In order to become a Heroic Spirit, I had no choice but to cause trouble in history.

"Mystery - Thrust!" Okita didn't hold back and went all out from the start.

Samura jumped up, dodging Okita's first thrust.

hum-

Okita disappeared from the spot.

Zuo Cun felt the hairs on the left side of his body stand on end, and he used his wings to block them—

Ping Pong —

"Hey--"

With his wrist pressing down on the back of Tsurukae's blade, Samura did a somersault in mid-air, striking Okita twice in succession.

"Uh!"

With tremendous force, Okita Souji was knocked from the air to the ground by Samura.

Zuocun grabbed a tree branch and placed his feet on the trunk, while Okita stood on the ground. The two looked at each other in silence.

In the first round, a trial run, Zuocun gained a slight advantage.

hum-

With the teleportation activated, Okita Souji disappeared from his original spot once again.

The secret passage in Zuocun was difficult to navigate, so he used his legs to push off the tree.

Zheng—

The tree in the spot where Zuocun used to be was cut in two.

He landed on the ground, his legs springing up like springs, and the instant they touched the ground, he leaped up again.

Okita—in that direction!

Ping Pong —

The crane's wings collided with Kashuu Kiyomitsu, and the resulting shockwave rustled the leaves of the surrounding trees.

The two men swung their knives rapidly in mid-air—

呲——

A small cut appeared on Zuocun's face, grazed by Okita's sword.

The two men wielded their swords like afterimages, their clashes as swift as a storm, barely perceptible to the naked eye.

"Drink—ah!"

With a powerful swing, Samura forced Okita Souji back a step.

He is slightly stronger than Okita.

"Uh--"

Forced to retreat, Okita Souji was unable to dodge in time, and his right arm was grazed by the blade of Samura.

BOOM—!!

The two people landed on the ground with a loud thud, raising clouds of dust.

Zuocun stood there, panting heavily.

The blood seeping from the wound on his cheek had entered his mouth, carrying a slightly salty and fishy taste.

Just then...

"One step—transcending sound."

Zuocun felt the surrounding smoke and dust vibrate for a moment.

"Second Step - No Interval!"

His muscles tensed instantly, and Zuo Cun placed the crane in front of him, nervously looking around.

"Three Steps—The Ultimate Blade!!!"

call--

The smoke and dust were directly dispersed by the swordsmanship that transcended space, and a figure wearing a light blue haori appeared in front of Zuocun.

"The three stages of ignorance suddenly appear—!!!!!!!!!"

Zuo Cun gritted his teeth and shifted himself slightly to the right.

Zheng—

As if a flash of light appeared—

Puff-!

Kashuu Kiyomitsu stabbed Samura in the left shoulder.

The displacement did work after all; Zuocun avoided a fatal blow.

With a smile on his face, he gripped the blade of Kashuu Kiyomitsu's sword in his left hand.

"Saku...mura?" Okita stared at Saku's face in disbelief.

"...You're tired, take a rest."

With lightning speed, Samura struck Okita Souji on the back of the head with the hilt of Tsurugi's sword.

"Uh--"

Okita Souji's body went limp.

"Zuocun..."

After placing Okita Souji in his arms on the ground, Samura pulled out Kashuu Kiyomitsu from his shoulder and placed it next to Okita.

Just then, applause broke out.

"What a fantastic match."

A person walked over from a distance.

“...Nagakura...Shinpachi.” Samura looked at this rather unfamiliar figure.

Although he didn't know him personally, Zuocun had seen a portrait of this person in the intelligence reports and had met him once before.

Nagakura Shinpachi, captain of the second division of the Shinsengumi, is said to be no less powerful than Okita Souji and Saito Hajime. He practices the same Shinto Munen-ryu style as Serizawa Kamo and Niimi Nishiki, which emphasizes power.

“I can tell you don’t want to kill Captain Okita.”

He drew his sword: "But please don't misunderstand, I'm not a sickly guy like Captain Okita, nor an injured soldier like Captain Saito, and I'm not like the other captains, just a bunch of rotten fish."

"So you'd better not hold back against me."

"Otherwise—be careful you don't really die here."

Nagakura Shinpachi stared intently at Samura with a dangerous and bloodthirsty look in his eyes.

"Wow, that's really bold..."

Zuocun wasn't angry; he just smiled, panting, because he knew that Nagakura Shinpachi had the right to say those things.

"You are one of the Shinsengumi captains I am not very familiar with, but I am said to be no less capable than Okita and Saito."

He carried the crane's wings, the blade and his arm in a straight line, showing no intention of retreating or running away.

"Let me see if your strength is truly comparable to theirs."

"...Then you should give it a try, wanted criminal, Feather Demon Slayer...Zamura Anno."

Nagakura Shinpachi narrowed his eyes.

Zuocun jumped up and slashed at Nagakura Shinpachi.

Ping Pong —

------------

Chapter 403 Shinsengumi - Nagakura Shinpachi, Harada Sanosuke

As the blades clashed, Zuo Cun immediately sensed something was wrong.

Shinpachi Nagakura has a rather slender appearance.

But what burst forth from such a slender body was a tremendous force that Zamura had almost never seen before.

Zuocun retreated; such a powerful swordsmanship would only lead to his own demise if he were to confront him head-on.

He recalled the events in his mind with astonishment.

Of all the people I can think of, only three are more powerful than Nagakura Shinpachi.

That's Miss A-Long, the bear demon, and the Heavenly Hidden Ghost Star Xiong Xuenai.

Nagakura Shinpachi... possesses superhuman strength on par with a demon.

"Hey--"

Nagakura Shinpachi moved closer to Samura.

Ping Pong —

Snapped--

Because of his left shoulder injury, Zuocun could only fight and retreat while holding the knife in his right hand.

"Is this all there is to the Feather Demon Slash?!" Nagakura Shinpachi roared with a maniacal smile, raising his katana high in the air—

Ping Pong —

"Well--!"

Samura braced himself against the back of the blade with his left wrist, but was still forced back by Nagakura Shinpachi.

By deflecting the blade, Zuocun fell backward.

But instead of panicking, she simply turned her body around—

With his left arm supporting him on the ground, his wings spread upwards—