I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Even though she no longer had her brother's assistance and could only fight alone, Sanako did not show the slightest fear. She fearlessly exchanged attacks and defenses with Aoto and Okita.

Perhaps it's because all her swordsmanship skills are so exquisite, or perhaps it's simply because she's beautiful, has a great figure, and a wonderful temperament, but all of Sanako's movements have a unique kind of beauty.

At this moment, she didn't look like a female swordsman using swordsmanship to attack enemies, but more like a beautiful butterfly fluttering in the air, her long ponytail tied behind her head flying as Sanako danced.

Some people in the audience who weren't there to watch the swordplay competition at all, but were there specifically to see Sanako, were now watching with wide eyes and great interest as Sanako performed her beautiful "dance".

A considerable number of people are now disappointed – Sanako must have been secured with a cloth strap, so the bouncy and jumping scene that some people had been hoping to see did not appear.

Sanako truly lived up to her reputation as a "genius female swordsman" for having mastered the Hokushin Itto-ryu Kodachi technique at the age of 10.

The short and agile kodachi is more suitable for defense than the katana, so Sanako managed to hold off Aoto and Okita's attacks by herself, even when she was outnumbered and completely at a disadvantage. She even managed to launch a few counterattacks that were quite threatening to Aoto and Okita.

However... this is the limit of what she can do.

Sanako is a swordsman of the "Agility Style," and Okita is also a swordsman of the "Agility Style."

Okita, wielding a katana, managed to unleash an attack speed that completely surpassed that of Sanako, who was wielding a kodachi!

"Haa!"

Okita shouted. He lowered his waist slightly, aimed at the blade of Sanako's kodachi, and slashed horizontally.

The sharpness contained in this strike should not be underestimated.

Sanako dared not take Okita's attack head-on and retreated. But Okita's offensive did not stop, and he immediately delivered a second and a third slash, forcing Sanako to retreat again to avoid his sharp edge.

Okita's attacks poured down on Sanako like a torrential downpour.

Unable to withstand Okita's fierce attacks, Sanako was completely suppressed and found it increasingly difficult to launch an effective counterattack against Aoto and Okita.

Qing Deng thought to himself: Today should be the first time he has seen Kondo and Okita use their full strength.

Since moving into the Shiwei Hall, it has become much more convenient for Qingdeng to practice his swordsmanship.

Not only can they use the spacious dojo at any time, but they can also find Kondo and Okita, who live under the same roof, to spar with at any time.

After gaining access to such an excellent training environment, Qing Deng frequently sparred with Kondo and Okita, engaging in several rounds of practice with them almost every day.

Every sparring match with these two resulted in the same outcome—I was completely dominated by them.

Even with his "lone wolf" spirit, Aoto never forced Kondo and Okita to use their full strength.

Now, Aoto finally sees what Kondo and Okita look like when they're giving it their all.

Looking at Okita, whose face was tense and who was swinging a single sword as if it were seven or eight, Aoto couldn't help but wonder: what would happen if he and Sanako switched places right now?

He's likely to lose in just a few seconds.

Okita's strength far surpasses that of Sanako. Sanako, who can't even defeat Okita one-on-one, also has to withstand Okita's fierce attacks head-on while dealing with Aoto's support for Okita...

The outcome was predictable.

Under the combined attack of Aoto and Okita, Sanako became increasingly flustered and showed signs of defeat.

No! If this continues, we'll lose!

Sanako knew that if she continued like this, she would surely lose, so she took the opportunity to glance at Yamanami and the others who were still fighting with Kondo and the others.

Aoto and Okita's charge instantly turned the defending Shieikan into the attacking side, plunging the Chiba Sword Hall into a crisis of "the main camp being breached." This switch between offense and defense further fueled the already high morale of Kondo and the others.

With a "life-or-death" spirit, Kondo and his men desperately entangled Yamanami and the others.

Heaven knows when Yamanami and his men will be able to shake off Kondo and his group and come to support Sanako, who is currently fighting a tough battle.

Seeing this, Sanako bit her rosy lower lip.

—Since that's the case…

Sanako raised her beautiful eyes and glanced at the porcelain bowl on Qing Deng's forehead.

A voice kept echoing in Sanako's mind:

If... we can break Tachibana-kun's porcelain bowl... then our Chiba Sword Hall has won!

Sanako kept glancing at the porcelain bowl on Qing Deng's forehead out of the corner of her eye, her gaze gradually becoming sharp.

Whoosh! The bamboo sword whistled as Okita's attack once again forced Sanako to take a half-step back.

Taking advantage of the moment when Sanako retreated again, Qing Deng swiftly raised his sword high, the blade closing in on Sanako from above, aiming for the porcelain bowl on Sanako's forehead.

In that fleeting moment, Sanako clenched her teeth and raised the small katana in her hand.

As the sword flashed and the bamboo swords clashed, Sanako used a special parrying technique to deflect the bamboo sword that Qing Deng was slashing down from above.

The next instant, Sanako took half a step forward, turned the blade of the small katana in her hand, raised the tip of the sword upward and then thrust it forward, aiming at the porcelain bowl on Qing Deng's forehead with an extremely tricky angle!

Sanako was attempting to secure victory for their Chiba Kenkan with this attack.

But her beautiful expectations were shattered by a bamboo sword that was wielded at an angle.

Having seen through Sanako's intentions, Okita swiftly and fluidly swung his sword horizontally, striking Sanako's kodachi precisely in mid-air and parrying Sanako's attack for Aoto.

