I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Sigh, I'm also very frustrated. Everyone else can have a big show at the settlement tonight, while the rest of us can only stare at each other here."

"The reason I joined the anti-barbarian group is to fight those barbarians... not to stay here and guard two stinky old women."

"Alright, let's not talk about these depressing things. Speaking of which, isn't it time for the shift change? Who's next to stand guard at the cellar entrance?"

"Damn it, the more I think about it, the angrier I get... I really want to go to the settlement and witness with my own eyes how those despicable barbarians were burned to a crisp..."

……

Tonight, settlement, extermination group, burned into dried flesh... these words combined made Sanako's eyes widen little by little, and her steps slowed down uncontrollably.

Behind Sanako, Natsume Tsuki had a similar expression. Still covering her mouth and nose, she stared in astonishment at the room next to her where many people were chatting.

One terrifying hypothesis after another, as if they had a life of their own, uncontrollably emerged from Sanako's mind.

Just then, a sudden change occurred, leaving Sanako no time to dwell on the chaotic and terrifying thoughts in her mind—two sets of footsteps suddenly came from around the corner ahead!

Even with Sanako's willpower and temperament, she couldn't help but be startled by the unexpected footsteps, causing her expression to change slightly.

She quickly looked around, trying to find a place to hide.

She and Natsume Tsuki are in an awkward position... They are currently in the middle of the corridor.

The empty corridor offered no place to hide.

The two sets of footsteps were moving very fast... there was no time to go back the way they came!

Anxiety caused a bead of cold sweat to seep from Sanako's smooth forehead.

Suddenly, at that very moment—Zanako noticed a large, long-neglected hole in the ceiling just two steps in front of her.

And this large hole was just big enough for petite women like Sanako to enter and exit...

If she continued standing there like this, she would only be discovered... So, Sanako gritted her teeth, leaned back, and whispered something to Natsume Tsuki...

……

……

"I pooped a lot. I feel like I've lost weight."

"Why do you poop so much? You poop five times a day, and each time you poop a huge pile."

"Maybe it's because I have a good digestive system."

The two sets of sudden footsteps that startled Sanako and made her expression change slightly belonged to a fat man and a thin man.

Hearing the footsteps and voices coming from below... Sanako felt her heart beating very fast.

At this very moment, she and Natsume Tsuki are hiding in the ceiling of this corridor.

There was nowhere else to hide except by climbing through that big hole into the ceiling.

Therefore, Sanako had no choice but to take a risk. After a brief discussion with Natsume Tsuki, she used the method of "climbing up to the ceiling by stepping on Natsume Tsuki's shoulders first, and then pulling Natsume Tsuki up." She narrowly made it into the ceiling before the fat man and the thin man turned into the corridor.

Above the ceiling... it was incredibly filthy, covered with a thick layer of dust so thick that it couldn't be blown away.

While enduring the intense itching from the swirling dust deep in her nose, Sanako quietly waited for the fat man and the thin man below the ceiling to leave.

After chatting about pooping for a while, the "fat and thin duo" fell silent.

Just when Sanako was convinced that hiding on the ceiling would be foolproof, something happened.

Because she was hiding in the ceiling, Sanako didn't see that the skinny man under the ceiling suddenly frowned.

The skinny man, who had suddenly frowned, lowered his gaze and looked at the floor of the corridor ahead.

To be more precise, it was looking at those thick clumps of dust on the ground, like wool.

This is dust that Sanako and the others inevitably kicked down when they climbed up the ceiling.

The skinny man stared thoughtfully at the clumps of dust on the ground for a few moments, then slowly raised his gaze to the ceiling, to the large hole that was on the same vertical line as the clumps of dust…

……

Sanako suddenly heard the footsteps below stop.

The feeling of doubt had not yet formed...

Boom!

A knife suddenly plunged into the ceiling from below, turning Sanako's nascent doubts into astonishment in the blink of an eye!

The knife didn't pierce Sanako... but it did pierce Natsume Tsuki!

The sharp blade sliced ​​through the flesh of Natsume Tsuki's right shoulder.

"Well……!"

Out of instinct, Natsume Tsuki cried out in pain.

Her cry of pain was low... but it was enough for the fat man below and the thin man who was stabbing the ceiling with a knife to clearly hear it and their expressions changed drastically.

The unexpected turn of events caused Sanako to momentarily forget how to breathe.

As her body regained its senses about how to breathe, Sanako quickly steadied herself, a resolute glint flashing in her eyes.

With a swift roll, she slid down the large hole and landed back on the ground below the ceiling. As she fell, she used the momentum to quickly swing her wedge sword vertically, the sharp blade striking the skinny man's head and knocking him to the ground. Then, before the fat man could react, she plunged the blade into his chest.

Although Sanako launched her attack at top speed... she was still a step too late.

"There's a thief!"—Just before her blade fell, the skinny man shouted this sentence in a clear and bright voice.

The room next door, from which voices had been coming from, suddenly became agitated.

"Ah Yue! Let's go!"

Since their whereabouts have already been exposed, there is no need to hide them anymore.

