I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Overwhelmed with emotion, she became incoherent, only able to repeatedly say "That's wonderful."

The same goes for Elodie.

Although she didn't say anything, she showed her feelings through her actions—she also rushed into Sanako's arms and hugged her right waist.

Today's battle is of utmost importance, and Qingdeng has mobilized all available forces.

Therefore, highly skilled individuals from various units and organizations, such as the Censorate, the Ninth Division, the Cavalry (Seventh and Tenth Divisions), and others—such as Sanako, Amai, and Elodie—were conscripted to participate in today's battle.

Looking at the entire Shinsengumi, excluding Aoto and Souji, the only person who is familiar with Mai and Elodie and can cooperate with them is Sanako... Considering the above reasons, Aoto specially put the three of them together as a team.

If he had a choice, he would very much like to bring them with him.

The important person is right beside you... As long as this thought stays in your heart, you can unleash boundless power!

Unfortunately, they couldn't keep up with Qingdeng's attack speed, so they had to give up.

As it turned out, having the three of them act together was indeed the right decision.

Sanako wields her naginata; Elodie swings her katana; Omai holds her wakizashi. They possess long, medium, and short attack ranges, making them virtually invincible.

They often formed a triangular formation, with Zanako leading the way, and Ama and Elodie protecting her left and right flanks, allowing her to advance boldly.

The three women's seamless teamwork was both a bright spot on the battlefield and a bloody sight—the former in the eyes of the Shinsengumi members, and the latter in the eyes of the Southern soldiers.

At that moment, seeing A-Mai and Elodie tightly hugging her on either side, Sanako slowly opened her arms and embraced them tightly:

"Yes, that's wonderful...!"

If one focuses on the battles fought by Qing Deng, Kondo Isami, and others, one might think that today's battle was nothing special. The Southern soldiers were routed and forced to retreat again and again.

But in reality, today's battle was far from easy!

So far, only a few scattered units led by Qing Deng, Kondo Isami, and others have performed well, breaking through the Southern Army's layers of defenses and steadily advancing towards the summit.

In contrast, the battles of the other units... were either progressing slowly or were unremarkable.

Given that there was no technological gap in equipment and the opposing side had the advantage of terrain, numbers, and combat strength (in the decisive battle of Dian), it was already quite an achievement to have achieved this result.

Sanako and her group are now stuck on the north slope of Autumn Mountain. Although they have killed many southern soldiers, they are unable to advance or retreat.

With their own side locked in a stalemate, receiving such exhilarating news... it's easy to imagine how excited Sanako, Mai, and the others must have been.

After composing herself, Sanako took a deep breath and then shouted to the soldiers around her in a clear and melodious voice:

"Did you all hear that? The summit of Autumn Mountain has been breached! Victory is in our grasp! Suppress the enemy and push back in one fell swoop!"

……

……

Qingdeng bent down to pick up the "Southern Army" banner, used it to wipe the blade of the Vairocana sword clean, and then discarded it like a rag.

Just then, he heard footsteps approaching rapidly behind him—Sōji, carrying Kikuichimonji Norimune, arrived late.

The area was unusually quiet because Qingdeng was the only living person left.

The rest either fled or died. The "flag bearers," led by Kiyotaka Kuroda, lay scattered on the ground, their blood flowing like a river, a truly spectacular sight.

Upon seeing this, the commander couldn't help but click his tongue. After scanning the scene, his gaze locked onto the crumpled, blood-stained banner.

"Finally, we managed to tear this tattered flag down... By the way, what kind of flag is this anyway? And why is it embroidered with a chrysanthemum?"

"This is a banner. As for its origin and purpose, I will explain it to you later."

As Qingdeng spoke, he released the "state of no-self," and the strange light in his eyes gradually faded.

He suddenly felt an overwhelming fatigue throughout his body... Of course, for him, this level of fatigue was nothing to worry about.

Feeling the changes in his body, Qingdeng unconsciously frowned slightly.

It is obvious that even though he is now the "strongest creature on earth" with superhuman physical abilities, he cannot ignore the burden caused by the "state of selflessness".

Therefore, he does indeed need to use the "state of selflessness" prudently and not recklessly use this trump card.

For a moment, the commander stared intently at Qing Deng and sighed silently.

"'The state of no-self'... No matter how many times I read it, it still seems incredible to me."

Just moments before, the instant Aoto said to Yamanami Keisuke, "Souji and I will be temporarily leaving the team," his already exaggerated speed suddenly increased dramatically! In the blink of an eye, he left her behind!

