A muscular girl is presented to the passionate world of crossover anime.

Anci closed her eyes, preparing to re-enter a state of rest...

"Anci! You've been defeated!"

Anji opened his eyes and saw Shishio Makoto's woman, Komagata Yumi.

"Yes, I lost."

"What kind of woman is that, that she's so formidable?"

"Sōjirō has gone after her. If he succeeds, you will be able to see her."

“That’s true. Sojiro is always capable.” Yumi sighed. “Then you should get some rest. Lord Shishio originally ordered you to guard the first pass, but now you’ve ended up like this. The scouts just reported that Battosai and his party of three have set off this way. I’m going to the front gate to meet them.”

Monks are not interested in women. Although Anji and Yumi have worked together for several years, they are not very familiar with each other. After exchanging only a few words, Yumi left in a hurry. Anji sighed: Since Yumi will soon be joining Battosai's group, it seems that it will be impossible for me to rest.

Because one of the Battosai trio was the young man with the rooster-like hair who had contact with Anji...

"Hahaha, monk, what's gotten into you?!" Sure enough, a moment later, Sagara Sanosuke's arrogant mocking voice reached Anji's ears.

Sigh, Anji has already been forced to receive four groups of people in this short time: Kanon, Sojiro, Yumi, and Battosai! Although his room is in ruins due to the battle, it's not a public toilet!

In fact, Sanosuke was originally in a heavy mood, and he rushed over with the idea of ​​talking to Anji about his philosophy of life. However, what he saw was Anji who was seriously injured and unable to move. This relieved his tense mood instantly, and he returned to his usual roguish self.

"This guy is really annoying." ×3, Anji, Saito Hajime and Yumi all thought so, only the kind-hearted Himura Kenshin was very tolerant of Sanosuke.

“Anji was defeated, and I don’t even know if Soujiro has returned to Lord Shishio’s side. We’ve really suffered a setback this time… Damn it!” Yumi worried about the situation. “Right, why don’t we take them to the library where Shinomori Aoshi is? That guy is also a formidable fighter, and he’s determined to duel Battosai. Seeing the two of them fight will definitely relieve some pressure on Lord Shishio!”

“This monk is obviously a strongman. Who could defeat him? Did that person arrive here before us?” Saito Hajime was also worried about the situation.

Anci wasn't worried about the situation. His thoughts drifted back to a few days ago, to the day he, Sanosuke, and Kanon spent time together on the riverbank: "A-Xia is much more likable than this guy."

The thoughts of the three people were more or less related to Kanon—not to mention Anji and Saito Hajime, as for the "Shinomori Aoshi" that Yumi was thinking about, he was currently confronting Kanon.

"who are you?"

"And who are you? Shouldn't you introduce yourself before asking someone's name?"

"The Imperial Guards, the Four Noboru Sora-shi."

"Takakaze. By the way, you're from the Oniwabanshu? Aren't they Shishio's rivals? What are you doing in his library?"

"I'm waiting for Himura Battosai to arrive so I can kill him."

"Oh dear, it seems there's some personal grudge going on here! I won't bother you any longer, I'm in a hurry, I'll be going now."

Anci didn't warn Hanon, so it took Hanon a long time and a lot of effort to get through the traps and obstacles on the way. She finally made it to the main road, but when she passed the library, she sensed a strong killing intent inside. So she went in to investigate and then confronted Aoshi.

The two didn't actually have any grudges. After exchanging a few words, Hana was about to leave, and Aoshi didn't try to stop her.

But before Hana could reach the door, a figure flashed out from there.

"Phew, finally made it~" Seta Soujiro walked into the library, closing the door behind him. The boy, who only ever had a smiling expression, looked at Kanon and then at Aoshi, and suddenly said, "Mr. Aoshi, I heard that your goal is to defeat Battosai, the strongest swordsman of the late Edo period, and win the title of 'Number One Under Heaven' for your deceased Oniwabanshu comrades. Then why did you let this young lady go? This girl might be even stronger than Battosai."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Hana exclaimed, both amused and exasperated. "Who is this guy? He's stirring things up right from the start!"

