I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

To this day, Souji still doesn't know how his hemoptysis (tuberculosis) was cured.

All he knew was that he had drunk the blood of the Old Maki boss (Ogata), and he spent a difficult period of time in a state of semi-consciousness.

After finally waking up, the terminal illness that had tormented her for so long was completely cured.

Not only did they recover, but their bodies were also remodeled, becoming more agile and powerful than before!

At first, I didn't notice anything unusual.

Now, after a long absence, I am immersed in fierce battle, as if the power hidden deep within my body has been awakened and is gradually surging up!

Actions that were difficult to do before, I can do easily now.

Attacks that were difficult to dodge before can now be easily avoided.

I used to struggle with lack of stamina, but now I can fight for a long time without breaking a sweat.

Every muscle in his body is brimming with astonishing elasticity and terrifying power! He could easily annihilate his former self!

Souji wasn't stupid; he naturally knew that this was all thanks to the blood of Komaki's boss (Ogata).

Although I don’t quite understand, there is no doubt that this uncle who makes and sells wagashi is no ordinary person. His blood contains a special magic that cannot be measured by worldly common sense.

The commander does not believe in gods or Buddhas and has no religious beliefs.

However, like some atheists, she firmly believes that there is no god in the world, but she still has some respect for supernatural phenomena and always maintains a cautious attitude of "unwilling to believe, but not daring to deny their existence".

So she wisely refrained from asking further questions—it might be some kind of taboo that you shouldn't ask! Being too talkative is said to shorten your lifespan!

She secretly made up her mind: unless Qingdeng and the others brought it up on their own initiative, she would never ask a single extra word about "how she recovered" or "who the Old Mu boss is," treating it as a secret for life and obediently taking it to her grave.

It's worth mentioning that the dramatic changes in her body made her feel uncomfortable, and she couldn't help but wonder, "Am I still me?"

Fortunately, she has always been an optimistic person.

Before long, she let it go: Who cares! It can't hurt anyway! What's wrong with becoming stronger?

Once her mind was clear, the gloom in her heart instantly dissipated, and she threw herself wholeheartedly into the battle before her.

She quickly scanned the area and spotted the Southern soldiers hiding in the bushes who were sniping at her.

The next moment, she leaped up as if she were a spring in the air, and in the blink of an eye, she was in the bushes, where she met the Southern soldiers.

In a flash, the Kikuichimonji Norimune in her hand transformed into a silver "thunderbolt".

Kikuichimonji Norimune is an exceptionally beautiful sword, so exquisitely crafted that it doesn't resemble a weapon.

Because the blade is thin and long like a seedling, it fits perfectly in the hand of the petite Souji!

Besides its beautiful shape, another famous feature of Kikuichimonji Norimune is its sharpness!

The "thunderbolt" that swept across the sky roared, severing the atmosphere and cutting off the bodies of the southern soldiers.

One lucky person narrowly escaped Kikuichimonji Norimune's blade.

Although he had temporarily escaped death, he was utterly terrified. Facing the commander-in-chief who was so close, he couldn't muster any fighting spirit. He even abandoned his weapon, hurriedly throwing away the musket in his hand and scrambling to hide in a thick, large tree not far away.

Instead of circling around to give chase, Souji stepped forward to close the distance, and then swung his sword again—

With a loud bang, the slender blade sliced ​​through the tree trunk as if skimming across water.

The chopping motion was so smooth, without the slightest hesitation, that it was hard to tell whether she had actually struck the tree—the answer would soon be clear.

The tree that was perfectly fine one second suddenly became shorter the next, and kept getting shorter.

It wasn't "reverse growth," but rather the thick trunk slowly slid down along an incredibly smooth cut! Soon it crashed to the ground!

Also falling to the ground was half the body of the Southern soldier who had just hidden behind the tree trunk.

The tree, which required two adults to encircle, was easily cleaved in two by Souji as if a hot knife were cutting butter!

Its power, which will injure anyone who touches it and kill anyone who is hit, is even greater than that of the most supreme great creation!

At the same time, Qingdeng advanced the battle line in one go, clearing a straight road without any "obstacles".

Qingdeng's battle... really isn't worth going into detail about. It's nothing more than a constant repetition of swinging his sword, advancing, swinging his sword again, and advancing again. If you were to go into detail about it, it would just become a very boring, tedious account.

The difference in strength is too great; no matter who the opponent is, they cannot withstand Qing Deng's attack!

Suddenly, six Southern soldiers, carrying thick wooden shields, formed a tight human wall and pressed towards Qingdeng.

They probably wanted to restrict Qingdeng's movements first, and then seize the opportunity to surround and kill him, so they were followed by a lot of Southern soldiers.

Currently, due to their body posture, Vairocana's blade is positioned in a way that makes it inconvenient for him to strike them.

Because adjusting the blade's direction takes a split second, Qing Deng simply smashed it down with the hard back of the blade!

The back of the blade collided violently with the several wooden objects, instantly producing a dull, loud thud.

The six Southern soldiers didn't even last a second before their shields were shattered.

The shattered shields flew backward, breaking their arms first, then slamming into their chests, and finally flying into the air like fireworks, shield and man together, leaving a trail of blood and severed limbs.

Upon seeing this, the commander shouted in an annoyed tone:

"How dare you call me a monster? You're the one who's truly become a monster!"

Because he was unaware of the details of the "Nioh Martial Arts Tournament", in Souji's eyes, the long-unseen Seido seemed to have been taught by some reclusive master, and his strength had increased explosively!

Faced with Souji's吐槽 (tu cao, meaning to criticize or complain), Qing Deng smiled without saying a word, and continued to move forward while waving to her, signaling her to catch up.

The commander smiled helplessly, took two quick steps, and returned to Qing Deng's side.

Suddenly, a mountain wall appeared before them.

The mountain wall isn't particularly high, but climbing it isn't easy either; it's truly an excellent natural fortress.

Sure enough, heavy troops were deployed on both the top and bottom sides of this mountain wall.

As Qingdeng and Zongsi approached, a dense hail of bullets immediately poured down from the direction of the mountain wall.

The two instinctively dodged to the left and hid behind a boulder, surrounded by bullets.

The commander cautiously peeked half his head out from behind the boulder to roughly observe the other side.

"...This mountain wall is not easy to deal with."

Qingdeng pondered for a moment, then said in a meaningful and lingering tone:

"...If we fight slowly and methodically, it will definitely be difficult to deal with. If someone could appear on the top of the mountain wall, it would be much easier to fight."

Upon hearing this, the commander immediately realized what was happening and turned to look at Qing Deng.

The two exchanged a meaningful glance.

A moment later, Yamanami Keisuke and his men arrived, a beat behind.

Aoto and Souji were already old partners, and they knew each other inside and out. Their collaboration achieved a "1+1 greater than 2" effect.

Therefore, with the tacit cooperation of the commander, the pressure on Aoto was greatly reduced, and the speed of the attack increased accordingly. Yamanami Keisuke and his team members could only follow closely behind with great difficulty.

Since Qing Deng and Souji had dealt with most of the enemies blocking their way, things were much easier for them. They only needed to clean up any remaining enemies that the two of them had missed from time to time.

Yamanami Keisuke quickly surveyed the scene and immediately understood the situation.

He rushed over, crouching down beside Qingdeng, and gave a bitter smile:

"The moment I see the mountainside, all the bad memories start to resurface in my mind..."

Qingdeng chuckled to himself.

A year ago, during the Second Battle of Sekigahara, a mountain wall blocked the Shinsengumi like an iron wall.

At that time, Yamanami Keisuke risked his life, braving arrows and stones. Although he successfully breached the mountain wall, he was seriously injured. If Aoto hadn't arrived in time, he would have died there.

"Jingzhu, don't worry, you don't need to risk your life this time."

After saying this with certainty, Qingdeng moved with lightning speed and instantly arrived outside the boulder.

"Xiao Si, keep up with me!"

Without saying a word, the commander immediately followed.

They had barely escaped the cover of the boulder when a barrage of bullets rained down on them.

Although their momentum was fierce, they were all left behind.

The bullets that hit them from behind kicked up clouds of dust, much like the splashes of water they had kicked up.

In just a second or two, they closed in close enough to the mountainside.

"Xiao Si, hand!"

An exceptionally brief instruction.

But the commander immediately understood the implication and handed it over with his left hand.

Qingdeng handed Vairocana to his left hand, grabbed Souji's left wrist with his right hand, and then spun around like a top with his feet as the axis, using the strength of his arms and centrifugal force to throw Souji towards the mountain wall!

Although her strength is not what it used to be, her body is still as light as a delicate doll.

The commander curled up slightly to minimize wind resistance.

Throwing a living person into the air... No normal person would come up with such an outrageous idea.

However, "going beyond common sense" is precisely Qingdeng's forte!

The Southern soldiers on the mountainside were all stunned because they hadn't expected the commander to fly over.

Their moment of stunned silence was but a fleeting instant—and that fleeting instant was enough to be fatal!

As they were about to land, Souji stretched out his body like a hedgehog.

Along with it, the Kikuichimonji Norimune in her hand also "unfurled"...

……

After throwing the commander against the mountainside, Qing Deng rushed straight up the mountainside without stopping.

The sound of swords cutting through the air and the screams of dying creatures echoed from the mountainside... Thanks to this, the shooting stopped completely, and Qingdeng's advance went exceptionally smoothly.

When he arrived at his destination, there were no living Southern soldiers left.

The only living person stood gracefully, like a flower blooming on a sea of ​​blood.

Seeing Qingdeng arrive "late," she pouted and gave him a look that said, "Too slow, huh?"

Qing Deng smiled in response, then turned his head and waved to Yamanami Keisuke below the mountain wall.