I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Qing Deng concentrated his strength on his toes, further increasing his speed, completely disregarding whether his allies behind him were keeping up.

Before long, another enemy came into Qingdeng's view.

This time, the enemies that appeared no longer charged forward with howling cries.

Instead, it stood upright in the very middle of the mountain road, striking a flawless mid-level stance.

From the front, the person's body appeared to be neatly divided into two halves by the eerie blue light of the blade.

Facing the imposing Qing Deng head-on, he showed no fear... Just by looking at his demeanor, one could tell that this person was no ordinary individual!

With a formidable enemy ahead, Qingdeng did not hesitate for a moment and charged straight at him.

The battle began in an instant!

In the blink of an eye, the air shifted slightly—the opponent launched the first attack, shouting and slashing with his sword. The steel blade in his hand suddenly slid upwards, heading straight for Qing Deng's waist and abdomen.

The speed of this strike was astonishing.

Even masters of Nagakura Shinpachi's caliber, Saito Hajime, would have to hold their breath and concentrate their full strength to neutralize this attack.

However, Qing Deng's solution was very simple.

He nimbly jumped to the side, easily dodging the attack.

The moment he landed, the knife in his hand slashed down from mid-air, striking his opponent squarely in the chest.

With a soft thud, a huge wound, resembling the East African Grand Canyon, was ripped open in the man's chest.

"Ho...! Ho ho...!"

Accompanied by hoarse, rough groans, the other person weakly bent his knees, his neck drooping limply in front of his chest, as if staring at the huge wound on his chest.

Dodge, then retaliate—it's that simple.

Qing Deng subdued this expert with just these two moves!

If you examine Qingdeng's movements closely, you will find that there is nothing special about them.

It was just a normal jump dodge and a normal downward slash.

However, its speed is unbelievably fast!

With such incredible speed, no matter what move Qing Deng uses, it will be enough to kill his opponent!

Even sword masters who are capable of competing with Nagakura Shinpachi and Saito Hajime are powerless against Aoto, who is currently in a "strange state"!

—Faster!!!

Qingdeng gritted his teeth, lowered his waist, and rushed towards the top of the mountain with even greater speed.

He was always at the forefront, charging ahead of the charge.

Now, in his headlong rush, completely oblivious to his surroundings, he gradually left his companions far behind, and the distance between them continued to widen!

Such behavior caused concern among the commander and others back at the rear.

Serizawa Kamo glanced at Aoto's location and frowned:

"Hey, hey, hey, isn't Lord Tachibana's position a little precarious?!"

Upon hearing this, Hijikata Toshizo immediately raised his gaze to search for Aoto's figure, then frowned—Aoto was already hundreds of meters away, his figure as small as a mung bean, and he could disappear from their sight at any moment.

"What is Ju doing? Why did he rush to that place? Is this battle that exciting for him?"

Nagakura Shinpachi took a deep breath and shouted:

"Mr. Orange! Wait for us! You've gone too far ahead! Come back! You've fallen behind the group!"

Even the invincible Qingdeng, fighting in the complex mountainous terrain, could easily encounter danger if separated from his unit.

Nagakura Shinpachi was one of the loudest voices in the Shinsengumi.

Everyone was quite certain that Nagakura Shinpachi's voice had definitely reached Aoto's ears.

However, Qingdeng seemed not to hear, focusing intently on moving forward and killing all enemies along the way.

In fact, Aoto did not hear Nagakura Shinpachi's voice.

His ears naturally blocked out all sounds unrelated to the battle.

Only one thought remained in his mind—fight!

I want to fight!

I can go even faster!

My strength can grow even greater!

I'm in such a fantastic state right now! I feel like I can do anything! I need to see where my limits are!

Saito Hajime, who was usually quiet, spoke up after noticing Aoto's unusual state:

"Mr. Ju... he's in such good spirits today... it's like he's a completely different person..."

Hijikata Toshizo, Nagakura Shinpachi, and the others nodded in agreement.

Compared to normal times, Qingdeng's current condition is far superior!

His current state... to put it simply, is that he's unstoppable, like a god or a Buddha!

Even those who were on friendly sides couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines after witnessing Qingdeng's fierce offensive that "caused the enemy to crumble and fall with every move he made."

Souji: "..."

As one of the people closest to Qingdeng, she was the first to notice Qingdeng's abnormality.

The commander-in-chief is a person who is good at reading people's expressions and can see what others cannot.

Therefore, she instinctively sensed that Qingdeng's fierce and desperate fighting was not necessarily aimed at defeating the enemy and leading to victory.

Rather, it was to... test one's current abilities.

Seeing Qingdeng in such excellent and rapid condition, she was naturally pleased.

But...but...

For some reason, a sense of worry and...fear suddenly arose in her heart.

……

……

Qingdeng's offensive became increasingly fierce!

Using phrases like "unstoppable" or "unstoppable momentum" to describe it would be too mild and inappropriate.

He sprinted, leaped, and attacked.

The soldiers of Changzhou Army were routed, screaming and dying.

Just then, Qingdeng suddenly felt that the view in front of him had opened up—there was no longer any mountain road extending upwards.

The first thing that catches the eye is a neatly cleared flat area.

Immediately afterwards, a military flag bearing the inscription "One Character Three Stars" unfurled in the wind.

A considerable number of Changzhou soldiers—most of them dressed in fine armor—gathered here.

Qingdeng immediately realized: he had reached the summit!

"Damn it! What are the men down there doing! How did they let the enemy attack so quickly!"

"Was he the only bandit who attacked?"

"Don't let your guard down! He is Niou!"

"Bring me the cannons! When you're an enemy of the King of Kings, there's no need to worry about morality!"

"As long as we kill King Ren, even if we lose this battle, it will be a glorious defeat!"

A jumble of shouts surrounded Qingdeng.

Swords, spears, bows and arrows, matchlock guns... all sorts of weapons were aimed at Qingdeng from all directions.

This is, after all, the enemy's main camp, so it is only natural that it has such a strong defensive force.

The enemy not only generally wore armor with extremely strong defensive capabilities, but also had a wide variety of attack methods, including melee and ranged attacks.

From any perspective, this is a fierce battle that cannot be taken lightly.

If things go wrong, you might get taken down by a sniper or a stray arrow.

Seeing the enemy's formation, Qingdeng's expression finally changed.

However, he did not show any fear or timidity.

Instead, a faint look of excitement appeared on his face, like a hunter encountering a top-quality prey.

He quickly scanned the area, searching for Kusaka Genrui.

Just like Katsura Kogoro, Kusaka Genzui was very good-looking, a handsome man with a distinctive appearance.

However, Qing Deng searched carefully but could not find anyone who resembled Kusaka Genzui.

—Never mind...it doesn't matter.

He curled the corners of his mouth into a slight smile and chuckled softly.

—Kusaka Genzui's head is not the primary target right now.

Taking Tianwang Mountain is the top priority right now.

He glanced around again, this time not looking for Kusaka Genrui, but at the enemies in front of him who had become "transparent" in his eyes.

Although Qingdeng had been pushing his internal power since the beginning, trying to test the limits of his strength after entering this peculiar state, he still felt that he had a lot of power that he had not yet unleashed!

Thinking of this, Qingdeng felt his whole body burning hot. The flame called "battle will" was burning fiercely in his chest cavity, and every nerve, every muscle, and every cell in his body was eager to try!

—I can get even stronger!

Come on, let's keep fighting!

He hissed as he took a deep breath, fearlessly facing the blades, arrowheads, and gun barrels before him. He calmly spread his arms, unleashing his attack—

……

……