I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Snapped!

The "Scarred Samurai" suddenly snapped his fingers forcefully. Immediately afterward, the darkness in front of Natsume Sohachiro began to "wriggle" again.

Two warriors of different builds emerged from the darkness and stood beside the "Scarred Warrior".

At the same instant, Natsume Sohachiro heard footsteps behind him.

Natsume Sohachiro hurriedly turned his head to look behind him, and then saw that two samurai had appeared behind him at some point, blocking his way with their bodies.

"What...what are you going to do?!" Natsume Sohachiro glared at the "Scarred Samurai" in terror, his voice trembling uncontrollably, his tone becoming eerie.

“Natsume Souhachiro.” The faint smile that had just appeared on the “Scarred Samurai”’s face vanished, and he stared at Natsume Souhachiro expressionlessly. “Next, we will carry out the punishment of the gods.”

"Wait, wait a minute!"

The color drained from Natsume Sohachiro's face at an alarming speed, like the receding tide.

"Heavens! Heaven's punishment?! Why? Why?!"

"Why...do you even need to ask why?" A cold glint appeared on the "Pockmarked Warrior's" lips. "The only condition we discussed at the beginning was 'we'll spare your daughter after this is done,' right?"

"When did you begin to have the misconception that we would spare both your daughter and you?"

"Do you think we'll let a traitor like you, who dares to do business with barbarians, get away with it?"

“…” Natsume Sohachiro was speechless.

He opened his mouth wide, as if trying to say something... but his extreme fear made him forget how to control his tongue and vocal cords for a moment.

The "Scarred Samurai" glanced at Natsume Sohachiro's current expression with interest, then let out a blatant sneer.

"Although you no longer need to live, you can rest assured about your daughter. We will definitely ensure that your daughter regains her freedom unharmed. I can guarantee that."

“We are not the Yakuza who indiscriminately kill innocent people.”

"We have always only killed barbarians, traitors, and those who had to sacrifice themselves for the cause of repelling the barbarians."

“It is you who are doing business with the barbarians, not your daughter. Therefore, we will not treat your daughter as a traitor.”

"Alright, I've said too much by accident... Prepare to die, you traitor."

Clang!

The "Scarred Samurai" drew his katana from his waist, then, stomping on his wooden clogs, charged straight at Natsume Sohachiro!

The distance between Natsume Sohachiro and this "pockmarked samurai" was only 6 steps.

Such a short distance... it'll be over in the blink of an eye!

In the blink of an eye, the "Scarred Samurai" was already in front of Natsume Sohachiro, holding his katana high in an upper right stance, the sharp blade gleaming with a chilling light.

Stimulated by the cold glint of the blade, Natsume Sohachiro finally regained control of his body.

But it was too late... The "Pockmarked Warrior's" sword had already come down!

However, at this critical moment, as if a piece of the black wall had fallen down, a tall, dark figure silently leaped down from the alley wall next to Natsume Sohachiro and the "Scarred Samurai," landing steadily between them.

That dark figure was none other than Qing Deng!

choke!

The clanging sound of blades being drawn dominated this narrow alleyway.

Qing Deng swiftly drew his sword, and the "Demon-Slaying Sword" that sprang from its sheath accurately struck the "Pockmarked Warrior's" descending blade in mid-air.

Everyone in the alley was caught off guard by Qing Deng's sudden appearance.

Caught completely off guard, the "Scarred Samurai" felt an overwhelming force coursing through his body along the blade.

Then, in the next instant, his knife was knocked away.

The sword that had struck down the "Scarred Samurai" was swiftly replaced by a new move.

He turned the blade of the sword that had been used to subdue the spirits, so that the back of the blade faced the enemy, while holding the blade horizontally at his right waist, and then charged fiercely towards the "Scarred Warrior" under the armpit!

As he passed under the armpit of the "Scarred Samurai" and was about to pass by him, Qing Deng slashed horizontally across the "Scarred Samurai's" abdomen, pulling the blade all the way down from the base.

If Qing Deng had used a blade to cut him, the "Scarred Samurai" would have been cut in half at the waist, his intestines spilling out all over the ground.

However, because Qing Deng was now using the back of his sword to fight, the "Scarred Samurai" did not suffer any fatal wounds... he was just in so much pain that he almost lost consciousness.

"Ugh...! Ugh ugh ugh—!" The "Pockmarked Warrior," whose stomach had been hit hard, vomited up his dinner all over the floor. He lay on his side, clutching his stomach like a limp shrimp, trying to make himself feel better.

With a single blow, he killed the "Scarred Samurai," and Qing Deng remained silent... He silently stomped his hind legs and lunged at the other two samurai blocking his and Natsume Sohachiro's path!

His figure rapidly approaching his enemies was like an arrow released from a bow.

When the two warriors saw Qing Deng rushing over, they hurriedly reached for the swords at their waists.

One man managed to draw his knife smoothly. The other man, however, was so flustered that he couldn't even draw his knife properly until Qing Deng rushed up to him.

The man who successfully drew his knife hurriedly raised it and slashed at Qing Deng.

Qing Deng shifted his feet, easily dodging the man's blade, then flashed to the enemy's side, aiming at the man's side and forcefully swinging the blade... This man also followed in the footsteps of the "Scarred Samurai," clutching his stomach, vomiting violently, and collapsing to the ground.

The guy who couldn't pull out his knife immediately finally managed to do so... but it was too late.

Qing Deng lowered his waist, raised his left hand to grab the man's right wrist, which had just been drawn, and used a grappling technique with one arm to slam him heavily to the ground, disarming him at the same time.

