I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

puff!

With a dull thud as the blade pierced flesh, Shuten-dōji's sword easily pierced through Elodie's petite body.

Drip, drip... The dripping blood stained the tatami mat at Elodie's feet.

In that instant, not only Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin were stunned, but even Shuten-dōji was taken aback.

He never intended to kill Elodie.

Therefore, he would always hold back when attacking Elodie.

The blonde beauty was covered in blood... This scene was completely unexpected.

In that instant when everyone was stunned, Elodie swiftly reached out her left hand and grabbed Shuten-dōji's right wrist, preventing him from drawing his sword or dodging!

"Gotcha...!"

She raised a blood-stained smile.

At the very instant she smiled and spoke, her right elbow snapped open like a broken bowstring! She swung her sword from the lower right to the upper left, aiming diagonally at Shuten-dōji's neck!

This attack came incredibly suddenly and swiftly!

Even Shuten-dōji couldn't help but widen his eyes and feel the hairs on his body stand on end!

His knife remained inside Elodie's body, and his right wrist was controlled by his opponent, leaving him no way to dodge or defend!

Whether it was Elodie's 'sacrificing her life to trap Shuten-dōji' or her all-or-nothing slash, it all happened in the blink of an eye.

And everything that followed happened in an instant—

Almost as if by reflex, a strange light flashed deep within Shuten-dōji's eyes—he subconsciously entered a state of "selflessness."

Under the influence of the "state of selflessness," he leaned back at an incredible speed.

If Elodie's wingspan were a little wider...

If Yasusada Yamato no Kami's blade were just a little longer...

If Shuten-dōji's dodging speed were even a little slower...

If any of these things were to come true... even just one of them would be enough to kill Shuten-dōji instantly!

Unfortunately, none of these "ifs" came to pass.

Because of his timely, almost superhuman, backward lean, Elodie's knife failed to sever his neck, only grazing his forehead.

The blade sliced ​​through the flesh of his forehead, and blood gushed out.

Although the wound was quite deep and bled profusely, it was not fatal.

The surprise attack failed; the strike was ineffective... The outcome was already predetermined.

After dodging Elodie's desperate attack, he bent his right leg and delivered a flying kick that struck Elodie squarely in the chest.

Elodie felt an irresistible force crashing down on her.

Unable to hold on with her left hand, she released Shuten-dōji's right wrist, and her body detached from Shuten-dōji's sword. Like a cannonball, she flew backward.

After flying about 4 or 5 meters, she collapsed helplessly onto the tatami mat, like a kite with a broken string.

She was curled up, her eyes closed, her face covered in beads of cold sweat, and her complexion was deathly pale. Apart from her chest still rising and falling slightly, she was no longer moving.

Fresh blood flowed straight out of the wound... In the blink of an eye, it stained most of the tatami mat beneath her.

He was actually forced into the "state of no self"... Shuten-dōji's expression became serious.

"Fine..."

He murmured this in a voice only he could hear.

"If that's the case, let's finish this quickly..."

He did not withdraw from the "state of selflessness," but instead maintained his full-fledged posture, turning his head to look at Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin not far away.

At this point, there was no chance of turning the tide in the remaining battles.

In the blink of an eye, he swayed slightly and appeared in front of Tianzhang Courtyard.

call out!

The blade whistled through the air and landed on Tianzhangyuan's head in the blink of an eye.

Tenshōin instinctively raised the naginata in his hand, preparing to defend himself.

Unexpectedly, his slash was a feint, while his kick was the real attack!

The hasty defense of Tianzhangyuan was exactly what he wanted.

When she raised the naginata, her body was wide open, revealing her vulnerability.

In an instant, Shuten-dōji's sword stopped abruptly in mid-air.

As he stopped the knife, he pivoted on his left foot, whirling around his body, and using the centrifugal force of the spin, swung his right foot, kicking Tenshōin squarely in the left abdomen.

Before she could even scream, she flew sideways and crashed heavily into a nearby railing, half her body sticking out of the railing and nearly falling off.

Although she was not dead, the excruciating pain from her abdomen caused her to break out in a cold sweat and nearly faint, unable to even stand up.

