I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Seeing that Tokugawa Iemochi was about to leave, a hint of annoyance flashed in Shuten-dōji's eyes.

In the blink of an eye, he shifted his steps, preparing to bypass Chiba Eijiro and pursue Tokugawa Iemochi.

His movements were incredibly fast, almost lightning-fast.

However, Chiba Eijiro had already seen through his intentions!

But he moved in the same direction, blocking the opponent again and quickly slashing the Moonlit Light in his palm.

His moves were exceptionally decisive and ruthless, always aiming for the opponent's vital points.

The blade of Zhenyue Changguang drew a clean arc in mid-air, heading straight for Shuten-dōji's crown.

Without a second thought, Shuten-dōji instinctively raised the sword in his hand, steadily blocking the fierce slash.

Chiba Eijiro glanced at Shuten-dōji's sword and said softly:

"Not bad."

Shuten-dōji calmly announced the name of his sword:

"The most superior great work, Sun Liujianyuan."

"So it is the famous Sun Liujianyuan. It is truly an honor to meet you today."

The next instant, as if pre-arranged, the two exerted their strength simultaneously, deflecting each other's blades, and then retreated rapidly, creating a distance of about ten meters.

Shuten-dōji stared intently at Chiba Eijiro, his eyes filled with malice.

"...Chiba Eijiro, make way."

What if I say 'no'?

Instead of retreating, he stomped his heels even harder, as if to say, "Go ahead and try to force your way through."

Shuten-dōji lowered his eyelids, his tone shifting to a chilling, devilish whisper:

"Chiba Eijiro, you are not a retainer of the shogunate, so why do you have to go to such lengths for the shogunate?"

"Or are you the kind of person who is blindly loyal?"

"To you, Tokugawa Iemochi is nothing but a stranger."

Would you be willing to give your life for a complete stranger, someone you barely know, someone you've only met a few times?

Faced with Shuten-dōji's enticing persuasion, Chiba Eijiro smirked, revealing a disdainful expression.

As soon as the other person finished speaking, he responded without hesitation:

You're right.

“I am indeed not a retainer of the shogunate, and I have no special relationship with Lord Iemochi.”

"but--"

As he changed the subject, he narrowed his eyes and gave the other person a sharp, dagger-like look.

“I am fully aware of the terrible consequences that would result if you were to kill Lord Iemo!”

"For the sake of peace in the world, I absolutely cannot allow Lord Jiamo to die at this time and place!"

In recent years, Changzhou has been very active.

This drew everyone's attention to it, causing them to overlook other forces.

You should know that none of the western vassal states west of the capital are easy to deal with!

While the shogunate still held authority, they could at least remain docile.

But when the shogunate declined... Chiba Eijiro didn't even dare to imagine what terrible changes would occur after Iemochi's death...!

Shuten-dōji gave Chiba Eijiro a deep look, then sighed silently.

"The negotiations broke down... What a pity."

As he spoke, he vigorously moved his neck, making a series of painful "crackling" sounds as his joints moved.

"Chiba Eijiro, let me make this clear: I'm in a real hurry right now and don't have time to mess around with you."

"So... I'll go all out and crush you in one fell swoop!"

Having said that, he raised Sun Liujianyuan in his palm and began to pose with his eyes closed.

"I flow"

"Shuten-dōji!"

Chiba Eijiro said coldly:

"I'm always ready to teach."

He raised his blade, assuming a mid-range stance, the tip twitching slightly like the tail of a wagtail.

"Hokushin Ittō-ryū"

"Chiba Eijiro!"

The next moment, two immense, ocean-like forces erupted from their bodies and collided heavily in the air!

……

……

Edo Castle, Ninomaru—

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The duel between Chiba Jutaro and Umibozu continues.

Both of their arm and wrist muscles underwent the same changes: first soreness, then pain, and finally a strange numbness, almost to the point of loss of sensation.

Of course, compared to their exhausted bodies, the blades in their hands were truly in grave danger!

Both knives were covered with a dense array of nicks and slits, enough to make someone with trypophobia faint, as if they were about to break at any moment.

It's over as soon as it's said.

Just as the two launched into a new exchange of blows, and their knives clashed together once more, with a "crack" sound, the knives in their hands shattered into countless fragments.

The weapons were destroyed... but that did nothing to affect the duel between the two sides!

They temporarily stopped fighting, both lowered their heads, glanced at the broken swords in their hands—their eyes turned fierce.

The next moment, they simultaneously threw away their broken swords, clenched their fists, and attacked each other!

The clanging of metal against metal turned into the thud of fists striking flesh.

Chiba Jutaro landed a right hook squarely on Umibozu's left cheek.

Umibozu swayed slightly, but steadied himself without taking a step back. Then he swung his left fist and struck Chiba Jutaro squarely on the right cheek.

A similar scene unfolded with Chiba Jutaro—he didn't take a single step back, merely swaying his body slightly to deflect the impact of the punch.

In an instant, he threw another punch, which landed squarely on the sea monk's chest.

And so, the two began a stand-up fighting style, meeting force with force!

Unless it's an extremely dangerous move, neither side will back down or defend themselves, letting the opponent's fist fall on them.

Two swordsmen decided their fate with their fists... The scene was both comical and bloody!

In just a short while, the four fists were covered in blood.

Such a pure and brutal fight... even an iron man couldn't withstand such a barrage of heavy punches!

Sure enough, it didn't take long for both of them to show signs of fatigue.

His legs, which had been firmly planted on the ground, gradually began to sway, and his breathing became completely disordered.

Soon, the moment of truth arrived.

Chiba Jutaro: "Drink! Drink!"

Umibozu: "Drink! Aaaaaah!"

In that instant, the two simultaneously assumed their fist stances and then suddenly unleashed their power to charge forward!

Chiba Jutaro throws a left punch, while Umibozu throws a right punch.

Two fists drew sharp straight lines in mid-air! They struck the other person's face hard!

Their punching speeds seemed to be evenly matched.

In reality, Chiba Jutaro's punch was slightly faster.

This slight difference has already decided the outcome—

Bang! !

A huge, muffled thud echoed in all directions.

The two men threw punches at the same time, but only one sound was heard when the punch hit the body.

Looking up, one could see the two men still in the punching stance, their fists crossing each other.

They were frozen in place, motionless for a long time.

The outcome is obvious.

Chiba Jutaro's punches were faster and more decisive, which allowed him to seize the inner circle.

This means that his fist can travel the shortest route and hit his opponent first!

His punch was extremely vicious, hitting the Sea Monk squarely on the left side of his forehead.

On the other hand, Umibozu... because Chiba Jutaro had taken the inner circle, his punches were forced to become "outer ring punches," requiring him to travel a greater distance to hit Chiba Jutaro.

Because of this slight difference, his punch missed its mark.

However, if you look closely, you can see that his fist is less than half an inch away from Chiba Jutaro's left temple!

That was extremely dangerous!

As we all know, the temples are one of the most vital points on the human body.

Getting hurt here is no laughing matter.

If Umibozu's punch had landed squarely on Chiba Jutaro's left temple, at the very least it would have resulted in a lose-lose situation!