I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The two of them assumed the starting stance of the Shigenryu style.

The next instant, the two swords that were slashing down at the same time collided in mid-air!

clang--!!!

The loud sound made one wonder, "Is this still two knives clashing? Or is it really not two giant hammers?"

The incredibly intense shockwave emanated from the point where the two blades clashed, spreading outwards in all directions.

The soldiers watching the battle nearby were all affected by the shockwave, and they couldn't help but lower their eyelids, using their eyelashes to filter the strong wind.

In the blink of an eye, the outcome of this unexpected confrontation was decided.

With a loud bang, as if bounced away by an invisible shockwave, Okada Izo resembled a standing long jumper, except that he jumped backward instead of forward.

He "leaped" backward for nearly 3 meters before he could finally regain his balance.

In contrast, Qing Deng remained as still as a mountain, maintaining his stance as if drawing his sword, his feet firmly planted on the ground.

Even someone who knows nothing about martial arts can immediately tell who the winner is.

"Tsk...!"

Okada Izo smacked his lips hard, his expression becoming extremely serious, and he frantically tried to relax his swollen hands and fingers.

At the same time, Qing Deng was also moving his wrists.

Although he had successfully repelled Okada Izo, the opponent's heavy slash had still made his hands numb.

He hadn't encountered an opponent who could make his hands go numb in a long time!

—To be able to drive Heisuke into a corner, you really have some skill.

Upon realizing this, Qing Deng felt his fighting spirit surge!

He never imagined that within just one month, he would become enemies with another "human killer," following "Human Killer Yanzhai."

But... this is perfect!

As his strength grows day by day, the number of opponents who can arouse his interest and motivation is becoming increasingly smaller!

“My brothers received your ‘care’ a while ago.”

As he spoke, a "clang" was heard—Qing Deng raised the Vairocana stance, beginning the middle section.

"Come on, 'Man-Slaying Hidden,' let me see just how capable you are."

Seeing that his opponent had already taken a fighting stance, Okada Izo dared not be careless and immediately raised his sword, adopting the Blue Eye stance.

The atmosphere on set immediately became tense.

The atmosphere between Aoto and Okada Izo... if I had to describe it in one sentence, it would be: it was on the verge of exploding!

Those watching the battle couldn't help but hold their breath, afraid of making the slightest sound.

The silence lasted only a moment.

"Look at the knife!"

Before he finished speaking, with a "whoosh," the blade in Okada Izo's hand drew a breathtaking arc in mid-air, heading straight for Aoto's eyes.

To the average person, this was a lightning-fast strike.

However, Qing Deng didn't even look at the "Thunderous Slash," and took a half step back as if strolling in a garden, easily dodging the attack.

You retreat, he advances—Okada Izo strode forward, relentlessly pursuing his target.

One slash, two slashes, three slashes, four slashes... a continuous, wave-like barrage of slashes drew a vast silver net in mid-air, enveloping Qingdeng with overwhelming force.

Although their momentum should not be underestimated, Qingdeng still handled the situation with ease.

He could always find the barely perceptible gaps in this "silver net" and then nimbly "drill" through them.

Less than half a minute has passed since the two started fighting.

In such a short time, Okada Izo had already unleashed dozens of slashes, each one deadly, aimed directly at Aoto's vital points.

It must be said that its cutting speed and accuracy are truly astonishing!

But as of now, his blade hasn't even managed to touch a single hem of Qing Deng's clothes!

Qingdeng was like a magnet that repelled the blade—he would automatically dodge whenever the blade came at him.

The closer the blade got to him, the more he would dodge.

--impossible……!

Okada Izo stared wide-eyed, and blood vessels began to appear in the whites of his eyes.

—Impossible…!

He gritted his teeth, tensed every nerve and muscle in his body, and tried to unleash all the power hidden within him.

—How could the gap between us be so big...!

He had already exhausted all his strength and used every trick in the book he could think of.

However... however...

Every strike he unleashed, using all his skills, couldn't even scratch a hair on Qing Deng's head!

In fact, Okada Izo made the same mistake as Nasu Shingo and others who had fallen to Aoto's blade before—overestimating Aoto while overestimating himself.

