I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"In any case, he is now the commander-in-chief of the Shinsengumi."

"His personal safety is inextricably linked to the Shinsengumi... no, to the entire Gyeonggi region!"

"How could he possibly take the hits like a foot soldier again?"

Having said that, Yamanami Keisuke stopped in his tracks, turned around, and tried to return to his own camp.

However, he had only taken a few steps when Hijikata Toshizo stopped him.

"Alright, Shannan, there's no need to persuade her anymore. You can't change Ju's mind."

Yamanami Keisuke turned his head and cast a puzzled look at Hijikata Toshizo.

Hijikata Toshizo quietly continued the conversation:

“You’re absolutely right. Given Ju’s current status, he really needs to be cautious and shouldn’t act recklessly.”

"But... before he became the Governor of the Capital Region and the Commander-in-Chief of the Shinsengumi, he was first and foremost a 'swordsman'."

At this point, Hijikata Toshizo raised his hand and gently stroked the sword at his waist.

"In my opinion... the reason why Tachibana formulated such a battle plan, such as 'reducing troop casualties' and 'quick victory', are all secondary reasons."

"He simply wanted to fight!"

……

……

With the order to "prepare for the siege" issued, each unit began its deployment in earnest.

It was only evening, and the Shinsengumi's various units had already completed their preparations for the siege.

Takatori Castle has a total of 8 gates, namely—

The Kōzaka Gate on the due west side.

The black gate on the due north side.

The northeast gate of Gangkou.

To the east are the Yaba Gate, Matsuno Gate, Uda Gate, Chihaya Gate, and Gakuto Gate.

With the north as the main attacking direction, Kinoshita Mai's goal is to open the Black Gate directly to the north.

Therefore, the main force of the newly formed group was deployed in the north.

Squads 1, 3, and 6 are responsible for attacking the Black Gate to the north.

The second and fourth squads are responsible for attacking the northeast gate of Okaguchi.

The 5th and 8th Divisions are responsible for attacking the Tsubosaka Gate on the west side.

Although there are many city gates on the east side, a total of five, the area is adjacent to dense forests and has rugged terrain, making it difficult to deploy troops. Therefore, it was not chosen as the direction of attack, and only the 7th and 10th Divisions, which were not involved in the siege, were deployed to monitor the area.

Kinoshita Mai will open the black gate on the due north side from the inside for the entire army.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the first, third, and sixth squads stormed into the city in one fell swoop, successively opening the northeast gate of Okaguchi and the west gate of Tsubosaka, paving the way for the rest of the troops.

During this time, the Qingdeng Association continued to attack the Honmaru, disrupting the enemy's deployment and drawing their attention.

At this moment, everything is ready except for the final push.

The entire Shinsengumi army is fully equipped and ready to go.

Now... all that's left is for Aoto and Kinoshita Mai to infiltrate!

……

……

That night--

Takatori Castle, somewhere in the northeast—

A night breeze rustled through the trees.

The sky was covered with dark clouds, as black as ink, with only a gap in the clouds in the northern sky revealing a bright crescent moon that cast down its light.

Aoto tightened the sleeves of his light blue haori with a sleeve tie.

Although he was wearing a full set of armor, including chainmail, arm armor, and leg armor, this weight was nothing to Qingdeng, whose physical strength far surpassed that of ordinary people.

Even when wearing heavy armor and quivering, he could still run swiftly through the mountains and forests.

As for Kinoshita Mai standing next to him, she doesn't have such abnormal physical abilities.

Therefore, her equipment was made as lightweight as possible.

To make movement easier, she immediately changed into her classic look—a black ninja outfit with only her beautiful eyes showing.

Because it had been so long since I'd seen Kinoshita Mai in this outfit, Aoto couldn't help but feel a sense of novelty and excitement.

The treacherousness of this mountain range should not be underestimated.

Several cliffs are almost 90 degrees in angle.

Even Qing Deng and Mu Shita, who were exceptionally skilled in agility, had to hold their breath and concentrate, daring not to relax.

Finally... after crossing a cliff, the terrain became a little flatter, and I was able to walk properly on my own two legs, without having to climb up and down so painfully anymore.

Thanks to this, Aoto finally had a chance to strike up a conversation with Kinoshita Mai:

"...That's really unexpected."

Kinoshita Mai blinked in confusion:

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

Aoto turned his head to the side, a smile playing on his lips as he looked at Kinoshita Mai.

"I thought you, Tsukasa, and Sanako would all try to persuade me not to do anything reckless."

Upon hearing this, Kinoshita Mai slightly curved the corners of her mouth and chuckled.

"Because we know you very well."

Even if I advise you not to do anything reckless, you won't listen, will you?

At this point, Kinoshita Mai raised her gaze and cast a look at Aoto that was half reproachful and half helpless.

Qing Deng chuckled and did not refute.

Because that is indeed the case.

Even if Sanako, Kinoshita Mai, and Souji teamed up to dissuade Aoto, he wouldn't change his mind.

Regardless, he wanted to venture into Gaoqu City alone!

There is no reason.

It's just pure desire!

“I won’t advise you to ‘stay in the camp.’”

Kinoshita Mai continued.

"But... you must come back safely!"

After saying that, she held out her little fist to Qingdeng.

Seeing this, Qing Deng also extended his fist.

Two fists, one large and one small, faced each other across the air.

"Yes!"

……

……

Just as it was about 1 a.m., the two finally arrived at the foot of the walls of Takatori Castle!

They were currently in the area between the Sannomaru and the Kunimi-yagura.

According to the map, this is the weakest point of Takatori Castle.

This place is like a slender neck, connecting Sannomaru and Kunimi-yagura. If an attack can be launched from here, Takatori Castle can be cut into two unconnected parts, making it the best position for an attack.

The Heavenly Punishment Group's forces were far too weak. Using a mere 300 soldiers to guard such a large city was like putting a child in an adult's clothes; they simply couldn't maintain a strong presence with guards every three or five steps. Therefore, they could only focus on key areas.

This gave Aoto and Kinoshita Mai an opportunity.

Qingdeng strained his ears, listening intently to the sounds around him.

After confirming that there were no enemies behind the city wall, he raised his eyes and gave Kinoshita Mai a look.

Kinoshita Mai nodded slightly, then quietly emerged from the bushes where she was hiding.

The city wall is about 5 meters high... For ordinary people, this is an insurmountable obstacle.

However, for Mai Kinoshita, a wall of this height was nothing.

After all... she's an expert at bypassing internet censorship!

After emerging from the bushes where she was hiding, she first jogged, and then gradually accelerated!

Just three steps away from the city wall, she leaped up like a spring and flew towards the wall.

As she rose into the air, she drew the wakizashi from her lower back—the Echizen Yasutsugu given to her by Aoto—and held it with both hands behind her back, raising it high above her head.

The blade was aimed directly at the gaps between the city wall's bricks!

With a snap, the wakizashi plunged deep into the crevice in the rock! Most of the blade was embedded in it!

She was like she was on a horizontal bar, hanging from a knife.

The next moment, she took a deep breath, swayed slightly, gathered strength in her waist and abdomen, and then flipped upwards like folding paper, standing steadily on the hilt of the knife.

The knife was stuck 3 meters high... This way, Kinoshita Mai was less than 2 meters away from the top of the wall!

For Kinoshita Mai, this distance was no problem at all! She could easily climb over it by simply standing on tiptoe!

However, before jumping further up, she untied the tough rope wrapped around the hilt of the knife.

After receiving this fine sword from Qing Deng, Kinoshita Mai made some modifications to it.

First, she used a special black ink to paint the blade black.