I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1161 Okita Souji, Super Evolution!

Kichinosuke Saigo's reaction was relatively calm.

Goto Shojiro's face was filled with disbelief, and his jaw almost dropped to the ground.

The expressions of the others were much the same, all dominated by overwhelming fear.

Katsura Kogoro gritted his teeth and then shouted out what everyone was thinking:
“‘Heavenly Sword’ Okita Souji? Wasn’t she seriously ill?!”

As the "second strongest member of the Shinsengumi" after Aoto, Souji has always been feared by Saigo Kinosuke and others, who consider her one of the most dangerous targets.

By examining the Shinsengumi's past records, it is not difficult to find that "Tenken" and "Nioh" are both capable of "single-handedly turning the tide of battle"!

No matter how vigilant we are, this level of top-tier combat power is still not enough.

Therefore, when the news of "Okita Souji's illness" spread, Saigo Kinosuke and others were both happy and worried.

The joy goes without saying.

The worry is that this is fake news.

The official statement from the Northern Dynasty was that she was ill and recuperating, but they remained completely silent about what illness she had or when she would recover.

Saigo Kinosuke and others had no choice but to send out a large number of spies to investigate the movements and current situation of the Souji, and eventually they received a lot of reports of all kinds.

Some say she wasn't sick at all, but was simply sent by Qingdeng on a secret mission.

Some say she has a terminal illness that is incurable and doesn't have much time left.

Others say she died long ago, and the "Northern Dynasty" officials concealed her death for fear of undermining morale.

Regardless of the report, one thing is clear—the "disappearance of the chief commander" is a foregone conclusion.

If she could remain missing, it would undoubtedly greatly reduce the pressure on the Southern Army to suppress the Shinsengumi.

What followed unfolded exactly as they had hoped.

Whether it was the day before yesterday or yesterday, the commander did not show up, which made Saigo Kinosuke and the others overjoyed. They all thought to themselves: It seems that "Heavenly Sword" is either seriously ill or really dead!

Unexpectedly... on this crucial and critical third day, she suddenly appeared on Autumn Mountain as if she were a divine being descending from the heavens!
That would be one thing, she showed up, but the location where she appeared was far too clever.

Although Mount Qiu is not a very big mountain, it's not so easy to find someone there.

But of all places, she had to appear right next to Qingdeng!

If this is just a coincidence, then Saigo Kinosuke and the others can't help but lament: Is Heaven going to destroy us?

The merging of "Nioh" and "Tenken" could not have been worse news for Saigo Kinosuke and the others!

Their inability to eliminate the Shinsengumi captains made it impossible to carry out the "Isolating Nioh" operation plan, which was already a major headache for them.

At this critical juncture, such terrible news has emerged... At this moment, Saigo Kinosuke, who usually presents a calm and composed image, has lost his composure in an extremely rare manner.

He yelled, his eyes bloodshot, and questioned in an exasperated tone:
Where have 'Nioh' and 'Tenken' advanced to?

The messenger swallowed hard, opened his trembling lips, and was about to reply—

Bang!
The sudden, loud noise drew everyone's attention.

Looking up, not far from the mountaintop, several mangled bodies flew high into the air like flowers scattered by celestial maidens.

Upon seeing this, the color in Saigo Kinosuke and the others' cheeks faded rapidly, like melting snow.

The messengers no longer needed to speak—the scene before their eyes had already provided the answer.

……

……

boom!boom!boom!boom!
Several bullets flew out from the bushes on both sides.

Qingdeng swayed his body a few times, causing all the bullets to miss.

The same thing happened to Souji.

Before the bullets even arrived, she sensed the approaching danger, and her body moved before her mind could react.

By the time she came to her senses, the bullets had already flown past her.

Not only was the person who fired the shot shocked, but she herself was also so surprised that her mouth dropped open.

She used to be able to dodge bullets, but she had to be able to see the direction the gun was pointing and when to fire.

Now, she can render the enemy marksman's efforts futile simply by relying on her "intuition"...

Qingdeng gave her a meaningful look and said, half-jokingly:

"Xiao Si, it's been more than half a year since I last saw you, and you've become an incredible 'monster'."

"I...I don't know what's going on either..."

She looked down and touched her chest, feeling the strong heartbeat.

"A continuous stream of power is surging from within me...!"

To this day, Souji still doesn't know how his hemoptysis (tuberculosis) was cured.

All he knew was that he had drunk the blood of the Old Maki boss (Ogata), and he spent a difficult period of time in a state of semi-consciousness.

After finally waking up, the terminal illness that had tormented her for so long was completely cured.

Not only did they recover, but their bodies were also remodeled, becoming more agile and powerful than before!
At first, I didn't notice anything unusual.

Now, after a long absence, I am immersed in fierce battle, as if the power hidden deep within my body has been awakened and is gradually surging up!

Actions that were difficult to do before, I can do easily now.

Attacks that were difficult to dodge before can now be easily avoided.

I used to struggle with lack of stamina, but now I can fight for a long time without breaking a sweat.

Every muscle in his body is brimming with astonishing elasticity and terrifying power! He could easily annihilate his former self!
Souji wasn't stupid; he naturally knew that this was all thanks to the blood of Komaki's boss (Ogata).

Although I don’t quite understand, there is no doubt that this uncle who makes and sells wagashi is no ordinary person. His blood contains a special magic that cannot be measured by worldly common sense.

The commander does not believe in gods or Buddhas and has no religious beliefs.

However, like some atheists, she firmly believes that there is no god in the world, but she still has some respect for supernatural phenomena and always maintains a cautious attitude of "unwilling to believe, but not daring to deny their existence".

So she wisely refrained from asking further questions—it might be some kind of taboo that you shouldn't ask! Being too talkative is said to shorten your lifespan!
She secretly made up her mind: unless Qingdeng and the others brought it up on their own initiative, she would never ask a single extra word about "how she recovered" or "who the Old Mu boss is," treating it as a secret for life and obediently taking it to her grave.

It's worth mentioning that the dramatic changes in her body made her feel uncomfortable, and she couldn't help but wonder, "Am I still me?"

Fortunately, she has always been an optimistic person.

Before long, she let it go: Who cares! It can't hurt anyway! What's wrong with becoming stronger?

Once her mind was clear, the gloom in her heart instantly dissipated, and she threw herself wholeheartedly into the battle before her.

She quickly scanned the area and spotted the Southern soldiers hiding in the bushes who were sniping at her.

The next moment, she leaped up as if she were a spring in the air, and in the blink of an eye, she was in the bushes, where she met the Southern soldiers.

In a flash, the Kikuichimonji Norimune in her hand transformed into a silver "thunderbolt".

Kikuichimonji Norimune is an exceptionally beautiful sword, so exquisitely crafted that it doesn't resemble a weapon.

Because the blade is thin and long like a seedling, it fits perfectly in the hand of the petite Souji!

Besides its beautiful shape, another famous feature of Kikuichimonji Norimune is its sharpness!

The "thunderbolt" that swept across the sky roared, severing the atmosphere and cutting off the bodies of the southern soldiers.

One lucky person narrowly escaped Kikuichimonji Norimune's blade.

Although he had temporarily escaped death, he was utterly terrified. Facing the commander-in-chief who was so close, he couldn't muster any fighting spirit. He even abandoned his weapon, hurriedly throwing away the musket in his hand and scrambling to hide in a thick, large tree not far away.

Instead of circling around to give chase, Souji stepped forward to close the distance, and then swung his sword again—

With a loud bang, the slender blade sliced ​​through the tree trunk as if skimming across water.

The chopping motion was so smooth, without the slightest hesitation, that it was hard to tell whether she had actually struck the tree—the answer would soon be clear.

The tree that was perfectly fine one second suddenly became shorter the next, and kept getting shorter.

It wasn't "reverse growth," but rather the thick trunk slowly slid down along an incredibly smooth cut! Soon it crashed to the ground!

Also falling to the ground was half the body of the Southern soldier who had just hidden behind the tree trunk.

The tree, which required two adults to encircle, was easily cleaved in two by Souji as if a hot knife were cutting butter!

Its power, which will injure anyone who touches it and kill anyone who is hit, is even greater than that of the most supreme great creation!

