I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"What's going on? Why is it so noisy?"

"Is it the Yakuza fighting?"

"Could the Yakuza fighting really cause such a huge commotion?"

"Oh! It seems the Shinsengumi, the pacification commissioner of the capital region, is attacking the Kusunoki-gumi!"

"What did you say? The Shinsengumi and the Kusunoki-gumi are fighting?!"

"is this real?"

"Let's go! Let's go take a look!"

In an instant, countless people flocked to the area.

The soldiers of the sixth, eighth, and ninth squads guarded the various street entrances leading to the main camp of the Kusunoki Group.

They formed a thick human wall by touching shoulders, preventing any unauthorized personnel from getting close.

Therefore, when the soldiers and civilians who rushed to the scene saw the magnificent mansion from afar, they were blocked by the human wall and could not advance an inch—in fact, they dared not casually approach the battlefield from which terrifying sounds were still coming.

Left with no other choice, they could only stand on tiptoe, crane their necks, and cast excited, impatient glances toward the distant Nanmu Group headquarters and the mansion that had brought them so much suffering.

They all craned their necks in anticipation, as if waiting for something or looking forward to something.

As time went by, more and more people gathered around.

Those who are unaware of the situation might think that a grand celebration is taking place here.

Suddenly, someone shouted something like this:

"Look! It's Tachibana Aoto!"

In an instant, countless gazes swept over the human wall and landed in unison in front of them.

blood.

Horrifying blood.

The bloodstains that dominate the field of vision.

The smog hit me in the face.

The air was thick with the stench of blood and the sweat of a fierce battle, making it hard to breathe.

Covered in blood, Qingdeng strode at the head of the line.

His entire body was splattered with blood that had darkened and congealed, from his hair to his face and his clothes, the original color of which was almost unrecognizable.

Following closely behind him were Souji, Nagakura Shinpachi, Saito Hajime, Serizawa Kamo, and the Shinsengumi soldiers, all of whom were covered in blood.

Having just come from the battlefield, their eyes, expressions, and even their every move were imbued with a strong sense of killing intent.

It was late at night in late winter, and the weather was cold.

A faint, wisp of heat rose above their heads.

Countless puffs of white mist escaped from their mouths, drifting into the night, while the silvery moonlight illuminated their shining eyes.

As the victorious army gradually approached, without any instructions from others, the human wall blocking the road suddenly collapsed, creating an opening.

The Kyoto gentry and commoners who had come to watch also parted to the left and right to make way.

As Qing Deng and his men passed through the gap and walked through the crowd of soldiers and civilians, the soldiers and civilians were astonished to find that in the middle of the procession, there were about twenty people being led in a long string by sturdy hemp ropes, being dragged along by the Shinsengumi soldiers like dogs on leashes.

The people looked closely and immediately recognized many familiar faces among them.

"Look! It's Ayase Taichi!"

"It really is Ayase Taichi!"

"And Suzuki Jinzo and Nozawa Harutai!"

"Most of the Nanmu Group's executives are here!"

Ayase Taichi and the others all kept their heads down, looking as if they had lost their parents, not daring to even breathe loudly. A few of them were even crying and wailing, completely unlike their usual arrogant selves.

When Aoto and Souji broke through all the defenses and charged straight at them, both the "conservatives" led by Suzuki Jinzo and the "radicals" led by Nozawa Harutai surrendered without hesitation.

The former, who advocated "yielding to Qingdeng," goes without saying.

As for the latter who argue that "we should not be subservient to Qingdeng, but should treat him as an equal"... they are just arrogant, not stupid.

The organization collapsed, and almost all resistance forces were wiped out... Anyone who saw such a scene would not dare to have the thought of resisting again.

It wasn't until the moment Qing Deng's knife was held to their necks that Nozawa Harutai and the others suddenly realized—shouldn't they have been subservient to Tachibana Qing Deng? Should they have treated Tachibana Qing Deng as equals? That was all nonsense!

They have no right to talk about "equality" with Qingdeng!

In front of Qingdeng, in front of absolute force, they are nothing more than a bunch of insects that can be crushed at will!

Because their "faith" has been ruthlessly shattered, the "radicals" now look the worst, like walking corpses.

Looking at the imposing Shinsengumi soldiers and the defeated Ayase Taichi and his men, the civilians on both sides of the street stared blankly, their expressions vacant, as if they were witnessing an unbelievable scene, and everyone turned into clay sculptures.

quiet……

The entire room fell silent.

Deathly silence!

"Gurgle..."

