I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

After hearing this, everyone agreed that it made sense, and their expressions softened considerably.

Matsumoto Keido, seizing the opportunity, continued:

"Gaoqu City is one of the most renowned cities in the world! It's impossible for someone to break in so easily..."

Suddenly, his words came to an abrupt halt...

Because right in front of him, at the edge of his field of vision, a light green figure suddenly appeared.

Its speed is extremely fast.

One second it was a tiny dot the size of a mung bean.

At this moment, Matsumoto Keido and the others could see the true face of the figure.

With his tall stature and robust physique, he was clearly a top-tier samurai.

Of course, Matsumoto Keido didn't have the time to appreciate this man's charming physique.

Because... after seeing the person's face clearly, his brain went into a brief lapse.

At the same time, his cheeks filled with shock and horror at a visible speed.

Overwhelmed by horror, he opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to call out the man's name.

However, someone behind him preemptively shouted out that name for him with a scream—

"It's Aoto Tachibana!!!"

……

……

Qingdeng carried the Vairocana and hurried to the main elixir along the route he remembered.

A short while later, he barged straight into the Sanno Maru.

Immediately afterwards, he ran into Matsumoto Keido and his group.

Seeing the enemy appear ahead, he didn't waste any words—he slightly bent his knees, gathered his strength in his waist and abdomen, and leaped out! He jumped into the middle of the enemy group!

He first used gravity and the potential energy from his falling body to cut down the first person, then swung the knife upwards to knock down the second person, and then spun his body like a top, using his left foot as a pivot.

The hem of the haori (a type of traditional Chinese garment) traces a beautiful arc.

Along with it, a purple blade of light drew a beautiful arc!

With a single strike, he swept away five people in one go!

Those who managed to escape Qingdeng's attack scrambled to retreat and distance themselves from him.

In the blink of an eye, a "no man's land" appeared around Qingdeng.

Matsumoto Keido's face was extremely pale and unhealthy.

He never expected that Tachibana Aoto, the commander-in-chief of the Shinsengumi, would actually storm Takatori Castle all by himself!

Has he gone mad?!

They barged in without even a guard?!

Isn't he afraid of dying?!

Or... is he confident that he can conquer Gaoqu City alone and escape unscathed?

Compared to Aoto's boundless courage, Matsumoto Keido was even more astonished by his "dramatic" fate.

He never imagined that he would one day face off against Niou!

However, he truly deserves to be the second-in-command of the Heavenly Punishment Group.

After a brief period of panic and confusion, his reason regained control over his body and mind.

He swallowed hard, forced himself to stay calm, and said loudly:

"Don't be afraid! We are determined to hold this place precisely because we want to fight the Mujin traitors, aren't we?!"

These words calmed the panic at the scene somewhat.

The expressions on the faces of the soldiers of the Heavenly Punishment Group around them became much calmer.

If it were an ordinary person, suddenly encountering the "infamous" Qingdeng, they would probably have already collapsed and fled due to a loss of morale.

However, after the crushing defeat in the battle on the city walls and the heavy blow of being declared a rebel by the imperial court, those who still wished to remain in this place were all mentally prepared to die at any time and not to back down no matter how strong the enemy was!

Despite their fear, they mustered the last bit of courage within them, gripped their weapons tightly, and glared fiercely at Qingdeng.

Matsumoto Keido issued the following instructions:

"Don't fight alone! Let's all go together! Don't give him a chance to breathe!"

Then, they hurriedly changed positions, surrounding Qingdengli in layers.

Knives and guns stood facing each other towards Qingdeng.

From the moment he started standing there, Qingdeng had been standing there casually.

With his arms hanging naturally, the tip of his knife lightly touched the ground, without even striking a pose.

He casually swept his gaze around, observing his surroundings.

"kill!"

After roaring, Matsumoto Keido bravely stepped forward to attack.

Immediately following, as if a chain reaction had occurred, the rest of the people rushed towards Qingdeng in droves.

