I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Sato Kenzo unconsciously glanced at Ōtakemaru a few more times.

At first, when Orochi said that Ōtakemaru was deaf and mute, Sato Kenzo thought he was joking—how could a deaf and mute person learn swordsmanship?

Unexpectedly, Ōtakemaru really couldn't hear or speak.

Perhaps because he was deaf from a young age and had little contact with the corrupt world, Ōtakemaru had a pair of bright, childlike eyes.

When he stares at you intently, you get a strange feeling of being "seen through," as if he knows everything about you, inside and out.

After turning his gaze away from Ōtakemaru, Sato Kenzo silently led the way.

After a short while, he couldn't help but ask:

"...Orochi, did we come all the way to the capital just to kill those guys?"

The Yamata no Orochi gave a prompt reply:

“That’s right. But to be precise, my only target is that old man.”

Sato Kenzo pressed further:

"An old man? Who is that old man?"

The Yamata no Orochi twitched the corners of its mouth, revealing a meaningful smile:

"They are 'spirits' who are attached to the present world and unwilling to disappear."

He emphasized the word "undead" when he spoke.

……

……

"Drink it! Aa ...

Akutsu shouted and swung his katana with all his might.

The kusarigama is a mid-range weapon, unsuitable for close combat, and only suitable for ambushing enemies.

In such a situation where both sides are locked in fierce combat, the kusarigama (chain sickle) is no longer of any use.

Although not as skilled as the Kusarigama technique, Akutsu's swordsmanship is equally impressive.

He wielded a steel knife with great skill, and in the blink of an eye, he forced several people back.

The enemy realized that Akutsu was no ordinary person, so they dared not approach rashly and instead surrounded Akutsu in a fan-shaped formation at a certain distance.

Akutsu narrowed his eyes, his fierce gaze sweeping across the enemies before him along the blade.

While keeping watch on his surroundings, he also observed the battle situation around him out of the corner of his eye.

As soon as the two sides started fighting, the battle became extremely intense.

The clanging of blades clashing echoed incessantly, interspersed with chilling screams and groans.

Whenever the cold glint of metal flashes, blood is sure to splatter out.

Akutsu and his men's bravery and skill in battle are beyond doubt—otherwise, they would never have been able to rescue the old man and Ziyang from that desperate situation last night.

However, the fatigue that had been building up since last night, along with their empty stomachs, caused their condition to deteriorate significantly.

Even more critically, their strength was far from enough to make up for the huge gap in numbers.

Even now, large numbers of enemies continue to emerge from the surrounding darkness, as if the battle will never end.

If this continues, it's only a matter of time before they're all wiped out!

We must find a way to break through!

Akutsu gritted his teeth and tried his best to find a way to break the deadlock.

Unfortunately, the intense battle situation left him no time to think.

"Kill him!"

With a scream, Akutsu's enemies attacked all at once.

Akutsu quickly cleared his mind of all distractions, focused all his energy, spread his arms, and struggled to deal with the siege of his enemies.

In an instant, Akutsu suddenly felt an immense pressure!

He subconsciously followed the heavy pressure and looked over—only to see a "bald samurai" raising his sword overhead and moving with swift and steady steps, attacking Akutsu in the blink of an eye.

"Ya ...

示现流！

Akutsu instantly recognized the opponent's style, his expression changed slightly, and he dared not take the blow head-on. He quickly moved aside and dodged.

Before he could even steady himself, the "bald warrior" pulled the sword back to his hand with incredible speed, raised it above his head, and unleashed a new slash.

That's what makes the Shigenryu swordsman so domineering.

Unless you are very confident in your arm strength, never try to take a direct hit from a Shigenryu swordsman's strike.

However, if you dodge, you will expose an opening, giving your opponent a chance to strike a second, third, or fourth time...

Akutsu snorted coldly and engaged in a fierce battle of offense and defense with the "bald samurai" with some difficulty.

While he was being entangled by the "bald warrior," a dark figure darted past him—the other party bypassed his interception and pounced straight at Ziyang, who was not far away!

"Miss Ziyang! Watch out!"

Akutsu's warning alerted Ziyang to the approaching danger.

She steadied herself, lowered her center of gravity, gripped the katana tightly in her hand, adopted an awkward mid-stance, and stared intently at her opponent.

The way she held the knife... calling it "holding the knife" is incredibly disrespectful to the knife.

She simply gripped the knife handle tightly, without any skill involved.

Seeing through the blade's path and dodging it... It sounds simple, but this is definitely not a skill that Ziyang, who is not proficient in martial arts, can achieve.

The only option is to take the opponent's strike head-on!

With this thought in mind, Ziyang gripped the dagger in his hand even tighter, his knuckles turning slightly white.

Despite her slender figure, she was surprisingly strong—she could easily hold a heavy katana in front of her.

She is quite confident in her strength alone!

In the blink of an eye, her opponent was already in front of her, the blade whistling as it slashed down with force.

Ziyang gritted his teeth, tensed his entire body, and raised his sword to meet the attack—

clang!

The expected immense force did not travel along the blade—a sturdy figure suddenly darted out from the side, blocking her path and separating her from the attacker, taking the blow for her.

"teacher?!"

Although he was an old man with gray hair, his physique showed no signs of aging.

He managed to withstand the opponent's strikes thanks to his exceptional physical abilities.

"Azi!"

Upon hearing the old man's shout, Ziyang immediately reacted, instinctively stepping forward and assuming a stabbing stance, forcefully stabbing the knife into the other man's left rib.

Because the old man was holding the knife in his hand, his body was wide open, exposed to Ziyang like a target, leaving him with no way to defend himself.

When she thrust the knife in her palm, Ziyang deliberately laid the blade flat—a vertical blade is easily blocked by the ribs, so when thrusting, the blade should be laid flat so that the edge can pass through the gap between the ribs—she knew this basic swordsmanship knowledge.

With a soft thud, the knife tip pierced through the body effortlessly, penetrating the entire chest cavity.

After twitching a few times, the other person quickly stopped moving, and their lifeless body immediately collapsed, with their chin hanging on the old man's shoulder like a hook.

With a burst of fierce strength, Ziyang pulled the knife back, then staggered back several steps, catching the knife that was hurtling towards his chest due to the momentum of pulling it back.

The old man steadied the other person and then tossed them to his feet as if they were trash.

"Ziyang, well done."

The old man cast an admiring glance at Ziyang.

"It's all thanks to the teacher."

Ziyang shook his head, returning a look of lingering shock.

Working together to defeat an enemy... the old man and the young man felt both fortunate and thrilled.

It's a pity that they only killed one person, which was not enough to change the course of the battle.

Akutsu tried his best, but still couldn't defeat the "bald samurai".

It would be difficult to deal with just one "bald samurai," not to mention that the surrounding enemies would also take every opportunity to harass Akutsu.

Thus, Akutsu gradually fell into a disadvantageous situation.

Seeing this, Ziyang said anxiously to the old man beside him:

"Teacher, let's go help too!"

Without hesitation, the old man rebuked in a deep voice:

"Azi, don't act rashly. It's obvious that we're the target. Taking any action will only make things worse."

Ziyang's facial expression was dominated by intense anxiety.

Despite her anxiety, she had to admit that the old man was right.

The old man was physically strong, but not skilled in martial arts.

As for Ziyang... she's lucky if she can even protect herself.

It's obvious the enemy is after the two of them.

If they stay where they are, it will be easier for Akutsu and the others to set up a defensive line.

If they wander off, Akutsu and the others will have to put in extra effort to find and protect them.

We must not allow the heavy pressure of the old man and Ziyang's accident, as well as the suffocating feeling of being suppressed, to cause Akutsu's face to turn into an "angry dark red."

"Damn it... don't underestimate... the ambition of 'Big Salt'!!"

A hoarse roar burst from its throat.

Ignoring the fact that the blade in his hand was already covered in wounds, he unleashed a frenzied attack, at one point forcing back his enemies, including the "bald warrior."