Suddenly, the sound of someone swallowing hard rang out. A sharp gasp followed immediately.

We won...

The Shinsengumi won...

The Kusunoki Group is destroyed!

The Kusunoki Clan, which had absorbed a large number of ronin and loyalists and had more than two hundred members, was actually wiped out just like that?

In just one night, the once invincible Nanmu Group was swept into the dustbin of history.

The Kyoto Kusunoki Group has been around for a long time.

The shamelessness, greed, and brutality of the Nanmu Group have caused countless families to be torn apart and lose their lives.

It wasn't that no righteous individuals challenged the Nanmu Group, but their resistance was utterly powerless in the face of the Nanmu Group's overwhelming size.

The inaction of the Kyoto Magistrate's Office, Matsudaira Katamori's lack of attention, and the growing power of the Kusunoki Group had long since numbed and filled the people of Kyoto with despair.

As a result, without any prior warning, the bandit gang that had been causing them so much trouble was wiped out... How could such a situation not evoke a strong sense of fantasy among the people present?

I watched him build a magnificent mansion, I watched him host lavish banquets, and I watched his mansion collapse.

It took quite a while for the people present to gradually come to their senses and accept this reality.

Suddenly, someone started this, bending down to pick up a pebble from the ground, and with a swing of their arm, threw it at Ayase Taichi's head.

"Ayase Taichi! You beast! You've finally met your match!"

The rock traced a clean parabola in mid-air, striking Ayase Taichi squarely on the forehead, immediately causing a large bump to swell up.

The stone that suddenly flew out was like a signal that said, "Ready, go!"

How could one miss such a golden opportunity to vent the pent-up resentment towards the Kusunoki Group?

In an instant, the people on both sides of the street bent down and picked up everything they could throw, hurling it at Ayase Taichi and the others on the heads.

Stones rained down on them, causing them to scream in agony.

Some of these guys, perhaps used to being arrogant, haven't adapted to their new situation yet, and still haven't changed their nature, they started yelling at the top of their lungs.

"You bastard! Who threw this at me?!"

"Damn it! You lowly commoners dare to shit on my head?!"

Their shouts really startled many ordinary people.

They might be arrogant for a moment and feel good for a moment... but the soldiers responsible for watching over them were not just for show.

Since the Qingdeng Division hadn't participated much in the battle, the 7th and 10th Divisions, whose stamina was well-preserved, were assigned to guard the prisoners.

Harada Sanosuke frowned and shouted:

"Still dare to be arrogant? Beat them up!"

At the same time, Sanako turned her head slightly and spoke calmly to the members of the 7th Division behind her:

"Shut them up."

Upon receiving this order, the soldiers of the seventh and tenth squads immediately swarmed forward.

Dozens of fists and legs pounded down on those who had been shouting earlier, like pounding rice cakes.

He was beaten mercilessly with fists and feet, leaving him bruised and swollen!

As soon as the soldiers got off them, the men immediately became obedient, even their breathing became as soft and gentle as possible, more docile than newborn kittens.

With the support of the newly elected group, the people regained their confidence, and a torrential downpour of stones fell once more.

Thanks to the combined efforts of the people, the street became exceptionally clean. The ground was swept clean, and everything that could be thrown—stones, trash, grass roots—was given away without exception to Ayase Taichi and the others.

Just then, Qing Deng, who was walking at the front of the line, suddenly stopped, and the soldiers following behind him also stopped.

Qingdeng swept his gaze around, then raised his head and said loudly:

"I am Ju Qingdeng, the Garrison Commander of the Capital Region!"

His voice, enhanced by the "Piercing Clouds and Splitting Stones +2" talent, clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

Curiosity, gratitude, awe... countless gazes filled with various emotions converged on Qingdeng.

"Fellow citizens of Kyoto! Are you happy?!"

"As you can see, the bandit gang, the Kusunoki Group, has been wiped out by my Shinsengumi!"

"From this night forward! From this moment on! The Kusunoki Group ceases to exist!"

"At 8:00 AM tomorrow (2:00 PM), we will publicly execute the bandit leader, Ayase Taichi, and his henchmen at Sanjo Kawara! Leave no one alive!"

"After this, we will conduct a large-scale search of the entire city, striving to wipe out the Kusunoki Group! The Shinsengumi will not cease its operations until the remnants of the Kusunoki Group are eliminated!"

This is why Aoto spared the lives of Ayase Taichi and the others—they would be excellent "propaganda material"!

He wanted to behead these people in front of the people of Kyoto, in full view of everyone!