I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 817 The Shinsengumi Displays Its Power! They Devastate the Sounjo Faction!

Suddenly, a huge figure loomed over Souji from the side.

"So you're 'Heavenly Sword'?! What an arrogant title! Let Matsuda Shigesuke take you on!"

Matsuda Shigesuke raised his sword overhead and roared as he charged toward Souji.

The commander turned his head to look at the other party, but did not take any action.

Because she had already sensed someone's arrival—

clang!

The two blades clashed in mid-air, sparks flying out in a bluish-white hue.

A sturdy, dashing samurai, also dressed in a light blue haori, rushed out from the side and blocked the blow for Souji.

"Seriously, Shinpachi, why are you taking so long to get here? Kondo and I have already been fighting for several rounds."

As he spoke, the commander cast a feigned reproachful glance at the other person.

Nagakura Shinpachi and Inoue Genzaburo, who are in charge of the second wave of the offensive, have entered the battlefield!

Nagakura Shinpachi grinned.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!"

"Shinpachi Nagakura, Captain of the 2nd Division of the Shinsengumi, Shinto Munen-ryu!"

Having said that, he secretly exerted a fierce force and deflected Matsuda Shigesuke's sword.

The immense force transmitted back along the blade caused Matsuda Shigesuke to cry out in pain.

Unable to stop, the blade shot upwards, exposing his body directly to Nagakura Shinpachi's eyes.

Seizing the opportunity, Nagakura Shinpachi stepped forward and cleaved down with force—though the blade was powerful, it did not deliver the solid feel of slicing through flesh and breaking bones.

It turned out that Matsuda Shigesuke had seen through Nagakura Shinpachi's intentions and, at the critical moment, displayed an agility that was extremely disproportionate to his size, nimbly taking half a step back to dodge the attack.

Nagakura Shinpachi's beloved sword—Banshu-ju-no-kami-yama-shige—failed to cut through the atmosphere, only the tip of the blade grazed the hem of Matsuda Shigesuke's clothes.

Seeing this, Nagakura Shinpachi raised his eyebrows, his lips curving to the left and right, his spirits soaring.

"Ha, you've got some skills!"

Before he finished speaking, he roused himself, lunged forward, and engaged Matsuda Shigesuke in a fierce battle.

On the other side—

"Little master!"

Inoue Genzaburo shouted loudly.

Before he finished speaking, he had already arrived—standing firmly behind Kondo Isami.

Kondo Isami tilted his head slightly, glanced at Inoue Genzaburo, and smiled:

"Uncle Yuan, I'm counting on you for my future!"

"Little master, we're in the same boat!"

The pale silvery moonlight streamed in through the window.

The two stood back to back, their two famous swords—Nagasone Kotetsu and Oshu Shirakawa Sumikane—stained with moonlight.

The enemies that surrounded them from all sides did not make them show the slightest fear.

Inoue Genzaburo adopted a mid-level stance, his eyes sweeping across the room as he meticulously observed his three opponents.

One of them glared at Inoue Genzaburo and shouted:

"State your name! I do not kill nameless nobodies!"

Inoue Genzaburo said calmly:

"Tengen Rishin-ryu, Captain of the 6th Division of the Shinsengumi, Inoue Genzaburo."

The instant he announced his address, Oshu Shirakawa Sumikane suddenly swerved through the moonlight, tracing a breathtaking arc in mid-air!

The next instant, blood splattered—the guy who had just been yelling "State your name!" immediately screamed, clutching his bloodied chest, and staggered towards his companion.

Almost at the same time, Kondo Isami, opposite him, spread his arms wide, unleashing a surge of sword energy—

"Drink up! Ahh ...

He first deflected the blade that was slashing at him diagonally, then focused his strength on his waist, accumulating power—the two actions of "deflecting the blade" and "accumulating power" were completed almost simultaneously.

In an instant, a fierce wind swept through Nagasone Kotetsu.

The first strike forced the enemy directly in front of him back.

The next strike slashed the arm of the enemy diagonally in front of him.

The final strike seemed to have eyes, cutting down the enemy hiding in a blind spot.

With three strikes, the "battle line" surrounding Kondo Isami crumbled instantly.

"Miyabe-sensei! Quick! This way!"

"No! We can't go that way! Going up the stairs takes too long, let's just climb through the window!"

"Are you stupid? It's so high, it's too dangerous!"

"Now that things have come to this, we have to jump, no matter how dangerous it is!"

As expected of the pro-democracy faction! They even fight amongst themselves over "how to escape."

Kondo Isami wiped the sweat and splattered blood from his face and turned to look at Miyabe Teizo.