Seeing that the battle had begun, Qingdeng silently raised his hands to form the Vairocana in his palms, beginning the next stance.

In battle, the side with numerical superiority often makes a mistake: assuming they can coordinate perfectly.

In reality, without proper training, it is difficult to achieve a well-organized and orderly approach when a large group of people go into battle together.

Some people always move faster, while others move slower.

This created a flaw, giving Qingdeng an opportunity to exploit!

Facing hordes of enemies, Qingdeng not only doesn't feel overwhelmed, but instead feels invigorated!

Talent "Lone Wolf +3", activated!

Qingdeng gently twisted his body to dodge the blade of the enemy in front of him, then slightly raised the tip of his blade and pierced the chest of the enemy on his left.

As he pulled the knife back to his hand, he swept it across another person's body, slicing open their neck.

Immediately afterwards, he arched his back, gripped the blade upside down, the tip scraping the ground, and while rapidly retreating, he stabbed the knife behind him—the extremely familiar, sluggish feeling.

The man whose abdomen had been pierced didn't even have time to let out a scream before collapsing onto Qingdeng's back, lifeless.

"Drink it! Aaaaaaaah!"

One of the gunmen seized the opportunity and lunged at Qingdeng from the front, thrusting his gun forward.

Seeing this, Qing Deng raised his right hand and with a "whoosh" drew another sword from his waist—the long-unused Ding Gui Shen!

When fighting in a group, using dual swords is more efficient at killing enemies!

Sword Drawing Technique: Flowing Light!

Qing Deng used his single arm to unleash a beam of light, severing the tip of the short spear that was already within arm's reach.

At the same time, Qingdeng secretly exerted force with his left hand, pulling Vairocana back from the corpse on his back.

In the next instant, he took a step forward and crouched down, closing the distance between himself and the gunman in one breath—a flash of light appeared—the gunman's waist was still connected by only a small portion of flesh and blood.

"call……"

Qingdeng exhaled a breath of stale air.

Taking advantage of the exhalation, he suddenly changed his breathing pattern, his chest rising and falling in a strange rhythm.

It was the breathing technique that Kiryu taught him—the Genji Breathing.

I must say, this breathing method is really practical.

Whenever Qingdeng uses this breathing method, he feels that his concentration becomes more focused.

——1……4……8……13……

Qingdeng quickly counted the number of remaining enemies and their current locations.

Under his relentless attacks, Matsumoto Keido and his men's formation had become a complete mess.

The detailed account of Qingdeng's "battle preparations" makes it seem as if a long time has passed.

In reality, it all happened in the blink of an eye.

Qing Deng flipped his wrists, and the two swords in his hands drew neat and sleek lines.

He switched to his unique dual-sword style grip—the left hand gripped Vairocana upright, while the right hand gripped Ding Guishen in reverse.

Talents "Ambidextrous" and "Competitive Hands and Feet +1", activated!

Qingdeng ran around in the wide passage, further maneuvering the enemy, distracting them, and disrupting their formation.

Suddenly, he spread his arms wide and launched an attack!

Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!

Four sounds of flesh being cut rang out in succession.

Qing Deng swung his swords like a windmill, the two blades in his hands resembling the blades of a windmill, instantly taking the lives of the four enemies surrounding him.

He was wielding the sword with one hand, yet he managed to make it look like a greatsword! One strike, and there was no injury, only death!

In the blink of an eye, Qingdeng suddenly pulled his front foot back and knelt down on the ground, his tall body sinking down.

Just as his knees were about to hit the ground, he swung his knife upwards with lightning speed—slicing off the skull of yet another enemy attacking him.

Qingdeng's offensive was swift and decisive!

In just a few seconds, the once noisy passageway became completely silent.

Looking around, the only person still alive... is Matsumoto Keido.

Matsumoto Keido took a cautious, half-step forward with his feet barely touching the ground, then quickly retreated to his original position.

His posture became incredibly awkward due to tension and timidity.