I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Ha...ha...ha...ha...ha..."

While panting heavily, Elodie used her knife to support herself on the ground, barely managing to keep from falling.

An indescribable fatigue made her unable to straighten her back.

The scene before her eyes seemed to be swaying, and faint afterimages appeared... This was the first time Elodie had ever been this exhausted.

Once her breathing had calmed down and her physical condition had improved, she turned to look at Shimada Kai behind her.

"Mr. Shimada, are you alright?"

Not far behind her, Shimada Kai grinned, revealing his teeth in a wide smile:

"Chief, don't worry! I'm very healthy! This little bit of hard work is nothing to me!"

Although he spoke eloquently, anyone could see that his face looked terrible, with no color in his cheeks and lips.

Seeing Shimada Kai pretending to be fine, Elodie pursed her lips, saying nothing more and not exposing his bravado.

Then, she slightly raised her gaze and looked at the man being carried on Shimada Kai's back.

Is Mr. Hijikata still alive?

Shimada Kai turned his head and glanced at Hijikata Toshizo on his back:

"Yes, he's still breathing. But... his condition is terrible. If we don't get him to a safe place for treatment soon, he'll definitely die...!"

Hijikata Toshizo was lying on Shimada Kai's back, his eyes closed and his face as pale as paper.

His gunshot wound to the waist was wrapped in thick burlap, and Elodie and Shimada Kai did some simple hemostasis for him.

Shimada Kai tore his light blue haori into strips and used them to tightly bind Hijikata Toshizo and his body together.

This way, it can prevent Hijikata Toshizo from slipping and falling to the ground, and also free up Shimada Kai's hands.

Looking at Hijikata Toshizo, who was still alive, Elodie's facial features relaxed slightly, and a look of "relief" appeared on her cheeks.

Even now, recalling the terrifying scenes that had just unfolded, she still feels a chill run down her spine.

That was a close call...

Just a tiny bit...it really was just a tiny bit more! They were about to be separated from Hijikata Toshizo forever!

Just as the enemy soldiers swarmed forward, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to Hijikata Toshizo, Elodie and Shimada Kai arrived just in time!

The two of them were already fighting not far from Hijikata Toshizo.

Upon discovering that Hijikata Toshizo was surrounded by twenty or thirty enemy soldiers, they immediately rushed to his aid.

Although it was a close call, they managed to reach Hijikata Toshizo's side before he was killed.

Elodie was the first to arrive.

She swung her sword, Yamato no Kami Yasusada, and killed three people in one go, throwing the enemy group into chaos.

Immediately afterwards, Shimada Kai arrived and joined the chaotic battle.

Both Elodie and Shimada Kai believed that Hijikata Toshizo's life was far more important than theirs.

In order to rescue Hijikata Toshizo, they all displayed extraordinary abilities!

Swords flashed, blood gushed.

Under the combined onslaught of the two, the enemy's offensive was thwarted and the encirclement was broken.

Hijikata Toshizo's head was certainly valuable and tempting.

But if you lose your life, then giving you any amount of money is useless!

The remaining enemy soldiers, too afraid to fight any longer, fled in panic, not even daring to look back.

After repelling the enemy's attack, Elodie and Shimada Kai immediately treated Hijikata Toshizo's wounds.

It wouldn't be so bad if it were any other part of the body, but it happened to be the waist and abdomen that was shot.

As we all know, the human abdomen contains many important internal organs.

Being shot in this area... it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was a "nine out of ten chance of survival"!

Fortunately, Hijikata Toshizo was a physically strong martial artist, which kept him alive by a thread and prevented him from dying on the spot.

The two of them quickly stopped Hijikata Toshizo's bleeding, and then led him in a retreat while fighting.

Elodie couldn't remember much about what happened after that.

Memory becomes blurred due to fatigue and stress.

All I remember is that they kept retreating eastward, constantly repelling their pursuers.

Unbeknownst to them, they had retreated to this unnamed grove of trees.

Although they didn't know where they were, they were fortunate to have shaken off their pursuers, judging from the current situation.

The once united organization of a thousand men has been completely broken up; generals can no longer find soldiers, and soldiers can no longer find generals.

