I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

But at that moment, he caught a glimpse of a cold glint in the corner of his left eye—a white blade flew out from a tricky angle, striking his side.

Akutsu adjusted his stance while deflecting the attack with his sword.

Before he could even catch his breath, a second blade came from another direction—Akuzu spun around like a top and intercepted it with his sword.

Suddenly, Akutsu felt an astonishing killing intent coming from his side!

He immediately looked up—and saw a dark-skinned young warrior suddenly lower his body and slide towards him!

Just by looking at that exquisite footwork, you can tell that the opponent must be a top-notch master.

Driven by a sense of crisis, Akutsu instinctively adopted a defensive stance.

The next moment, the two steel knives collided in mid-air.

clang!

Click!

First came the resounding clang of blades clashing, followed by the crisp sound of the blade shattering.

Akutsu's katana finally gave way and broke, scattering countless fragments everywhere.

The "Black-skinned Warrior" seized the opportunity and swiftly swung his sword again.

Akutsu didn't even have time to switch swords; he could only fight head-on with the broken blade in his hand.

Because there wasn't enough time to adjust the stance, neither the angle of the swing nor the force of the attack reached the ideal level.

Such a mediocre strike was naturally unable to deflect the opponent's heavy slash.

Although he managed to deflect the opponent's blade and save vital organs, he was not entirely unharmed; the sharp blade still grazed his chest.

"Well……!"

Akutsu clutched the stabbed area, cried out in pain, and collapsed to the ground.

"Akutsu!"

The old man exclaimed in surprise and instinctively moved to help Akutsu.

However, just then, an enemy darted out from the corner like a cockroach, grinning as he charged toward the old man.

Although the old man was able to negotiate with the other party for a while, he was unable to advance or retreat and could not extricate himself at all.

Ignoring the fallen Akutsu, the "black-skinned samurai" shook off the bloodstains on his sword and turned to run north.

Its target is none other than the lonely Ziyang!

Seeing the "black-skinned warrior" rapidly approaching, Zi Yang's expression changed.

Despite her panic, she didn't lose her composure and continued to think calmly.

Turning around and running away—absolutely not, the other person is much faster than her.

In such a situation, exposing one's back to the other party is tantamount to courting death.

In this way, the action I should take now becomes very clear.

She took a deep breath and held the knife at the ready.

Once upon a time, Ebina, Akutsu, and other martial arts experts within the organization taught her that the secret to seeing through an opponent's sword technique was to pay attention to the tip of the blade.

The samurai sword mainly relies on the front half of the blade to kill enemies. Whether it is "thrusting" or "slashing", the tip of the blade is an essential part of the attack.

In short, the attack of a samurai sword revolves around the "tip of the blade".

As long as you keep an eye on the tip of your opponent's blade, it's not difficult to predict their blade path and moves.

After quickly recalling the teachings of Ebina and the others, Ziyang narrowed his eyes and stared intently at the tip of the "black-skinned samurai's" blade, which gleamed with a cold light.

The blade rose, was raised above her head, and then slashed down heavily... All of the above clearly filled her vision.

In a split second, she tightened her heels, raised her blade, and prepared to block the opponent's downward slash.

However, to her utter surprise... the opponent's downward strike was a feint!

He pretended to cut her skull, but actually used a feint, changing the direction of his blade in mid-air. As she raised her sword to block, he slashed at her exposed chest, which was exposed due to the wide opening of her body's center line!

In an instant, all the color drained from Ziyang's face.

She had no time to change her move, nor time to dodge...

Cold sweat broke out on his back, his heart pounded with terror, and intense fear coursed through his entire body.

At this moment, all she could do was close her eyes tightly and prepare to face the excruciating pain and death.

clang!!

The imagined excruciating pain did not occur.

Instead, there was a deafening roar that made her eardrums ache.

A rough, large hand wrapped around her left shoulder. At the same time, she felt a comforting warmth from behind.

"...I finally made it in time."

A familiar voice… the voice I’ve been waiting for since last night… Zi Yang suddenly opened her eyes, raised her head, and stared blankly at the face so close to hers.

