I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

……

……

Edo Castle, Honmaru, somewhere—

"Ho...! Ho...! Ho...! Ho...!"

Tokugawa Iemochi let out a heavy sigh.

"Jiamou, are you alright?"

Tianzhangyuan, who was supporting him, immediately cast a worried glance at him.

"I'm fine..."

Tokugawa Iemochi raised his hand to his forehead and looked around.

He had probably regained some of his senses, because his eyes had become much clearer.

"Mother...where is this...?"

Tianzhangyuan answered succinctly:

"Honmaru, I'll take you back to the Ōhiromaru to heal your wounds first."

Tokugawa Iemochi remained silent for a moment, then posed a new question:

"Mother... how is Akasaka Mikado...?"

"..."

Tianzhangyuan did not reply.

In fact, her silence was the answer.

Tokugawa Iemochi gritted his teeth, his expression darkening slightly.

Just as Tangzhangyuan was about to say something to encourage him, her expression suddenly changed.

Elodie, standing nearby, also had a change of expression.

The next moment, they turned around one after the other—a young man in heavy armor suddenly entered their field of vision.

When Shuten-dōji appeared, both Tenshōin and Elodie were startled.

Using the phrase "covered in blood" to describe it would be too mild and inappropriate.

There wasn't a single spot on his body that wasn't covered in blood!

Needless to say, his armor was completely stained with blood, making it impossible to discern its original color.

His hair was covered in blood and had congealed into clumps and patches.

His face, wrists, and other exposed skin were covered in blood and grime, as if he were wearing a thick mask, making it difficult to discern the specific shape of his facial features.

Shuten-dōji turned his gaze blankly, scanning all the sights within his sight.

Soon, his gaze was firmly fixed on Tokugawa Iemochi.

Upon spotting Tokugawa Iemochi, he was slightly taken aback at first, but then, as if by instinct, he charged forward without hesitation!

He's incredibly fast!

In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance by several meters!

Elodie had never met Shuten-dōji, let alone fought him.

But with just one glance, she could tell that this person was no ordinary individual! He was definitely not an opponent she could handle!

Instantly, a strong sense of fear arose.

Despite the intense fear in his heart, the first thought that popped into his mind at that moment was, "I must fight him! I must stop him!"

Strangely enough, she didn't have a deep relationship with Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin, nor was she their retainer, so she had no reason to protect the mother and son.

But she wanted to stay behind to buy time for the mother and child to escape.

This has nothing to do with any personal relationship.

She simply felt that she couldn't let this mother and child die here!

Without a word, she drew Yamato no Kami Yasusada from her waist and declared loudly:

"Your Highness, you must leave quickly! I'll hold him off!"

Tenshōin was stunned, then, half in anger and half in alarm, he quickly said:

"Don't talk nonsense! You can't stop him!"

Elodie replied without hesitation:

"I know! I may not be his match, but I can buy him some time! If we don't do something soon, we'll be overtaken!"

What she said was true.

Shuten-dōji's speed far surpassed theirs.

If this continues, it will only take three minutes at most for his blade to fall on their heads.

Tenshōin was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to refute Elodie.

Elodie is absolutely right.

Leaving her behind to cover the rear and buy them time to escape is undoubtedly the best solution at present.

However... however... she just couldn't bring herself to make a little girl face a powerful enemy alone!

Fortunately, just when they were at a loss and gradually felt desperate, a new change—a change that was to their advantage—suddenly occurred!

Whoosh!

A whooshing sound suddenly rang out from behind Shuten-dōji.

Shuten-dōji's pupils contracted slightly, and he instinctively dodged to the right—with a snap, a katana was stuck in the spot where he had just been standing.

Not far behind him, Chiba Eijiro's figure suddenly appeared!

Chiba Eijiro held the sword, Shingetsu Nagamitsu, in his mouth and repeatedly threw the swords in his hand.

He picked up these swords from the corpses scattered on the ground while chasing Shuten-dōji.

Thinking they might come in handy, he picked up more than twenty swords in one go—and the carvings proved to be of great use.

He used these swords as throwing knives, hurling them at Shuten-dōji one after another.

Although it cannot injure the opponent, it can effectively affect their movements and hinder their progress!

Chiba Eijiro seized the opportunity to increase his speed.

After closing the distance to about ten steps, he threw away the katana he hadn't yet thrown, took the Zhen Yue Chang Guang from his mouth, and then leaped up like a spring up from the ground, leaping towards Shuten-dōji.

He raised the sword above his head and, using the momentum of the fall, slashed it fiercely at Shuten-dōji's head.

Shuten-dōji, having no time to pursue Tokugawa Iemochi, had to stop and raise his sword to parry Chiba Eijiro's slash.

clang!!

The enormous impact was so loud that even Elodie and the others, who were several meters away, couldn't help but feel ear pain.

The two men stared at each other across their locked swords.

Chiba Eijiro said calmly:

"I finally caught up with you. You're quite fast."

Shuten-dōji said in a deep voice:

"Edo's strongest, Chiba Eijiro..."

Chiba Eijiro responded calmly:

“I’ve said similar things many times. I’m no longer the ‘strongest in Edo’.”

The instant he finished speaking, he exerted force with both arms and deflected Shuten-dōji's sword.

There were no pleasantries, no formalities such as announcing names or surnames.

The two immediately engaged in a fierce duel!

*******

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Chapter 959 The Overwhelming Advantage of the "Selfless Realm"! [5700]

"It's Chiba Eijiro...!"

Seeing this powerful helper who arrived just in time, Elodie was initially surprised but then delighted.

Chiba Eijiro, facing Shuten-dōji with his back to Elodie and the others, shouted loudly without turning his head:

"You guys get out of here! I'll handle this guy!"

Elodie instinctively wanted to shout, "I'll help you."

Just as she was about to speak, she paused for a moment, belatedly realizing how foolish her words were, and quickly shut her mouth.

Shuten-dōji's strength is visibly formidable.

This level of competition is not something just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can participate in.

With her limited skills, even if she were to step forward to help, she would only be a hindrance to Chiba Eijiro.

Despite her resentment, she quickly composed herself and clearly identified what she should be doing now.

"Eijiro! I am extremely grateful!"

After saying that, she turned her head and exchanged a glance with Tenshōin.

Tianzhangyuan understood the meaning in his gaze, nodded slightly, and said solemnly:

"let's go."

And so, under Chiba Eijiro's cover, the three of them continued to retreat to the rear.