I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Now that things have come to this, why would I choose to die a quick and painless death?"

After a few self-deprecating laughs, Kusaka Genzui raised the wakizashi, the tip of the blade pressed against his left abdomen.

Seeing that the other party had rejected his kindness, Qingdeng did not press the matter. He simply shook his sword to remove the remaining bloodstains, then turned and left.

The flames grew stronger and stronger, the tongues of fire licking the ground, almost reaching the feet of Qing Deng and Jiu Ban Xuan Rui.

Just as Kusaka Genzui was about to be engulfed by the sea of ​​fire, Qing Deng suddenly heard him shout:

"Ju Qing Deng... just you wait and see!"

Kusaka Genzui maintained the position of pointing the wakizashi at his abdomen and shouted loudly without raising his head.

"Our Changzhou affair isn't over yet!"

"Shogunate, Hatatsu, Aizu, Satsuma... We, the men of Choshu, will crush you all!"

"The one who will ultimately conquer the world will surely be Changzhou!"

Qing Deng stopped, turned half his head, and coldly looked at the figure of Kusaka Genrui, who was being distorted by the sea of ​​fire.

"I'm ready to teach you anytime, so bring it on."

Having said that, Qingdeng ignored the other person and continued walking forward on his own.

"Ju Qingdeng... just wait... the day when Changzhou reigns supreme... won't be far off..."

As his strength waned, Kusaka Genzui's voice grew weaker and weaker as he continued speaking.

Just before he was about to lose consciousness, he took a deep breath, mustered a fierce strength, and forcefully pushed the wakizashi into his abdomen.

puff!

He suddenly leaned forward, his body convulsing violently.

The raging fire surrounded them from all directions.

Several pieces of burnt wood lay nearby.

In no time at all, his body vanished into the vast sea of ​​fire...

Kusaka Genzui, the "Number One Talent of Choshu," died in battle!

……

……

To the west of Tenryu-ji Temple, Arashiyama—

"One, two, three, pull! Again! One, two, three, pull!"

Katsura Kogoro personally stepped forward to push the wheels, finally managing to get the carriage full of wounded people out of the mud pit.

After taking command of the army from Hisaka Genzui, Katsura Kogoro immediately began to plan the retreat.

Under the fierce attack of the anti-Changzhou army, the command system of the Changzhou army was already on the verge of collapse.

Despite being given a critical mission, Katsura Kogoro managed to complete all the preparations for the retreat amidst the chaos and organize the corresponding defensive lines.

First, the wounded should be evacuated, and the remaining soldiers who are unable to fight should be escorted.

Then, troops still capable of fighting were selected to form the rearguard and deployed in Arashiyama, west of Tenryu-ji Temple.

Arashiyama is located on the eastern edge of the Tanba Highlands, with a relatively high elevation of 375 meters.

Taking advantage of the terrain, it might be possible to stop the offensive of the pacification army and buy time for retreat.

Fortunately, Katsura Kogoro was one of the "Three Heroes of Choshu," possessing authority second only to Kusaka Genzui and Takasugi Shinsaku.

Upon hearing that Katsura Kogoro was now in command, all the generals remained silent, carrying out his orders without daring to disobey.

Others might not have had the qualifications to subdue the generals.

To boost morale and ensure a smooth retreat, Katsura Kogoro personally commanded the rearguard, determined to fight to the death with them.

With her arms crossed and a cold expression, Hannya followed Katsura Kogoro closely, refusing to lend him a hand.

When Katsura Kogoro went to push the carriage that was stuck in the mud, he stood aside indifferently.

Katsura Kogoro was already used to Hannya's indifference.

He knew very well that Prajna's only task was to save his life.

Everything else is outside his scope of duties, and he will never offer assistance.

"Haaah~~"

Prajna looked up and yawned widely.

"You're really good at making trouble for no reason... It's all your fault for insisting on staying behind to cover the rear, making me suffer along with you."

