I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Despite trying to recall, the content of the dream gradually faded away, and it was impossible to grasp it.

He couldn't recall a single detail of how he wielded his sword, how he killed the enemy, or how he annihilated the main camp of the Choshu army.

Only his palms still retained a faint, lingering sensation of "blades piercing his body".

With a soft "plop," Qingdeng pulled Vairocana from the corpse in front of him and held it back to his side, a trail of blood dripping down.

The body collapsed to the ground with a thud as it lost its support, splattering countless drops of blood.

The wonderful state of "the world becoming transparent" and "merging with the world" had vanished with his "awakening".

—Am I being "swallowed"...?

A faint look of unease appeared on Qing Deng's face.

While the others were unaware of the details of his earlier frenzied behavior, he himself was fully aware of it—he was intoxicated by the power of that "invincible state"! He was so engrossed in it that he lost his mind!

He was consumed by that "invincible state"!

In other words—he's gone mad!

Qingdeng lowered his head and stared intently at Vairocana, whose body was stained with blood.

He never expected that his path in martial arts would take such a turn; it was truly the first time in his life he had ever witnessed such a change.

Although it might sound heartless to say this, he still wants to experience that "invincible state" again!

As far as his eyes could see, nothing could hide from him; the whole world was "transparent" in his eyes. His limbs and bones merged with the world, and endless power surged from his body... just like the name Qingdeng gave him: Invincible!

This "invincible state" is simply too powerful! It's as if it can do everything! Just like a god!

Once you've experienced this "invincible state," the exhilarating and intense pleasure will be deeply etched into your memory, making it hard to resist.

Suddenly, a loud commotion arose from below the hillside—it turned out that the other soldiers were attacking from behind.

They stormed into the main camp of the Changzhou army, and upon seeing the horrific scene of blood flowing like a river, they all cried out in shock.

In a short while, the gasps of surprise quickly turned into cheers.

They were unaware of what Qingdeng had just experienced; they only knew that the main force of the Changzhou army had been annihilated and victory was imminent.

Hijikata Toshizo, regaining his senses, shouted loudly:

"Don't just stand there! Quickly cut down the Changzhou army's flag! Raise our flag!"

Amidst the rising and falling cheers, the soldiers swarmed towards those sides, hacking them down with their swords.

Shortly afterward, the "Three-Leaf Sunflower Flag" symbolizing the shogunate, the "Sincere Flag" symbolizing the Shinsengumi, and the "Maru Cross Flag" symbolizing Satsuma were all erected and unfurled on Mount Tenno.

Looking at the three flags standing tall, the soldiers cheered and celebrated.

Shouts of "We won!", "We've won!", and "The people of Changzhou have lost!" echoed throughout Tianwang Mountain.

While cutting down the flag, Hijikata Toshizo personally led a group to search for Kusaka Genzui's body.

After searching unsuccessfully, he moved to Qingdeng's side with a somber expression:

"Tachibana, we couldn't find Kusaka Genzui's body. It seems he most likely escaped."

Both Qing Deng and Hijikata Toshizo were people who could distinguish between public and private matters and could prioritize tasks.

Hijikata Toshizo had recovered from his confusion about "what happened to Aoto just now" and focused his attention on the battle before him—as had Aoto.

"It's alright. As I said before, taking Tianwang Mountain is the top priority right now."

"As long as we can severely damage the Choshu army and capture Tennozan, Kusaka Genzui's head will be nothing more than an extra."

At this point, he turned to look at Nagakura Shinpachi:

"Shinba, the important task of 'wiping out the remaining soldiers on the mountain' is entrusted to you! Those who surrender will be spared! Those who resist will be killed without mercy!"

Nagakura Shinpachi nodded vigorously and loudly proclaimed, "Yes."

Then, Aoto turned to look at Saito Hajime.

"Ah-yi, I'm allocating 300 men to you. You will personally lead the team to search for anyone within a two-mile radius who might be Kusaka Genrui!"

[Note: One ri (里) in the Edo period was approximately equal to 3.924 kilometers in modern terms.]

"If you encounter Kusaka Genzui, capture him if you can, and if you can't, bring his head to me!"

Saito Hajime nodded slightly.

Aoto's gaze fell on Hijikata Toshizo, Souji, and Serizawa Kamo, who had not yet received their orders.

