I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Of course, there is no such thing as "if" in this world.

Because of a slight difference in skill, Chiba Jutaro won and Umibozu lost—no amount of eloquence could change this fact.

With a "plop," dark red blood flowed from the seven orifices of the Sea Monk.

Chiba Jutaro could clearly feel the bones cracking on his fist... It wasn't just his skull; his brain was probably shattered as well.

Soon after spitting blood, his body began to convulse violently, as if he were having a seizure.

Immediately afterwards, his eyes rolled upwards, revealing bloodshot whites, and his body seemed to be pulled backwards helplessly as if by his rolled-up eyeballs.

Thump... The huge body crashed heavily to the ground, stirring up a thin layer of dust.

A moment later, his body stopped convulsing... or rather, all his vital signs ceased.

His breathing stopped, his chest no longer pounded, and his eyes stared wide-eyed at the sky.

"Huff...! Huff...! Huff...! Huff...!"

Chiba Jutaro stretched his nostrils to their limit and inhaled fresh air through both his mouth and nose.

Although he had no sword in his hand, Chiba Jutaro still subconsciously adopted the Zanshin stance, staring intently at Umibozu, wary of the other party coming back to life.

He only breathed a sigh of relief after the other person had completely fallen silent.

As his tense nerves relaxed... he suddenly felt intense pain wash over his entire body like a tidal wave.

From head to toe, there wasn't a single place that didn't hurt.

His face and chest, which were hit the most, were in so much pain that he grimaced in pain. Each time he grimaced, it would aggravate more wounds, creating a vicious cycle.

Despite being in excruciating pain all over his body and utterly exhausted, he forced himself to go and help Chiba Michizaburo.

"Brother Dao... I'm here to help you..."

As he spoke, he straightened up and turned to look at the battlefield beside him.

Coincidentally, at the same time that Chiba Jutaro defeated Umibozu, Chiba Dozaburo and Sukuna also decided their match.

Chiba Michizaburo is a very traditional two-sword style, wielding a wakizashi in his left hand and a katana in his right.

Sukuna is an anomaly among the two-sword style, as he wields neither a wakizashi nor a katana, but rather two tachi.

The katana is a mounted combat weapon, and few people use it in foot combat.

People who wield two katanas in foot combat are extremely rare. In any case, Chiba Michizaburo had never seen this type of swordsman before, and today was the first time he had ever seen one.

He wields two long katanas with remarkable ease... Despite being an enemy, Chiba Michizaburo greatly admires his skill.

Their duel wasn't as violent as the battle between Jutaro and Umibozu, but in terms of intensity, they were evenly matched!

Under the sunlight, the four knives gleamed in the sunlight.

Because dual-wielding swordsmen are skilled at using two swords, their attack speed is incredibly fast!

One strike after another, one move after another, almost without interruption.

The rapid shifts between offense and defense are dazzling.

An incredibly rare duel between two dual-wielding swordsmen... What a pity, there were no spectators.

They unleashed all sorts of moves, cutting wounds into each other's bodies.

Numerous minor injuries, but none major ones.

Neither of them was able to deliver a fatal blow to the other.

When fighting against a master, you must be on high alert at all times and not allow yourself to lose focus for even a moment.

This will naturally increase the consumption of physical strength.

Gradually, both Chiba Michizaburo and Sukuna began to show obvious signs of disorder in their breathing.

This stalemate would make anyone feel anxious and frustrated.

Perhaps sensing each other's impatience, the two made the same decision with remarkable tacit understanding—to decide the outcome in the next strike!

They took a few steps back, slightly increasing the distance between them.

Chiba Dosaburo slightly spread his legs, his right hand wielding the sword at the middle section and his left hand at the upper section.

In comparison, Su Nuo's stance was much stranger. He held the two swords in his hands extremely low, with the tips of the two swords almost touching the ground.

Both sides were impeccable in their stances, without the slightest flaw.

The air in the room seemed to freeze at that moment.

The frozen air and the standoff between the two lasted only a moment.

A moment later, two thuds sounded, almost simultaneously.

The distance between them instantly shrank! Their entire field of vision was filled with each other's shadows!

Just as they were about to pass each other, both unleashed their killing blows simultaneously—

Chiba Michizaburo used his left-hand sword to protect his neck, while his right-hand sword slashed diagonally across Sukuna's waist and abdomen.