Fortunately, Shuten-dōji, Katsura Kogoro, and others had no intention of pursuing the remnants of the thousand-strong united army.

Their goal has always been clear: to take over Edo and destroy the shogunate!

Therefore, after completely defeating the thousand-strong united force and clearing away the obstacles in front of them, they quickly regrouped and marched eastward!

Thanks to this, many soldiers, including Elodie, were able to save their lives.

If the Faki coalition were to relentlessly pursue them, their casualties would likely rise even further...

Shimada Kai licked his dry lips, looked up at Elodie, and asked:

"Chief, where do we go next?"

Vice Commander Hijikata Toshizo is currently seriously injured and unconscious.

Thus, according to rank, command naturally fell into the hands of the head of the department, Elodie.

The rank of "commander" is higher than that of "first division vice-captain," so Shimada Kai naturally obeys Elodie, not the other way around.

Despite Shimada Kai's earnest questioning, Elodie showed no sign of fear.

She wiped the sweat from her face, pondered for a moment, and then turned to look eastward.

"Let's go to Edo!"

"Mr. Hijikata urgently needs treatment."

"If there is any place nearby with a good doctor, it is Edo!"

"Besides... the enemy is about to reach Edo Castle, and Edo needs our help!"

After saying that, she gripped Yamato no Kami Yasusada's hand tightly.

Although the battle for the Eighth Prince ended in defeat, she did not intend to admit defeat.

She can still move, she can still wield a knife, she can still fight!

Even though her own strength was very small, she wanted to go to Edo and continue to contribute to the fight against the Faki coalition!

Shimada Kai's response to Elodie's decision was quite simple—he nodded vigorously in agreement.

Just as they were about to set off eastward, the two seemed to sense something, and their expressions changed.

The next moment, they all raised their knives, assumed a fighting stance, and scanned the surrounding woods as if facing a formidable enemy.

rustling, rustling, rustling...

Accompanied by a series of soft sounds, figures emerged from the woods.

They appeared from all directions and immediately surrounded Elodie and the others.

Roughly speaking, there are about sixty people.

These people looked pale and were dressed in rags.

Patches upon patches, making it impossible to distinguish which fabrics were originally part of the garment—yet this was considered one of the better-dressed groups.

Some people's clothes can't even be called clothes; they're just rags hanging on their bodies.

They held sharp weapons such as knives and bamboo spears, and a very few of them were also wearing chainmail, leash, and other protective gear.

The gleaming blades and spear tips were pointed directly at Elodie and the others.

Along with Elodie and the others, there were also cold, greedy gazes.

Elodie frowned slightly, a hint of confusion appearing in her beautiful eyes.

She had initially thought the visitors were pursuers from the Faki coalition.

Unexpectedly, they turned out to be a group of uninvited guests of unknown identity.

Judging from their appearance, these people do not seem to be pursuers from the Faki coalition.

He's more like... an ordinary farmer.

Compared to Elodie, who came from abroad and lacked in-depth knowledge of Japan, Shimada Kai was clearly much more perceptive.

He immediately recognized these people, his expression changed slightly, and he said in a deep voice:

"'Falling Warrior Hunt'...!"

The "Rakubuja-go" (落武者狩) is, as the name suggests, hunting lone samurai.

Its exact time of origin is unknown, but it is certain that it reached its peak during the Warring States period.

Faced with hordes of warriors, the farmers trembled with fear and remained subservient.

But if it's a lone samurai, the situation is quite different!

In any war, there will always be winners and losers.

The victors pursue the fleeing enemy, while the defeated abandon their armor and drag their weapons along.

The armor, clothing, and weapons worn by the samurai were all valuable items.

Thus, a new way to get rich was born!

Whenever a samurai was defeated and fled alone, he would become a "fat sheep" in the eyes of the farmers.

Once the bamboo is sharpened, it becomes a lightweight and effective weapon capable of killing even the most valiant warriors!

Unless one is an exceptionally powerful individual, even the most skilled warrior would find it difficult to escape death when faced with a dozen or even dozens of peasants wielding bamboo spears and charging at him.