At the same time, Qingdeng advanced the battle line in one go, clearing a straight road without any "obstacles".

Qingdeng's battle... really isn't worth going into detail about. It's nothing more than a constant repetition of swinging his sword, advancing, swinging his sword again, and advancing again. If you were to go into detail about it, it would just become a very boring, tedious account.

The difference in strength is too great; no matter who the opponent is, they cannot withstand Qing Deng's attack!
Suddenly, six Southern soldiers, carrying thick wooden shields, formed a tight human wall and pressed towards Qingdeng.

They probably wanted to restrict Qingdeng's movements first, and then seize the opportunity to surround and kill him, so they were followed by a lot of Southern soldiers.

Currently, due to their body posture, Vairocana's blade is positioned in a way that makes it inconvenient for him to strike them.

Because adjusting the blade's direction takes a split second, Qing Deng simply smashed it down with the hard back of the blade!
The back of the blade collided violently with the several wooden objects, instantly producing a dull, loud thud.

The six Southern soldiers didn't even last a second before their shields were shattered.

The shattered shields flew backward, breaking their arms first, then slamming into their chests, and finally flying into the air like fireworks, shield and man together, leaving a trail of blood and severed limbs.

Upon seeing this, the commander shouted in an annoyed tone:
"How dare you call me a monster? You're the one who's truly become a monster!"

Because he was unaware of the details of the "Nioh Martial Arts Tournament", in Souji's eyes, the long-unseen Seido seemed to have been taught by some reclusive master, and his strength had increased explosively!

Faced with Souji's吐槽 (tu cao, meaning to criticize or complain), Qing Deng smiled without saying a word, and continued to move forward while waving to her, signaling her to catch up.

The commander smiled helplessly, took two quick steps, and returned to Qing Deng's side.

Suddenly, a mountain wall appeared before them.

The mountain wall isn't particularly high, but climbing it isn't easy either; it's truly an excellent natural fortress.

Sure enough, heavy troops were deployed on both the top and bottom sides of this mountain wall.

As Qingdeng and Zongsi approached, a dense hail of bullets immediately poured down from the direction of the mountain wall.

The two instinctively dodged to the left and hid behind a boulder, surrounded by bullets.

The commander cautiously peeked half his head out from behind the boulder to roughly observe the other side.

"...This mountain wall is not easy to deal with."

Qingdeng pondered for a moment, then said in a meaningful and lingering tone:

"...If we fight slowly and methodically, it will definitely be difficult to deal with. If someone could appear on the top of the mountain wall, it would be much easier to fight."

Upon hearing this, the commander immediately realized what was happening and turned to look at Qing Deng.

The two exchanged a meaningful glance.

A moment later, Yamanami Keisuke and his men arrived, a beat behind.

Aoto and Souji were already old partners, and they knew each other inside and out. Their collaboration achieved a "1+1 greater than 2" effect.

Therefore, with the tacit cooperation of the commander, the pressure on Aoto was greatly reduced, and the speed of the attack increased accordingly. Yamanami Keisuke and his team members could only follow closely behind with great difficulty.

Since Qing Deng and Souji had dealt with most of the enemies blocking their way, things were much easier for them. They only needed to clean up any remaining enemies that the two of them had missed from time to time.

Yamanami Keisuke quickly surveyed the scene and immediately understood the situation.

He rushed over, crouching down beside Qingdeng, and gave a bitter smile:
"The moment I see the mountainside, all the bad memories start to resurface in my mind..."

Aoto chuckled to himself. A year ago, during the "Second Battle of Sekigahara," a mountain wall stood like an iron barrier, blocking the Shinsengumi's path.

At that time, Yamanami Keisuke risked his life, braving arrows and stones. Although he successfully breached the mountain wall, he was seriously injured. If Aoto hadn't arrived in time, he would have died there.

"Jingzhu, don't worry, you don't need to risk your life this time."

After saying this with certainty, Qingdeng moved with lightning speed and instantly arrived outside the boulder.

"Xiao Si, keep up with me!"

Without saying a word, the commander immediately followed.

They had barely escaped the cover of the boulder when a barrage of bullets rained down on them.

Although their momentum was fierce, they were all left behind.