Okita's attack was incredibly powerful.

Sanako's shojita, like a bird trying to break free from her grasp and fly to the free sky, soared high toward the heavens above. Sanako almost missed catching the sword that nearly slipped from her hand.

At this moment, the phrase "full of flaws" is the most fitting description for Sanako.

This fleeting, golden opportunity to attack was clearly and distinctly reflected in Qing Deng's eyes.

Qing Deng saw the target clearly, took a step forward, and without hesitation, raised his sword and slashed.

Click.

The blade struck the porcelain bowl on Sanako's forehead, and the bowl shattered instantly.

[Ding! Talent detected]

[Successfully replicated talent: "Cat Turn"]

[Talent Introduction: Excellent sense of balance]

In his mind, less than a minute after defeating Chiba Jutaro, the system notification sounded again.

However, Qing Deng had no time to listen carefully to what effect his newly acquired talent, "Cat Turn," actually had.

The battle is far from over.

After the porcelain bowl on her forehead was shattered, Sanako stood frozen in place, as if petrified.

Aoto and Okita swiftly passed through the left and right sides of Sanako, who had already been eliminated, and rushed forward like a whirlwind to the front of the Chiba Kenkan "main camp," which was now wide open and had no opponents left!

Once again, gasps of surprise erupted from the audience.

"Ah!" Kinoshita Mai, who was engrossed in watching, subconsciously exclaimed excitedly, "Tachibana-kun and the others are about to storm the main camp of the Chiba Sword Hall!"

Kinoshita Mai's shout was really loud.

Many people around turned their heads and cast questioning glances at Kinoshita Mai.

Under the questioning gazes of everyone, Kinoshita Mai, realizing that she had just done something quite attention-grabbing, blushed deeply.

"I'm so sorry..."

After saying "I'm sorry" in a voice only she could hear, Kinoshita Mai quickly lowered her head and tightened her shoulders, as if trying to make her body smaller so that no one around her could see her anymore...

Kinoshita Mai wasn't the most excited one.

Right next to her, there was a woman who was even more agitated than she was.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"

Abi slapped her thigh hard while shouting excitedly.

Because she was too emotional, she couldn't utter a complete sentence and could only keep making meaningless "ah ah ah" noises.

Unlike Kinoshita Mai, who is introverted and shy, Abi remained calm and composed even when stared at by many people around her with confused and impatient eyes.

"Zhou, Zhouzhu! Are we going to win? Are we going to win?" Abi kept her eyes glued to the field while tugging hard at Zhouzhu's collar.

"Madam, don't get so excited..." Zhou Zhu, who was having some difficulty breathing because of A Bi's pulling, smiled bitterly and nodded his chin with difficulty in the direction of Kondo and the others on the field. "Whether we can win... it's hard to say. The 'Red and White Battle' is a game where all sorts of unexpected things can happen. I can only say that we have a high chance of winning right now."

"The strength of the Chiba Sword Hall is still quite formidable."

"Look, someone has successfully shaken off Yong and the others."

At this moment, both good news and bad news came to Shannan.

The good news is that, through his desperate struggle, he finally managed to break free from Kondo's clutches.

The bad news is that the timing of his escape from Kondo's entanglement was terrible... Sanako has now been defeated, and Aoto and Okita have broken through the Chiba siblings' joint defense and are advancing towards their Chiba Kenkan's "main camp".

But Shannan did not show the slightest discouragement.

As Yamanami successfully broke free from Kondo's entanglement, two members of the left and right wings of the Chiba Sword Hall also managed to escape the clutches of Shieikan.

Led by Yamanami, the three swordsmen, who finally had the strength to return to defend the "main camp," raised their bamboo swords without saying a word and chased after Aoto and Okita with a courageous and pioneering spirit.

At this moment, Qing and Chong had already swept through the back of the Little Chiba Sword Hall, which was now deserted due to the defeat of the Chiba siblings, and arrived at the "main camp" of the Little Chiba Sword Hall!

The general of the Chiba Kenkan is a newcomer named Asakura who has only recently joined the Chiba Kenkan.

Just now, as soon as Aoto and Okita began their fierce battle with the Chiba siblings in the middle of the field, Asakura fell into an extremely confused and bewildered state.

Should I go up and help Chiba-kun and the others?

However... before the match, Chiba-kun specifically instructed me: as the captain, I must stay in the safest place at all times and protect the porcelain bowl on my forehead.

Yes, I'll stay in the "main camp" for now.

But... it seems like Chiba-kun and the others are at a disadvantage... should I go up and help them...?

……

No one gave him instructions, and Asakura was at a loss, unsure of what to do. He couldn't advance or retreat.

He stood there blankly, at a loss, until now—until Qing Deng and Okita rushed into the main camp of the Chiba Sword Hall where he was, like two hungry tigers pouncing on him!

Although he is a newcomer, he is still a swordsman from the Chiba Sword Hall, and not some weakling who can be easily manipulated.

After quickly glancing at Aoto and Okita who were attacking him, as well as the three from Yamanami who could finally return to defend in the distance, Asakura's face darkened, and he raised the bamboo sword in his hand.

In order to buy time for Yamanami and others to return to their positions, Asakura adopted a completely cowardly strategy.

They don't retaliate at all, only focusing on defense and dodging.

Given Asakura's strength, even if he adopts a defensive, "cowardly" approach, he would be no match for the combined attack of Aoto and Okita.