I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Some enemy soldiers killed several people in succession, and became more and more courageous in battle. Their facial expressions were dominated by intense excitement, without the slightest sign of fatigue.

If only a very few people are like this, then so be it.

But all the enemy soldiers were like that... Anyone would feel something was wrong.

"Watch out! These guys are very strong!"

"Damn it! Stop them!"

"Damn it! How can we lose to these barbarians?!"

"Hey! Didn't you always brag about having the license for the Hokushin Itto-ryu style? How come you can't even kill a single enemy soldier?!"

"Stop talking nonsense! I've already given it my all!"

The formidable enemy and immense pressure threw the city gate guards into chaos.

They completely misjudged the enemy's fighting strength.

They can't be blamed for this.

After all, they were unaware of the existence of this evil entity, "Decisive Battle Pool"!

Before attacking Edo, in every battle—whether it was the raid on Nagoya or the Battle of Hachioji—Shuten-dōji never used the "Decisive Battle Yoko," keeping it hidden.

The purpose was to give the Edo garrison a "surprise"!

The purpose was to ensure that the soldiers were in the best possible condition to capture Edo!

If "Decisive Battle" is used prematurely, the soldiers will definitely be unable to participate in the following battles due to the side effects.

Now that things have come to this, there's no need to hide anything anymore!

Just last night, on the eve of the battle, Shuten-dōji distributed "Decisive Battle Salt" to the entire army!

Katsura Kogoro wanted to defeat the shogunate more than anyone else.

But... he wasn't the kind of radical, ruthless person.

Deceiving subordinates and making them take dangerous drugs without their knowledge is not what he desires.

Therefore, when distributing "Decisive Battle Salt," he made sure to inform all the soldiers of the Special Forces about all its side effects without omission.

Whether or not to take it is entirely up to the individual's choice; he would never force anyone to take it.

As for the "Slavic Legion"... it was not his subordinate force, and even if he wanted to intervene, he had no way to get involved.

Compared to Katsura Kogoro, Shuten-dōji was not so kind.

Not only did he fail to inform them of the side effects of "Decisive Battle Starch," he also deceived the mercenaries of the "Slavic Legion," saying: "The side effects of this drug are minimal! You can take it without worry!"

Under Shuten-dōji's deception... or rather, under his inducement, almost all the Russian soldiers took "Decisive Battle Elixir"!

As a result, their combat power naturally increased dramatically, becoming exceptionally terrifying!

Under the enemy's fierce attack, the city gate defenders gradually lost ground and began to retreat.

In just a short while, the first gate of Yotsuya Gate (Goryeo Gate) fell!

The defenders retreated to the second city gate, the Dulu Gate.

They captured the first gate of Yotsuya Castle without lifting a finger, greatly boosting the morale of the enemy troops.

On the other hand, the defending troops... every single one of them was in a state of panic.

They didn't even have time to put up a proper defense before they were utterly defeated... This was a huge blow to them.

Panic spread rapidly like a plague.

As a result, the order of the garrison was slow to be restored.

Even a layman could see that if things continued like this, they would definitely not be able to stop the enemy's offensive!

If even Watarimon is lost, then Yotsuya-mikado will be completely lost!

Not long after the war began, a large hole was torn in the "thirty-six allied" defense line... The result was undoubtedly disastrous.

Amidst this panic, suddenly, above the city gate at Dulu Gate, right behind the guards, an aged male voice rang out:

"...You may all step back."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers were taken aback and turned their heads to look behind them—where they saw an old man with a sword at his waist walking slowly forward at a leisurely pace.

The soldiers did not recognize the old man, nor did they know what he wanted to do.

But intimidated by his imposing aura, they instinctively parted to the left and right, making way for him.

The old man remained expressionless and continued forward with composure, passing through the ranks of the guards until he reached the edge of the city gate. One more step forward and he would fall.

Then, he did something that made the guards present gasp in surprise: he slightly bent his knees, leaped out like a tiger, and jumped towards the enemy below the city gate!

In that instant, someone among the guards finally recognized him and shouted his name:

"It's 'Sword Saint' Seiichiro Otani!"

As the old man... that is, Otani Seiichiro, plummeted straight down from mid-air, a gleaming silver snake shot out from his waist.

He drew his sword, raised it above his head, and using the momentum of his falling body, cleaved an enemy soldier cleanly in two from head to hip!

Once his feet touched the ground, he launched an attack almost without pause.

A silver light flashed continuously in mid-air.

