpowder, with debris scattered everywhere.

Just now, Saito slipped behind the large rock and then remained silent.

The commander raised his arm and made a "forward" gesture.

The musketeers immediately split into two teams, approaching the large rock from the left and right, like the two jaws of a pair of pliers.

They all wore tense expressions, their palms sweating profusely, holding their muskets firmly to their chests—only by doing so could they feel a little safe—their right index fingers constantly on the trigger, ready to "fire at any moment."

Being so close to the Shinsengumi's infamous massacre site... anyone would feel immense pressure.

They moved forward inch by inch, much like a group of snails.

Finally, they successfully circled around to the back of the large rock—but there was no one there, not even Saito Hajime.

The sudden paranormal event terrified them.

At that moment, the commander suddenly felt a large hand land on his left shoulder from behind.

He instinctively turned his head to look behind him—and then he saw the sharp blade and Saito Hajime's cold, piercing eyes.

……

……

"What's this……?"

The breathtaking scene that greeted his eyes caused Hijikata Toshizo to exclaim involuntarily.

The light before him dimmed slightly—all because a staggering mountain of corpses lay before him!

This mountain of corpses contained at least thirty or forty bodies, piled up haphazardly in a disorderly fashion, reaching several meters in height.

At the "mountain top", Kondo Isami leaned on his hand in front of him, his hands folded over the hilt, his forehead resting on the tsuba, seemingly resting with his eyes closed.

After a moment, he slowly raised his head, and seeing that it was Hijikata Toshizo, he smiled slightly.

"Oh, Sui, it's you."

"Ah Sheng, this... you did this?"

Kondo Isami smiled calmly and said lightly:
"I accidentally rushed too far ahead and got surrounded."

"To be honest, I don't remember much about what happened next."

"I only remember swinging the knife incessantly, swinging it with complete absorption."

"When I came to my senses, this is what it looked like now."

Upon hearing this, Hijikata Toshizo subconsciously looked again at the mountain of corpses beneath Kondo Isami's buttocks.

"You wielded your sword with complete abandon, carving out a mountain of corpses... I really hope you can be in this 'selfless state' a few more times."

If Qingdeng were here, he would surely sigh inwardly: His talent for "lone courage" has been brought to its fullest potential!
"If I have to face such dangerous situations to perform so well, I would rather have fewer of these kinds of situations."

After saying this half-jokingly, Kondo Isami gestured towards the mountaintop with his lip:

"Ah Sui, you all go ahead, I need to rest for a while."

Hijikata Toshizo nodded:
"Okay, you should get some rest."

He shrugged as he spoke.

"However, don't rest for too long. If I get the credit for being the first to reach the summit because of too much rest, I won't listen to your complaints."

Kondo Isami grinned:
"Don't worry, I'm not so generous as to give up the credit for being the first to climb the mountain to anyone else, not even you."

……

……

Autumn Mountain, Summit—

To demonstrate his determination to "defend Mount Aki to the death," Saigo Kinosuke not only planted a banner on the summit of Mount Aki, but also moved his entire main army camp there.

He sat imposingly on his stool, constantly receiving the latest battle reports.

"Nagakura Shinpachi is still alive! He is leading the Second Division to continue the conquest of the North Slope!"

"The musketeers who were besieging Saito Hajime have all been wiped out!"

"The troops sent to ambush Kondo Isami were annihilated!"

The more Katsura Kogoro, Goto Shojiro, and the others listened to the battle reports, the more their brows furrowed and their expressions grew increasingly grim.

That's not surprising—since the start of the battle today, they haven't received a single piece of good news!

Despite the fierce fighting, the Shinsengumi steadily advanced towards the summit.

Even their meticulously crafted battle plan to "hunt down the captain and isolate Nioh" repeatedly ran into obstacles!

Faced with the targeted attacks of the "Southern Army," the captains of the Shinsengumi all broke through the stalemate with their outstanding abilities!

As of now, all the captains of the Shinsengumi are alive and well, and none of them have been killed in action.

With the battle progressing to this point, even the usually composed Saigo Kinosuke couldn't help but show a grave expression on his face.

Ryūemon Ijichi (the Satsuma Army strategist), who was standing nearby, noticed that Saigō Kichinosuke looked unwell and quickly said:

“Mr. Saigo, Mr. Nakamura has already set out. He will surely bring us good news.”

Nakamura-kun – also known as Nakamura Hanjiro.

Upon hearing this, Saigo Kinosuke's expression softened slightly.

Nakamura Hanjiro was his right-hand man and the strongest swordsman under his command.

Whether or not Niou could be isolated from the outcome of today's battle was crucial, so Saigo Kinosuke deliberately played his "trump card."

Nakamura Hanjiro's mission was quite simple: to act as a "guerrilla" and hunt down the Shinsengumi captains whenever he had the chance.

At that moment, a messenger scrambled and rolled to Saigo Kinosuke's feet, panting heavily as he quickly announced:

“Nishi, Saigo-sama! Nakamura-san…”

It's news from Nakamura Hanjiro!
Everyone present, including Kinosuke Saigo, immediately perked up, sat up straight, and listened attentively.

Unfortunately... their expectations quickly turned into fear and disbelief.

"Mr. Nakamura is dead! 'Heavenly Sword' Okita Souji suddenly appeared, killed Mr. Nakamura, and then joined forces with Tachibana Aoto to attack the mountain! Their attack speed was incredibly fast! There was no way to defend against them!"

In an instant, Saigo Kinosuke's face changed color, his facial features became extremely distorted, and he suddenly stood up, sending the stool under his buttocks flying.

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P.S.: Thanks to a fellow reader's reminder, I realized that Qing Deng and Souji reunited on Tanabata Festival. Wow, it really is fate! (Leopard.jpg)