I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

He swiftly pulled Vairocana back to his side, completing the final act.

Their separation was only a matter of a moment.

A moment later, accompanied by two equally resounding thuds, the two were locked in combat once more.

Zhu Rong is unleashing his power.

Black smoke rose and spread.

The sparks exploded in my ears.

The air was filled with a foul, burning smell.

The sound of wood cracking could be heard repeatedly.

The flames gradually engulfed the temple roof.

Not far away, the Choshu battle flag, which was painted with "Ichimonji Sansei", was burned and fluttering up and down.

Within moments, no place without fire could be found within Tenryu-ji Temple.

The soldiers who stormed Tianlong Temple all retreated out of fear of the fire.

At this moment, only the two supreme commanders remain at Tenryu-ji Temple.

A one-on-one duel between two generals... even throughout the entire history of the world, this is a very rare occurrence.

"Drink—! Ha—!"

Two powerful shouts burst forth from Kusaka Genrui's throat.

He first launched a straight thrust, which Qing Deng dodged, and then switched to the Eight Pairs Formation, quickly delivering a second move, using the Kasaya Slash to heavily slash Qing Deng's chest.

This time, Qingdeng did not dodge, but instead placed Vairocana diagonally above his head.

With a clang, the two blades clashed.

Qing Deng's parry contained a subtle technique, directly deflecting Kusaka Genrui's sword to the side. The out-of-control sword slashed at the wooden wall beside Qing Deng... Correction, it should be "fire wall".

The wall was engulfed in flames, with fire debris constantly drifting down, and it teetered on the brink of collapse.

Hisaka Genrui's attack was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

With a deafening roar, the "fire wall" shattered into countless fragments, which rained down like raindrops.

Qing Deng and Jiu Ban Xuan Rui leaped backward at the same time, bursting out from under the "fire wall".

The collapsed "fire wall" separated the two people.

The collapse of the wall stirred up countless sparks and dust, filling the surrounding area and obscuring the view.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Having inadvertently inhaled some dust and smoke, Kusaka Genzui coughed repeatedly, his posture becoming slightly disordered.

At that very instant, a flash of cold light suddenly appeared!

Qing Deng leaped up, breaking through the obstacles of sparks and dust, and rushed to Kusaka Genrui's side in one breath.

The upward-pointing blade tip, shaped like a rosy cloud, was aimed directly at Kusaka Genzui's chest, and using the momentum of the charge, it pounced forward.

Its charging momentum, coupled with the horn-like blade, truly resembled that of a wild bull.

Everything happens in milliseconds.

Before Kusaka Genrui could even be shocked, he instinctively ducked down and rolled on the spot.

Although he looked quite disheveled, at least he survived.

However... despite dodging a fatal blow, his chest was still grazed by the tip of Vairocana's blade, his clothes were torn, and a bright red wound opened up like a seashell, with blood seeping out.

As if they had agreed beforehand, Qing Deng and Jiu Ban Xuan Rui did not rush towards each other, but stood still and faced each other from a distance.

Looking around, the only fireless area left was the small open space beneath their feet.

In the dim firelight, the changes in their expressions became even more apparent.

Qingdeng remained unchanged, his face expressionless.

Kusaka Genrui stared intently at Aoto with a solemn expression, panting heavily.

In terms of results, Genzui Kusaka's performance was indeed amazing and definitely an exceptional one.

He fought Qingdeng one-on-one for more than ten rounds without being defeated.

However, the gap between the two is still obvious.

Putting everything else aside, just by looking at the shapes the two carved, you can see the difference in their strength.

Qingdeng's breathing remained steady, and his complexion was normal.

On the other hand, Kusaka Genzui was already out of breath.

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

After his breathing had calmed down a bit, Kusaka Genrui gripped his sword tightly again, assumed a fighting stance, and shot his arrow-like gaze straight at Aoto.

Even though he didn't say a word, Qingdeng could sense his intention from his eyes: the next round will decide the winner!

It seems he intends to use his remaining strength and will to power up his next attack while he still has the ability to fight.

This is exactly what Qingdeng wanted!

As the fire spread, the air became increasingly thin.

No matter how powerful Qingdeng is, he cannot stay in a place engulfed by fire for an extended period of time.

Even someone as strong as him is now finding it difficult to breathe.

Qing Deng raised his chin, indicating "bring it on," then spread his legs and casually held the knife to his chest.

"..."

"..."

In an instant, only the sound of flames burning remained at the scene.

The two seemed to stop breathing, staring intently at each other without moving.

Suddenly, the air between the two vibrated violently—they launched their attacks simultaneously!

Kusaka Genrui kicked up dust, raised his sword overhead, and charged straight at Qing Deng.

Qingdeng adopted a dragging-blade stance, skimming the ground, and crashed head-on into them without any distinction between them.

The outcome was decided in an instant.

Just as Qing Deng entered his attack range, Kusaka Genrui shouted and unleashed the power of "Splitting Mount Hua" as he swung his sword down.

At that same instant, Qing Deng slashed upwards at an angle with the lower part of his sword.

clang!!

Steel blades clashed.

Hisaka Genzui's downward slash and Aoto's upward slash collided heavily.

A bluish-white spark flew out, and Kusaka Genzui's sword was deflected, almost slipping from his grasp.

He tried his best to pull the knife back to his hand, but... it was too late.

After deflecting the opponent's blade, Qing Deng adjusted his own, unleashing a torrent of purple light that enveloped Kusaka Genrui's body.

Pfft!

A purple line was splashed down.

The crimson hue spread across the lingering purple glow.

Qing Deng ran past Kusaka Genrui, took a few steps and then steadied himself. He turned to face the enemy again and habitually struck the Zanshin pose.

In fact, his resentment was completely unnecessary.

His strike just now was very solid, and it felt like he was slicing through tendons and breaking bones.

Unless the opponent is a legendary creature like an "undying being," it is impossible for them to stand up again.

As expected, Kusaka Genrui swayed a few times, then fell to his knees with a thud, the knife in his hand clattering to the ground.

[Ding! Talent detected]

[Successfully replicated talent: "Failed art student +3"]

[Talent Introduction: A captivating and inspiring speaker]

[Ding! Detected that the host already possesses a talent of the same type]

[Ding! Initiating talent fusion]

[“Failed Art Student +2” Ability Upgrade – “Failed Art Student +5”]

The art voice of the failed candidate +3... Qing Deng finally understands why Kusaka Genrui is so popular and has so many fans.

After the system voice in his mind stopped, Qingdeng slowly walked towards the other party.

"Ho...! Ho...! Pfft! Cough cough cough! Ugh...!"

Hisosaka Genzui's limbs were convulsing incessantly, and blood-tinged foam mixed with saliva was continuously flowing from his mouth and nose.

A horrific gash stretched from his left abdomen to his right shoulder, with blood gushing out and covering the ground.

Having suffered such severe injuries, there is no cure, and he will bleed to death soon.

Qingdeng raised his knife, ready to give him a quick death.

Unexpectedly, Kusaka Genzui spoke first:

"No...no need for you to do it..."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pulled open his shirt, revealing his belly, and then pulled out the wakizashi with a "clang".

Upon seeing this, Qing Deng immediately understood.

"Do we need a second?"

Perhaps it was a final burst of energy before death, as Kusaka Genzui's body spasms lessened considerably, and his speech became clearer.

"No need... My foolishness has caused countless people to die tragically."