I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"People only know Tachibana Aoto, but not Saigo Kichinosuke."

"That's understandable, after all, Ju Qingdeng is a peerless genius who comes along only once in a thousand years."

"He is only 23 years old this year, yet he has already made unparalleled achievements with his three-foot sword."

"Even Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, who once unified the country, were far inferior to him."

"Living in the same era as geniuses is undoubtedly quite painful."

"His own brilliance was completely overshadowed, as if he could only ever be a foil to the other."

"But it is precisely because the opponent is strong that the challenge is all the more worthwhile!"

"Saigo-kun, I'll ask you one more time: are you really willing to be just a foil for Tachibana Seito?"

"Are you content to be trampled underfoot by Ju Qingdeng?"

"If you give in to Tachibana Seiden, you'll never have a chance to surpass him!"

"If you want to surpass Tachibana Seiden, the best way is undoubtedly to defeat him head-on!"

As Sakamoto Ryoma spoke, he became increasingly excited, and subconsciously leaned forward to get closer to the other person.

By the end, he was practically shouting, and veins bulged out like worms on his forehead.

As he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

They faced each other, their eyes locked... Sakamoto Ryoma awaited the other's reply, while the latter's face darkened, his thoughts unknown.

"...Hehehe."

A sudden, soft laugh broke the silence.

"Sakamoto-kun, it's a waste of your talents to become a businessman. You have the talent to be a strategist."

"I have to admit, what you said at the end really struck a chord with me."

"Am I willing to be Tachibana Aoto's foil? Is there even a question?"

In an instant, he furrowed his brows, his eyes blazing with anger.

His expression already revealed his answer.

Seeing this, Sakamoto Ryoma silently let out a long breath, his previously tense facial lines gradually relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Challenging Tachibana Aoto... this must be the most dangerous battle I've ever fought in my life."

"However, this suits me just fine!"

Saigo Kinosuke twitched the corners of his mouth and smiled, revealing his teeth.

“Sakamoto-kun, you don’t belong to any faction, and with that identity, you are indeed very suitable to serve as an envoy. Therefore…”

Upon hearing this, Sakamoto Ryoma immediately raised an eyebrow, his eyes gleaming with confidence.

Before the other person could finish speaking, he bent slightly at the waist, supported himself with his fists on the ground, and while bowing, said in a loud and clear voice:

"Please leave it to me! I, Sakamoto Ryoma, will risk my life to bring about the 'Western Country Alliance'!"

……

……

A certain sea area east of Edo Bay—

Caw! Caw! Caw! Caw!

A seabird spread its wings, cried out, and soared through the sky, across the sea, and over the three steam warships.

The three warships were quietly anchored on the sea, rising and falling with the waves.

The Yamata no Orochi stood on the deck, its hands resting on the railing, gazing at the distant horizon.

Ōtakemaru quietly stood behind him, like a shadow, silent and still.

At this moment, Ootengu's younger sister, Rin, stepped forward, looking at Orochi with a worried expression.

"Lord Orochi... the sea breeze is chilly, please return to your cabin immediately."

After saying that, she turned her head and glanced at Ootakemaru beside her.

Ōtakemaru gave her a look and made a hand gesture.

He was born deaf and mute, and only his adoptive father, Yamata no Orochi, and his sister, Rin, could communicate with him normally.

"That's what my brother said too! He's also very worried about your health!"

In response to the concern shown by the Ootengu siblings, Orochi smiled faintly:

"Xiaoling, thank you for your concern, I'm perfectly fine, don't worry."

"I've been staying in the cabin for the past few days, and I'm getting really bored."

"The sea breeze isn't too strong today, which is perfect for waking me up."

Although he said that, Ah Ling dared not let her guard down at all.

She knew that Orochi's physical and mental condition had been poor ever since he received news of the deaths of Shuten-dōji and the others.

When they launched the "Heavenly Spear", they had anticipated that Shuten-dōji and his companions would be in grave danger.

A surprise attack on Edo, spanning nearly half of Japan... it was almost impossible to escape unscathed from an operation of this scale.

Although he was prepared, when news of the deaths of Shuten-dōji and the others arrived, Yamata no Orochi still wept bitterly, his hair and beard trembling, and he almost couldn't breathe several times, which terrified Rin and the others.

Orochi's health was already poor, and crying so intensely would likely put a serious strain on his body.

Therefore, Ah Ling and others have been taking great care of him recently, fearing that his chronic illness might relapse.

At this moment, the Yamata no Orochi seemed to see through A-Lin's worries and smiled slightly:

"No matter how many years I get older, I can't get used to the separation of life and death."

"However, unfortunately, I have often experienced life and death separations since I was a child."

"Familiar faces are disappearing one after another."

"Over time, I developed a strong will, and I was able to endure even the greatest grief."

At this point, he seemed to recall some past events, his expression became complicated and indescribable, and his hands gripping the railing unconsciously tightened.

Suddenly, a deep male voice came from the direction of the cabin:

"Great Serpent, you're here."

The true owner of these three warships, Elodie's biological father—Mael de Orléans—walked unhurriedly toward the Yamata no Orochi with his hands behind his back.

The eight-headed serpent turned its head and looked in the direction of the sound.

As he turned his head, the complex expression on his face vanished in an instant, and his signature calm smile returned to his cheeks.

"Good morning, Mr. Orleans. The sea breeze is so pleasant today. I never knew the ocean could be so gentle."

"Good morning. Sometimes fierce, sometimes gentle, that is the charm of the sea, attracting countless explorers."

After giving a lukewarm response, Orleans moved to Orochi's side and stood beside him.

“I gave you weapons, helped you build the ‘Slavic Legion,’ and assisted you in a surprise attack on Nomi – I’ve done all three things you asked me to do.”

"At this point, our contract is complete, and neither of us owes the other anything."

The eight-headed serpent nodded slightly, its smile deepening.

"Yes, both the things I promised you and the things you promised me have been perfectly accomplished."

“Mr. Orleans, thanks to you, our plans can proceed rapidly.”

"On behalf of the Party that condemns the persecution of the law, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to you."

Faced with Orochi's sincere gratitude, Mael didn't even raise an eyebrow and responded without hesitation:

"There's nothing to thank me for. I was just following the contract."

As he spoke, he glanced sideways at the other person with a curious look.

"Although this is none of my business, I'll ask anyway. Orochi, what are your plans for the future?"

"You paid such a huge price, yet you failed to capture Edo Castle or kill Tokugawa Iemochi. In the end, your 'Amanuma Spear' has failed."

"The Slavic Legion was completely wiped out, and Shuten-dōji and other officers were also killed in action."

"The so-called 'severe damage' is nothing more than this."

"I'm really curious, what are you planning to do next?"

"Should we continue fighting the shogunate, or take a break?"

Mael's blunt and unforgiving remarks immediately drew a displeased look from Aling.

In contrast, Ōtakemaru remained quite calm—because he couldn't hear anything at all.

From the moment he started, he stared intently at the sea, observing the fish swimming in the water, motionless, except for occasionally blinking his eyelids, just like a puppet.

“Mr. Orleans, you are right.”

But the Yamata no Orochi just chuckled, showing no sign of annoyance.

"In terms of effectiveness, the 'Amanuma Spear' is certainly not perfect."

"However, judging from the final result, it is not entirely accurate to call it a 'failure'."

"Our original intention in launching the 'Amanuma Spear' was to weaken the power and prestige of the shogunate to the greatest extent possible, thereby stimulating the desires of the 'Hitotsubashi faction' and the ambitious people of the western domains."

When the word "desire" was mentioned, Orochi emphasized it.

"Leaving aside the latter, the former's desires are already obvious."

"The war had just ended when the Hitotsubashi faction immediately rebelled, and they almost succeeded."

"What a pity, Ren-ou is just too powerful. He was able to turn the tide even in such an unfavorable situation."

"Although the 'Hitotsubashi faction's' rebellion was unsuccessful, they successfully triggered a split in the shogunate."

"The large number of direct subordinates who defected to the 'Northern Shogunate' dispersed the Shogunate's original manpower and power."

"Even someone as strong as Tachibana Seito could not restore the shogunate's strength in a short period of time."

"If we seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, we might just be able to defeat Aoto, overthrow the shogunate, and achieve unparalleled feats—Mr. Orleans, do you think the ambitious men of the western domains can resist this enormous temptation?"