The bullets that hit them from behind kicked up clouds of dust, much like the splashes of water they had kicked up.

In just a second or two, they closed in close enough to the mountainside.

"Xiao Si, hand!"

An exceptionally brief instruction.

But the commander immediately understood the implication and handed it over with his left hand.

Qingdeng handed Vairocana to his left hand, grabbed Souji's left wrist with his right hand, and then spun around like a top with his feet as the axis, using the strength of his arms and centrifugal force to throw Souji towards the mountain wall!

Although her strength is not what it used to be, her body is still as light as a delicate doll.

The commander curled up slightly to minimize wind resistance.

Throwing a living person into the air... No normal person would come up with such an outrageous idea.

However, "going beyond common sense" is precisely Qingdeng's forte!
The Southern soldiers on the mountainside were all stunned because they hadn't expected the commander to fly over.

Their moment of stunned silence was but a fleeting instant—and that fleeting instant was enough to be fatal!
As they were about to land, Souji stretched out his body like a hedgehog.

Along with it, the Kikuichimonji Norimune in her hand also "unfurled"...

……

After throwing the commander against the mountainside, Qing Deng rushed straight up the mountainside without stopping.

The sound of swords cutting through the air and the screams of dying creatures echoed from the mountainside... Thanks to this, the shooting stopped completely, and Qingdeng's advance went exceptionally smoothly.

When he arrived at his destination, there were no living Southern soldiers left.

The only living person stood gracefully, like a flower blooming on a sea of ​​blood.

Seeing Qingdeng arrive "late," she pouted and gave him a look that said, "Too slow, huh?"

Qing Deng smiled in response, then turned his head and waved to Yamanami Keisuke below the mountain wall.

"Jingzhu, it's safe up there, come on up quickly!"

Yamanami Keisuke stared blankly at all of this.

Limited by his perspective, he could not see the scenery on the mountainside.

He only saw Qing Deng and Souji suddenly rush out of the cover, and then the former threw the latter against the mountain wall... and then, the mountain wall that should have taken a lot of effort to break through fell.

From that moment on, Keisuke Yamanami's usually brilliant mind nearly shut down.

Whether it was the sudden appearance of Souji or Souji's sudden surge in strength, both gave Yamanami Keisuke a sense of unreality, as if "his feet couldn't touch the ground."

It wasn't just Yamanami Keisuke who felt this way; all the team members present felt the same way.

Suddenly, one of the squad members behind Yamanami Keisuke couldn't help but ask:

"...Commander Yamanami, today is bound to be a tough battle, isn't it?"

Yamanami Keisuke nodded blankly:

"Hmm... logically speaking, that's true..."

……

……

"Watch out! They're coming!"

"I...I'm not playing anymore!"

"Hey! Don't run away! How can you still be called 'Satsuma Hayato' like this?"

"The 'Benevolent King' and the 'Heavenly Sword' have arrived at the same time, how are we supposed to fight them?"

"You saw it too, didn't you? Even muskets can't do anything to them, how could we possibly have a chance of winning!"

"The rumors are true! Tachibana Aoto and Okita Souji are both reincarnations of the God of War!"

"Amitabha! Amitabha!"

Wherever Qingdeng and the commander went, the enemy forces retreated as if waves were parting and breaking apart.

Those who are unwilling to disperse will be dispersed by them.

Suddenly, they saw light blue haori fluttering in the distance—about thirty Shinsengumi members were fighting a bloody battle.

They may have discovered some shortcut, and they advanced to a very high position in one go.

But precisely because of this, they are surrounded and struggling to hold on, and the situation is not optimistic.

The commander glanced at them and called out loudly:

Are any members of my team here?

Coincidentally, there was indeed a member of the First Division among this group of soldiers.

Upon seeing their captain, whom they hadn't seen in a long time, they were initially surprised but then delighted.

"It's Captain Okita!"

"It really is Captain Okita! Captain Okita is back!"

"Captain Okita, where have you been all this time?"

With her beautiful appearance, overwhelming strength, kind personality, and ruthless nature when necessary, Souji enjoys extremely high prestige within the First Division.

During the period when Souji was on sick leave, the morale of the First Division plummeted, and no matter how hard the acting captain, Nagakura Shinpachi, and the vice-captain, Shimada Kai, tried, they could not save it.