Miyabe Teizo was not skilled in martial arts; his skills were slightly better than the average person, but only to a limited extent.

Therefore, to ensure his personal safety, he is always surrounded by a large number of highly skilled bodyguards.

At this moment, he was squeezed into a corner of the room, surrounded by bodyguards with extraordinary auras, and a bunch of good-for-nothings who were unwilling to fight the Shinsengumi and were pretending to protect Miyabe Teizou from the rear.

Roughly speaking, there were about ten people.

They formed a human wall, three layers deep, to firmly block the palace cauldron from behind.

If Kondo Isami wants to take Miyabe Teizou's neck, he will have to tear through this wall of people one by one.

Looking around, the scene was utterly chaotic.

To call it "a complete mess" would be an understatement.

Those brave and skilled warriors rushed forward, eager to get closer to the Shinsengumi.

Those cowardly rats who were afraid of death kept pushing their way to the back, to places far away from the Shinsengumi.

Chaos reigned, and every step was difficult.

However, it was precisely because of this chaos that Miyabe Teizō and the others had difficulty moving around, and they still hadn't escaped from this place, lingering in a corner.

Kondo Isami, who sees Miyabe Teizou as his biggest target, has been closely monitoring him.

Even during the fierce sword fight, he always used the corner of his eye to catch and lock onto Miyabe Teizo's figure, not letting him leave his field of vision.

Miyabe Teizō, Katsura Kogoro, and Yoshida Toshima—these three heads are the most important and valuable.

If we can take the heads off these three people, it will almost certainly be a victory for the Shinsengumi!

Kondo Isami took a deep breath, then, while brandishing his sword and shaking off the remaining blood, he charged at Miyabe Teizo!

Seeing this, Miyabe Teizō shouted:

"Watch out! The Shinsengumi commander is here!"

Instantly, his bodyguards held their breath, stood ready, their swords arrayed, and remained as immovable as mountains, inspiring awe in all who beheld them!

As for those who used the pretense of "protecting Miyabe-sensei" to retreat here and were unwilling to fight, they quickly scattered to the left and right and fled in their own way.

"Drink up! Ahh ...

With a powerful shout, Kondo Isami raised his sword overhead, adopted the Eight-Symbol Stance, and charged straight at Miyabe Teizō's bodyguards and the nearest enemy.

With a whoosh, the vertical slash of the Kotetsu created a whirlwind.

Its momentum was so fierce that it seemed to cut the man in two.

To everyone's surprise, the opponent did not dodge, but instead held the sword in his hand diagonally in front of his chest, taking the blow head-on!

With a clang, the two blades clashed in mid-air.

Kotetsu was completely undamaged, but the opponent's blade had a noticeable nick.

After getting close enough to Fujiwara's slash, the opponent groaned in pain, took half a step back, and then regained his balance.

In the next instant, he used a superb technique to deflect the force of the attack, causing the Kotetsu to move aside—the Kotetsu slid close to his blade, making a "clattering" sound as it moved towards the tip of his blade, creating a series of sparks.

Kondo Isao felt the force that had been pressing down on him suddenly shift to the side, causing him to lose his balance.

Seeing that Kondo Isami had made a mistake, the enemies on both sides immediately stepped forward and attacked from tricky angles to strike at Kondo Isami's vitals.

At this moment, Kondo Isami displayed the extraordinary strength of the "Fourth Head of the Tennen Rishin-ryu School".

In a flash, Kondo Isami steadied himself, adjusted his posture, and then leaped away as nimbly as a cat, unharmed.

After widening the distance, Kondo Isami exhaled the stale air that had been trapped in his lungs with a "ha," then greedily inhaled fresh air and regulated his breathing.

This is his personal habit; when the battle situation is tense, he will subconsciously hold his breath in order to concentrate and improve his focus.

—Miyabe Teizo's bodyguards are definitely not simple characters...!

Kondo Isami does not yet know the capabilities of the other bodyguards.

He had a clear view of the strength of the three people he had just faced.

According to Kondo Isami's own estimation, all three of them possessed formidable strength comparable to Inoue Genzaburo and Todo Heisuke!

Fighting multiple masters of this caliber at the same time... even someone as strong as Kondo Isami would not have an easy time.

At this moment, Miyabe Teizō, who had been keeping a close eye on Kondo Isami, suddenly spoke up:

"So you're Kondo Isami of the Shinsengumi? Just like the rumors say, you're a truly ferocious-looking fellow! 'Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians' is the trend of the times! Do you think you can go against the tide with just a sword?!"

Faced with Miyabe Teizo's rebuke, Kondo Isami gave a cold laugh.

"Even on the verge of death, he kept babbling on and on."