I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Horse hooves pounded the ground violently.

The knights on horseback didn't even need to lift a finger; the sheer force of the horses and the trampling of their hooves were enough to destroy the enemy troops.

They were like pebbles in a tsunami—swallowed up before they could even struggle.

Qingdeng held the reins in his mouth and used both hands to alternately swing the spear, cutting down every enemy soldier who appeared within his attack range.

Similar scenes also occurred on the battlefields commanded by Harada Sanosuke, Nakazawa Koto, and others!

The Shinsengumi immediately reversed the situation once they launched their attack!

The bloody battle between the Faki coalition and the Edo garrison was evenly matched.

Both sides are now exhausted and are only holding on by sheer willpower.

It's like a balanced scale; adding weight to either side—no matter the weight—is enough to tip the scale over!

What's more, this suddenly added weight is an incredibly huge, heavy weight!

Qingdeng charged forward relentlessly, never stopping.

His goal was clear—the magnificent Edo Castle.

Edo was both large and small.

As he charged straight ahead, the "Thirty-six Fortresses" on the outskirts of Edo Castle came into view.

Just then, he suddenly heard someone calling him:

"General Tachibana! General Tachibana!"

An unfamiliar young man galloped out from the side on horseback and raced alongside him.

"I am a messenger for Katsura Rintarou! I have come to deliver your orders!"

"General Tachibana, please go to Edo Castle immediately to provide support! The enemy has already breached the castle! The situation is extremely critical!"

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng's expression hardened:

"Well, I see!"

After saying goodbye to the messenger, he kicked the cow's belly again to urge Radish to speed up—in fact, Radish had already exhausted all his strength and could no longer muster any more energy.

Just as he was about to reach the "Thirty-Sixth Meeting Place", he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye - the figure of an old man.

Qingdeng turned his head, opened his eyes wide, and looked at the old man with disbelief... or rather, at the corpse lying on the ground.

"Kondo... Master..."

……

……

Edo Castle, Honmaru, Tenshukaku—

Having largely regained his senses, Tokugawa Iemochi sat upright in the main seat.

Tenshōin and Elodie stood solemnly to his left and right.

The three of them stared intently at the gate in front of them.

Outside the gate, shouts of battle echoed continuously.

Amidst the fierce shouts of battle, footsteps gradually approached...

*******

*******

It's almost the end of the month again! Readers with monthly tickets, please vote for this book! (Crying leopard head.jpg) Requesting monthly tickets! Requesting recommendation tickets! (Leopard head crying.jpg)

P.S.: I've been really into playing Dynasty Warriors Origins lately, and while writing the "Qingdeng Charge" section of this chapter, all I could think about was Lu Bu's cheerful song, "Lu Bu Among Men".

Chapter 962 Shuten-dōji vs. Tokugawa Iemochi! [5100]

A tall figure sped along the narrow corridor leading to the castle tower.

Numerous guards stepped forward to intercept them.

Bold shouts, angry cries, painful wails, muffled sounds of flesh being ripped and bones being broken... all sorts of sounds filled the entire corridor.

Whenever the guards collided with this figure, blood and bone fragments would splatter out.

Dismembered limbs flew in parabolic arcs in all directions, either crashing into the ceiling, smashing through the doors on both sides of the corridor, or simply falling to the ground.

This corridor is the last line of defense for the castle tower, and also the last barrier protecting Tokugawa Iemochi.

Once the defenses are breached, Shuten-dōji can swagger forward and advance right up to Tokugawa Iemochi!

A sense of responsibility and honor drove the guards to take the lead.

However... describing Shuten-dōji's advance as "unstoppable" is truly fitting.

The duel with Chiba Eijiro had taken a toll on him, and the wound on his neck was still bleeding.

Even so, he is still not someone that ordinary people can match!

No matter how hard the guards rushed forward or fought, they could only watch helplessly as Shuten-dōji stepped across the blood-soaked path paved with countless corpses.

Just then, two warriors, whose identities were clearly distinguished by their appearance, drew their swords and stepped forward.

"I am Kogoro Yamada, the head of the page group!"

"I am Daisaburo Mizuno, the leader of the Academy's squad!"

They were the commanders of the two imperial guards of the Shogun—the Koshigota and the Shoin-ban-gumi.

These two men, who usually only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun, somehow, perhaps inspired by the spirit of "a general guarding the capital," bravely stepped forward to meet the enemy.

Unfortunately, no sooner had they announced their names than they saw a gleaming silver blade rapidly approaching.

The two were about the same height, which made Shuten-dōji's attacks much easier.

Shuten-dōji took a step forward, instantly closing the distance, and then swung his sword horizontally from left to right.

Before the two could react, a slash that covered their entire field of vision swept past.

Boom!Boom!

Immediately following was the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground.

Shuten-dōji severed the heads of the two men with a single stroke.

……

……

Edo Castle, Honmaru, Tenshukaku—

Upon arriving at the castle tower, Tenshōin gave Tokugawa Iemochi a simple bandage on his forehead, barely stopping the bleeding.

After undergoing rudimentary treatment, Tokugawa Iemochi has largely regained consciousness.

As soon as he regained his senses, he immediately inquired about the current battle situation.

He then learned the bad news that "enemy troops have entered the city" and the good news that "reinforcements have arrived."

While listening to the former, he remained calm, his face showing neither sadness nor joy, and he did not reveal the slightest panic or frustration.

Only after hearing the latter and witnessing the "light green waves" surging into Edo town did he slightly curl the corners of his mouth and reveal a faint smile.

At this moment, he sat calmly in the main seat, gazing serenely at the door before him.

In contrast, the two women beside him were not so calm.

Both Tenshōin to their left and Elodie to their right were tense and on high alert, gripping their weapons tightly.

Gradually, the shouts of battle outside the door subsided.

The faint, solitary footsteps grew closer.

Snap... Snap... Snap... Snap... Snap...

Judging from the sound, it would only take a few seconds for the person outside to pull open the door and enter the room.

What was only a few seconds felt like years to Tenshōin and Elodie.

at last……

With a "whoosh," a blood-soaked hand pulled open the door.

Shuten-dōji, reeking of blood, strode into the room and moved to stand before Tokugawa Iemochi.

A heavy shadow covered his upper body, leaving only his lower body exposed to the light.

As the other party gradually emerged from the shadows, Tokugawa Iemochi and the others were able to clearly see its full appearance.

To put it bluntly, he looked like he had just stepped out of a pool of blood; there wasn't a single spot on his body that was clean.

Beneath layers of blood and grime, one could still vaguely discern handsome features.

Tokugawa Iemochi stared intently at his face and said softly:

"Are you the enemy's commander-in-chief?"

The goal he had been longing for was right in front of him, within reach... But strangely, Shuten-dōji became very calm at this moment, and was not in a hurry to go forward and take his life.

"Mr. Iemochi, it's a pleasure to meet you."

He bowed slightly, offering a respectful greeting that was neither humble nor arrogant.

"I am Shuten-dōji, the one who punishes the traitors."

Tokugawa Iemochi nodded slightly.

"I've admired my name for a long time."

"I had long heard that you were one of the three key cadres of the Party that was to be punished by law."

"I always thought you were a big, burly, and fierce-looking man."

"I never expected him to be so young, and he even has the appearance of a scholar."

Shuten-dōji smiled:

"A scholar...that's what people always say about me."