However, Sojiro's instigation was indeed effective. Aoshi, who had been expressionless like a wax figure, raised the two small swords in his hands to Kanon.

Author's note: Alas, today was really slow, but I finally finished it. I'm quite sleepy. If there are any typos or anything like that, please point them out and I'll correct them.

Chapter 890, Section 899: The Boy Who Loves to Stir Up Trouble, and the Girl Who Gets Stirred Up

Seeing Cang Zi approaching with a sword drawn, Hana rolled her eyes so hard they almost popped out of their sockets: "Hey, hey, hey, you're so easily swayed! You believe everything he says? And even if I really am strong, what does that have to do with you?"

"It's alright." Cang Zi was already quite close to Hanon when he replied, but as soon as he finished speaking, a flash of light appeared in the room, dimming the lamplight on the floor—Cang Zi's dagger was slashing towards Hanon!

"Hey!" Hana jumped away, yelling angrily. If there had been a table nearby, she probably would have immediately cosplayed the classic scene from "The Mermaid" where she bangs on the table in the police station.

Unfortunately, there was no table nearby, so Kanon could only express her dissatisfaction verbally: "Despicable person!"

Cang Zi remained unmoved, his poker face unchanged: "I'm just telling you to get lost." He then looked at Sojiro: "And you, get lost too. My only goal is to become the strongest Battosai; I don't have time to play around with women and children."

Sojiro still smiled and said, "Oh dear, Mr. Aoshi is so cold-hearted."

Hua Yin snapped, "What if you curse me again?"

"Oh dear, it seems that even if I wanted to leave, this young lady wouldn't allow it." Soujiro started taunting Kanon again...

Hanon was genuinely angry: "Who do you think you are? You talk like you're some kind of amazing strongman... Oh, I remember now, that girl from the Oniwabanshu, Aya, always seems to mention someone named 'Aoshi.' So it's you? You're really arrogant."

Sigh, even though Kanon is a popular girl, when she sees a cool and handsome guy like Aoshi who is popular with women, she can't help but feel a sense of rejection from her peers: "Honestly, the more I look at this guy, the more I hate him."

"...I have already abandoned those people." Aoshi remained cold, saying only one sentence before stopping. Sojiro, however, explained to Kanon, "The Oniwabanshu were once the Shogun's secret force, possessing high combat capabilities. However, during the final battle of the Bakumatsu period, the last Shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, fled without a fight and staged a bloodless surrender in Edo. The Oniwabanshu, as the Shogun's personal guard, were defeated without a battle. Unable to confront the Restorationists, they lost what they were protecting and gradually disintegrated. Now, most of them have turned to living ordinary lives."

"However, Mr. Aoshi is different. He is the current leader of the Oniwabanshu, leading the last of the Oniwabanshu as mercenaries. I heard that he fought against Battosai's group in Tokyo before, and several of his companions died in the battle. So Mr. Aoshi decided to defeat Battosai and take the title of strongest to commemorate his fallen friends and make up for the Oniwabanshu's regret of never having a chance to fight." Sojiro explained in detail. He was the person in charge of external communications for Shishio's faction and had close contact with Aoshi, so he was quite clear about the inside story: "Mr. Aoshi is very strong, especially now that he can be ruthless and heartless. Not long ago, he even personally killed the 'old man,' a senior member of the Oniwabanshu. He certainly has the confidence to challenge Battosai~"

"No wonder that Ah Cao suddenly became sentimental one day, saying something about 'Grandpa being seriously injured,' it turns out it was you, kid." Hanon hadn't had enough time to understand the situation while working at "Shirakabe," but this time, thanks to Sojiro's explanation, she was able to piece together all her experiences.

So Huayin stepped forward again, causing Cang Zi to frown slightly: "Aren't you leaving?"

"I'm not leaving." Hanon started to flex her wrists: "Now that I know all this, I'm going to stay and wake you up."

Cang Zi's brows furrowed even more deeply: "You want to 'wake me up'? Can you even do that..."