Therefore, it is easy to imagine how they will react when Souji returns.

With cheers growing louder and louder, the members of the First Division roused themselves, their fighting spirit soaring, and eagerly swung their swords at the enemies before them, as if they were the ones who had taken the "Final Battle Elixir".

As for the Southern soldiers present—after Qing Deng and the commander arrived, they immediately scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing completely.

Suddenly, Souji exclaimed in surprise:

"Hey? Qingdeng, look at the mountaintop!"

Upon hearing this, Qingdeng immediately raised his gaze and looked towards the mountaintop—he saw that the enormous brocade banner was slowly receding!

It was obvious that Saigo Kinosuke and the others, seeing that the battle was going badly, decided to move the banner away.

Most of those that were moved along with the main camp on the mountaintop were also moved.

Although moving the commander's flag would greatly shake the morale of the entire army, it was still better than having it cut by the Shinsengumi.

The banner symbolizes legitimacy and has great political significance.

Whether or not the "Southern Army's" banner can be cut down will have a significant impact on today's and the battles to come.

In short—no matter what, we cannot stand by and watch the “Southern Army”’s banner be taken away!
After pondering for a moment, Qing Deng said quietly to the commander beside him:

"...Xiao Si, I'm going to do something a little reckless. You should do what you can. If you can't keep up with me, don't force yourself."

"Huh? What?"

The commander turned his head, puzzled, and happened to see a strange light flashing in Qing Deng's eyes.

The eternal talent "Heartless Demon Child" is activated!

Qingdeng is unwilling to enter the "state of selflessness" unless absolutely necessary.

The reason is simple—he wanted to save the "state of selflessness" for dealing with Ōtakemaru.

The whereabouts of the Fa-Zhu Party remain a mystery, and the possibility that "the Fa-Zhu Party is lurking somewhere in Toba" cannot be ruled out.

Ootakemaru's strength is unfathomable, so as to be on the safe side, Aoto must always keep his strongest trump card to himself.

But right now, it's a time when we have no other choice!
"Kei-suke! Koji and I will be temporarily leaving the team!"

Before Yamanami Keisuke could respond, he stomped his hind foot, sending a fist-sized clod of earth flying...

……

……

"Run! Run faster!"

"Watch out for the banner! Don't let it fall over!"

A strongman hurriedly carried the banner and moved towards the western slope of Autumn Mountain.

Saigo Kichinosuke, Katsura Kogoro, and others have already gone ahead.

With Aoto and Souji closing in, they had no choice but to temporarily flee Akiyama, despite their reluctance.

A temporary retreat might give us a chance to counterattack.

If they're all wiped out, then there's really no hope left.

This strongman was definitely not slow. Despite the extreme weight of the banner, he still sped along at a fast but orderly pace.

However... speed is relative.

Compared to ordinary people, his speed is undoubtedly in the category of "fast".

But compared to the person who's chasing him, he's...

Whoosh!
Before anyone could react, a huge "flying object" flew from behind the strongman, then past him, and crashed heavily into a large tree in front of him.

The strongman blinked blankly... Upon closer inspection, he realized that this "flying object" was actually a person.

A dagger was stuck in his chest, entering from the front and exiting from the back, firmly pinning the man to the tree trunk.

Although his death was bizarre, it was also quite obvious: someone threw this katana, which pierced through the man's body and continued to drag him "flying" until he was finally nailed to this tree!
Before he could think further, the strongman felt the light behind him dim...

A tall, dark figure was projected from behind him, reflected on the ground in front of him.

The figure leaped slightly, raised his sword overhead, the tip pointing to the sky.

The strongman instinctively turned his head... He didn't see the other person's face, only a pair of eyes that seemed to flow with a strange light, and a blackish-purple blade of light that covered his vision...

call out!
The blade sliced ​​through the air.

The strongman lowered his arms and collapsed forward, his body limp.

The banner he had been struggling to hold fell to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

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P.S.: Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this month will be the last month of this book's serialization (probably...). I, Leopard, will definitely try my best to update! I'll strive to finish it on schedule this month! I've already written 6400 words today, working very hard!