I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"They were all wearing chainmail, gauntlets and other protective gear, and they were all very skilled."

"We...can't stop them..."

“...You guys are really interesting.” Jinno said expressionlessly, without any joy or sorrow. “The enemy is already right in front of me, and you only come to inform me that the enemy is coming.”

Upon hearing this, the young warrior lowered his head in shame.

Actually, one can't blame the "encirclement team" responsible for surrounding the Tibetan Confucian Office for not fulfilling their duties.

When Qing Deng and the others appeared, they all bravely drew their swords and charged into battle.

They simply misjudged Qing Deng and his group's equipment and strength. They thought they could quickly eliminate the invading enemy by virtue of their numerical advantage.

In less than two minutes, after a bloody melee, the "encirclement team," which originally numbered over thirty, was reduced to half its original size.

Only after realizing that Qing Deng and his group were not easy to deal with did they decide to inform Jin Ye and request reinforcements.

But it was too late.

The encirclement that had been covering Qingdeng and the others became incredibly thin due to the reduction in their numbers.

Having lost their numerical advantage and demoralized, the "encirclement team" posed little threat to them. Having made this judgment, Qingdeng decided to forcefully break through their blockade, shake off their interception, and charge towards the Fanshu Diaosu, where shouts of battle could still be heard on the top floor.

To save time climbing the stairs, Qingdeng and his group climbed directly. Each floor of the Fanshu Investigation Office was less than 2.5 meters high, and there were windowsills and other things to hold onto and stand on, so it was not difficult to climb.

In this way, Qing Deng quickly reached the top of the building and appeared at the window in time to save Katsu Rintaro, who was almost killed.

"Alright," Kamino said coldly to the young samurai, "Get lost."

“…Kano…” Qing Deng gently chewed on the surname “Kano,” “You are the leader of the Extermination Group: Kano Tatsugoro?”

The leader of the Extermination Group is named Kanno Tatsugoro—this is one of the few pieces of information the magistrate has about the magistrate.

“That’s right.” Kamino readily admitted, “This should be considered our first official meeting, Tachibana Aoto.”

Jinno pronounced Aoto's name very heavily.

"You really love to go against us, don't you?"

"Two months ago, it was you who caused us to suffer unprecedented humiliation."

"And now, you suddenly appear in front of us and block our way."

"You've got it backwards, haven't you?" Qing Deng said calmly. "It's you who really love to oppose me, isn't it?"

"It was you who, using the absurd reason that 'having worked at the American embassy for a period of time, therefore being a traitor to the country,' repeatedly sent people to assassinate me first."

"A fire burned down my house afterwards."

"Everything I did to you before was purely for self-preservation."

"Hmph." Kamino snorted coldly, "You're quite the smooth talker."

"Fine!"

Jinno's expression gradually turned ferocious.

"It's good that you suddenly appeared; I'll kill you, you hateful bastard, tonight as well!"

“Sawai, Yushima…”

Kamino called out several names.

"Follow me! Kill them!"

With his sword in hand, Jinno charged ahead!

The corridor, which had finally become a little quieter, suddenly became noisy again.

Jinno's goal was quite clear—he charged straight at Qingdeng!

He swiftly switched his sword to an upper stance, and using the momentum of his forward charge, as if he wanted to instantly shred his opponent into dust, he slashed the sword toward Qing Deng's forehead.

As Jinno charged toward him, Aoto's gaze sharpened. He spread his legs, gripped the sword with both hands, and held the sword, the Tsurugijin, horizontally above his head.

clang!

The bluish-white flames burst in the air, accompanied by a sharp, mournful sound of metal clashing against metal.

Jinno's sword and Aoto's sword clashed heavily together.

Saito, who was standing to the left and behind Aoto, stepped forward to support him.

But Jinno's companions were not just for show.

Jinno's confidant—the one-armed samurai—shouted loudly, drew his sword, and charged at Saito, blocking his path.

On the other side, Nagakura and the others faced the same situation; they were all held back by the members of the Exile Group who had come up with Kanna.

It's clear that this opponent is much stronger than the members of the "encirclement team" that Qingdeng and his team just faced.

It seems that Kamino assigned a group of his stronger men to attack the Banshu Investigation Office.

This corridor, while not narrow, is certainly not wide enough to accommodate too many people fighting amongst themselves.

Harada, who wielded the spear, was now completely at a loss.

The space was not spacious enough, which prevented him from fully utilizing his abilities.

Noticing the limited width of the battlefield, Aoto shouted to Harada, who was unable to unleash his full potential, and Toudou, who still lacked combat experience:

"Harada! Todo! You two protect the people from the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics and retreat to the very back of the corridor!"

"Huh? Oh, okay!" Harada reacted quickly. Upon hearing Aoto's order, he responded with "Okay" almost without thinking. He then slung the spear behind his back and used his left hand to pull up Katsura Rintarou behind him.

"Hey, sir, stop standing there like an idiot. Get back to the back quickly, it's a bit dangerous to stay here."

Katsurin Taro still seemed to be in shock from surviving the ordeal. He stared wide-eyed and slightly open-mouthed at Aoto and the others.

Toudou stood frozen in place, sword at his side, glancing at Aoto, then at Harada, who had already begun to retreat as Aoto had ordered. He looked hesitant and uncertain—he seemed eager to rush forward and lend Aoto and the others a hand.

Harada noticed that Todo hadn't retreated with him.

“…Toudou, stop standing there like an idiot.”

Harada, who always had a goofy smile on his face, spoke to Todo expressionlessly.

"You're Mr. Tachibana's guide now, right? Follow orders."

Harada's words finally made Todo make up his mind.

After hesitating for a moment, Todo finally stopped standing still and, together with Harada, escorted the people from the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics to the far end of the corridor.

Soon, it was proven that Aoto was right to leave only himself, Nagakura, and Saito to confront Kanna and the others head-on.

The corridor was just wide enough for Qingdeng and the other two to wield their swords in a relatively comfortable space.

After missing his first strike, Kanno quickly took a step back and then switched his sword stance to a mid-range stance with swift but elegant movements.

Seeing Jinno's elegant sword-wielding movements, Saito, who was being held back by the one-armed samurai, warned Aoto in a deep voice:

"Tachibana, this person is using the Kagami Shinmei-ryu style."

Upon hearing the term "Kyoshin Meiji-ryu," Qing Deng's eyes narrowed slightly.

—Well lived up to its reputation…it truly is a style with remarkably elegant movements…

This was the first time Qing Deng had faced a swordsman using the Jingxin Mingzhi style.

The three major sword styles in Japan today—Hokushin Itto-ryu, Shinto Munen-ryu, and Kyōshin Meichi-ryu—each have their own unique characteristics.

The Hokushin Itto-ryu style emphasizes "skill," the Shinto Munen-ryu style emphasizes "strength," and the Kyōshin Akechi-ryu style emphasizes "position."

The Kagami Shinmei school pursues the "position" of movement, that is, posture and form, and is a school of movement with a very elegant style.

However, this does not mean that the Kagami Shinmei-ryu is just a useless showy style. If it were just a showy but useless style, it would not be among the three major sword styles in Japan.

The Kagami-mei-ryu school of calligraphy emphasizes both artistry and practicality, and it has gradually built its reputation through its impressive achievements.

Nagakura and Saito, who were standing on the left and right sides of Aoto respectively, were temporarily unable to help Aoto.

The members of the Extermination Group weren't fools either. They knew that they couldn't rush in all at once in such a limited space. That's why Shinno only called out the names of a few people and led only this small number of elites to launch the attack.

The people who were singled out by Kamino and followed him up were all quite strong.

The one-armed samurai who blocked Saito's attack was visibly weaker than Saito, but he could hold Saito back without any problem.

Meanwhile, Yongcang is currently engaged in a fierce battle with a burly man.

In other words, Qingdeng is now facing the same situation as the "snowy night battle" two months ago—his companions are tied up, and he has to fight the enemy general alone.

However, due to his relevant experience, and the various heart-testing events he has experienced since his transmigration, Qing Deng's mental state has been greatly strengthened... So, facing the current situation where he has to face Jin Ye one-on-one, he does not feel panicked or timid.

Jinno's strength far surpasses that of Qing Deng, who has only been learning swordsmanship for a few months. Through the slash that Jinno had just made towards his head, Qing Deng had already sensed that Jinno's strength was far superior to his own.

Therefore, Qingdeng's "lone wolf" strategy had already been activated just now!

My heart was pounding rapidly, and my adrenaline was soaring.

Qing Deng calmly leaned to the side, extending his left shoulder diagonally, and stood in a sword-holding stance with his right hand extended, facing Jin Ye without moving.

It was Kamino who broke the deadlock first.

He judged the distance between himself and Qingdeng, and in one fell swoop, he thrust his knife toward Qingdeng's throat. The movement was full of the style of Jingxin Meichi-ryu—elegant, yet full of murderous intent.

With his enhanced dynamic vision ("Eagle Eye") and improved spatial awareness ("Insight"), Qing Deng is now quite adept at dodging.

Qing Deng took a small step back, calmly dodging Jin Ye's attack, and then swung his sword at Jin Ye's neck, who had just stood still.

Aoto's attack was also full of killing intent. If it weren't for Kamino raising his sword in time to block Aoto's attack, his head would definitely be gone.

It must have been because he realized that Qing Deng's strength was far greater than he had imagined. Jin Ye's pupils contracted slightly, and then he shouted and pushed away Qing Deng's Ding Gui Shen.

He took a half step back, adjusted his stance, and changed from the middle stance to the upper stance, slashing the blade towards Qing Deng's head from the top.

Jinno remembered the information provided by the young samurai earlier—that Aoto and his men were wearing chainmail—so Jinno focused his attack on Aoto's head, neck, and other areas.

Looking up at the blade slashing down from above, Qing Deng swiftly adjusted his stance to a lower position, blade facing upwards, and slashed upwards with the blade.

The two blades clashed directly above Qing Deng's head, sparks flying.

Qing Deng felt a little sorry for his new sword—after this battle, he would probably have to send his Ding Guishen sword for repairs.

This can be considered the fate of a sword.

The fate of a knife is to repeatedly go through the process of "breaking it, sending it for repair, breaking it again, and sending it for repair again".

The armor on Aoto played a significant role, as there were very few points where Kanna could launch an effective attack. Attacking Aoto's upper body or forearms was pointless, so Kanna was hesitant to use his powerful moves.