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

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Chapter 409 The Passing of the Qilin

"Cough cough—" Takasugi Shinsaku lay on the bed, even his cough sounded incredibly weak.

It is now April of the fourth year of Keio.

Samura and Kido Junichiro stayed by his side, both of them silent.

"Gui, Zuocun."

Shinsaku Takasugi's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz as he called out.

"Tell me, Takasugi, tell me." Kido Junichiro grasped Takasugi Shinsaku's hand, feeling his dry skin, and tried hard to hold back his tears.

“Coughing...it’s so painful…” Takasugi Shinsaku said softly.

"I want to die, yet I don't want to die." Two tears streamed down his face. "Because... if I die, who will continue this great cause with you..."

"Who else is coming...?"

"To make this boring world more interesting..."

He turned his head slightly and looked out the window.

"How long has it been... since I left this room...?"

"Stop talking, Takasugi, stop talking. You'll get better, you'll get better." Kido Junichiro placed Takasugi Shinsaku's hand on his forehead, tears streaming down his face, and said incoherently.

Zuo Cun gripped the hem of Wu Fu's robe with both hands, biting his lip as he looked at his friend.

"I really want to go out again... to see dancing, to hear the shamisen..."

After saying this, Shinsaku Takasugi slowly closed his eyes.

Feeling Takasugi Shinsaku's hand grow weak, his bellows-like breathing also disappeared.

"Takasugi! Takasugi! Takasugi!!!" Kido Junichiro looked at Takasugi Shinsaku's face in disbelief.

All that could be seen was a deathly silence tinged with a smile.

"Takasugi!!!!!!"

......

Shinsaku Takasugi passed away.

Looking back on Shinsaku Takasugi's life, it was both magnificent and intoxicatingly romantic.

Samura stood before Takasugi's grave, clenching his fists.

Before his death, Takasugi arranged all military forces, laying the foundation for the upcoming real war.

"We will carry your share forward. Rest in peace, Takasugi-kun."

Samura turned and left, leaving Kido Junichiro staring blankly at the tombstone.

......

In June, four months after Meiji ascended the throne.

The Satsuma Domain, which had not yet completely given up on the idea of ​​overthrowing the shogunate through non-violent means, proposed a "parliamentary system" to Tokugawa Yoshinobu.

The general idea is that the Tokugawa Shogunate, headed by Tokugawa Yoshinobu, would bring together the lords of various powerful domains and Emperor Meiji to discuss important matters concerning the nation.

This would not only dilute the power of the shogunate, but also allow it to retain at least a semblance of dignity.

However, after careful consideration, Tokugawa Yoshinobu chose to reject the proposal.

Power is power when it is in one's own hands, but it is no longer power when it is in the hands of others.

Tokugawa Yoshinobu had no desire to be a patriarch; like his predecessor, Tokugawa Iemochi, he was also ambitious and wanted to revitalize the shogunate.

When Tokugawa Yoshinobu rejected the parliamentary system, Sakamoto Ryoma, Samura Anno, Saigo Moritaka, Kido Junichiro, and others immediately realized that an opportunity might have arrived.

Saigo Moritaka actively advised the lord of Satsuma that since the parliamentary system had been rejected, it meant that the Tokugawa family, which had lost power, still had an unrealistic desire to monopolize power.

Samura, Ryoma, and another man, Goto Shojiro, arrived in Kyoto by water. The three split up: Samura went to Kyoto, while Ryoma and Goto went to Edo to meet with Tokugawa Yoshinobu.

They intended to present Tokugawa Yoshinobu with Ryoma's work, "Eight Strategies from the Ship," to further pressure the shogunate.

Meanwhile, Samura secretly met with Emperor Meiji and obtained the imperial edict to overthrow the shogunate from him.

Everything was operating tensely and fiercely in the shadows.

Everyone who is busy striving is pursuing the same goal.

—Destroy the shogunate and establish the Meiji Emperor!

......

Kyoto, the headquarters of the Shinsengumi.

"Cough-cough-"

pat.

Okita Souji looked at his hands.

Her hands were thin and weak, and they were trembling constantly.

She looked at Kiyomitsu Kashuu on the ground.

"......No."

Her voice trembled.

She picked up Kashuu Kiyomitsu and held it in her hand.

But no matter what, I couldn't manage to hold on tight.

"Cough-cough-"

Okita Souji coughed up a mouthful of blood.

pat.

Kashuu Kiyomitsu fell to the ground again, and Okita Souji also involuntarily slumped to the ground.

"This...this is impossible..."

Her gaze returned to her hands.

My hands are trembling, that's right.

An unstoppable trembling.

Unable to exert force.

Fear, dread, and disbelief filled Okita Souji's eyes.

"This isn't true."

She couldn't use her hands anymore.

she was--

I can't even lift a knife anymore.

"Cough cough cough-"

Okita coughed violently, spitting out another mouthful of blood.

She felt dizzy and saw stars.

"I...I can't pick up a knife anymore..."

Okita Souji fainted.

When she opened her eyes again, she woke up in the infirmary.

She stared blankly at the ceiling.

I can't even lift a knife anymore?

"Okita." A familiar voice came from beside me.

Okita Souji looked to his side.

"Director..."

"...I found him unconscious in the training ground." Kondo Isami sat by the hospital bed, his eyes filled with anxiety and worry.

"Chief... Kondo, I... I can't lift a knife anymore..." Okita Souji's expression didn't change, but tears streamed down his face.

Kondo Isami looked at Okita Souji, who was weeping, and remained silent.

“You will pick up a knife. What you need to do now is not to continue training.” Kondo Isami sighed, his eyes filled with regret.

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

"I will arrange temporary leave of absence for you to recuperate. Take good care of your health, and we will wait for you to come back so we can continue to fight side by side."

Kondo Isami offered only dry words of comfort.

"Yes, I understand, Kondo..."

Okita Souji nodded.

She is at a loss right now.

What should I do if I really can't lift a knife anymore?

A samurai who can't even lift a sword—isn't that ridiculous?

Okita Souji temporarily left the Shinsengumi and began his recuperation.

Although Okita Souji can no longer wield a sword with both hands, he can still walk on the ground.

She staggered through the streets of Kyoto, not wearing the light blue haori of the Shinsengumi, but her own cherry blossom-colored kimono.

Those around him, seeing Okita Souji carrying a katana, quickly made way for him, while Okita Souji himself found it utterly ridiculous.

Even though he was already unable to draw his sword, he was still overcome by fear.

Samurai—how ridiculous.

He turned his head and looked towards the Shinsengumi's camp.