Tenshōin and Elodie have both fallen... Tokugawa Iemochi has no helpers left.

Shuten-dōji quickly turned his head to look for Tokugawa Iemochi, and just then met the other's calm gaze. Their eyes met.

Even at this critical moment, Tokugawa Iemochi showed no sign of panic.

He raised the tip of his knife, adopted a right-side stance, and took the initiative to attack, rushing forward.

At this point, both defense and evasion will only lead to certain death. If we risk our lives and launch a brave attack, we might be able to gain a chance of survival.

Coincidentally, Shuten-dōji on the opposite side was in the same stance, holding his sword to the upper right, and also kicked off with his hind legs, running towards Tokugawa Iemochi.

The two, rushing towards each other, instantly lunged at each other, entering each other's sword encirclement without any distinction between them.

In the next instant, two flashes of sword light suddenly appeared.

Although the two swung their swords at the same time, the difference in their sword speed was too great.

Shuten-dōji had already swung his sword all the way down when Tokugawa Iemochi just managed to lower his sword.

Therefore... the outcome is self-evident.

Pfft!

Shuten-dōji's sword sliced ​​across Tokugawa Iemochi's entire upper body, cutting from his left shoulder to his right abdomen.

Tenshōin, standing nearby, watched helplessly as Tokugawa Iemochi was stabbed, but was powerless to do anything about it.

What followed was like a slow-motion videotape in Tenshōin's eyes.

She watched as Tokugawa Iemochi's clothes slowly tore open.

She watched as the terrifyingly long line of blood slowly appeared.

She watched as the line of blood deepened and turned redder.

She watched as large amounts of blood gushed out.

She didn't scream or wail.

He just stared wide-eyed, lifeless, at Tokugawa Iemochi slowly falling to the ground, like a robot that had lost power, without any reaction for a long time, as if he were the embodiment of the phrase "dumbfounded".

Shuten-dōji remained in a sword-drawing stance, bathed in a rain of blood.

Finally, he successfully killed Tokugawa Iemochi... The ultimate goal of "Amanuma Spear" has been achieved. He did not disappoint his companions' expectations, nor did he let Sukuna and the others die in vain. He can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

But in reality, there was not a trace of joy on his face.

As he dispelled his lingering stance, he stared expressionlessly at Tokugawa Iemochi lying in a pool of blood.

Having suffered such severe injuries, even the most elite martial artist would find it impossible to remain conscious.

At this moment, Tokugawa Iemochi had already lost consciousness.

However, he was not yet dead.

His chest was still rising and falling slightly.

Seeing this, Shuten-dōji silently flipped his right wrist, changing his grip to an inverted one, and aimed the tip of his blade at Tokugawa Iemochi's heart, preparing to deliver the final blow and give his opponent a quick death.

Just as he was about to plunge the knife into his palm—

boom!!

A terrifying whooshing sound suddenly came from behind him!

It wasn't a "whoosh" or a "whoosh," but a "boom"... Just by hearing that sound, you could tell how astonishing the speed of the approaching force was!

Shuten-dōji's expression changed drastically. His body acted before his mind could react, crouching down and turning around to slash backward with his sword.

clang!!

The deafening clang of metal striking metal echoed through the air.

Before Shuten-dōji could see the newcomer's appearance clearly, the other person shifted his steps, swayed slightly, and disappeared from his sight.

Immediately afterwards, he felt a gust of wind sweep past him.

He paused for a moment, then turned to look at his feet—Tokugawa Iemochi was gone.

Then, he turned to look at the spot where the blonde girl had fallen—Elodie was gone too.

At this moment, as if realizing something, he turned his eyes and looked towards Tianzhangyuan.

The spot next to her, which had been empty, now had a person.

The man half-squatted on the ground and gently placed Tokugawa Iemochi and Elodie, whom he was holding, on the ground.

At this moment, Tenshōin's lifeless eyes finally regained some light—because a light blue haori filled his field of vision.

……

……

Outside the Akasaka gate, he saw Kondo Shusuke's body.

(Hehehe~ Orange, you've come at the perfect time! Want to have some oranges?)

The old man's words still echoed in my ears.