I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The true form of this strange sound was revealed—accompanied by a chilling killing intent, hundreds of Shinsengumi members charged forward!

They ran tirelessly at full speed, swinging the hem of their haoris behind them, each step causing the ground to tremble.

Even though they were all infantry, they managed to make the sound of four hooves when they were only two feet!

Viewed from the front, it looks like a cavalry charge straight at you! It gives you a feeling of sudden, suffocating pressure!

Many of the Southern soldiers in the trenches wavered, their faces filled with fear, and they unconsciously retreated.

A young man dressed as a general—wearing old armor, presumably passed down from his ancestors—shouted urgently:

"Don't be afraid! Look at what you've got! You're armed with muskets, while the bandits on the other side have swords and knives! How can you possibly lose with muskets against swords and knives?!"

This statement calmed the fear in the trenches somewhat.

Inspired by this, they gripped their muskets tightly, their knuckles turning white, as if they were grasping at a lifeline, not daring to relax their grip even slightly.

From the moment the Shinsengumi soldiers appeared until now, only a few seconds had passed... but for the Southern soldiers in the trenches, those few seconds felt like centuries.

Finally, clear instructions reached their ears:

"put!"

The next moment, a barrage of gunfire, like popping beans, completely drowned out the sound of the enemy's rushing footsteps.

This area is quite open, leaving no place to hide.

Many people didn't have time to dodge and were hit head-on by this barrage of bullets. Blood splattered instantly, and one after another, the light blue haori were covered in mud and blood. The originally very tight formation was immediately torn apart.

This volley successfully halted the Shinsengumi's advance... but it was only temporary.

As if by magic, another group of Shinsengumi members arrived from the foot of the mountain, about a hundred of them, with the same high morale!

Seeing the countless light blue haori that once again filled their field of vision, the Southern soldiers in the trenches had no time to rejoice over their previous victory before their faces fell again.

However, coincidentally, at almost the same time, a group of southern soldiers also arrived from the direction of the hilltop and joined the battle!

Both sides kept sending reinforcements, advancing, defending, fighting, and engaging in a protracted tug-of-war, as if adding fuel to the fire!

One person falls, and another immediately takes their place from behind, leaving no ground untouched!

The fierce fighting around this trench had reached a point where it was unbearable to witness.

Dozens of corpses—and their numbers are still rising—cover the not-so-large space.

Suddenly, a whirlwind of footsteps, carrying a foul stench, arrived, accompanied by an undisguised and terrifying killing intent!

From the perspective of the Southern soldiers, what happened next was like a nightmare—

The Shinsengumi members in front of him quickly and efficiently parted to the left and right, and a tall figure leaped out along the opened path, appearing in front of them in one breath.

Because of the backlighting, his face, figure, and the knife in his hand were all obscured by the relative shadows.

It wasn't until he got a little closer that the Southern soldiers were astonished to discover that the knife in his hand had a blade as black as ink.

Just then, a soft cloud drifted down from the sky and gently veiled the bright sun.

Without the cover of light and darkness, the true form of the shadowy figure was revealed.

In an instant, most of the Southern soldiers inside and outside the trenches lost their will to fight... no, they even lost their souls! They stood there blankly, their mouths slightly open, looking as if they wanted to scream but were too terrified to utter a sound.

As for the other small group, although they managed to regain their composure, every single one of them had their facial expressions dominated by intense fear.

Someone finally regained control of their vocal cords, opened their mouth wide, and stammered a terrified scream:

"It's, it's, it's 'Niou'! 'Niou' has arrived!"

"The King of Men has arrived"—for the Southern soldiers, this phrase meant the same as "Death has come!"

Qingdeng was still wearing that magnificent and conspicuous armor.

With such attire and the way he came riding the wind, he looked just like a martial god descending to earth.

And the attacks he unleashed next certainly had the power of a martial god!

In the blink of an eye, Qing Deng plunged headlong into the "Southern Army's" position like a wedge, announcing his arrival with the whirlwind of sword swings.

call out!

The first cut cleanly severed the bodies of all four men from the chest.

call out!

With the second strike, three heads flew into the air.

call out!

With the third cut, the two men's chests were pierced together. Qing Deng did not pull out his sword, but instead swung it to the right, slicing their clothes, armor, and bodies to shreds.

Qingdeng was much taller than the Japanese of his time; looking up, almost all the Southern soldiers were one or two heads shorter than him.

Because he was "easy to chop," his strikes were mostly concentrated on the opponent's head and chest.

This caused the level of gore at the scene to skyrocket! Brain matter and fragments of internal organs were scattered everywhere!

The sudden arrival of "Nioh" was already a blow to morale.

The horrifying scene he created caused the Southern soldiers' fighting spirit to plummet!

Not all the Southern soldiers were cowards; some of them rose up in resistance.

Anyone with a modicum of sense wouldn't want to engage in hand-to-hand combat with Qing Deng.

