I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Immediately afterwards, he nimbly changed his footing and gracefully dodged past the two men's knives.

After dodging, he steadied himself, turned around and slashed twice—the fourth and fifth people were killed!

Thus, the "encirclement" around him completely collapsed!

In a split second, the sixth enemy soldier raised his sword to the top and, using the momentum of his charge, slashed fiercely at the top of Nagakura Shinpachi's head.

This attack was completely different in terms of sheer force!

Nagakura Shinpachi dared not be careless, raising his sword overhead to take the blow head-on.

As a well-known strongman and powerhouse in the Shinsengumi, Nagakura Shinpachi was never afraid to fight with his sword.

He effortlessly parried the opponent's strike, neither the knife in his hand nor his entire body remained completely still.

However... feeling the immense force transmitted from the blade, his expression changed slightly.

Such force... is really too abnormal!

Despite his shock, he quickly regained his composure, secretly mustered a fierce strength, and deflected the opponent's knife.

The other party reacted extremely quickly.

After the knife in his palm was deflected, he immediately jumped back to create some distance.

He was very fast, but unfortunately... Nagakura Shinpachi had already anticipated his movements!

The opponent retreated, while Nagakura Shinpachi advanced—their movements were almost simultaneous.

As he closed in on his opponent, Nagakura Shinpachi smoothly laid down his sword and then thrust it forcefully into his opponent's chest!

The flat blade pierced directly through the gap between the ribs and emerged from the back!

This is a technique from the Natural Rishin-ryu school.

Since joining Shieikan, he has learned many techniques of the Tennen Rishin-ryu style from Aoto and Kondo Isami.

For any swordsmanship style that emphasizes practical combat, regardless of the school or sect, its most powerful move is undoubtedly the "thrust".

This is a very simple principle.

The fact that "stabbing is easier to generate power" and "stabbing can cause great damage to the human body" alone is enough to keep "stabbing" on the throne of "the strongest move".

However, "stabbing" is a very risky move.

First, after a knife is inserted into a person, the muscles around the blade will contract due to the intense pain, thus clamping the blade and making it difficult to pull out.

Secondly, if you encounter a stubborn and ruthless person, leaving the blade inside their body could lead to serious consequences!

For example, Nagakura Shinpachi is currently facing such a dangerous situation!

After piercing his opponent's body, Nagakura Shinpachi skillfully rotated the blade, parting the flesh that was clamping the blade, and prepared to pull the knife back to his hand.

But at that moment, the other party suddenly raised both hands and tightly gripped Nagakura Shinpachi's right arm! He neither allowed him to draw his sword nor let him leave!

The sudden change startled Nagakura Shinpachi.

His chest was pierced, one lung was completely destroyed, and blood flowed back into his lungs... Logically speaking, an ordinary person suffering such a serious injury would not only be unable to fight back, but even if he did not lose consciousness on the spot, he would definitely not be able to stand up!

Despite his shock, he didn't slow down his movements at all.

After his right arm was restrained, he reacted instantly and instinctively pulled his right hand back.

However... the opponent was extremely strong!

He felt as if his right arm was being clamped by two iron clamps.

Perhaps because he was determined to die, the opponent unleashed astonishing power, and no matter how hard Nagakura Shinpachi tried, he could not break free from the opponent's control.

Good fortune never comes in pairs, but misfortunes never come singly...

Suddenly, out of the corner of his right eye, he saw an enemy soldier raising his flintlock pistol and aiming it at him not far to his right!

At such close range, even a flintlock pistol with an extremely low accuracy rate would not be able to miss!

Almost at the same moment that Nagakura Shinpachi spotted the musketeer, the latter pulled the trigger without hesitation—

boom!

The bullet exited the chamber.

In an instant, a chill ran from Nagakura Shinpachi’s heels to the top of his head—a sense of crisis he hadn’t felt in a long time!

Just at that critical moment... a tall figure suddenly rushed out from the side, blocking the path between Nagakura Shinpachi and the musketeer.

In an instant, a flash of cold light appeared in mid-air—the blade of the Bizen Osafune shattered the bullet perfectly!

The next instant, he drew the wakizashi from his waist and threw it forcefully.

The wakizashi drew a straight silver line, striking the musketeer squarely on the forehead.

At the same time, Nagakura Shinpachi finally broke free from control.

Seeing that his opponent was incredibly strong, and that brute force alone would be insufficient to pull back his right hand and the sword, he simply used his left hand to draw his wakizashi from his waist and sever both of his opponent's arms. In this way, he naturally shook off his opponent's entanglement.

His desperate struggle ended in failure... The other party seemed to have given up completely, his eyes bulged, his pupils dilated, and he fell silent.

After regaining his freedom, Nagakura Shinpachi adjusted his breathing and turned to look at Aoto, who had appeared in time to save his life.

"Mr. Ju, thank you..."

Qing Deng said calmly:

"Shinpachi, don't be careless, the enemy soldiers today are very strange."

Nagakura Shinpachi nodded solemnly:

"Yes, I know."

"Qingdeng!"

Suddenly, the commander's shout came from behind.

Aoto and Nagakura Shinpachi both turned to look behind them—Souji, carrying a blood-stained, cold blade, was rushing toward them.

Saito followed closely behind him, scanning the surroundings as if facing a formidable enemy.

After moving to stand in front of Qing Deng, the commander-in-chief said quickly and seriously:

"Qingdeng, the situation is dire. The enemy is incredibly formidable today! If we don't do something soon, our lines... might collapse!"

Qing Deng made no comment after hearing this.

He neither uttered a sound nor revealed any expression; his face showed neither sorrow nor joy.

He silently raised his eyes and observed his surroundings.

"Kill! Kill all the Shogunate's lackeys!"

"Don't back down! Even taking just one step back would be a disgrace to our pale blue haori!"

"They're almost done for! We must press on and drive them back down to the foot of the mountain!"

"Damn it! What's wrong with these guys?! They seemed so easy to beat yesterday...!"

Anyone with eyes can see at a glance that the surprise force has gained an overwhelming advantage!

From the moment he arrived, Qingdeng had been observing those exceptionally brave enemy soldiers.

He quickly noticed that these people all had one thing in common: their eyes were exceptionally focused! So focused that it gave him the creeps!

This terrifyingly focused look... reminded Qing Deng of the "state of no-self".

Have all these guys entered the "state of selflessness"?

Whether it's his outstanding physical abilities or his unparalleled fighting spirit, he does indeed have some resemblance to the "selfless state"—of course, only a "resemblance".

Although it only happened once, Qingdeng did indeed enter the "state of no self" and personally experience the power.

Therefore, he was certain that if it were a true "state of selflessness," then the fighting power these guys displayed would be far more than this.

However... even if their performance was far inferior to the true "state of selflessness", it was still enough to defeat the Shinsengumi and leave them in disarray!

Even captains like Shinpachi Nagakura and Heisuke Todo suffered heavy losses, let alone the ordinary members with average strength.

It's no exaggeration to say that the Shinsengumi members are already showing signs of collapse!

The opponent that could be easily dealt with yesterday is now powerless to resist.

Despite having wounded the opponent, the opponent remained unfazed and calmly launched a counterattack.

More and more soldiers fell to the ground... The number of dead and wounded in the Shinsengumi was rising steadily... Blood stained the light blue haori (traditional Japanese robes).

If it were an army with mediocre training, it would probably have collapsed long ago.

Fortunately, the Shinsengumi was a disciplined and formidable force, and even when facing strong enemies and heavy casualties, they did not easily collapse.

However, there are limits to this.

It is not hard to see that more and more people are becoming fearful due to the deteriorating war situation.

Just as the commander said—if they don't do something soon, their battle lines will likely collapse completely!

Souji, Nagakura Shinpachi, and Saito Hajime stared intently at Aoto, anticipating and awaiting his instructions.

Just then, a series of rapid footsteps approached from directly in front of Qingdeng—a tall warrior carrying a katana on his shoulder charged straight at Qingdeng like a wild boar descending the mountain!

"Ju Qingdeng! I've finally found you!"

"I am the captain of the First Gun Division of the Special Forces! Matsumiya Sagara!"

"Long time no see! Do you still remember this old man?"

"You really took good care of me back in Kyoto!"

"Now I possess the power to rival you, and I have come to seek revenge!"

As he spoke, he raised the katana in his hand and assumed a fighting stance—his gaze was frighteningly focused.

It seems that his claim that he "already possesses the power to keep pace with you" is not unfounded.

Seeing the enemy approaching, Souji, Nagakura Shinpachi, and Saito Hajime simultaneously changed positions and stood in front of Aoto.

Suddenly, Qingdeng calmly gave the order:

"...You may all step back."

Having said that, he slowly stepped forward, moved to stand in front of Souji and the others, then leisurely spread his legs, letting his empty left hand and sword-wielding right hand hang down naturally, his eyes fixed on Matsumiya Sagara who was gradually approaching.