"Hey, hey, hey, you're so annoying!" Aoshi and Sanosuke, one quiet and one lively, have completely different temperaments, but when it comes to making people angry, they are equally matched.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Huayin said to Cang Zi, "You've made three mistakes: First, harming the living to commemorate the dead is putting the cart before the horse and betraying everyone; second, extinguishing emotions and being ruthless won't make you stronger, you've chosen the wrong path; third..."

Hanon beckoned with her finger: "Battousai isn't the best in the world, and neither are you. If you ask me who deserves the title of 'strongest'... hehe, I can only say that at least someone who has beaten me first."

"Shh-"

With a flash of light, Cang Zi was truly decisive, launching a direct attack on Hanon!

"Well done!" Hanon liked his straightforward personality. Facing the blade of the dachi, she didn't retreat even half a step. Just as the blade was about to touch her, she slightly trembled and activated her extremely high level of "force dissipation," reducing the power of the strike to zero.

Taking advantage of not retreating, Hanon directly reached out to attack Aoshi.

"Buzz—" Hanon's fist struck the blade of Aoshi's sword—this leader of the Oniwabanshu wielded two small katanas, skilled in both offense and defense, and was not so easily subdued. At the same time, Aoshi's weapon was also made of fine steel, a masterpiece by a master craftsman, and Hanon's "double force" failed to break it, only producing a trembling sound.

His fist pressed down on the back of the kodachi, striking Aoshi's shoulder. Just then, Aoshi's kodachi missed its mark, and he retreated. After their first exchange, Aoshi's brows actually relaxed: "...You are indeed a master."

"Tch, if it weren't for the quality of your weapon, you would have been severely injured by me." Hanon said arrogantly, "Come on, let's go again!"

The two clashed again, their figures shifting. Sojiro, who had successfully instigated the fight, stood aside with a grin: "Hehe, this is going to be good."

However, beneath his smile, Soujiro's demeanor wasn't as composed as he appeared: "Ah, I haven't even asked this young lady's name yet..."

"Ahem, that's not the point," Sojiro thought to himself. "She said that being ruthless and cruel doesn't make people stronger. That's the complete opposite of what Mr. Shishio taught me. It's a wrong idea, just like Mr. Himura, which is repulsive. But Mr. Himura is strong, and this young lady is strong too. They started from wrong ideas, yet they can become so strong. It's really perplexing!"

"Perhaps I can glean some clues from her exchange with Mr. Aoshi," Sojiro thought to himself.

His desire to discern the right or wrong of one's worldview through battle is undeniably bizarre, but both Hanon and Aoshi are top-tier fighters, making their clash quite a spectacle. Aoshi's katana is a versatile weapon, excelling in three aspects: "unexpected," "dangerous," and "fast." It often appears in unexpected positions, either attacking Hanon or guarding his own vital points with the blade facing outwards to prevent Hanon's sudden attacks. The danger of fighting him is even greater than that of "Myō-ō" Anji…

But that's about it.

About a minute after the battle began, the two figures clashed and separated instantly. With a "thud," the pale purple katana sliced ​​open the skin on Hana's arm.

"Heh, so Mr. Aoshi really is better?" Sojiro felt a little relieved: "The ruthless are always stronger~"

But Cang Zi didn't think so. Even though he always had a poker face, he looked particularly serious at this moment: "It wasn't me who forced her to retreat, but rather she took the initiative to jump out of the battle... from my ultimate move 'Returning Heaven Sword Dance - Six-Strike Combo'."

"Speaking of which, it's been hundreds of years since I last fought against such a powerful weapon master~" Sure enough, Hanon smiled, looking relaxed: "But the good memories should end now, I've seen through your moves."

Author's Note: Today's update is late again... Ouch, my procrastination has reached a terminal stage. But I'll still try my best to update three times today.

Section 900, Chapter 891: A Victory of the Soul

"Wow, amazing, amazing~" Seta Soujiro clapped his hands: "Miss saw through Mr. Aoshi's moves so quickly, awesome!"