Therefore, they all fought back with muskets.

Rows of muskets were set up from all directions.

They aimed, pulled the trigger... and then followed in the footsteps of their predecessors who dared to point guns at Qingdeng.

Whether you shoot him in the face or take a sneak shot from a corner, you can't do anything to him!

It's as if Qingdeng has eyes all over his body, able to monitor every 360 degrees of the surroundings and every blind spot at all times.

With the blessing of the talent "Foresight +26", he doesn't need to use his five senses to find enemies or predict threats. No amount of killing intent can escape his perception!

Those who wanted to take sniper shots at Qingdeng thought they were well hidden, but little did they know that the moment they raised their guns, Qingdeng had already spotted them and was prepared to deal with them.

It's no exaggeration to say that Qingdeng is now virtually without weaknesses! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe him as the "strongest creature on Earth"! Let alone physical attacks, even if you were to poison him or launch a "biological attack," it might not necessarily kill him!

In terms of "combat effectiveness," Aoto, who has not yet reached the "perfect understanding" level, is still inferior to Ogata.

However, in terms of "comprehensiveness," the latter is far inferior to the former.

Qingdeng paid little attention to these "rebels"—if they were close, he would stab them; if they were far away, he would let them go, since they couldn't hurt him anyway.

Before long, there were no more living Southern soldiers around Qingdeng.

Qingdeng turned his head to look at the trench in a dangerous position.

The next instant, he leaped up like a spring, his body soaring into the air, and landed steadily in the trench.

Those outside the trenches could not see what was happening inside, only vaguely seeing a flash of light, followed by several Southern soldiers flying into the air and then falling back to the outside of the trenches.

The fierce battle, which had just been at a stalemate, ended in a complete victory in a short time.

The reason for this is entirely due to Qing Deng's assistance!

With overwhelming individual skill, the tide of battle is turned in one fell swoop... This kind of scene, like something out of a picture book, is most inspiring!

Instantly, the Shinsengumi members on the scene erupted in excited cheers, with shouts of "Long live Niou!" and "Long live Shinsengumi!" filling the air.

Without Qingdeng's orders, they spontaneously rushed forward, completely occupying the trench, and then used it as a stepping stone to continue their ascent to the summit.

Qingdeng jumped out of the trench at a leisurely pace.

He did not rush to continue the attack. Instead, he swung his sword to wipe away the bloodstains remaining on the blade, while turning his gaze and straining his ears to observe the battle situation.

Judging from the sounds, the battles between the "Second Army" and the "Third Army" were very intense.

The three armies attacked the mountain with unstoppable momentum. Although they made steady progress, the overall progress could only be described as mediocre.

The intensity of the resistance from the "Southern Army" was astonishing.

Today, a large number of southern soldiers clearly possess extraordinary combat power that defies common sense... It is likely that Saigo Kichinosuke has brought out all the remaining "decisive battle points".

He left absolutely no room for maneuver... Saigo Kinosuke's determination was evident; he was truly going all out.

Qingdeng raised his gaze and looked towards the mountaintop.

To inspire the entire army's morale and to demonstrate their determination to fight to the death, the banner of "Southern Dynasty" was hung high on the top of Qiuzhi Mountain, fluttering in the wind.

In terms of straight-line distance, it is still two or three hundred meters from where Qingdeng is currently standing to the top of the mountain.

Of course, the distance to climb a mountain cannot be calculated in this way.

Taking into account the complex mountain paths and the endless enemy fortifications, Qingdeng still needs to advance at least a thousand meters to reach the summit.

—There's still quite a distance to go...

Qingdeng pondered, his brow furrowing slightly as he gripped the Vairocana in his hand.

His combat prowess goes without saying.

Once he launches an attack, no enemy can stand unscathed!

But... as the old saying goes: no matter how powerful he is, he only has two arms and two legs; no matter how fast his slashing speed is, he can only wield one or two swords, not three.

Even though he is now the "strongest creature on Earth," there are still things he cannot do.

He had to eliminate the vast number of enemy soldiers in front of him, shoot down the bullets that kept flying in, and protect his subordinates around him... As a result, his offensive speed was greatly slowed down, and he could not advance at full speed.

—If only I had a capable "deputy"...

If he had a capable "second-in-command" to cover for him and support him, his life would be much easier!

Unfortunately... the current Shinsengumi doesn't have anyone qualified to be his "second-in-command".

The mere requirement of "keeping up with Aoto's movements" is enough to deter many, including sword masters such as Nagakura Shinpachi, Saito Hajime, and Kondo Isami.

At this thought, a petite, smiling figure with a short ponytail flashed before his eyes.

At that moment, a greeting pulled Qingdeng back to reality.

"Mr. Tachibana, what a coincidence!"

Aoto followed the sound and looked in surprise at the sudden appearance of Yamanami Keisuke and Inoue Genzaburo, who appeared with him.

"Kei-suke, Uncle Yuan, what are you doing here?"