I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Page 1851

Therefore, he poured all his spirit and all his strength into this one strike!

From Aoto breaking his sword to Takasugi Shinsaku launching his counterattack... all of this happened in the blink of an eye.

In the blink of an eye, Muramasa's sword light and Aoto's figure overlapped!

However... the expected feeling of a sharp blade piercing flesh did not reach Takasugi Shinsaku's hand.

Shinsaku Takasugi stared wide-eyed at the scene before him, his face filled with utter disbelief.

He probably realized that the sword in his hand had reached its limit, and that it would be too risky to use the blade to block Takasugi Shinsaku's slash.

Therefore, Qingdeng did not use the blade to defend, but the hilt!

He held the hilt of his sword horizontally, using the bottom of the hilt to catch Takasugi Shinsaku's slash!

With a snap, Muramasa's blade struck the bottom of the handle squarely, embedding itself deeply and splitting the wooden handle, then the iron tang, all the way down to the back of Aoto's right hand holding the sword!

The blade of a samurai sword consists of two main parts.

One is the blade used for slashing.

The second is the tang, which is inserted into the handle so that the blade and the handle are tightly connected as one piece.

Therefore, the hilt of a samurai sword is not just a piece of wood.

Containing iron plates inside and covered with hardwood... it's strong enough to block the slash of a blade!

Thanks to the hilt and the tang, Muramasa's blade lost all force when it struck Aoto's right hand, which was holding the sword.

The blade only cut the skin on the back of his right palm, barely revealing the finger bone of his little finger. It looked frightening, but compared to "losing his life," this injury was nothing to worry about.

As the old saying goes, in a confrontation of this level, the turning point can happen in an instant!

In the blink of an eye, Takasugi Shinsaku unleashed a cunning slash, putting Aoto in grave danger.

But at that moment, the situation completely reversed!

Taking advantage of the moment when the opponent's blade was embedded in the hilt of the sword in his hand and he was unable to pull it back in time, Qing Deng took half a step forward, and his free left hand suddenly reached out and grabbed Takasugi Shinsaku's collar.

The next moment, there was a loud thud, and Takasugi Shinsaku landed on his back, falling flat on his back.

Before falling to the ground, Shinsaku Takasugi quickly lowered his head and pressed his chin against his chest to avoid injury to the back of his head.

Even so, the sharp pain emanating from his back nearly made him lose consciousness.

Qing Deng did not discard the broken blade in his right hand, so that he could control Takasugi Shinsaku's sword like a pair of pincers, preventing him from retaliating with the blade.

In this way, both sides are in a state of "no weapons available" and have no choice but to use the most primitive weapons of mankind to decide the outcome!

After subduing Shinsaku Takasugi, Aoto straddled him, clenched his left fist, and began punching him in the face repeatedly.

The solid, powerful fists were like iron hammers, and in just two blows, Takasugi Shinsaku's handsome face was bruised.

When Aoto threw his first punch, Takasugi Shinsaku felt as if a cannonball had exploded in his brain.

Soon, he began to feel dizzy and nearly fainted.

As it turns out, the "Three Heroes of Choshu" were not just a name without substance.

Just as he was about to faint, he bit his tongue hard to dispel the fog in his mind with pain. Then, aiming at where Qing Deng's fist would land, he tilted his head to the side and dodged it. Qing Deng's fist slammed into the ground next to his head.

In the next instant, before Qingdeng could retract his fist, he suddenly lifted his upper body and hugged Qingdeng tightly—or rather, locked Qingdeng in place.

His left hand and the knife in his left palm were restrained, leaving only his right arm usable.

Therefore, he did not rashly adopt the brutal "fist against fist" approach, but instead chose to use jujitsu to decide the outcome!

His right arm was like a lock, firmly locking Qingdeng's neck.

At the same time, he raised his legs, his thighs wrapping tightly around Qingdeng's waist like snakes, hanging on him like a koala—a posture that made it easier for him to gain leverage.

His idea was simple: strangle Qingdeng by the neck and suffocate him!

Even if you can't suffocate him, you should at least make him lose his strength so that he can escape on his own.