The man who was thrown to the ground by Qingdeng landed face down... He watched helplessly as the dusty, dark ground drew closer and closer to him, followed by a shattering pain that spread from his face throughout his body, and countless stars seemed to fly before his eyes.

The three "pockmarked samurai" blocking Natsume Sohachiro's path were all subdued by Aoto with lightning speed... The only enemies still standing were the two samurai blocking Natsume Sohachiro's retreat.

After witnessing Qing Deng instantly kill the "Pockmarked Warrior," the two hurriedly drew their swords and strode forward, wanting to support their companions.

However... after Qing Deng had taken down all three "Scarred Warriors," the other two hadn't even reached Qing Deng yet...

In the blink of an eye, almost all of their companions were wiped out, leaving only the two of them standing... The two of them immediately stopped and looked at each other.

Despite their reluctance, they were quite "pragmatic" enough to turn 180 degrees and flee out of the alley.

However, as soon as they turned around, before they could even see the scenery behind them, a bright red color flashed before their eyes.

"Ugh...!" *2

The two men felt a sharp pain in their knees, as if they had been whipped by a powerful whip. Distracted by the pain, they both fell to the ground.

My back made intimate contact with the ground beneath my feet.

Only after they fell to the ground did the two finally see who had knocked them down—a girl wearing a bright red yukata and delicate bare feet in flat wooden clogs with red buttons.

It was Kinoshita Mai.

These two guys were in such a hurry to escape that they didn't notice Kinoshita Mai sneaking up behind them.

Because Kinoshita Mai's attack was completely unexpected, she kicked the two men to the ground with almost no effort.

At that moment... Qingdeng arrived.

Qingdeng used the back of his knife to stab each of the two men who had fallen to the ground in the stomach.

Then these two joined the "vomiting army," feeling excruciating pain as if their intestines were being twisted together, making it impossible for them to even straighten up.

Finally, all the enemies in the alley were taken down... Qing Deng let out a long breath, and then, holding Ding Guishen, turned to look at Natsume Sohachiro, who was still standing there in a daze.

"Tachibana, Mr. Tachibana...?"

Natsume Sohachiro blinked hard to see the face of the samurai who had suddenly appeared and saved him.

"..." Qing Deng ignored Natsume Sohachiro.

He glanced at Natsume Sohachiro only once before carrying the Demon Slayer and heading straight for the "Scarred Samurai" who was still vomiting.

Just now, he and Kinoshita Mai had been lurking on the wall of the alley next door. They had heard every word of the conversation between Natsume Sohachiro and the "Scarred Samurai".

As Qing Deng had predicted... Natsume Tsuki was also kidnapped.

Besides learning that Natsume Tsuki had indeed disappeared, Aoto also heard many words that he could not ignore.

Residence, Mr. Bright, sake...

These words suddenly made the questions that were piling up in Qing Deng's mind—questions he wanted to ask Natsume Sohachiro and the "Scarred Samurai"—piling up like a mountain.

Things should be prioritized according to their importance and urgency.

Although I have many questions, I must ask them one by one in order of importance.

Qing Deng decided to first question the "Scarred Samurai" about the question he most wanted to ask.

The reason he only used the back of his sword against his enemies was to spare the lives of the "smallpox warriors" so they could answer his question.

Qing Deng sheathed the sword, then drew the wakizashi, and then squatted down to remove the cloth sock from the right foot of the "Scarred Samurai".

"If you don't want to suffer, answer my questions."

"Besides Natsume Tsuki, did you also kidnap Chiba Sanako? Where are all the people you kidnapped being held now?"

Having no time or inclination for pleasantries or introductions with these guys, Qing Deng directly asked a question in a neutral tone while pressing the tip of the wakizashi's blade close to the nail crease of the "pockmarked samurai's" big toe.

"..." The "Pockmarked Warrior" didn't utter a single word.

His stomach was still hurting terribly, but he managed to suppress the urge to vomit, and struggled to raise his head to meet Qing Deng's gaze.

Although he didn't say a word, Qing Deng understood his meaning from the "Scarred Warrior's" eyes.

"Don't even think about getting me to say a single word," he said to Qingdeng with his eyes.

Since they had already expressed their opinion in this way... Qingdeng gave him the response he had prepared beforehand without any mercy.

Qing Deng forcefully pushed the wakizashi, which was aimed directly at the nail crevices of the "Pockmarked Samurai's" right big toe, and the sharp blade tip pierced directly into the gap between the nail and flesh, completely prying open the nail plate.

"Aa ...

A piercing scream erupted from the mouth of the "Scarred Warrior".

Blood gushed out, a large amount of fresh blood flowing from the toes whose nails had been forced open, covering the ground.

Fortunately, they were in a nearly deserted area where hardly anyone lived; otherwise, the sharp and extremely pitiful wails of the "Scarred Warrior" would have attracted a large number of onlookers immediately.

The intense pain caused the "Scarred Warrior's" entire body to spasm uncontrollably.

Trimming your toenails with nail clippers can be excruciating if you accidentally cut the flesh underneath. Imagine the pain of having your entire toenail pried open with a knife – it's enough to make your scalp crawl.

Faced with the "pockmarked warrior" screaming as if he were tearing his entire vocal cords apart, different people showed different expressions.

The remaining companions of the "Scarred Warrior," still lying on the ground unable to get up, were pale and sweating profusely.

Natsume Sohachiro looked dumbfounded.