"Follow me! The battle is not over yet! We must pursue the Choshu army and drive them north to Saga Tenryu-ji Temple! We will further expand our gains!"

Having said that, Qingdeng vigorously shook his arm to remove the bloodstains remaining on the blade, then sheathed the sword and turned to leave the place.

Hijikata Toshizo quickly followed.

After a moment of surprise, Souji and Serizawa Kamo also immediately followed closely to Aoto's left and right.

The war is not over yet; it is not time to relax or get distracted.

Although he wished he could sit down immediately and concentrate on exploring that "invincible state" that he both loved and feared, he should focus on the battle at hand for now.

We'll talk about the rest later!

……

……

Somewhere on the northern slope of Tianwang Mountain—

"Huff...! Huff...! Huff...!"

"Mr. Kusaka! This way! Quickly!"

"This way! Go this way!"

"Hey! In this godforsaken place, is there even a road?!"

"Who knows! Let's just go wherever we can find a foothold!"

"Don't shout! If you attract the Shogunate's lackeys, things will get really bad!"

In the lush green mountains and forests, a splash of color was slowly moving.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that this was a remnant of the Changzhou army.

There were only a few people, about ten or so.

They moved hastily, their faces filled with fear, their nerves taut, seeing enemies everywhere. At first glance, they seemed no different from ordinary remnants of the army.

In reality, for the shogunate and the pro-shogunate faction, this seemingly insignificant remnant army was an undisputed big fish.

Because the leader of the radical faction and an important leader of the pro-imperial faction, Genzui Kusaka, was among them.

Like other generals of the Choshu army, Kusaka Genzui wore exquisite armor and a magnificent jinbaori.

Unfortunately, his once beautiful attire was now stained with blood, looking dusty and disheveled.

"...That's enough, don't worry about me, just run for your lives. A useless person like me is just a waste of food even if I live."

After saying that, he stopped in his tracks, sat cross-legged, and looked like he was saying, "This is it, I'm not going anywhere anymore."

At this moment, both the words he spoke and his facial expression were filled with intense despair.

He was expressionless, his eyes were numb, his gaze was fixed, and his face was completely bloodless, making him look like a living dead.

No sooner had he finished speaking than someone next to him shouted:

"Mr. Kusaka! What nonsense are you spouting?! Get up!"

"Mr. Hisaka! You are an indispensable leader in Choshu! We can do anything! You must not die!"

They grabbed Kusaka Genrui's arm and tried to pull him up.

However, Genzui Hisaka remained unmoved:

"Enough! I already told you, leave me alone!"

"The Shimonoseki War, the August 18 Incident, the Ikedaya Incident... I lost again and again, never once winning..."

"Having accomplished nothing, I have no face to face my fellow villagers..."

"I have no strength left to fight! Let me end this!"

The despair in his voice deepened.

Seeing Kusaka Genzui's appearance, everyone present showed sorrow on their faces.

Some even burst into tears, their faces filled with sorrow.

As fans of Genzui Hisaka, how could they not understand his feelings?

For this eastern expedition, the radicals, led by Kusaka Genzui, were all determined to "die or die trying."

The reason is simple—they've lost too many times already, and they can't afford to lose again!

Therefore, they desperately need a victory to boost the morale of the radicals! To boost the morale of the supremacists!

Even if we can't win a resounding victory, achieving some results is acceptable.

However... however...!

The war had barely begun when the Yamazaki battlefield, the main battlefield, suffered a crushing defeat.

Facing a combined force of Hijikata and Satsuma with only half their strength, they were easily defeated and chased like stray dogs to Mount Tenno. They were then surrounded and annihilated by the enemy's superior forces, and their 6,000-strong army completely collapsed.

Hisaka Genzui not only spearheaded this eastern expedition but also personally commanded the Yamazaki battlefield.

But in the end, the war he personally commanded turned out like this, resulting in the needless loss of 6,000 soldiers.

Therefore, it's hard to imagine what decent results this eastern expedition can achieve...

It is not hard to imagine the self-blame and grief he felt.

It's not hard to understand why he's ended up in this self-destructive state.

Despite Hisaka Genzui's explicit statement that he "didn't want to live anymore," the people present did not heed his advice.

"Mr. Kusaka, please cheer up!"

"Yes! Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war!"

With tears in their eyes, they pleaded with him while simultaneously taking action—one on each side of Kusaka Genrui's arms, half supporting and half dragging him away from the mountains.