I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Countless spectators leaned forward, watching the game with great interest.

Everyone was eager to see how the Shinsengumi captain would deal with a formidable opponent wielding a spear.

Shozo Hashimoto, carrying a long spear, stood solemnly in the center of the arena.

It's already the sixth round... and their chances are dwindling...!

Now that things had come to this, even Yoshikuni Date, sitting in the VIP section, could no longer remain calm and shouted repeatedly:

"Chang San! You absolutely cannot lose! Your opponent is using a bamboo sword! You're wielding a spear! You have an absolute advantage! No matter what, you must win this round!"

It would have been better if he hadn't shouted; after he did, Hashimoto Shozo's expression became even more serious.

However, Ita Keibun was not wrong.

In this round, Shozo Hashimoto indeed had a significant advantage.

Upon seeing that Saito Hajime was about to challenge the spearman, Kondo Isami and the others on the east side of the arena all straightened up and became solemn.

Bamboo sword versus long spear... the weapon performance is far inferior, no matter who the opponent is, one must be extremely vigilant.

Despite this, Saito Hajime remained unmoved, keeping calm without even raising an eyebrow.

His personality strengths became apparent once again: he could maintain a poker face no matter what kind of danger he encountered.

Referee: "Boycott!"

"Seven spears of the Immortal State, the Hozoin School, and Hashimoto Shozo."

"Shinsengumi, no outsiders, Saito Hajime."

*******

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It's almost the end of the month again! Readers with monthly passes, please be sure to vote for this book! (crying leopard head.jpg)

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

P.S.: In the next chapter, we'll be able to wrap up the "Olympia Trials," and this volume is almost over. After writing another twenty chapters, I should be able to start the next volume, "Operation Summit" (Leopard High.jpg).

Chapter 1016 vs. 7, Renwang vs. the Seven Spears of Immortal Continent! [4500]

After the ceremony, Saito Hajime seized the initiative and launched the first attack.

Then I saw him lower his sword and prepare to move forward.

He had barely taken a step when Hashimoto Shozo, opposite him, quickly stepped back, widening the distance between them again.

Although no direct confrontation took place, merely shifting positions and changing locations, Saito Hajime had essentially completed his probing.

Just from that one move, you can see that Hashimoto Shozo is a steady and cautious person who would never act rashly.

I'm not afraid of aggressive opponents, I'm afraid of steady ones... especially opponents with long reach.

Saito Hajime raised his sword again, reverting to a mid-range stance that allowed him to both attack and defend.

The instant he changed his stance, Hashimoto Shozo made his move—

laugh!

The spear pierced the air with a crisp sound.

Just like Harada Sanosuke earlier, Hashimoto Shozo also possesses the ability to transform his spear into a "python".

The sturdy gun barrel twisted in mid-air, bypassing Saito Hajime's bamboo sword, and struck his chest.

Clearly, this move was a test of Saito Hajime's abilities.

Although it was said to be a test, its power and speed should not be underestimated at all, and it was enough to defeat those who were not strong enough in an instant.

Faced with this rapidly approaching threat, Saito Hajime's response was very simple—he turned slightly to the right, and thus easily dodged it.

Seeing that Saito Kazuka easily deflected his attack, Hashimoto Shozo's expression darkened slightly, and he quickly pulled the spear back to his side.

Then, as if they had agreed beforehand, the two fell silent and stopped making any new moves, simply facing each other from a distance.

At first glance, both sides seem to be just doing ordinary "standing stance".

However, if you look closely, you can see that the two sides are constantly making subtle moves.

Whether it's slightly wiggling the tip of the gun or changing body position... they are all trying to confuse their opponents and create opportunities to strike.

In this level of competition, the transition between "stillness" and "movement" is incredibly rapid.

Just a second ago, the two sides were calmly confronting each other.

The next second, a fierce and dazzling offensive and defensive battle suddenly unfolded.

This is the situation right now—

"Haa ...

Suddenly, Hashimoto Shozo shouted and charged forward with his spear!

In that instant, the spear in his hand transformed into three, then five, attacking Saito Hajime from different directions.

Almost at the same moment that Hashimoto Shozo made his move, Saito Hajime's body moved.

The former's spear was always a step behind, only managing to pierce the latter's afterimage.

Saito Hajime skillfully changed his footwork, using his agile movements to render all of his opponent's attacks useless.

If one were observant, one would notice that Saito Hajime's positioning was quite ingenious—from the moment he began, he had been holding his sword slightly diagonally in front of Hashimoto Shozo, avoiding a direct confrontation.

This position makes it easier to avoid being thrust by a spear.

Hashimoto Shozo realized that if he continued like this, even if he thrust a hundred or eighty more times, he might not be able to hit Saito Hajime. Therefore, he changed his move without hesitation and switched from thrusting to sweeping.

