I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"...Hey, you guys aren't from the Extermination Group, are you?"

Qing Deng's tone was flat, and his indifferent attitude carried a strong chill.

No one directly responded to Qing Deng's question... because they were all busy with "internal strife" right now.

"Hey! Calm down, everyone!"

"That's right! Don't do anything reckless! We're only here to cover Funaba's retreat! We're not here to kill anyone! Don't act rashly! As long as we can force Tachibana Seiden to leave and stop chasing Funaba!"

"Huh? What do you mean? You want us to just let this traitor leave unscathed?"

"Hey! He's all alone now! This is the perfect opportunity to kill him and avenge our comrades who died because of this beast!"

"Yeah! This guy's all alone now! There's no better chance for revenge!"

……

The 18 warriors who blocked Qingdeng's front and rear routes split into two distinct factions.

One faction advocated against a strong conflict with Qingdeng at the moment, stating that they were only there to stop Qingdeng from pursuing Chuanba and should not do anything unnecessary.

Qingdeng guessed that "Chuanba" was the name or nickname of the bearded man.

The other faction advocates eliminating Qing Deng, who is currently alone, as soon as possible.

Their internal strife did not last long.

In the midst of the chaos, a warrior behind Qing Deng suddenly roared.

The samurai had been staring at Qing Deng with eyes full of hatred ever since.

When he heard some of his companions brazenly saying things like "We're not here to kill anyone" and "We just need to force Tachibana Seiden to leave," a look of impatience began to build on his face.

Impatience, resentment, hatred... when these emotions accumulate to their peak, they erupt like lava bursting from a volcano.

Having lost control of his emotions, he didn't want to listen to any more nonsense from the others.

He drew his sword from his waist, roared, and charged straight at Qingdeng!

Qing Deng tilted his head slightly and glanced at the samurai charging towards him out of the corner of his right eye.

In the next instant, the person staring at Qingdeng saw an incredible sight—a silver snake darted out from Qingdeng's left waist.

Qing Deng swiftly opened the scabbard of Ding Guishen with his left hand, pivoted on his left foot, and spun 180 degrees backward like a top. Using the momentum of the rotation, he drew his sword from its sheath with his right hand! The white blade that sprang from the sheath was like a silver snake!

The blade that had been used to subdue ghosts swept behind him, slashing across the warrior's neck with a sharp "snap"... a sound that would send shivers down the spines of any coward.

Under the blazing summer sun, the blade, reflecting a chilling glint, sliced ​​through flesh and bone. A fine human head, propelled by inertia, flew sideways, crashing heavily against the wall on the east side of the alley before bouncing back and rolling to Qing Deng's feet.

Blood gushed out like a fountain from the samurai's severed neck.

A few drops of blood splattered onto Qingdeng's eyelids, nose, and mouth... Qingdeng didn't even blink.

Having slain countless enemies since his transmigration, he had long been accustomed to bloodshed and death.

Qingdeng wasn't just standing there dumbfounded, doing nothing.

After the 18 warriors appeared, he silently began to estimate the distance between himself and them, and calculated how he should counterattack, who he should prioritize killing, and how to kill each of them in the most convenient way after they attacked him.

In short—after these 18 warriors, whose intentions were clearly hostile, appeared, Qing Deng tensed up, ready to fight at any moment!

This was the first time Qing Deng had faced so many enemies alone.

Looking back, Qing Deng had companions by his side who could assist him in almost every battle.

During the chaotic battle on a snowy night, he was surrounded by Saito and Anthony's guards.

Saito and Nagakura were present when the rescue of the foreign official document dispatch center took place.

Without any comrades, he faced nearly twenty samurai all by himself... This was indeed Qing Deng's first time.

But Qing Deng did not feel uneasy or afraid about this.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that... Qing Deng is actually quite motivated right now!

The martial arts skills he had honed through tireless training and the extremely rich variety of talents in his personal system interface gave Qingdeng the confidence to accept any difficult challenge!

This is a good opportunity to see the power of "Gathering Spirit"... Qingdeng thought to himself.

After copying the god-level talent "Gathering of Spirits" from Chiba Eijiro, Qing Deng had not found a proper opportunity to test the effects of this new talent.

The kind of dojo sparring where people wear protective gear and wield bamboo swords, where there is no risk to their lives, cannot bring out the full potential and power of this talent.

And now—this opportunity has arrived!

The samurai's sudden attack and Qing Deng's lightning-fast counterattack were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples... Those who had just advocated "killing Qing Deng now" had all turned into "wild horses."

They roared like wild beasts and attacked Qingdeng en masse!

There were 12 people in total who attacked from Chaoqing.

The other five people who did not immediately attack Qingdeng were the ones who had just advocated "not to have a direct conflict with Qingdeng now".

These five "peace advocates" are now caught in a dilemma, unsure of what to do.

Three of them gritted their teeth, drew their knives, and charged at Qingdeng.

The other two remained standing there, hesitant.

