I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Upon closer examination, it becomes clear that all the corpses died from the same cause—a single fatal blow! No one was stabbed a second time!

The main force, which arrived half a step behind Sanako, was completely stunned by this horrifying sight, and all of them, like Sanako, showed expressions of disbelief.

Sanako quickly scanned her surroundings and soon found Souji—she stood gracefully amidst the vast sea of ​​corpses, covered in blood, a sword dangling from her hand.

She stood alone amidst the corpses lying on the ground, making her stand out like a beautiful flower blooming on a sea of ​​blood.

Because her back was to Sanako, Sanako couldn't see her expression.

Sanako didn't care about anything else and quickly ran to meet him.

"Xiao Si..."

call out!

In an instant, Souji swung his sword, the blade rising from below and striking Sanako's waist.

*******

*******

It's almost the end of the month again! Readers with monthly passes, please be sure to vote for this book! This is the last time I'm asking for votes! (crying leopard head.jpg) This really is the last time!

求月票！求推荐票！（豹头痛哭.jpg）

PS: I really do find it easier to write these "humanoid Gundam" plots! Both sides are using cheat codes, the other side keeps spawning new troops, and this side is going into overdrive!

Chapter 1188 Old soldiers never die, they just keep fighting! Qilin'er, reporting for duty!

Sanako never dreamed that Souji would attack her.

Fortunately, the strike was not swift or fierce; it was more like a drunkard's casual blow.

Sanako hurriedly raised the naginata in her hand and steadily blocked Kikuichimonji Norimune's blade.

"Tsukasa! It's me! Sanako!"

"...Sanako?"

Souji slowly raised his head, staring straight at Sanako, his unfocused eyes revealing a pair of blank stares.

Only after hearing Sanako's voice did a glimmer of light finally appear in her eyes.

"Where am I... Sanako... the enemy...?"

Seeing this, Sanako immediately realized that Souji's mind was still deeply caught up in the vortex of the battle, and his consciousness was hazy.

She was blinded by rage and could no longer distinguish friend from foe; any creature that came near her would be considered an enemy!

"You've repelled all the enemies! Wake up!"

The commander blinked again and turned to scan the corpses around him.

"I see... I've repelled all the enemies... I've won..."

"Xiao Si, what exactly happened? These people... you killed them all?"

Sanako couldn't help but show an expression of disbelief.

To single-handedly repel hundreds of well-equipped enemy soldiers... Such a feat is truly astonishing!

Sanako had absolute faith in Souji's abilities, but she could not suppress her shock.

"I don't remember much... I lost my memory halfway through the game..."

As he spoke, Souji put down the knife in his hand.

With Sanako so close at hand, she could intuitively feel the fact that "there are no enemies around."

Feeling relieved, she gradually regained her senses, and fragmented memories began to surface in her mind.

The enemies surrounded and attacked...

Exhausted, she was too weak to get up and fight back...

A promise that suddenly came to mind...

A sudden surge of power...

A wider field of vision...

There were no distracting thoughts or emotions in my mind...

He wielded his sword with abandon, slaughtering enemies with abandon, every muscle in his body seemingly transformed into a precision component designed specifically for "killing"...

The enemy's will to fight was completely extinguished; as if they had encountered an incomprehensible monster, they fled in panic...

She couldn't remember what happened after that... but the feeling of cutting flesh and breaking bones still lingered in her palms!

At this moment, she belatedly recalled the past—this invincible posture that could scare away gods and ghosts was something she had often witnessed in Qingdeng after he entered the "selfless state"!

With this thought in mind, she curved the corners of her mouth into a calm smile.

"So that's how it is... This is the 'state of no-self'..."

After being stuck in a bottleneck for a long time, she finally reached a new peak!

Her joy came quickly and went quickly—the next moment, she slowly closed her eyes, her body went limp, as if all the bones in her body had turned into noodles, and she fell straight to the ground.

Fortunately, Sanako reacted quickly, extending her arms to pull her into her embrace.

"Sōji? Sōji?!"

The commander kept his eyes tightly closed, his red lips moving slightly:

"I...can't stand up anymore...let me...sleep for a while..."

She spoke softer and softer, until the last few words were barely audible.

After she finished speaking, she fell into a deep sleep, her chest rising and falling steadily.

Seeing this, Sanako breathed a sigh of relief.

"Seriously... don't scare me..."

At this moment, a squad member issued a warning:

"Captain Chiba! Enemies! New enemies are attacking!"

Although Sanako changed her name to "Tachibana Sanako" after marrying Aoto, there were too many captains with the surname Tachibana (Tachibana Tsukasa, Tachibana Mai), which could easily cause confusion. Therefore, for the sake of convenience, the Shinsengumi members still called them "Captain Chiba", "Captain Okita", and "Captain Kinoshita" as before.

Sanako raised her gaze and looked out of the city—a large force of enemy soldiers was charging menacingly towards them.

This place is strategically important, and the enemy would never give up so easily; it would be only natural for them to attack again.

"Xiao Si, you've worked hard. You should get some rest. Leave the rest to us!"

After saying that, she turned to the soldiers beside her and shouted:

"Take Captain Okita to the rear!"

"Yes!"

Because they were concerned that Souji might get injured, Sanako brought a stretcher with her when she came to help.

The soldiers quickly and efficiently placed the commander onto a stretcher, and just as they were about to carry him away, one of the soldiers cried out in alarm:

"Huh? Captain Okita's sword won't come off!"

Souji was still tightly holding Kikuichimonji Norimune, and even in his sleep, he did not let go of him.

The soldier tried to untie Kikuichimonji Norimune, but found that each of Souji's fingers was like steel and could not be bent! It was as if they had become fused with the hilt of the sword!

Left with no other choice, they could only carry Souji away first, and then try to get her to put down the knife once they were in a safe place.

After watching the commander leave, Sanako withdrew her gaze and cast a cold look at the countless enemy soldiers who were getting closer and closer outside the city.

"Come on, let me see how many more attacks you can launch!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the more than one hundred soldiers behind her spread out horizontally, took their positions, and prepared to meet the enemy.

……

……

Otsu Castle, north wall——

The enemy transported several cannons into the city and bombarded the defenders at a very short distance.

At this moment, a lone artillery crew is holding its ground.

After the two artillery units closed the distance and began close-range artillery fire, the casualties among the artillerymen began to increase dramatically.

The logistics personnel responsible for transporting shells and gunpowder also suffered considerable casualties.

Admittedly, many logistics personnel are afraid of blood and fire and dare not transport supplies to the front line, but many others still stick to their posts!

A moment later, a boy braved the intense artillery fire, carrying a barrel of gunpowder on a handcart, and headed straight for the artillery position that was still fighting... or rather, still surviving.

He was only about ten meters away from the artillery group.

However, this distance of just over ten meters became an insurmountable chasm for him—

boom!

Like a thunderbolt, a shell landed squarely on the boy's head.

The next moment, a giant red flame shot high into the air, and thick smoke billowed upwards.

At the same time, a stray bullet pierced the neck of the gun crew leader.

The leader of each artillery group is responsible for both command and aiming.

The sudden death of their key member threw the other team members into a panic, leaving them at a loss for what to do.

Just then, an elderly man with white hair and beard rushed out from the side and darted to the side of the cannon.

"Let me take aim! You guys load the shells!"

As he spoke, Ōshio Heihachirō bent down and personally took charge of firing the cannon.

Even when he was still a private tutor, he and his students often studied firearms day and night.

After forming the Great Salt Party, he paid close attention to the development of Western firearms, often spending a lot of money to buy the most advanced guns and cannons for research, and always regarded "firearmization" as the development goal of the Great Salt Party.

In short, he was very skilled with firearms! Especially cannon fire!