Rolling her eyes in disdain at the troublemaking boy, Huayin's attention remained on Cang Zi. To be fair, Cang Zi's skills were no weaker than An Ci's, yet Huayin had fought An Ci for almost ten minutes and had been tricked by his short sword's shockwave technique. Now, she had only fought Cang Zi for a minute and was already acting as if victory was in her grasp. Wasn't that a bit too arrogant?

This is not the case.

Fighting isn't a math problem. Just because A is stronger than B, and B is stronger than C, doesn't guarantee A will defeat C. Between martial artists, it depends on whether their elemental strengths are incompatible, whether they're in peak condition, and even details like whether they've eaten well, slept enough, or whether the sunlight is too bright. You can't generalize. Like Usui, one of the "Ten Espada," Kanon could easily defeat him like a child because of their elemental advantage. And Anji's massive physique, driven by his resolute personality, meant his health was incredibly high, making a quick victory difficult for Kanon as well.

Returning to the present moment, Shinomori Aoshi's unpredictable and swift fighting style was subtly countered by Kanon. Having experienced facing unparalleled masters of close combat like Miyamoto Musashi and Yang Miaozhen, Kanon had quickly improved her understanding of weapon combat. In terms of the finesse of countering moves, she was slightly better than Aoshi. And when Aoshi could not gain an advantage in technique, his pure offensive and defensive strength was far inferior!

By easily extricating herself from Aoshi's ultimate move, "Returning Sword Dance - Six-Hit Combo," Kanon has indeed grasped the key to victory. As long as she plays steadily, defeating Aoshi is only a matter of time.

But Kanon wasn't satisfied with that.

"I saw something else more than just your moves." Hanon didn't rush to attack; she even tucked her hands into her sleeves and hugged them together.

"I say, you claim to have abandoned your humanity to become stronger, all for the sake of becoming the best in the world, but personality is personality, and martial arts are martial arts. The two don't seem to have anything to do with each other, do they?"

“A foolish question.” Cang Zi said coolly, “How can you use your full strength if you’re worried about your opponent’s life during battle? Sword fights are about risking your life in a split second, let alone on the path to becoming the strongest! It’s a battlefield where it’s either you or me. I stand on the edge of life and death, risking my life in training, abandoning everything, all for…”

"Stop, this is it~" Although it was a bit of a pity that Aoshi had said so much, Kanon still waved her hand to interrupt him: "You said you gave up everything just to become stronger, right?"

"……Correct."

"But you just said you wanted to obtain the title of strongest to commemorate your comrades, right?"

"Correct."

“Then it’s two different things.” Hanon held up two fingers, the “yeah” gesture signifying her logical victory: “If you can’t let go of your promise to your friends, how can you talk about giving up everything to become the strongest?”

“This…this is sophistry.” Cang Zi hesitated slightly, feeling that Hua Yin’s logic was chaotic.

Kanon then asked, "So, what will you do after you get the title of strongest?"

“I…” Cang Zi fell silent.

"I probably won't survive anyway." Kanon shrugged. "So you're going to die right after getting the title of 'strongest'? To be honest, I know several guys who have the title of 'strongest'..."

Images flashed through her mind: [images of various characters and symbols, seemingly unrelated to the main text. A direct translation is not possible without further context or clarification.]

"There's only one truth." Detective Kanon is online: "You're not pursuing the strongest, you're pursuing death. But if you die meaninglessly, you can't get over that hurdle in your heart. So you can only use the excuse of winning the title of strongest for your deceased friends to wield the murder weapon, to numb yourself, to hypnotize yourself, waiting for someone else to kill you, or to kill everyone and then commit suicide... Tsk, seeking death is seeking death, why do you have to find a high-sounding reason? You, although you have a handsome and cool poker face, are actually a brat who throws tantrums!"

After drawing her conclusion, Kanon couldn't resist adding insult to injury: "You're really letting down those deceased comrades. They're dead, and you're using them as an excuse to escape reality. Maybe they didn't get along with you when they were alive..."

"Enough!" Cang Zi finally snapped, his usually poker face turning serious. Anyone would react like that when their sore spot is touched!