With horizontal slashes, vertical cuts, upward thrusts, and forward stabs, in the blink of an eye, all the enemy soldiers around him were killed, creating a "vacuum zone"!

*******

*******

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

P.S.: I'm not feeling well today, my head hurts, and I really can't write anymore, I'm so sorry... Could it be the flu? I heard the flu is really bad lately, everyone should be careful...

Chapter 948 The Heroes of Edo Rise Up! Swordsmen Galloping Across the Battlefield! [5200]

He leaped alone off the city gate and into the enemy ranks... His heroic act left the guards on the ferry gate dumbfounded, their jaws nearly dropping to the ground.

The old man's subsequent display of formidable fighting prowess left them speechless, unable to believe their eyes.

The fierce enemy soldiers who had routed them were no match for the old man!

He cut down enemy soldiers with ease, as if slicing melons and vegetables, using only himself and his sword to send them sprawling!

"Sword Saint" Seiichiro Otani... is currently the only living sword saint besides the "Eternal Sword Saint" Ogata Itsei, whose fate is unknown!

Although he is an old man, every move and every style of his is still full of the style of a sword saint!

Facing the densely packed enemy soldiers before him, he calmly and fearlessly raised his sword—and immediately unleashed a precise and fierce sword technique!

laugh!

The silver blade flashed to the left, tracing the shortest path in mid-air, slicing open the chests of four enemy soldiers.

laugh!

The next instant, the silver blade flashed in the opposite direction to the right, severing the necks of two enemy soldiers.

With just two strikes, Ootani Seiichiro expanded the "vacuum zone" around him by a large margin.

Taking advantage of the enemy soldiers' momentary daze, he moved with lightning speed, plunging headlong into the depths of the enemy ranks with unstoppable momentum.

The silver blade flashed again and again, and with each flash, new flesh and blood splattered out, and new corpses fell to the ground!

Ootani Seiichiro's offensive was like a flood pouring into a sandcastle—the sandcastle collapsed at a visible speed!

At first glance, the old man's moves were nothing special; they were just ordinary horizontal and vertical slashes.

Only those who understand swordsmanship can realize how terrifying he is: his swordsmanship has reached a state of returning to simplicity and authenticity!

He disdains using fancy or physically demanding techniques.

Using the simplest moves to kill enemies—that's the fighting style he pursues.

In a sense, he has grasped the true essence of swordsmanship: excellent swordsmanship is one that can make the sword strike the enemy!

Without exception, all his moves struck the enemy soldiers' vital points, killing them instantly!

So far, no enemy soldier has been able to force him to land a second blow.

The area between the first city gate (Goryeo Gate) and the second city gate (Dulu Gate) is not spacious, making it a classic example of "one man can hold the pass against ten thousand".

Such terrain is a nightmare for large armies, but also an excellent arena for top experts to display their skills!

Ootani Seiichiro charged forward with his sword, driving the enemy soldiers out of the crossing gate bit by bit, and none who stood in his way were defeated.

Those who were close to him witnessed the "power of the Sword Saint" and hurriedly retreated.

Those who were far away from him, unaware of the details, surged forward in a dense crowd.

In fact, the people behind them were also innocent.

Because the route from Goryeo Gate (the first city gate) to Doro Gate (the second city gate) requires turning a right angle, the view is blocked by this corner, so people behind have no idea what is happening ahead.

People in front are backing up, and people behind are moving forward... and so, unsurprisingly, a traffic jam occurs.

In an instant, the scene became increasingly chaotic, and order gradually collapsed.

Seiichiro Otani was not fighting alone.

At this moment, another old man stepped in—

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Suddenly, a barrage of sharp arrows flew out from the ferry gate!

The arrows left straight afterimages in mid-air before falling into the enemy ranks.

Not a single arrow missed its mark; each arrow struck an enemy soldier, killing them with a single shot!

The one drawing the bow and nocking the arrow was none other than Kubota Kiyone, a martial arts master who was proficient in many martial arts, including the Hozoin-ryu spear technique, the Tamiya-ryu iaido sword technique, and the Ogasawara-ryu bow technique, as well as various military strategies such as the Koshu-ryu military science, the Gaiki-ryu artillery technique, and the Nojima-ryu naval strategy!

He stood at the edge of the crossing gate—the very spot where Otani Seiichiro had just leaped down—one hand holding a bow, the other a taut arrow, standing proudly and looking down at the enemy below, exuding an aura of power and majesty.

In terms of swordsmanship, Kubota Kiyone is inferior to Otani Seiichiro.

Physically, due to his advanced age, he could no longer wield swords and spears as freely as he pleased.