As long as Qingdeng is still a human being, it is impossible for him not to need to breathe.

He had originally intended to try breaking Qingdeng's neck directly, which would end the matter once and for all.

However, Qing Deng reacted extremely quickly.

As soon as Takasugi Shinsaku's right arm tightened around him, he tensed the muscles in his neck, causing the veins to bulge.

Talents "Strong Muscles +6" and "Steel Bones +4" activated!

[Note: Mighty Muscles +6: Muscles are exceptionally strong and resilient]

Feeling the solid touch coming from the crook of his arm... whether it was the tough muscles or the bones as hard as steel, Takasugi Shinsaku felt that he was not holding a person, but a wild boar!

Therefore, he directly abandoned the idea of "breaking Qingdeng's neck".

Takasugi Shinsaku had assumed that Aoto would strike him hard on the back with his left fist to force him to let go.

He never expected that Qing Deng, who was experienced in combat and had seen all kinds of tricks, would be even more ruthless than he had anticipated!

With astonishing strength and endurance, Qing Deng managed to stand up by using his neck to lift Takasugi Shinsaku before he suffocated, and then slammed into a nearby tree like a bull!

Of course, Takasugi Shinsaku's back was used as a cushion.

Bang!

Shinsaku Takasugi's back slammed into the tree trunk, and leaves fluttered down like raindrops.

Such shock, such pain... Takasugi Shinsaku's expression changed immediately.

The indescribable, intense pain emanating from his back rendered him unable to even cry out.

Before he could catch his breath, Qingdeng had already pulled back some distance and completed his running start—

Bang!

With the second heavy blow, Takasugi Shinsaku completely lost his strength, his right arm went limp, and he released Aoto's neck.

At the same time, Aoto released the broken sword in his right hand, letting Takasugi Shinsaku in his arms slip to the ground.

At this moment, Takasugi Shinsaku collapsed to the ground like a slump of mud and remained motionless.

If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his chest, he would have looked dead.

The reason why Qing Deng released Takasugi Shinsaku was not to let him go or give him a chance to catch his breath—he just wanted to take Takasugi Shinsaku's sword.

It's much easier to kill someone with a blade than with a fist!

Whether he was punched in the face or struck hard in the back, Takasugi Shinsaku fulfilled his duty as a swordsman—never letting go of his sword.

Even though he had lost consciousness, he did not loosen his grip on Muramasa.

Just as Aoto bent down, preparing to pry open Takasugi Shinsaku's hand and snatch Muramasa away—

boom! boom! boom!

Three gunshots rang out suddenly!

Despite the suddenness of the incident, Qing Deng seemed to have anticipated the appearance of the three bullets, and calmly jumped back, dodging them all.

"Quick! Save Lord Takasugi!"

"You two, quickly carry Lord Takasugi away! I'll cover your retreat!"

Taking advantage of Qingdeng's leap away, three enemy soldiers sprang out from the bushes not far away and rushed forward.

Judging from their attire, they should just be ordinary members of the Special Forces.

They were probably scattered and happened to pass by this place. They found that their commander was in danger, so they took the initiative to come to his rescue.

Two of them ran towards Takasugi Shinsaku, lifted his arms on either side, and ran away in a flash.

The other man gripped his flintlock pistol tightly, facing Qingdeng alone.

His expression was dominated by intense fear, but he did not take a single step back.

Because he had run out of bullets, all he had left was a bayonet.

"Aaaaaah!"

He shouted, slid forward, and thrust his spear fiercely into Qing Deng's chest.

Qingdeng, expressionless, swayed to the right and dodged the attack effortlessly.

Before the other man could retract his bayonet, Qing Deng leaped forward and knocked him to the ground with a punch.

Immediately afterward, just like Takasugi Shinsaku before, Aoto straddled the man, clenched his fists, and struck the man's head hard, left and right.

Bang!

"Damn Shogunate lackeys..."

Bang!

"We will be the ones who ultimately triumph..."

Bang!

"Don't be so arrogant..."

Bang!

"Heh...heh...heh...heh..."

Bang!

"Enough...give me a quick death..."

Bang!

"..."