Even if I am no match for King Ni, with my skills I should be able to put up a fight with him! I might even be able to leave one or two deep wounds on him!

Okada Izo did not expect to be able to defeat Aoto on his own.

From the very beginning, his goal was to hold back Aoto and the main force of the Shinsengumi, buying time for Takechi Hanpeita to escape.

If conditions permit, injure Qingdeng as much as possible.

In this way, he could die in peace.

The swordsman who wounded "Nioh"... that's enough to make him famous throughout the world!

But the result... he never expected that he would be met with a one-sided crushing defeat!

—I am clearly Master Wu's prized student…

—I am clearly the strongest of the Tosa Loyalist Party

—I am a "human killer who hides his body"!

Swordsmanship was Okada Izo's livelihood and also his source of pride.

His wounded pride, coupled with his worries about Takeshi Hanpeita and his frustration at not being able to hit Aoto, caused his eyes to gradually turn red.

"Aa ...

He roared and swung the blade even more vigorously.

Some perceptive people can now more or less see that Qingdeng seems to be experimenting with something.

Aside from the initial exchange of blows, Qing Deng did not employ any further offensive tactics.

He lowered his arms, letting the tip of the knife lightly touch the ground, maintaining his lower stance, constantly dodging the opponent's attacks without counterattacking.

No wonder Kawakami Gensai always managed to dodge my sword.

Looking at the blade that had once again slashed through the air, Qing Deng couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

Whenever Okada Izo launches an offensive, a strong signal is sent from the depths of Aoto's mind.

This signal also indicated to him the direction of the approaching danger.

Without a doubt, this is the effect of his newly acquired talent – ​​Precognition +9!

They possess an extremely strong ability to sense impending dangers, and the level of perception increases with the severity of the danger. However, this ability will not be triggered for people or things that they do not perceive as a threat—even just reading the text description allows one to vaguely sense its power.

Qingdeng knew that this was an immeasurable and powerful talent, but only now, after being thrown into actual combat, did he truly realize its power!

In terms of "early warning capability" alone, its effect far surpasses "speed +6"!

Just as its name suggests, it seems to possess the ability to foresee the future!

However, this talent only applies to hostile behavior.

In other words, this talent will not activate for non-hostile actions.

Regardless, this is a god-level talent that can rival talents such as "Divine Brain +9" and "Invincibility +7"!

Its early warning capabilities, combined with Qing Deng's extremely abnormal physical abilities, allow it to evade enemy attacks effortlessly.

In conclusion, with the help of this talent, Qingdeng's reaction speed and dodging ability have been greatly improved!

Qing Deng originally wanted to fight Okada Izo for a few more rounds to continue testing the limits of "Precognition +9".

But to his surprise... before he could even retaliate, the other party collapsed on their own.

At first glance, Okada Izo seemed to be getting stronger and stronger in battle, and his swordsmanship was becoming more and more fierce.

Others might not notice anything amiss, but Qing Deng, as the opponent, clearly sensed that Okada Izo had become weaker.

To put it bluntly, Okada Izo's current swordsmanship is nothing more than a facade of strength.

In the world of martial arts, the most important thing is "tranquility of mind".

Once you lose your composure, you can't make the right judgments, and the blade you unleash will lose its sharpness due to impatience.

Qingdeng could tell at a glance that the other person's mind was in turmoil.

He's attacking for the sake of attacking, playing haphazardly.

His anxiety was like a drop of ink falling into clear water—though only a small drop, it made the whole basin of water murky.

The threat he poses to Qingdeng now is not as great as it was just now.

Qing Deng couldn't help but feel disappointed by this.

"...Boy, before you defeat the enemy of the sword, you must first defeat the enemy of the heart."

The instant he finished speaking, Qingdeng leaped lightly upwards, easily dodging another strike from his opponent.

The instant he landed, he swung his Vairocana sword down from mid-air, aiming straight for Okada Izou's face!

His strike was far more ferocious and terrifying than any of the strikes Okada Izo had just made!

Okada Izo was terrified and instinctively raised his knife to catch it.