Compared to a "straight thrust", a "sweep" is undoubtedly much clumsy.

He didn't expect such slow moves to defeat his opponent; he only hoped to disrupt his rhythm and force him to make mistakes—in many cases, a contest is simply a competition of who makes fewer mistakes.

In an instant, the spears that had been drawing straight lines in the air transformed into a wide-ranging fan shape.

Where the "fan" shape is covered, a strong wind rolls around, and if you are hit by it, you will definitely lose the ability to resist.

To be fair, Hashimoto Shozo's plan to "disrupt the opponent's rhythm" was not wrong.

Little did he know, Saito Hajime was waiting for him to use his sweeping attack!

Saito lowered his eyelids and carefully observed the opponent's gun trajectory.

At that moment, Hashimoto Shozo's spear swept across from west to east.

Saito calmly stepped back and leaned back, dodging out of the range of the spear's sweeping attack.

Just as the spear tip swept past his eyes... he made his move!

He swung his bamboo sword sharply, aiming at the spearhead just inches away.

What is remarkable is that its slashing direction is also from west to east—the same as the direction of the spear's swing!

Shozo Hashimoto's spear was already swinging eastward.

On this basis, it was attacked from the same direction, adding an extra "acceleration"... With the two forces combined, in an instant, Hashimoto Shozo's spear flew eastward at a terrifying speed as if it had gone out of control!

Shozo Hashimoto's face changed color instantly.

The sudden, immense force felt as if several warhorses had rammed into his spear shaft! It made it impossible for him to control the spear freely... and his spear was about to slip from his grasp!

—Shouldn't the captain of the third division of the Shinsengumi be a swordsman of the Mugen-ryu style?! His attack already showed the flair of the Shinto Mugen-ryu style!

The immense force that Saito Hajime applied to the gun caused Hashimoto Shozo to roar in astonishment within himself.

For a moment, Hashimoto Shozo really thought that his information was wrong, and that Saito Hajime was actually a swordsman of the Shinto Munen-ryu or Jigen-ryu style.

Although Saito Hajime is not known for his strength, this is in comparison to his agility and skill.

It's obvious that as one of the strongest swordsmen in the Shinsengumi, how could he lack power?

In desperation, Hashimoto Shozo didn't care about anything else. Ignoring the pain from the friction on his palms, he clenched his fingers tightly and gripped the gun barrel with all his might, trying to prevent it from slipping away.

Finally, after his arduous efforts, he managed to keep the spear from slipping from his grasp.

However... his spear was thrown far to the side, leaving his body wide open!

Saito Hajime's intention was the same as Date Nimichiro's earlier: to use brute force to deflect the gun and create an opportunity to get close.

However, Saito Hajime was clearly much smarter.

Instead of foolishly charging in headfirst, he easily broke through Hashimoto Shozo's frontal defense by "borrowing strength"!

At this point, victory is within reach!

In an instant, accompanied by a huge stomping sound, Saito Hajime disappeared from his original spot, leaving a trail of afterimages in mid-air as he approached Hashimoto Shozo.

But as he charged forward, he swiftly changed his stance—he raised the tip of his sword, adopting a posture similar to the Kasumi stance, with the tip pointing directly at Hashimoto Shozo's chest.

Speed ​​was Saito Hajime's specialty, something that people like Date Nimichiro could never match.

In the blink of an eye... really just in the blink of an eye, Saito Hajime was already in front of the other party!

There was no time to pull back the spear, nor time to dodge... Faced with Saito Hajime's lightning-fast thrust, Hashimoto Shozo was helpless.

All he could do was stare wide-eyed as the tip of the bamboo sword magnified and magnified in his field of vision... until it finally struck him squarely in the chest.

With a bang, he and his gun flew five steps away.

From being "overwhelmed by Hashimoto Shozo" to "suddenly winning", less than 10 seconds passed.

The battle unfolded so rapidly and dramatically that even the referee standing nearby was stunned.

Five seconds later, the referee belatedly realized what had happened, hurriedly raised his small flag, and announced the winner of the contest:

"The winner is Saito Hajime of the Shinsengumi!"

Before the referee could finish speaking, he was swallowed up by a tsunami of cheers.

Looking up, one could see countless spectators raising their arms and shouting excitedly.

This is understandable; in terms of sheer excitement, Saito Hajime's battle surpassed any of the previous ones.

This is a true demonstration of "breaking a spear with a sword"! Saito Hajime personally demonstrated "breaking a spear with a sword," and he even defeated Hashimoto Shozo, who was ranked third among the "Seven Spears of Senshu"!

Such a wonderful competition, I may never have the chance to see it again in my lifetime.