Sukuna's sword leaped upwards, much like a venomous snake pouncing. His right-hand sword was blocked, while his left-hand sword slashed diagonally across Chiba Dosaburo's chest.

The excruciating pain from his abdomen made Su Nuo feel weak all over.

His body, weakened by the intense pain, slammed straight into Chiba Michizaburo, then tumbled over his shoulder and fell headfirst.

Chiba Michizaburo sprinted forward due to inertia, covering a distance of five steps before regaining his footing.

A large tear was seen in his clothes at the chest, and blood gushed out, staining a large area of ​​the fabric red in the blink of an eye.

Ignoring the pain in his chest, he swiftly turned around, his twin swords still in the same stance as the vengeful spirit, ready to fight again at any moment.

Sukuna stood about 7 or 8 meters away, coldly watching Chiba Michizaburo.

Both were still standing, neither had fallen... Even so, the amount of blood drawn was enough to tell who had won.

If Chiba Michizaburo's wound was a broken faucet, then Sukuna's wound was a spring! "Glug," "glug," water gushed out... ah, no, blood.

Chiba Michizaburo's cut went extremely deep.

It's no exaggeration to say that if his knife had cut any deeper, it would have been enough to cut Su Nuo in half at the waist.

Perhaps it was thanks to the blessing of "Decisive Battle of the Lake", or the power of willpower, or perhaps both, that Su Nuo did not immediately collapse and die despite suffering such severe injuries.

Suddenly, his right foot moved forward half a step.

Upon seeing this, Chiba Michizaburo immediately assumed a fighting stance, keeping a close eye on Sukuna's every move.

Although he was prepared to fight another three hundred rounds, in the end, his opponent's struggle was just a last gasp.

Suddenly, two crisp clanging sounds were heard, and Su Nuo's two katana fell to the ground.

He wanted to hold on a little longer, swaying his body back and forth and side to side, trying his best to keep his footing, just like a kite in the wind.

Unfortunately... he staggered forward another step, then finally couldn't hold on and fell heavily to the ground.

The blood continued to flow out, spreading in all directions.

The opponent's sudden fall did not make Chiba Dosaburo relax in the slightest.

He continued to stare intently at the corpse, his hands still assuming the stance of a vengeful spirit.

Only after confirming that the other person had truly stopped breathing did he finally let out a long breath, exhaling the turbid air that had become particularly heavy due to holding his breath for so long.

The moment he relaxed, he suddenly felt his legs go weak and he collapsed to the ground in a rather disheveled state.

"Brother Dao!"

Almost simultaneously, Chiba Jutaro, who had defeated Umibozu, rushed forward and helped Chiba Dozaburo.

"Brother Dao, are you alright?"

"Hmm...I'm alright...the injury isn't fatal..."

As he spoke, he tore a relatively clean strip of cloth from his clothes and used it to bandage the wound on his chest.

Just like Chiba Jutaro, Chiba Michizaburo also almost lost his life.

Just as Su Nuo's blade was about to strike him, he instinctively twisted his body—a combat instinct honed through countless battles and exceptional talent—avoiding the direct slash from the blade.

It was this small action that saved him from death.

It was extremely dangerous...it was a hair's breadth away...

Chiba Jutaro glanced at Sukuna, then at Umibozu, and murmured:

"What a formidable opponent..."

Chiba Michizaburo nodded slightly:

"Oh, yes."

Both brothers won by a narrow margin... Although they were victorious, they were both exhausted and could not even stand up.

Given their current state, sending reinforcements to Eijiro is nothing short of wishful thinking.

At this moment, the two brothers shared the same worry: these two guys are so difficult to deal with... then, just how strong is that young man who wore great armor and went to raid Edo Castle Honmaru alone?

Since these two dared to stay behind to cover the rear and let that young man act alone, they must have believed that he had the strength to "conquer Edo Castle by himself" to dare to do so!

Thinking of this, the two brothers turned their heads and looked in the direction where Eijiro had just left.

Jutaro murmured:

"Brother Rong, you must stay safe..."

……

……

Edo Castle, Honmaru—

clang!

Shuten-dōji deflected Chiba Eijiro's sword, then slightly lowered his waist, quickly gathering his strength.

In the next instant, he slashed diagonally from the lower right to the upper left.

The strike was swift as lightning, and the distance between the two was precisely controlled.

Chiba Eijiro barely managed to dodge, but his left shoulder was still slashed, and blood splattered out.