"Let me make this clear from the start: I'm not going to rescue anyone; I'm only responsible for protecting you."

"Don't even think about rushing headlong into the enemy ranks and forcing me to fight the 'Anti-Chang Army' to protect you."

"If you piss me off, I don't care about any mission, I'll just chop your head off to vent my anger."

“I am different from Ōtakemaru, Shuten-dōji, and Rasetsuna. I don’t have such deep feelings for the Hoju Party, and I will not blindly follow the orders of that Yamata no Orochi.”

"I only agreed to join the Hoju Party so that I could spar with Ōtakemaru and Shuten-dōji more often."

“I assure you: I have absolutely no virtue of ‘completing tasks with quality and quantity’.”

Besides being "cold-blooded," Katsura Kogoro had long been accustomed to Hannya's "venomous snake" and "gossipy talk."

He completely ignored Prajna and continued to focus on the task at hand.

Seeing that Katsura Kogoro was ignoring him, Hannya didn't care and let out a big yawn.

Just then, as if sensing something, his expression suddenly hardened, and he turned to look eastward.

Katsura Kogoro noticed his unusual behavior and couldn't help but ask:

"Prajna, what's wrong?"

Prajna did not answer immediately.

He stared intently at the dense forest to the east for a long while, until Katsura Kogoro began to grow impatient, before slowly speaking:

"...Katsura Kogoro, you go first."

"Huh? What do you mean? What happened?"

Prajna grinned, revealing sharp white teeth and a complex smile.

"An old friend has come looking for you...! I can't worry about your life for now, you'd better pray for yourself!"

With that, Prajna stomped the ground and disappeared into the dense forest to the east in the blink of an eye, leaving Katsura Kogoro standing there dumbfounded.

Cha-cha-cha-cha-cha...

Prajna sped through the forest, the leaves brushing against his body and making a soft rustling sound.

A moment later, he suddenly felt a sense of clarity—after rushing out of the dense forest, he was greeted by a large open space.

Right in the center of the open space, an old man stood as straight as a mountain.

Prajna looked at the old man and gave him a faint smile.

"It's been a long time... Master."

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P.S.: In historical fact, Kusaka Genzui committed suicide by stabbing himself with another person after his defeat in the "Kinmon Incident." Since there was no one else in this book to stab him, he had to commit seppuku alone.

Chapter 855 Master-Disciple Showdown! Hannya vs. Kiryu! [5100]

A gentle breeze is blowing.

The light slanting down from between the branches forms a net-like pattern, reflecting off the old man and his young apprentice, swinging rapidly like a pendulum.

As soon as Hannya finished speaking, she immediately received a response from Kiryu-sensei:

"Self-discipline, it's been a long time."

Mr. Kiryu stood expressionlessly on the open ground covered with fallen leaves.

When Keji emerged from the dense forest, his usually calm and composed demeanor underwent a very subtle change.

Nostalgia, regret, sadness... all sorts of emotions were beautifully mixed together and hung on the old man's cheeks.

However, he suppressed this distracting thought for only a moment and returned to his indifferent, emotionless demeanor.

The reunion between the master and his apprentice was not dramatic; rather, it was quite peaceful.

With light and casual steps, Hannya moved to a spot about ten meters away from Mr. Kiryu.

"Master, I'm very curious, how did you know I was here?"

The Kiryu boss said coldly:

"This kind of thing is completely insignificant, isn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Prajna shrugged and chuckled.

"Ha, that's true. It doesn't matter how it is. To be honest, I'm not really concerned about how you found me."

As he spoke, he scanned Kiryu's boss from head to toe, his tone now filled with deep emotion:

"Master, looking closely, you... have aged a lot."

"Yes. I went astray—every time I think of this, I feel like another wrinkle has appeared on my face."

Prajna sneered a few times:

"'go astray'?"

"Now I'm curious. How did I end up going astray?"

Does that mean that pointing out your mistakes is going astray?