I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Page 1841

Just like Umibozu, Ushioni was also waiting for the best opportunity to attack, ready to kill Hijikata Toshizo at any moment.

He took Sukuna's attack head-on first, and dodged Umibozu's slash afterward—thus, his body posture was completely disordered, and he couldn't even keep up with his breathing.

The intense battle made him forget to breathe... or rather, he didn't have time to breathe.

His lungs had been protesting painfully for a long time, but he had no time to pay attention to it.

At this moment, anyone could see that unless Hachiman Daimyojin temporarily possessed him, Hijikata Toshizo had no chance of escaping the Gyūki's slash!

Just as the blade of the great naginata was about to cleave Hijikata Toshizo in two, a gust of wind swept in—and a towering figure darted between Hijikata Toshizo and the Gyūki.

It was none other than Shimada Kai, the vice-captain of the First Division!

Ushioni is very strong—coincidentally, Shimada Kai, who is also a strong man, is also not lacking in strength!

He steadied himself, gritted his teeth, and swung his knife upwards.

The katana and naginata clashed in mid-air.

The loud noise made one wonder if it was a collision between two giant beasts.

The clash between the two weapons lasted only a moment.

A moment later, as if scalded by boiling water, they were thrown back, weapons and all, creating distance between them.

At the same time that Shimada Kai arrived, Hijikata Toshizo caught a glimpse of a familiar petite figure out of the corner of his left eye—Elodie, carrying her Yamato no Kami Yasusada, stood beside him, glaring at Sukuna and Umibozu as if facing a formidable enemy.

After deflecting the attack from the ox-demon, Shimada Kai moved quickly to Hijikata Toshizo's right side and said in a deep voice:

"Sorry, Vice Commander, we're late."

While panting heavily, Hijikata Toshizo greedily inhaled the fresh air to regulate his breathing, and said calmly:

"No, you've come at just the right time."

With the arrival of Elodie and Shimada Kai, the "one against three" situation turned into a "three against three".

Sukuna calmly shifted his gaze, sweeping it indifferently over Elodie and Shimada Kai's faces:

"Have reinforcements arrived...?"

The demon, his face full of shame, whispered:

"I'm sorry, it's my fault... If I had acted a little faster, I could have taken Hijikata Toshizo's head..."

Su Nuo said calmly:

No need to apologize.

"All things in the world are inherently impermanent."

"To constantly pray for everything to go smoothly is a sign of arrogance."

Umibozu twitched the corner of his mouth and chuckled a few times:

"As expected of the former private tutor, every word he utters is full of philosophical insights."

Su Nuo frowned slightly:

"Don't make such pointless jokes."

As he spoke, he raised the two swords in his hands again, his words continuing:

"It is indeed a pity that we were unable to take the head of the 'Demon Vice-Commander'."

"We can keep the enemy's swordsmen here and benefit greatly as well."

Seeing Sukuna draw his sword, Umibozu and Ushioni also gripped their weapons tightly.

Although there was no prior agreement, the three of them rushed towards the other side without prior notice!

Hijikata Toshizo and his men charged forward without flinching!

In the blink of an eye, the three pairs of people were locked in battle.

Hijikata Toshizo faces Sukuna.

Shimada Kai vs. Umibozu.

Elodie vs. Ushioni.

Through the fierce battle just now, Hijikata Toshizo had roughly figured out the ranking of the three people's strength.

Of the three, Sukuna is the strongest, followed by Umibozu, and then Ushioni.

Hijikata Toshizo intentionally employed the classic battle tactic of "Tian Ji's Horse Racing," which involved pitting the lower-ranking horse against the upper-ranking horse, the middle-ranking horse against the lower-ranking horse, and the upper-ranking horse against the middle-ranking horse, in order to defeat Sukuna and the others one by one.

However... Sukuna's strength is far beyond what Elodie and Shimada Kai can handle.

If you send those two to deal with Su Nuo... they probably wouldn't even last 10 rounds before being brutally killed.

Left with no other option, he had to abandon the idea and adopt the traditional "general against general, soldier against soldier" approach.

Shimada Kai's strength is more than enough to deal with Umibozu.

The bull demon possesses brute strength but lacks agility and skill—the exceptionally agile Elodie is the perfect counter to this clumsy fellow.

Although she would have a hard time defeating him, she could easily hold him off.

Therefore, Hijikata Toshizo confidently entrusted Umibozu and Ushioni to Shimada Kai and Erotic to deal with, while he focused all his energy on fighting Sukuna in front of him.

Although Sukuna's strength is slightly better than Hijikata Toshizo's, this advantage is not enough to turn into a victory. Defeating Hijikata Toshizo will not be so easy.

Shimada Kai and Umibozu were evenly matched, and the two fought fiercely, neither able to gain the upper hand.

Elodie gripped Yamato no Kami Yasusada tightly in her hand, adopting a mid-stance stance, and stared intently at the Gyu-oni before her, watching its every move.

Despite facing a young girl as his opponent, Ushioni showed no carelessness and remained fully prepared.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he raised an eyebrow and asked, half puzzled and half certain:

"Hmm? You are... Alice de Orléans?"

Upon hearing this, Elodie's expression changed slightly.

However, she quickly regained her composure and said in a deep voice:

You've mistaken me for someone else.

The moment she finished speaking, she lunged forward, knife and all.

……

Su Nuo is absolutely right.

Even if they can't kill Hijikata Toshizo, keeping these swordsmen here will still be of great benefit.

The team, united as one, is severely lacking in high-end combat capabilities.

Hijikata Toshizo, Shimada Kai, and Elodie are the only three skilled swordsmen.

The three of them were tied down, as if they had lost three of their sharpest spears, greatly reducing their ability to attack as a united force.

Although Shuten-dōji, who was stationed at the main camp, did not personally go to the front line, he was like a hunting dog with a keen sense of smell, and immediately sniffed out the opportunity for battle!

He immediately dispatched a reserve force of 500 elite soldiers, led by Katsura Kogoro!

The arrival of this new force immediately disrupted the balance of power on the front lines!

With a thousand men united, their strength was equal to that of the "Slavic Legion," resulting in a fierce and evenly matched battle.

Suddenly, 500 fierce and powerful soldiers appeared on the other side... The thousand men united immediately fell into a disadvantageous position!

Secondly, the appearance of the swordsman Katsura Kogoro instantly imbalanced the high-end combat power between the two sides!

With Hijikata Toshizo and the others being held back by Sukuna and the others, no one could stand against Katsura Kogoro!

Katsura Kogoro's strength is beyond doubt.

Even before Aoto rose to prominence, he was a renowned swordsman in Edo.

He moved with unstoppable force, as if entering an empty field, and no one could stand in his way!

We must send out a large force of twenty or more men to desperately block him in order to slow down his offensive.

Despite the unfavorable situation, the fighting spirit of the thousand men, united as one, was not dampened, but instead rose even higher!

Hijikata Toshizo's pre-war speech played a significant role.

The fighting spirit of a thousand people united as one was fully ignited, and even when they were at a disadvantage, they were unwilling to give up even a single step!

The two armies fought for every inch of land.

A bloody battle... a truly bloody battle!

Any place, any location, could become a battleground and be fought over repeatedly!

Shuten-dōji picked up his binoculars and carefully examined every angle of the front line.

His face, which had been full of confidence, now showed a serious expression.

……

That night--

The Faki Allied Forces, Main Camp—

"What? Mael's only daughter is here?"

Shuten-dōji cast a surprised glance at Gyūki.

The demon nodded solemnly.

Shuten-dōji pressed on, asking: