I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Hi! Domo! Ciallo~~

Because some longtime readers have expressed that they're not used to the epilogue starting with "Hi! Domo!", I've decided to include both! Since it's supposed to be "Hi! Domo!", it will also be "Ciallo!"

Volume 5, "The Land Divided in Two," has come to a successful conclusion!

2024年10月13日开启第5卷的连载，2025年4月12日结束，不多不少，正好连载了半年！

I thought I could write 100 million to 150 million words, but I only managed 83... I'm really bad at estimating word counts...

The title of this volume is actually a pun.

This refers both to the crucial decisive battle of this volume—the Second Battle of Sekigahara—and to the fact that after this volume, the shogunate and the nation were completely divided in two.

The shogunate split into the "Southern Shogunate" and the "Northern Shogunate," and the conflict between Seido and the western domains became irreconcilable, with a "war between the East and the West" imminent.

To be honest, writing this volume was very tiring.

The Choshu Campaign, the Second Battle of Sekigahara, the Battle of Hachioji, the Battle of Edo Castle, the duel between Aoto and Shuten-dōji, the Second Battle of Edo Castle, the Mito Campaign, the Ōu Trials... one battle after another, almost wearing the author out! (Leopard wilted.jpg)

As originally planned, the next volume will be the final volume of this book.

However, those familiar with Leopard's writing style know that he doesn't set outlines when writing books.

I will think about the beginning and the ending in advance, but I don't know what the plot will be like in the middle. I think about it as I write.

Therefore, it often happens that while writing, a new idea suddenly pops into your head, and you then adjust the plot direction and expand the story.

About a month ago, I suddenly had a new inspiration and wanted to write another long chapter before heading into the final chapter—and so, Volume 6, "Operation Marineford," came into being, and the original final volume was moved to Volume 7.

This book could easily have two more volumes! Yay! (Leopard exclaims.jpg)

There's nothing particularly special to say about this volume. Although it was hard work to write, the process went relatively smoothly.

Regarding the next volume... there's nothing particularly special I want to say.

The incredibly imposing name "Operation Marineford" did not originate from One Piece, but rather from the Japanese police.

In an effort to crack down on organized crime, Japanese police launched three anti-gang operations codenamed "Operation Top."

Japan truly lives up to its reputation as a nation of chuunibyou (a Japanese term for someone with delusions of grandeur), even managing to come up with such a cool code name for fighting a yakuza gang.

The reason the next volume is titled "Operation Summit" is definitely not because Qing Deng is going to fight the mafia.

I won't spoil the specific reasons.

That's about all I wanted to say.

Let's end the postscript here!

My sincerest gratitude to all the readers who have supported this book!

……

……

Shumengshi

April 13, 2025

Chapter 1033 The Three Great Swords of Kyoto! 【4500】

Kyoto, a certain wagashi (Japanese confectionery) shop—

This wagashi shop isn't well-known; it's neither too big nor too small, and at first glance, it just looks like an ordinary shop you'd find anywhere.

Upon entering, you will see the counter. There are eight tables in the front hall for guests to sit and enjoy wagashi (Japanese sweets).

Although it is not a well-known and prestigious shop, the taste of its wagashi (Japanese sweets) is truly remarkable.

With its rich and mellow flavor, it has won the favor of the local residents and gained a group of regular customers.

Besides its excellent taste, another major feature of this wagashi shop is its still charming proprietress.

This shop is a typical "mom-and-pop shop," with no other employees but a loving couple.

My husband is an ordinary middle-aged man, around forty years old. He has an average appearance, neither handsome nor ugly. Apart from being tall and having a well-maintained physique without gaining weight, he doesn't have any special features.

In comparison, his wife was much more eye-catching.

In short, she is an absolute beauty!

In her early thirties—the prime of her life as a wife.

Her skin was fair and delicate, her features exquisite, and her brows exuded the charm unique to mature women.

She usually wears a red kimono, and her full, jade-like feet beneath the hem are incredibly beautiful.

A stunning face is certainly eye-catching, but a gorgeous figure is even more attractive!

Even in a loose kimono, her full breasts and round buttocks couldn't be hidden.

Because of its large size, the "Southern Hemisphere" is always worn on a belt.

Its presence is further enhanced by the belt.

With such a "living advertisement," there's no shortage of male customers.

Many people are drawn to the proprietress. Even though they don't like wagashi (Japanese sweets), they still insist on visiting the shop and try every means to stay there, just to catch a glimpse of her.

However, it's easy to imagine that such a beauty would attract the attention of others.

Since the shop opened, many lecherous men have harassed the proprietress, including some fierce-looking and lawless Yakuza.

"Hey! Little beauty, stop following your good-for-nothing husband! A confectionery vendor is not good enough for you! A beauty should be paired with a hero! Come and be my concubine! I can give you a life of unprecedented luxury!"