Sanako quickly called out to Natsume to come down from the ceiling, then took Natsume's hand and fled outside.

At that moment, the door to the room where many people were chatting inside suddenly opened with a "bang".

"Hey! Those two sluts escaped!"

"What? How did they escape?"

"Never mind that! Go after them!"

……

Footsteps, as imposing as waves, appeared behind Uzona and the others.

Sanako's running speed is no slower than that of men.

However... Natsume Tsuki doesn't have the same physical abilities as Sanako.

Even though she was running with all her might, her sluggish steps slowed down Sanako and slowed down their overall speed.

In just a short while, the swarming samurai caught up with the two women! Left with no other choice, Sanako had to switch places with Natsume Tsuki, and she personally covered the rear to fight off the pursuing soldiers!

"Be careful! Mr. Kamino has ordered that you not kill this woman! Use the back of the knife!"

Suddenly, a flash of white light appeared in the darkness. A katana, its back facing her, slashed swiftly towards Sanako's shoulder, which she parried. Before she could catch her breath, a second blade came hurtling towards her.

Sanako remained calm and focused. She lowered her body, parried the second incoming blade, and then fiercely retaliated with a strike, forcing her opponent to retreat hastily.

At that moment, someone suddenly turned to face Sanako and slashed at him with the back of his sword.

The blade whistled as it slashed down, its force fierce and powerful.

Sanako countered fiercely, not to be outdone. Her counter-attack concealed skillful techniques and masterful deflection.

The samurai whose attack was deflected felt his hand go numb and his body wide open. Seizing this momentary opening, Sanako nimbly stepped forward and silently thrust her sword into the opponent's shoulder.

The feeling of the blade piercing flesh was satisfying. The opponent cried out and staggered backward. Sanako took the opportunity to retract the wakizashi.

Sanako truly lives up to her reputation as a "genius female swordsman".

Wielding a short wakizashi, she fought multiple samurai simultaneously in this narrow corridor, retreating as she fought, never losing ground.

But no matter how skilled Sanako was, she couldn't withstand the constant stream of unexpected events.

"Ahhh!"

A scream came from Natsume Tsuki's direction...

Sanako hurriedly looked around in the direction of the sound and saw a samurai appear in front of Natsume Tsuki without her noticing!

Seeing this, Sanako acted without hesitation—she moved as fast as she could to Natsume's side and raised her sword to block the samurai's attack that was originally aimed at Natsume.

Sanako's defensive rotation... was rather weak.

Rushing back from seven steps away to parry the enemy's powerful attack... forcing herself so hard, her body, which had become quite stiff after being imprisoned for several days, caused Sanako's stance to become uncontrollable due to the instability of her lower body, resulting in a flaw.

A samurai astutely spotted the flaw that Sanako had inadvertently revealed. It was the "slanted-eyed samurai" who was in charge of guarding Sanako and Natsume Tsuki.

The "slanted-eyed samurai" strode forward and swiftly slashed at Sanako, who had not yet adjusted her stance!

Sanako's pupils contracted slightly. Knowing she couldn't parry the attack in time, she could only step back to dodge. But she was still a beat too slow; the back of the "Hanging-Eyed Samurai's" blade struck Sanako's left thigh.

The broad back of the blade was no different from an iron whip. Intense pain instantly spread throughout Sanako's entire left thigh, and then throughout her whole body.

—This person…is a master…

Whether it's his keen awareness of being able to perceive the opponent's weaknesses or his sharp swordsmanship, everything about him proclaims that this "slanted-eyed samurai" is a highly skilled swordsman.

Despite the excruciating pain in her thigh, Sanako swung her sword to force back the "slanted-eyed samurai," and then continued to escort Natsume Tsuki away.

At that moment, Sanako saw an old shelf, about the height of a person, leaning against the wall of the corridor ahead.

With a sudden inspiration, Sanako pushed the old shelf to the ground. The overturned shelf acted as a barrier, separating the "slanted-eye samurai" and the two women. Taking advantage of the moment, Sanako grabbed Natsume Tsuki's hand and hurriedly fled.

After experiencing so many unexpected events and setbacks, the two women finally found the door to the outside world.

Pushing open the door and stepping into the outside world, Sanako found herself in a completely unfamiliar neighborhood, leaving her no choice but to run in any direction she could find.

"Is anyone there?! Is anyone there?!"

As she fled, Sanako shouted, trying to summon the surrounding residents. If she could attract a large number of passersby, the "Hanging-Eyed Samurai" and his men would be hesitant to act.

However, no matter how much Sanako called out, it was completely silent... No one responded to her calls, and there seemed to be no inhabitants in this place.

Sanako, who didn't even dare to breathe loudly, led Natsume Tsuki across two streets when suddenly—Sanako stumbled and fell to the ground.

"Miss Sanako?" Natsume Tsuki exclaimed, helping Sanako up. "What happened to you?"

"It's nothing..." Sanako looked at her left leg, which had just been slashed by the back of the "Hanging-Eyed Samurai's" sword, with a grim expression. "It's just... a little hard to walk..."