I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Almost at the same time, Liu Chejianxi suddenly felt a pain in his right arm, and when he looked closely, he saw that his right forearm was no longer on his body.

The severed arm, still gripping the katana, defied gravity and flew toward the ceiling.

"what?!"

Liu Chejianxi cried out in surprise, his eyes widening instantly as if he had seen a terrifying monster.

The next instant, a dazzling purple blade that filled his vision swept across.

He stared blankly ahead, his clothes tearing at his chest. At the same time, he heard a gash appear on his skin, which then grew longer and longer, running across his entire upper body. Bloodstains slowly appeared and deepened.

After swaying a few times, its body bent forward like a shrimp, then collapsed to the ground, its eyes rolled back, and it lost consciousness.

On his deathbed, he heard the last words of his life:

"...You're absolutely right, you really didn't take up too much of my time."

[Ding! Talent detected]

Successfully copied the talent: "Punctuality +6"

[Talent Introduction: Possesses a good sense of timing]

……

……

All the "prey" were executed.

The "hunter" was unharmed.

An overwhelming battle with no dramatic twists or turns.

"Huff...huff...huff...huff...huff..."

The souvenirs' cute, delicate nose kept exhaling hot breaths.

"Xiao Si, are you tired?"

Aoto walked towards Souji and teased him half-jokingly.

The commander replied irritably:

"Physical strength isn't my strong suit. However, opponents of this caliber shouldn't tire me out."

Having said that, she flipped her right wrist and handed the hilt of the Ghost-Slaying Knife in her palm to Qing Deng.

"Tachibana-kun, your sword is quite nice; it's very easy to use."

"After all, it was a precious sword bestowed upon me by Ii Naosuke, who once held immense power in the court."

While receiving the spirit, Qing Deng handed Kaga Kiyomitsu back to Souji.

Then, he put on a bitter expression.

"Unfortunately... because of the numerous repairs, it has become thinner and thinner."

The interception the two had just encountered was the last line of defense of the Kusunoki Group.

When they walked side by side again, the road was clear and unobstructed.

Aoto and Souji successfully arrived at their final destination—the meeting room where Ayase Taichi and the Kusunoki Group executives were located.

Bang!

Qing Deng kicked the paper sliding door away.

Inside the room, two candles burned quietly.

Silvery moonlight streamed in through the window, falling onto the tatami mats and dividing the room in two.

On one side was a windowsill bathed in a pale silver light and half of the room.

On the other side was a dimly lit corner, where a large group of people huddled together like newborn mice, shivering.

Their pale, glowing faces almost illuminated the entire room.

Although he didn't recognize Ayase Taichi's face, Aoto instinctively knew at a glance that the tall, burly man was the person he was looking for.

Ayase Taichi swallowed hard, trying to appear calm:

"Lord Tachibana! What is the purpose of your great mobilization?!"

"What is your desire?"

Aoto repeated Ayase Taichi's question and chuckled.

"I am the Commander-in-Chief of the Capital Region, bearing the heavy responsibility of pacifying the capital. I am merely fulfilling my duty, eliminating the bandits who have plunged the capital into turmoil—that is all."

Having said that, he picked up his twin swords and slowly walked towards Ayase Taichi.

The tips of Vairocana's and the swords used to subdue demons dragged on the tatami mat, leaving conspicuous scratches.

Ayase Taichi's body trembled violently a few times.

"Please, please spare our lives!"

He knelt on the ground in a very standard dogeza posture.

"Lord Tachibana! Let's talk this over! We're willing to agree to all your conditions! We...we...we...that's right! We can submit to you! We can join your ranks!"

Despite Ayase Taichi's rapid-fire pleas for mercy, Aoto remained completely unmoved, his steps not faltering in the slightest.

At that moment, a fierce and ferocious look flashed across Ayase Taichi's face, which was hidden by his dogeza posture.

Just as Qingdeng was two steps away from him, he suddenly sprang up! He pulled out a sword from his pocket and thrust it straight at Qingdeng's chest!

However... just as he raised his sword, a flash of white light appeared.

With a thud, the sword fell to the ground.

"Don't use such low-level tricks as your last resort."

With that, Qing Deng kicked up dust with his right foot—his instep struck Ayase Taichi's chin squarely.

Ayase Taichi's eyes bulged forward forcefully, and he fainted without even uttering a sound.