"Miss Ziyang, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Qingdeng held Ziyang in one arm and Pilu Zha Na in the other, steadily blocking the "black-skinned warrior's" sword. His light blue haori floated in mid-air due to the high speed of movement.

Ziyang blinked her beautiful eyes again, her face full of disbelief, her cherry-colored lips slightly parted, uttering a soft murmur:

"Zuofu...Master...?"

"Well, it's me."

As Qing Deng spoke, he lightly flicked his wrist—it was a very small movement, yet it easily deflected the "Black-skinned Samurai's" sword.

Whether it was the light blue haori on Qing Deng's body or the terrifying aura emanating from him, the "black-skinned samurai's" pupils suddenly contracted to pinpoints. He leaped back several steps as if fleeing, creating a distance of several meters, and then stared intently at Qing Deng as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Can you still stand up?"

"Huh? Uh..."

Only then did Ziyang belatedly realize that her legs had gone weak and her body was falling uncontrollably to the ground—fortunately, Qingdeng caught her in time.

Qingdeng's sudden appearance was like a boulder thrown into a small pond, drastically changing the atmosphere of the scene.

"A light blue haori...it's the Shinsengumi!"

"Damn it! What are the Shinsengumi doing here?!"

"Watch out! The Shinsengumi are here!"

Which squadron of the Shinsengumi is it?

The Shinsengumi—just hearing this name caused the expressions of the enemies present to change drastically!

The light blue haori—just seeing this garment caused the morale of the enemies present to waver considerably!

Aoto is not the only Shinsengumi member currently appearing.

With a scream, the enemy who had been harassing the old man fell dead on the spot.

Ziyang turned his head and saw that the person who rescued the old man was a petite and beautiful young girl.

She first unleashed a swift high kick, breaking the opponent's neck, and then finished him off with a wakizashi in her hand... Her decisive and ruthless killing technique was just like that of a ninja in a novel.

Suddenly, a voice, devoid of joy or sorrow, came from behind Qing Deng:

"Qingdeng, haven't you hugged me enough yet?"

Sanako, carrying her naginata, smiled as she walked towards Aoto… Correction. To be precise, it was Aoto who was still embracing Shiyo.

Although she was smiling, strangely enough, her smile didn't convey any genuine joy.

At the same time, A-Wu, who was not far away, also cast a piercing gaze at Qing Deng.

"..."

Qing Deng remained silent... or rather, dared not speak, and silently handed Zi Yang, which was in his arms, to Sanako.

Sanako freed her left hand to support Ziyang—a smile appeared on her face.

"Are you OK?"

Ziyang was still not recovered from the situation and nodded blankly like a chick pecking at rice.

"I...I'm fine..."

Aoto, Sanako, and Mai—the only three Shinsengumi members who suddenly appeared here.

Despite this, the fear on the faces of the enemies only increased.

As if by prior agreement, the enemies consciously withdrew from the chaotic battle and retreated in a direction away from Qing Deng and the others.

Akutsu and the others also took the opportunity to regroup, gather their remaining fighting strength, and return to the side of the old man and Ziyang.

Before long, the two sides occupied their respective positions, staring at each other, separated by an invisible "barrier".

For a moment, Sanako and Ama were still looking at Aoto with unfriendly eyes.

As if to avoid the gazes of the two women, Qing Deng stepped forward a few steps, stood in front of everyone, and stood in the very center of the "barrier," facing all the enemies directly.

"...There are quite a few people."

As he spoke, he flicked his right wrist, shaking off bloodstains that weren't actually on the knife.

"Then... let's put in a little more effort."

The instant he finished speaking, a strange light flashed in his eyes.

"Eternal Talent" - Heartless Demon Child, activated!

The next instant, Qingdeng vanished from his spot.

In the next instant, he appeared in the enemy ranks!

His path through the enemy lines was like a sharp scythe, a tool for reaping lives—wherever he moved, he reaped!

In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen enemies were stabbed and fell to the ground, lifeless!

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