"ah--!"

The first person to rush up to Qingdeng had a shrill voice, and his roar was quite jarring.

As he yelled and raised his knife to strike Qingdeng, he shouted, "You beast!"

Qingdeng ignored his insults.

Qingdeng glanced at the man's sword path, then spread his legs and stood still. As he dodged the man's slash, he clenched his left fist and chopped at the man's right wrist holding the knife.

In that instant, the knife in the man's hand clattered to the ground.

With a single blow, Qing Deng disarmed the man, then swung his Ghost-Stabilizing Sword across the man's neck... and a new "fountain" of blood appeared.

"The 2th one..."

Qing Deng didn't bother to look at the current state of the enemy whose throat he had slit. After quietly recording his kill count in a cold, emotionless tone, he sheathed the Ghost-Stabilizing Sword, adjusted the direction of the blade, and then unleashed a Kasaya Slash at the next enemy.

Splattering sounds... the sound of blood splattering.

Crackling sounds... the sound of flesh and bone being chopped.

The two sounds mingled together, announcing the passing of yet another life—Qingdeng's kasaya slash added another mangled corpse to the ground of this alley.

"The 3th one..."

In the blink of an eye, Qingdeng had killed two people.

Qingdeng now feels like he has entered a... very strange state.

His concentration was so intense that it was almost frightening to him.

His eyes, ears, nose... in short, all his senses are now unable to focus on anything else in the outside world.

They only saw the enemies around them.

All he could hear were the enemy's footsteps, roars, and the sound of blades flashing.

My head is so clear... it feels like I've stuffed a ton of mints into my head.

The high level of concentration greatly enhanced Qing Deng's reaction ability and thinking speed!

—So strong!

Feeling the change in his mental state, Qingdeng couldn't help but exclaim in his heart.

He increasingly understood why Chiba Eijiro, at such a young age, was able to subdue all kinds of masters with his overwhelming strength.

The ferocity of this "Gathering Spirit" is no less than that of talents like "Lone Courage" and "Heart of the Ghost"!

Indeed, it is only in such a life-or-death struggle, where no carelessness is allowed, that the power of "Gathering Spirit" can be fully unleashed.

Qing Deng is now absolutely certain that with the "Gathering of Spirits" ability, his overall strength has reached a new level compared to the past!

At this moment, Qingdeng's various amplification effects are almost fully stacked.

The greater the number and strength of the enemy, the more it ignites the fighting spirit, enabling the "lone wolf" to unleash their extraordinary abilities.

They are far more able to concentrate and focus than ordinary people, and can maintain a state of "extremely high concentration" for a long time.

With these abnormal talents, Qing Deng is now like a highly efficient "killing machine," constantly wielding his blade to reap the lives of every enemy around him.

Because the effect of "Gathering Spirit" was far more powerful than he had expected, Qingdeng, who was not intimidated by the enemy's overwhelming numerical advantage, became even bolder and more fearless!

The enemies were attacking from both the front and the back, so to avoid being attacked from both sides, Qingdeng leaned against the wall on the east side of the alley, ensuring that he was only facing the enemy from one side.

The alley was neither wide nor narrow; at its widest point, it was only wide enough for three adults to pass side by side. This not-so-spacious terrain was very advantageous to Qingdeng, making it difficult for the enemy to take advantage of their numbers.

After Qingdeng faced the enemy with his back against the wall, the narrow alley could only accommodate a maximum of 3 people to attack Qingdeng at the same time.

call!

The enemy standing to Qingdeng's right raised his sword and slashed, the blade whistling through the air.

With a low stance, Qing Deng forcefully raised his sword, using the back of his blade to deflect the incoming attack. Then, he lowered his waist, gathered his strength, and finally delivered a powerful downward slash.

This "defense-counterattack" was executed in one smooth motion. The blade embedded itself in the man's side of the neck, and the sensation of severing flesh and bone flowed continuously from the blade and hilt into Qing Deng's palms.

*Pfft...* A spurt of blood gushed from the severed carotid artery in the man's neck, drenching Qing Deng's entire body.

"The 4th one..."

Buzz... Qing Deng heard the sound of a knife being swung from his blind spot.

"Gathering Spirit" and "Sensor of the Wind" created a synergistic effect!

Qingdeng's heightened hearing was a result of his highly focused attention.

Qing Deng, sensing the sound, shifted his body half a step to the side, dodging the attack. The blow, coming from Qing Deng's blind spot, only struck the air beside him.

Qing Deng did not swing his knife to retaliate against the person who ambushed him.

This guy is now standing to Qingdeng's left... His position gave Qingdeng a better and quicker countermeasure.

Qing Deng freed his left hand and pressed it down on the mouth of the scabbard of the sword that could quell ghosts and gods.

As the scabbard opening was lowered, the lever effect caused the bottom of the scabbard to rise high, striking the enemy who had just ambushed Qingdeng in the groin.

The man felt as if his genitals had been hit by a horse-drawn carriage.