If even the commander-in-chief was like this, then it goes without saying that Yamanami Keisuke was left far behind, not even a shadow of him remained.

To keep up with Aoto, Souji really went all out.

Known for her speed, she tensed her leg muscles and raced at full speed, but still couldn't keep up with Qingdeng... She almost thought she was racing a horse.

In fact, it wouldn't matter even if she didn't follow or assist us.

The current situation is the best proof—Qingdeng single-handedly managed to reach the banner and cut it down!

Thinking about this, Souji couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration.

Upon discovering her greatly increased strength, she felt as if she had climbed a new peak. However, a fog obscured her view, preventing her from seeing the surrounding scenery.

Before she could be happy for long, the mist before her eyes slowly dissipated... and then, she was shocked to see a taller and larger mountain standing before her! And Qingdeng was sitting peacefully at the very top of this mountain!

"The state of 'no-self'..."

She lowered her head, looking at the kimono Ichimonji Norimune in her hand, lost in thought, seemingly pondering something.

At this moment, Keisuke Yamanami and his men arrived.

Every single one of them was covered in sweat and panting heavily.

To keep up with Qingdeng, they also suffered a lot, having to not only keep up with Qingdeng but also wipe out the remaining enemy forces.

With the blessing of the "Selfless Realm", Qingdeng climbed to the top in one go... This distance was not short! There were also quite a few remaining enemies who managed to escape his crushing attack!

Looking at Yamanami Keisuke and the others, who were so exhausted they could barely stand up straight, Aoto said to them apologetically:

"Jingzhu, thank you for your hard work. But it's not time to rest yet. Opportunities are fleeting, and we must seize every second to expand our gains."

Having said that, he turned his gaze to the western slope of Mount Aki, and then to the Toba Street west of Mount Aki—where countless flags of the "Southern Army" fluttered in the wind.

"Xiao Si, do you still have the strength to swing your knife?"

The chief smiled gently:

"Of course!"

Although Yamanami Keisuke's expression was bitter, he nodded firmly:

"Just keep going forward, we'll always be right behind you!"

……

……

Autumn Mountain, at the western foot of the mountain —

Compared to bulky, conspicuous banners, transferring personnel is undoubtedly much easier.

Saigo Kinosuke, Katsura Kogoro, and the others, with a spirit of "not daring to lag behind," arrived safely at the nameless forest on the west side of Aki no Yamazaki.

They had barely settled in when they received the devastating news that "the banner had been cut down by Prince Ren"...

No one made a sound... It was eerily quiet...

Influenced by their subconscious, they avoid eye contact, keeping their heads down or their eyes closed—because they don't want to see fear or despair.

Ultimately, they succumbed to their biological instinct to admire the strong, turning their heads to look at Saigo Kinosuke and asking for help from the "strongest" among them.

Saigo Kinosuke pursed his lips, his face was grim, and he remained silent for a long time. The dark cloud on his cheeks was so thick that it seemed as if ink was about to drip from them.

Finally… to everyone's anticipation, he spoke:

"...Order the entire army to retreat immediately. Retreat to the positions before the battle and minimize casualties."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Goto Shojiro immediately voiced his objection:

"Retreat to the position before the war? Saigo-kun, are you abandoning Toba?"

"We went through a lot of trouble the other day to finally get the bird feathers."

"How can we possibly return these precious spoils of war?!"

Saigo Kinosuke raised his gaze and calmly looked at him.

"Goto-kun, do you have some brilliant plan?"

"..."

Goto Shojiro fell silent, his face filled with resentment and indignation as he lowered his head.

Saigo Kichinosuke ignored him and instead scanned the other people present.

"Retreat! Retreat immediately! Retreat as many as you can!"

After restating the order in an unquestionable tone, he took a deep breath—

"The war is not over yet! As long as the 'Northern Expeditionary Army' can break through Ōtsu and cut off the Shinsengumi's retreat, we still have a chance to turn the tide!"

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Chapter 1163 Yuri! Yuri! After the fight, let's have some yuri!

"What?! The mountaintop has fallen?"

"It's true! The banner is gone!"

"No! I heard the banner is safe and sound, it was just moved!"

What should we do now?

"Hey! We've received the order to retreat! Lord Saigo is ordering us to retreat!"

"What are we waiting for? Let's get out of here!"

What should we do with these cannons?