Aoto turned to look at the executives of the Kusunoki Group, led by Suzuki Jinzo and Nozawa Harutai.

"Are you willing to surrender?"

They nodded eagerly, as if afraid of falling behind.

*******

*******

It's the end of the month! Readers who have monthly passes, please be sure to vote for this book! (Crying leopard head.jpg)

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

P.S.: Leopard did study "The Book of Five Rings" a while ago for research and found the combat techniques recorded in it to be surprisingly simple. For example, observing the opponent before battle, striking first is advantageous, and momentum and courage are very important. This is probably what is meant by returning to simplicity.

Chapter 578 Instant Fame! The Shinsengumi's Reputation Turns Around! [4200]

If Ayase Taichi lives a long life, he will remember that distant night when he was ganged up on by the Shinsengumi's all-star lineup...

……

……

Even a fool could fight a one-sided battle with the wind at his back.

Qingdeng personally led the team.

The event also featured the participation of formidable figures such as Okita Souji, Nagakura Shinpachi, Saito Hajime, Kondo Isami, and Hijikata Toshizo.

Furthermore, it is still best to attack the unprepared when prepared.

It would be truly unjust if such a rich battle could not be won completely!

Although the Shinsengumi has many problems, its equipment is poor, and its discipline and organization have not yet been developed, the soldiers' physical fitness and martial arts skills are top-notch.

After all, these were warriors carefully selected by Qingdeng from thousands of applicants.

Most of them joined the Shinsengumi to make a name for themselves.

They yearned for battle.

They yearned for military merit!

Upon learning that a battle was about to break out, they all kept their weapons at their pillows and struck their oars.

Furthermore, because they were met with unanimous disdain from the people of Kyoto when they entered the city yesterday, most of them, including the commanders such as Souji and Hijikata Toshizo, were burning with resentment.

They desperately needed to vent—just watch! Let you Kyoto people see the might of the Bando samurai!

Thus, as soon as the battle began, the Shinsengumi soldiers charged forward like wild beasts released from their cages, howling and vying for the lead, their fighting spirit soaring and their momentum unstoppable!

Tonight's battle is not a large-scale open field battle, but a small-scale urban warfare, so there is no need for complicated command. Just charge head-on and it will be over!

The police bureau and the four squads of the sword-wielding squad, responsible for storming the mansion, except for the first squad which could not keep up with the commander's speed of attack, followed closely behind their respective captains, killing the enemy in a chaotic manner.

Originally, the so-called "warriors" of the Nanmu Group were mostly a bunch of muddle-headed, lazy, and unambitious rabble who could only bully ordinary people. They had never seen such a fierce and ruthless army before.

Faced with the Shinsengumi's overwhelming attack, they were instantly dispersed like instant milk powder in the blink of an eye.

The battle had barely begun when the Nanmu Group suffered a massive rout, with many patriots fleeing in all directions, utterly demoralized, lamenting that their parents hadn't given them a pair of legs.

Kondo Isami, who was in charge of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, was responsible for overseeing the operation and preventing desertion.

As a result, because the battle situation was so favorable, no soldiers were afraid to fight. Therefore, Kondo Isami and his censorate did not play a supervisory role. Instead, they wiped out many who had managed to escape the lightning offensive of the first, second, third and fourth teams.

However, a few lucky ones managed to escape from the sharp blades of the Metropolitan Police Bureau after dodging the fierce attacks of the first, second, third, and fourth teams.

However, these lucky individuals were almost immediately surrounded and intercepted by a network of five, seven, or ten teams as soon as they left the mansion.

Yamanami Keisuke led these three teams to surround the mansion so completely that not even a mouse could escape.

Even if some incredibly lucky individuals manage to escape the interception of Yamanami Keisuke, Sanako, and others, it doesn't matter—because there's a second encirclement consisting of teams six, eight, and nine.

However, until the end of the battle, the members of the sixth, eighth, and ninth teams did not encounter a single enemy, serving only as a mood-setting group.

Although they never drew their knives from their waists, it wouldn't be accurate to say they made no contribution to tonight's battle—they perfectly accomplished their mission of "preventing unrelated personnel from approaching the battlefield."

The deafening shouts of battle, the chaotic footsteps, the piercing clang of swords... such a commotion naturally attracted the attention of the surrounding residents.