I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The arrow, shot straight out with a strong wind, pierced the head of an enemy soldier—this guy intended to ambush Otani Seiichiro from the side and rear.

"Seiichiro... forward...!"

No sooner said than done, another arrow shot out into the air.

Immediately afterwards, another enemy soldier was eliminated from the ranks of Ootani Seiichiro.

His movements were so fluid and his technique so skillful that he didn't look like someone who was seriously injured and on the verge of death at all!

Looking at Seiichiro Otani's back, at that courageous and forward-moving figure, Kiyone Kubota smiled.

He smiled serenely.

Strangely enough, after experiencing intense dizziness, he suddenly felt his mind become unusually clear.

Thanks to this, he suddenly understood many things.

Why would he risk his life to help Otani Seiichiro at all costs?

For him, at this moment, Otani Seiichiro is like an "incarnation"—an embodiment of proving to the world the backbone of "old guys who can't keep up with the times"!

So... Seiichiro, forward!

He didn't know when it started, but he no longer felt pain or fatigue.

To be precise, all his senses except sight had left him.

He now has only one thought left: to shoot down all enemy soldiers who pose a threat to Seiichiro.

He now has only one action left: to draw his bow and shoot an arrow.

In the blink of an eye, arrow after arrow pierced the atmosphere!

The strong wind carried by the arrow was like a tailwind helping Otani Seiichiro get going.

Every whooshing sound of wind breaking through the air signified the death of an enemy soldier.

With the help of this continuous rain of arrows, Otani Seiichiro's offensive was as if divinely aided!

Forward, forward, and forward again... He rushed from one pillar of blood to the next.

Whoosh!

Ootani Seiichiro saw an enemy soldier holding a flintlock pistol, who was about to fire at him, being shot through the head.

Whoosh!

A moment later, the enemy soldier to his right scratched his neck, which had been hit by an arrow, struggled a few times, and then fell to the ground motionless.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

……

Hearing the continuous sound of wind breaking behind him, Otani Seiichiro gradually felt at ease.

This sense of peace stems from both Kubota Kiyone's strong assistance and pure friendship.

Even though there were no friendly soldiers around him, he could intuitively feel that he was not alone just by hearing the sound of the bow being drawn and the arrow being released.

But in that instant, without any warning... the sound of wind breaking stopped.

The sounds of bowstrings being drawn and arrows being shot no longer came from behind him.

Ootani Seiichiro's sword paused for a moment in mid-air.

He subconsciously assumed that Kubota Kiyone was tired, so he waited and waited.

But... no matter how long he waited, the reassuring sound of the bow being drawn never rang out again...

"..."

Ootani Seiichiro pursed his lips, and the corners of his mouth drooped slightly.

Despite the incessant shouts of the enemy soldiers, in the absence of the sound of arrows being drawn, he had never felt the world so quiet...

……

……

"Lord Shuten-dōji, this... seems a bit ominous."

Sukuna stared wide-eyed at Otani Seiichiro, who was getting closer and closer to them.

To be fair, the soldiers' bravery absolutely deserves the description of "fighting without regard for their own safety".

Fueled by the "Decisive Battle of the Lake," they rushed towards Ootani Seiichiro without retreating.

However... no matter how bravely they fought, no matter how many wounds they inflicted on their opponent, they could not stop their advance!

This swordsman's path forward is a true bloodbath! Every step he takes forward inevitably leads to fierce fighting!

According to Sukuna and others' incomplete statistics, at this moment, Ootani Seiichiro had at least 15 wounds on his body, including two gunshot wounds.

Despite suffering such severe injuries, he not only did not collapse and die, but fought even more fiercely... To be honest, Sukuna and the others couldn't help but wonder if this old man was like Ogata Itsuki, also an "immortal"!

Haibo frowned, turned his head, and said anxiously to Shuten-dōji:

"Lord Shuten-dōji, please retreat!"

His words immediately expressed the sentiments of everyone present.

Sukuna and the others turned their heads and cast earnest glances at Shuten-dōji.

Judging from the current situation, it is no longer a fantasy that Ootani Seiichiro will break into this place and kill Shuten-dōji!

They did not believe that Shuten-dōji was no match for Otani Seiichirō.

In fact, even in his uninjured and healthy state, Otani Seiichiro might not be a match for the exceptionally talented Shuten-dōji.

To be able to enter the "state of selflessness" at will... such talent is rare, perhaps only seen once in a century.

But... there's always a chance of something going wrong!

At this moment, Otani Seiichiro seems to be possessed by a god, standing tall and unyielding, capable of taking on a thousand men single-handedly.

Even if he is no match for Shuten-dōji, it is hard to guarantee that he will not be left with some scars.

Faced with Umibozu's sincere advice, Shuten-dōji smiled slightly:

“Otani Seiichiro imitated Tadashi Yukimura and charged into battle alone.”

"If I were to follow the example of Tokugawa Ieyasu back then, and knock down the flag and retreat several miles, wouldn't I become a laughing stock?"

"I'm not like Tokugawa Ieyasu; I wouldn't stoop to doing something so shameful."

“Umibozu, now that things have come to this, let’s not say such unromantic things.”

As he spoke, he gestured with his chin toward the approaching male figure, Seiichiro Otani.

"Look. That swordsman is burning his life force."

"He risked everything, disregarding life and death, and fought a bloody battle."

"I want to witness the end with this worthy opponent."

“I will not run away, I will stand here forever.”

"Whether he dies on the way or successfully reaches me, I will accept whatever the outcome may be."

He paused at this point.

After a moment, his tone turned serious:

"I advise you to take 'Decisive Battle Starch' now."

"Otherwise, you probably wouldn't even be able to withstand one of his blows."

Upon hearing this, Su Nuo and the others became solemn.

After a brief moment of hesitation, they all reached into their pockets and pulled out a red pill.

……

……

"Old man! Die!"

An enemy soldier stepped forward and forcefully plunged his bayonet into Otani Seiichiro's chest.

Before he could even feel smug, Otani Seiichiro swung his sword and slashed him to the ground.

At the same time, he switched the knife to his left hand and used his right hand to pull out the bayonet stuck in his chest, causing it to spin around and pierce the neck of another enemy soldier.

Finally, with a swift arc in the air, he sliced ​​off the heads of three enemy soldiers with his left-hand blade.

Taking advantage of clearing out the enemy soldiers around him, he took another step forward.

At that moment, he was shocked to find that Shuten-dōji was right in front of him!

They were only eight steps apart.

The other person's handsome face was now crystal clear.

He could even see every single line on his face.

8 steps... the final 8 steps!

Otani Seiichiro took a deep breath, gathering the last of his strength!

Just then, a cold light swept towards the top of his head in an arc.

Without even glancing at the slash, Otani Seiichiro instinctively leaned back and dodged it.

Seeing that his attack had missed, Su Nuo immediately pulled the sword back to his side and resumed his stance.

Sukuna, Umibozu, Ushioni, and Nureme—they stood in a fan shape, blocking Ootani Seiichiro's path.

Without exception, all four of them had a gleam in their eyes that was uniquely bright after taking "Decisive Battle Starch".

Seiichiro Otani calmly gazed at the four people, muttering to himself:

"The general's bodyguards..."

Umibozu shouted and launched the first attack: