I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The idea of ​​conquering Edo Castle with just three people sounds impressive, but in reality, it was no easy feat.

Edo Castle, known as a "famous castle in the land," has an astonishingly large area.

While running at full speed, they engaged in a fierce battle with no time to spare... Such intense combat was exhausting, not to mention Sukuna and Umibozu, even Shuten-dōji was gradually feeling tired.

Just as Shuten-dōji was about to say something to boost morale, an unexpected change suddenly occurred.

"Ok?"

He lowered his eyelids and stared intently behind them.

With his exceptional eyesight, he spotted three figures rushing toward them.

"Someone's coming!"

Upon hearing this, Su Nuo and Hai Fangzhu immediately turned their heads away.

No sooner had Su Nuo turned his head than he furrowed his brows.

"Oh no...it's the swordsmen of Chiba!"

Shuten-dōji's expression changed slightly:

"Chiba? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm quite sure. I personally witnessed the swordsmen of Chiba when I was training in Edo."

He paused here, then looked closely at the person approaching from behind.

"If I'm not mistaken, the leader of these three people rushing towards us is 'Edo's Strongest' Chiba Eijiro, and the other two are Genbukan Instructor Chiba Michizaburo and Kochiba Kenkan Instructor Daichiba Jutaro."

Umibozu smacked his lips forcefully, muttering with a mixture of self-mockery and helplessness:

"Tsk, in just half an hour, I've fought against the 'Sword Saint' and the 'Strongest in Edo' one after another... I've really improved my skills."

The solemnity on Shuten-dōji's face deepened even further:

"Is the person who came Chiba Eijiro... This is really troublesome."

If it were someone else, that would be fine.

But the visitor happened to be the renowned Chiba Eijiro... This left him no choice but to take it seriously!

How to deal with this powerful group of opponents who suddenly attacked?

Should we ignore it, or...?

Before Shuten-dōji could come up with a solution, Sukuna suddenly interrupted his thoughts:

"...Lord Shuten-dōji, you should go ahead. Umibōzu and I will hold off the swordsmen of Chiba for you!"

Shuten-dōji was taken aback for a moment, then subconsciously cast a surprised glance at the two people behind him.

Meeting his gaze, Su Nu smiled slightly:

"As you can see, neither Umibozu nor I can run anymore."

“Continuing to follow you will only hold you back and slow you down.”

"In that case, it would be better to halt our advance and intercept the formidable enemy for you!"

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Chapter 958 Edo's Strongest vs. Shuten-dōji [5500 words]

Su Nuo looked completely at ease, as if he were talking about something perfectly natural and very simple.

The same was true of Umibozu, who was standing to the side.

Although he didn't say anything, his calm demeanor clearly indicated that he agreed with Sukuna's suggestion.

"..."

Shuten-dōji did not respond immediately, but stared intently at the two of them, his lips pressed tightly together, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Although it was cruel, it is undeniable that Sukuna was right.

He and Umibozu were exhausted, their legs felt like lead, and their running speed gradually slowed down. They were no longer able to keep up with Shuten-dōji's pace.

Since that's the case, we might as well stay and intercept the powerful enemy for Shuten-dōji!

They were all determined to die before they resolutely launched their attack on Edo Castle.

Since everyone was going to die anyway, the only difference was whether they died sooner or later—that was probably the thought that led Su Nuo and the others to voluntarily stay behind to cover the rear.

After a moment, Shuten-dōji finally spoke:

"...May your military career prosper."

He didn't say anything sentimental.

After offering his peaceful blessings, he looked away and resumed looking straight ahead.

Immediately afterward, he suddenly increased his speed! In the blink of an eye, he had created distance between himself and the two people behind him!

Because he didn't have to worry about Sukuna and Umibozu, he was able to advance with all his might.

Sukuna shouted at Shuten-dōji's retreating figure:

"Lord Shuten-dōji, I'm entrusting the rest to you!"

Having said that, he and Umibozu stopped in their tracks simultaneously, turned around, and faced the approaching Chiba swordsmen.

"Umibozu, I'm leaving Chiba Jutaro to you! I'll deal with Chiba Eijiro and Chiba Michizaburo!"

"Which one is Chiba Jutaro?"

"That strongest guy!"

"You want to take on the 'strongest in Edo' and the second head of the Hokushin Ittō-ryū main family all by yourself? Are you sure you can do it?!"

Su Nu grinned:

"We have to do it, even if it's difficult!"

In the blink of an eye, the two groups of people had already met!

Even when they were still far apart, Chiba Eijiro and the others had already noticed Sukuna and Umibozu, who had stopped moving forward and stood still.

Chiba Jutaro said softly:

"Bringing up the rear...that's really something."

Chiba Michizaburo added:

"One person did not stop; he continued toward the main keep of Edo Castle."

Chiba Eijiro said in a deep voice:

"No matter what, we only have one thing to do: kill all the enemies."

Upon hearing this, the three of them simultaneously raised the blades in their hands.

Seeing the Chiba swordsmen already closing in, Sukuna and Umibozu tensed up and raised their swords to meet them.

In a split second, the five swordsmen collided heavily!

The clanging of metal against metal was deafening.

Umibozu took the initiative to meet Chiba Jutaro, raising his eight swords and slashing down at the opponent's body.

Chiba Jutaro raised his sword to parry, using pure brute force to deflect the sea monster's slash.

The fierce attack and defense between the two strong men resembled two mountains colliding with each other.

Sukuna, standing to the side, spread his arms wide and charged at Eijiro and Dozaburo one by one with his sword.

The sword in his left hand slashed at Dozaburo, while the sword in his right hand slashed at Eijiro.

Eijiro and Dozaburo calmly assumed their stances, raised their swords, and clashed head-on with their opponent, exchanging blows.

The three men's swords clashed in mid-air.

The outcome of this duel was decided in an instant.

Su Nuo's expression changed drastically, and then he was thrown backward as if he had been blasted away, his legs leaving two long tracks on the ground. He "flew" for about 5 meters before finally coming to a stop.

He single-handedly withstood the attacks of Eijiro and Dozaburo, not only surviving but also without his sword being knocked away... To be fair, such a feat is enough to establish his transcendent status in the world of swordsmanship.

Before Su Nuo could recover, he suddenly felt his vision darken – the hem of a haori (a type of traditional Chinese garment) billowing high blocked his view.

Dao Sanlang pounced forward like a tiger, attacking Su Nuo.

"Brother, please go after that person who ran far away! If the intelligence is correct, that person must be the commander-in-chief of the rebel army! Leave this to me and Jutaro!"

In the blink of an eye, Dozaburo had calculated the gains and losses.

First of all, if Eijiro were here, three against two would be enough to gain a significant advantage simply by virtue of the obvious numerical difference.

But wouldn't that mean letting Shuten-dōji roam freely?

It was obvious that Sukuna and Umibozu had no intention of living any longer, which was why they were so determined to guard this place.

These reckless, daredevil types are the most difficult to deal with; you must not underestimate them.

Who knows how long it will take to completely defeat these two?

Furthermore, this place is quite close to the main citadel of Edo Castle.

If, while they were entangled with these two, Shuten-dōji managed to break into the citadel and successfully find Tokugawa Iemochi... the consequences would be unimaginable!

Therefore, having Dozaburo and Jutaro deal with Sukuna and Umibozu, and then having the strongest Eijiro pursue Shuten-dōji, is the best solution at present.

Eijiro immediately understood Dozaburo's intention and nodded vigorously:

"Okay, I'm counting on you!"

Having said that, he dismounted from his fighting stance, turned to the left, and prepared to go around Su Nuo.

Upon seeing this, Sukuna immediately shifted his body to the side, intending to intercept Eijiro.