I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Eh—Eh—"

"Ooo ...

The exhilarating victory boosted the morale of the entire army to a new peak.

The Mito soldiers were immersed in this high morale, and their feet pounded the ground with a loud "thump-thump".

This "immersion" made their military bearing even more fierce and intimidating.

But... it was precisely because of this "immersion" that they were completely unaware that right beside them, on the east side of the street, on the roof of a shop, a tall figure was swaying slightly...

Qingdeng crouched on the roof, cleverly concealing himself in the shadows, and quietly observed the army below.

After most of the Mito army soldiers had entered the street, he silently drew his Vairocana sword from his waist.

Under the sunlight, the bewitching purplish-black blade light shone through.

……

……

To date, Qingdeng has fought fewer than two battles.

For this reason, Qing Deng never dared to call himself a "military god" or a "tactical master".

However, during his limited military career, he did manage to glean some practical tips on how to fight.

In his view, under normal circumstances, there are only two tactics available to achieve victory with fewer troops.

Alternatively, one can concentrate forces on local battlefields, create local advantages, defeat the enemy one by one, and continuously accumulate advantages until the "advantage" turns into a "victory".

Or launch a surprise attack and strike at the heart of the enemy's forces!

"To catch a thief, first catch his king; to shoot a man, first shoot his horse"—an age-old, universally applicable tactic.

Faced with the ferocious three thousand men of Mito, the "Nanki Faction" seemed to have no way to deal with them—but in fact, Aoto quickly realized the weakness of the Mito army.

Firstly, no matter how powerful the Mito army was, it could not escape the shackles of a "feudal army".

One of the major characteristics of a "feudal army" is its extremely low level of organization.

When things are going well, they're all like wolves and tigers. But when faced with adversity or danger, they immediately reveal their true colors.

Secondly, on the narrow and cramped streets, no matter how powerful the Mito army was, they could not immediately deploy their troops.

Once attacked, neither the head nor the tail can defend itself, and chaos will surely ensue!

Qingdeng currently has far too few troops that it can freely mobilize; it doesn't even have enough forces to create a local advantage.

Therefore, the only strategy he could choose to turn the tide was the latter—a surprise attack on the Mito army!

Before the Mito army arrives at the battlefield, launch a surprise attack on them as they pass through a certain street! Use a fierce and rapid offensive to wipe out the Mito army in one fell swoop!

The plan was finalized. But new problems arose one after another—who would implement this plan?

Harada Sanosuke and the others had no strength left.

Although Tenshōin was quite skilled, she was not capable of shouldering such a heavy responsibility.

So... after thinking it over, the only suitable candidate Qingdeng could think of was himself!

To face an army of three thousand men single-handedly... Although it was a surprise attack rather than a direct confrontation, it was undoubtedly a risky move with a slim chance of survival!

Even at his peak, Qingdeng wouldn't dare to use such reckless tactics, let alone in his current "half-crippled" state.

The reason he had just shown such unusual hesitation was because he was not confident of defeating the Mito army.

It wasn't until he heard what Tenshōin said that he finally made up his mind.

Qing Deng asked himself honestly: He had never been a wise man known for his strategic thinking.

His greatest strength has always been "overpowering all techniques"—using brute force to break through any predicament!

No ingenious strategies or tactical maneuvers are needed; as long as one's hands can still hold a knife, that's enough!

Whenever faced with hardship or crisis, he would use his own sword to carve out a new world!

Ignore everything else, just keep swinging your sword!

The movements of the 3,000-strong army are not difficult to monitor.

After entering Edo-cho, his every move was under the surveillance of the spies planted by Aoto.

Aoto quickly learned the specific movements of the Mito army and, based on their direction of advance, predicted that their target was Kohinata Mikado.

So he took the lead, arrived at the street that the Mito army was bound to pass through, hid on the roof of a shop, and quietly waited for the Mito army to fall into his trap.

As things stand, things are progressing very smoothly.