Some made inappropriate remarks to her, some tried to grope her, and some even went to ambush her when the landlady was out...

If it were an ordinary family, they would have no choice but to endure the harassment and threats from the Yakuza.

Strangely, the couple always appeared unhurried.

Regardless of who the other party was—whether it was the vicious Yakuza or a powerful and wealthy family—they remained remarkably calm, never showing any worry or fear, as if they didn't take the other party seriously at all.

In terms of the outcome, they certainly have the right to remain calm – because everyone who lays their hands on the boss's wife always ends up in a miserable state!

They either flee Kyoto overnight and never return, or they vanish completely as if they've evaporated from the face of the earth...

Over time, it became difficult for the couple to avoid attracting the attention of their neighbors.

The fact that they could shut up and make those lecherous men with impressive backgrounds disappear... even a fool could tell that this couple was no ordinary person!

There are many different opinions about their true identities.

Rumors abound, ranging from "a retired Yakuza bigwig" to "a wealthy young man sent to the countryside."

The couple never directly responded to these ridiculous rumors, always just smiling and brushing them off.

When they get annoyed by the questions, they'll simply reply:

"As you can see, we are just a loving couple who sell wagashi (Japanese sweets), nothing special. Please stop spreading those baseless rumors, they are very bothering us."

Although their tone was gentle, the neighbors were all terrified after hearing the "warning" that "it will cause us a lot of trouble."

A couple who are not afraid of even the Yakuza or the wealthy and powerful... How could ordinary people like them afford to offend them?

Therefore, they consciously shut their mouths and stopped discussing or spreading related matters, for fear of causing unnecessary trouble.

Therefore, the rumor that "this couple were not ordinary people" was limited to the local residents and did not spread widely.

Today, this wagashi (Japanese confectionery) shop is open for business as usual, and serves customers as usual.

The boss sat behind the counter, silently organizing the ledgers.

His movements on the abacus were very skillful; the beads clicked and clattered, leaving afterimages, clearly showing that he was an expert at bookkeeping.

The proprietress was kneading dough in the kitchen, displaying amazing wrist strength, pressing and kneading dough weighing dozens of kilograms as if rolling it into a mud ball the size of a thumb.

Business was slow at the moment, so most of the tables in the front hall were empty, except for four young people occupying a small table.

They were regulars at the shop, coming every few days to gather, order a few plates of Japanese sweets and a few cups of tea, and then chat and brag about whatever came to mind.

"Did you know? Kyoto has three famous swords!"

A moment later, one of them—a thin young man with buck teeth—gulped down a large mouthful of tea and then held up three fingers.

They were just discussing who was more beautiful, "Kyoto's most beautiful woman" Shiyo or "Edo's most beautiful woman" Chiba Sanako, when somehow the topic suddenly jumped to the completely unrelated "Kyoto's Three Great Swords".

Men simply love swords and knives; this is a universal truth that remains unchanged regardless of time or place.

As expected, this statement immediately piqued the interest of his classmates.

Seeing himself become the center of attention, the buck-toothed man chuckled, then, mimicking a storyteller's tone, slowly began to speak:

“One of the ‘Three Great Swords of Kyoto’ is the sword Virochana, the sword of ‘Niou’ Tachibana Seito!”

"It is said that this sword was originally a family heirloom of the Yamada Asaemon family."

"Only the successive heads of the Yamada Asaemon family have ever wielded this sword."

"However, it was lost decades ago."

Why this sword ended up in the hands of King Ni remains unknown.

“I have heard that the Yamada Asaemon family once considered asking Niou for Vairocana.”

“But considering the huge gap between themselves and the King of Benevolence, they wisely remained silent, dared not cause any trouble, and never mentioned the ownership of Vairocana.”

Hearing this, his classmates all laughed.

Although Yamada Asaemon was from a notorious "slayer family," his hereditary official position was merely that of a low-ranking official with a stipend of 500 koku.

Let alone the current Aoto, even during the period when he was "serving as a side retainer and the head of the imperial household", the Yamada Asaemon family was someone they could not afford to offend!

It's no exaggeration to say that with the power Aoto currently wields, he could simply utter a few words and turn "Yamada Asaemon" into a historical figure.

As for outright robbery... unless the members of the Yamada Asaemon family had their heads stuck in a door, they wouldn't dare resort to force against Niou even if they had a hundred lives.

The man with buck teeth took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, in order to begin the following:

"Vairochana is an unparalleled sword forged by the Yamada Asaemon family's... countless generations of head of the family, using the most luxurious materials and the family's long-accumulated experience in cleaving!"

"It's longer than a regular katana, and the blade is extremely sharp!"

"Because it has killed too many people, it exudes an extremely heavy killing aura. In addition, the blade emits a bewitching purple light, hence it is called the 'Demon Blade'!"

"Not long ago, the King of Benevolence reforged the blade of Vairocana, transforming it into the legendary Black Blade!"