I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Jingzhu, it's safe up there, come on up quickly!"

Yamanami Keisuke stared blankly at all of this.

Limited by his perspective, he could not see the scenery on the mountainside.

He only saw Qing Deng and Souji suddenly rush out of the cover, and then the former threw the latter against the mountain wall... and then, the mountain wall that should have taken a lot of effort to break through fell.

From that moment on, Keisuke Yamanami's usually brilliant mind nearly shut down.

Whether it was the sudden appearance of Souji or Souji's sudden surge in strength, both gave Yamanami Keisuke a sense of unreality, as if "his feet couldn't touch the ground."

It wasn't just Yamanami Keisuke who felt this way; all the team members present felt the same way.

Suddenly, one of the squad members behind Yamanami Keisuke couldn't help but ask:

"...Commander Yamanami, today is bound to be a tough battle, isn't it?"

Yamanami Keisuke nodded blankly:

"Hmm... logically speaking, that's true..."

……

……

"Watch out! They're coming!"

"I...I'm not playing anymore!"

"Hey! Don't run away! How can you still be called 'Satsuma Hayato' like this?"

"The 'Benevolent King' and the 'Heavenly Sword' have arrived at the same time, how are we supposed to fight them?"

"You saw it too, didn't you? Even muskets can't do anything to them, how could we possibly have a chance of winning!"

"The rumors are true! Tachibana Aoto and Okita Souji are both reincarnations of the God of War!"

"Amitabha! Amitabha!"

Wherever Qingdeng and the commander went, the enemy forces retreated as if waves were parting and breaking apart.

Those who are unwilling to disperse will be dispersed by them.

Suddenly, they saw light blue haori fluttering in the distance—about thirty Shinsengumi members were fighting a bloody battle.

They may have discovered some shortcut, and they advanced to a very high position in one go.

But precisely because of this, they are surrounded and struggling to hold on, and the situation is not optimistic.

The commander glanced at them and called out loudly:

Are any members of my team here?

Coincidentally, there was indeed a member of the First Division among this group of soldiers.

Upon seeing their captain, whom they hadn't seen in a long time, they were initially surprised but then delighted.

"It's Captain Okita!"

"It really is Captain Okita! Captain Okita is back!"

"Captain Okita, where have you been all this time?"

With her beautiful appearance, overwhelming strength, kind personality, and ruthless nature when necessary, Souji enjoys extremely high prestige within the First Division.

During the period when Souji was on sick leave, the morale of the First Division plummeted, and no matter how hard the acting captain, Nagakura Shinpachi, and the vice-captain, Shimada Kai, tried, they could not save it.

Therefore, it is easy to imagine how they will react when Souji returns.

With cheers growing louder and louder, the members of the First Division roused themselves, their fighting spirit soaring, and eagerly swung their swords at the enemies before them, as if they were the ones who had taken the "Final Battle Elixir".

As for the Southern soldiers present—after Qing Deng and the commander arrived, they immediately scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing completely.

Suddenly, Souji exclaimed in surprise:

"Hey? Qingdeng, look at the mountaintop!"

Upon hearing this, Qingdeng immediately raised his gaze and looked towards the mountaintop—he saw that the enormous brocade banner was slowly receding!

It was obvious that Saigo Kinosuke and the others, seeing that the battle was going badly, decided to move the banner away.

Most of those that were moved along with the main camp on the mountaintop were also moved.

Although moving the commander's flag would greatly shake the morale of the entire army, it was still better than having it cut by the Shinsengumi.

The banner symbolizes legitimacy and has great political significance.

Whether or not the "Southern Army's" banner can be cut down will have a significant impact on today's and the battles to come.

In short—no matter what, we cannot stand by and watch the “Southern Army”’s banner be taken away!

After pondering for a moment, Qing Deng said quietly to the commander beside him:

"...Xiao Si, I'm going to do something a little reckless. You should do what you can. If you can't keep up with me, don't force yourself."

"Huh? What?"

The commander turned his head, puzzled, and happened to see a strange light flashing in Qing Deng's eyes.

The eternal talent "Heartless Demon Child" is activated!

Qingdeng is unwilling to enter the "state of selflessness" unless absolutely necessary.

The reason is simple—he wanted to save the "state of selflessness" for dealing with Ōtakemaru.

The whereabouts of the Fa-Zhu Party remain a mystery, and the possibility that "the Fa-Zhu Party is lurking somewhere in Toba" cannot be ruled out.

Ootakemaru's strength is unfathomable, so as to be on the safe side, Aoto must always keep his strongest trump card to himself.

But right now, it's a time when we have no other choice!

"Kei-suke! Koji and I will be temporarily leaving the team!"

Before Yamanami Keisuke could respond, he stomped his hind foot, sending a fist-sized clod of earth flying...

……

……

"Run! Run faster!"

"Watch out for the banner! Don't let it fall over!"

A strongman hurriedly carried the banner and moved towards the western slope of Autumn Mountain.

Saigo Kichinosuke, Katsura Kogoro, and others have already gone ahead.

With Aoto and Souji closing in, they had no choice but to temporarily flee Akiyama, despite their reluctance.

A temporary retreat might give us a chance to counterattack.

If they're all wiped out, then there's really no hope left.

This strongman was definitely not slow. Despite the extreme weight of the banner, he still sped along at a fast but orderly pace.

However... speed is relative.

Compared to ordinary people, his speed is undoubtedly in the category of "fast".

But compared to the person who's chasing him, he's...

Whoosh!

Before anyone could react, a huge "flying object" flew from behind the strongman, then past him, and crashed heavily into a large tree in front of him.

The strongman blinked blankly... Upon closer inspection, he realized that this "flying object" was actually a person.

A dagger was stuck in his chest, entering from the front and exiting from the back, firmly pinning the man to the tree trunk.

Although his death was bizarre, it was also quite obvious: someone threw this katana, which pierced through the man's body and continued to drag him "flying" until he was finally nailed to this tree!

Before he could think further, the strongman felt the light behind him dim...

A tall, dark figure was projected from behind him, reflected on the ground in front of him.

The figure leaped slightly, raised his sword overhead, the tip pointing to the sky.

The strongman instinctively turned his head... He didn't see the other person's face, only a pair of eyes that seemed to flow with a strange light, and a blackish-purple blade of light that covered his vision...

call out!

The blade sliced ​​through the air.

The strongman lowered his arms and collapsed forward, his body limp.

The banner he had been struggling to hold fell to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

*******

*******

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P.S.: Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this month will be the last month of this book's serialization (probably...). I, Leopard, will definitely try my best to update! I'll strive to finish it on schedule this month! I've already written 6400 words today, working very hard!

Chapter 1162 "Selflessness" Unleashed! The Southern Army Retreats! Bird Feather Reclaimed!

The banner is so important that it naturally needs to be escorted by elite troops.

Kuroda Kiyotaka—a close confidant of Saigo Kinosuke—personally led over three hundred elite soldiers to firmly guard the banner.

Although Aoto and Souji's offensive was extremely swift, Saigo Kinosuke's order to retreat was so decisive and timely that they had ample time to take the banner with them.

Logically, that's how it should be.

However... however...

That figure that suddenly attacked broke the rules once again!

Kiyotaka Kuroda was at a loss for words to describe the scene he was witnessing.

A young samurai, clad in a light blue haori and wielding a black sword, suddenly appeared, moving with incredible speed, leaving a straight, truly bloody trail behind him!

Anyone who blocks his path, or who unfortunately falls within his attack range, will be cut down by his blade!