As Qing Deng had predicted, the Mito army indeed entered the street.

Full of confidence and high morale, they were completely unaware of Qingdeng hiding in the shadows.

They probably never expected that Qing Deng, despite being seriously injured, could still fight! They also never expected that Qing Deng would dare to face their massive army single-handedly!

In fact, it's normal that they didn't expect it.

Who would have thought that such a madman could exist in this world?

The men of Mito, who had no basic knowledge of the "attack of Niou," marched through the streets without any precautions.

Before long, the middle part of their formation was exposed to Qingdeng's eyes.

This scene is like a wolf exposing its soft belly!

Seeing that the time was almost right, Qingdeng silently pulled out a piece of hemp cloth from his bosom and used it to tightly bind his right palm to the hilt of Vairocana's sword.

Then, half helplessly and half self-deprecatingly, he thought to himself:

—I didn’t expect... I’d have the chance to try out the new talent so soon.

After copying the eternal talent "Heartless Demon Child" from Shuten-dōji, Qingdeng had a strange feeling.

To give a vivid example—it's like having an extra "switch" in your brain.

With just a light touch of this "switch", he can enter the "state of no-self"!

With a slight movement of the mind, one can freely control the highest realm... Only after experiencing it firsthand can one intuitively feel how domineering this talent is!

At this moment, without any warning... Qing Deng half-closed his eyes and exhaled all the stale air from his lungs.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

The footsteps of the Mito army grew louder and louder.

The sound of footsteps seemed like layers of barriers, dominating Qingdeng's eardrums.

He could hear nothing but the continuous, heavy footsteps.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

In that instant, he thought of Tianzhang Academy again.

(Moriharu...do I still have a chance to go to Otsu?)

The warmth of the other person's body still lingered on his back, and the clothes on his back still bore the wrinkles from the other person's tight grip.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

Then he thought of the unconscious Tokugawa Iemochi and the frail and pitiful Princess Kazu…

"..."

He lowered his head little by little, burying his face in the shadows.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

In that instant, the sound of footsteps in his ears was as loud as thunder.

At that very moment, he whispered:

"Let's go together...to Otsu!!"

The moment he finished speaking, he suddenly opened his eyes, and a strange light could be seen flashing in them!

A moment later, he leaped into the air as if he were pulling himself up from the ground! He soared into the air and then landed straight down in the center of the enemy ranks!

In the blink of an eye, he used the momentum of his fall to smash into the enemy ranks like a cannonball!

He landed right where an enemy soldier was standing.

This poor fellow—before he could even let out a scream—was torn in two by Vairocana's blade with clean cuts.

The thumping footsteps abruptly stopped.

After landing on both feet, Qing Deng did not hesitate for a moment. He quickly changed his body stance, using his left foot as the axis to spin his body like a top. The sharp blade in his hand spun with his body, cutting out a fleeting arc of silver light. After the move, the "silver arc" turned into a "blood arc", sweeping down a large number of people.

This strike contains the technique for the next strike.

In the blink of an eye, Qingdeng strode forward, breaking through layers of defenses.

To onlookers, all they saw was the demonic blade in his hand transforming into a blurry, indistinct afterimage, flashing once, then again, then a third time! It flickered incessantly!

Every time Vairocana's purple blade flashed, one or more people would cough up blood and fall to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, more than twenty people had fallen under Qing Deng's blade!

The phrase "cutting through the Gordian knot" perfectly describes his current offensive!

"What's going on?!"

"What happened?!"

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"What? An enemy attack?! Where was the attack? How many people are there?!"

"One person! Only one person came!"

"one person?!"

As expected, the Mito army, which was suddenly attacked, was thrown into chaos.

Centered on Aoto, the Mito men around him, after suffering a fierce attack, were no longer as orderly as before.

Just then, someone in front of Qing Deng—who was probably used to "dojo duels"—instinctively shouted in a shrill voice:

"Who goes there?! State your name!"