I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Neither of them spoke; they simply looked at each other in silence.

The only sound in this space was the quiet flow of the foamy river under the bridge.

Bathed in moonlight, the bridge surface was enveloped in a tranquil atmosphere, as if it were underwater.

“…No need for further words.” Kamino’s sudden, calm voice, devoid of joy or sorrow, disrupted the tranquility of the bridge.

As if agreeing with Jinno's words, a smile appeared on Qing Deng's lips.

"...Ah, you're right."

Click—Kano's left hand reached for the scabbard of his sword, and with a flick of his thumb, he opened the scabbard.

Clang, clang, clang... The blade, pulled out inch by inch, gleamed with a clear blue light under the moonlight.

"Ms. Kinoshita."

Qing Deng bent his left arm and used the crook of his left arm to hold the base of the sword, which was meant to slay the demon. He slowly pulled it from the tip to the blade and wiped the blade clean with the fabric of his kimono from the crook of his left arm.

"Stand back a little, and then... stay as far away from me as possible later."

Mai Kinoshita did not express any objection to Aoto's request.

She gave Qingdeng a deep look, then nodded slightly and gracefully stepped back, giving the two swordsmen on the bridge enough space.

Those who want to escape have nowhere left to retreat.

The person who wanted to pursue has already caught up with his target.

Neither side has any room for maneuver left.

Yes! In this situation, there's no need to say more!

In this world where everything we say seems futile, only the sound of a sword being drawn is real!

"Mirror Heart, Wise Flow,"

"Kano Tatsugoro!"

Jinno assumed the stance of the Kagami Shinmei-ryu style. His loud announcement of his home conveyed a strong determination: "Let's fight to the death!"

Qingdeng held the knife in front of him.

"Natural Flow of Mind and Body"

"Orange Green Dew!"

Bring it on! — A fiery light shone in Qing Deng's eyes!

The next moment, the two swordsmen stomped on the bridge together, shooting off from their spot towards the future! Towards a future where only one of them could survive!

The Mars exploded.

The two swords clashed violently in mid-air, sparks flying everywhere.

The surging sword energy shattered the moonlight!

The two men glared fiercely at each other, who were standing inches apart, through their locked swords.

clang!

With a clang, Qing Deng parried Jin Ye's sword by channeling his strength in his waist, then swung his sword vertically from above, aiming for Jin Ye's face.

Jinno snorted coldly, and the sword that Qingdeng had just parried was quickly withdrawn in front of him. Just as the blade of Dingguishen was about to strike down, he successfully intercepted the attack in mid-air.

In the next instant, the two switched roles.

This time, it was Jinno's turn to attack. His sword swept from the lower part of his body towards Qing Deng's lower body, but Qing Deng accurately intercepted it in mid-air with a swing of his sword.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang...

Two silver snakes intertwined and tore at each other in mid-air.

The soft moonlight was disturbed by the sharp sword shadows.

The two knives clashed back and forth, sending up a shower of sparks, like fireflies on a summer night.

The reason why Qing Deng asked Kinoshita Mai to step down and chose to fight Jinno alone was simple—if he and Kinoshita Mai went up together, there simply wasn't enough space on the bridge for them to fully unleash their skills and fight together; they would only hinder each other.

As it turns out, Qing Deng's judgment was correct.

The narrow bridge, barely wide enough for three adults to walk side by side, was just big enough for Qingdeng to move freely.

After exchanging blows back and forth for more than a dozen times, Qing Deng and Jin Ye, as if they had agreed beforehand, both jumped behind them and separated their positions.

—This guy's strength is far less than before!

Overwhelmed with excitement, Kamino gripped the knife in his hand even tighter.

The high-speed exchange of blows just now has given both sides a certain understanding of each other's current state.

Jinno clearly sensed that Aoto's sword strikes, both in terms of power and speed, were far inferior to when he had fought 67 samurai, including himself, not long ago.

The grueling 1-on-67 battle had already severely depleted his stamina... Kamino made this assessment to himself.

In reality, Qing Deng's strength is indeed far inferior to what it was before.

But this is not just because of physical weakness and feeling tired.

The main reason is that the "lone wolf" strategy failed.

The "Lone Wolf" talent effect will only activate when encountering enemies who are stronger or more numerous than oneself.

The "lone wolf" strategy failed to activate... which is certainly regrettable.

On the bright side, this means one thing—under the system's certification, Jinno's strength is no longer stronger than Aoto's!

Looking back at the "Battle of the Foreign Documents Exchange Center" two months ago, Qing Deng could only barely manage to achieve a stalemate with Jin Ye by resorting to "lone wolf" tactics.

Now, when facing Kamino alone again, the "Lone Wolf" talent effect will no longer be activated.

This signifies that in just two short months, Qingdeng's strength has made tremendous progress, which can be described as "leaps and bounds"!

Aoto's decline in strength due to the failure to activate "Lone Courage" and the significant depletion of his physical strength caused Jinno's fighting spirit and desire to win to swell to an unprecedented level.

Another person whose fighting spirit is inflated... is Qing Deng!

Aoto is much clearer about his current state than Jinno is.

According to Qingdeng's estimate, given his current state of "battle damage where the amplification effect has not been fully stacked," he can only roughly fight to a draw with Shenye.

This battle will be more arduous than originally anticipated... but Qing Deng is neither afraid nor discouraged.

The flame-like light in Qing Deng's eyes shone even brighter at this moment!

Qing Deng, who was focused on the sword in his hand and the enemy in front of him, did not notice that a faint sense of excitement was flowing through his heart.

The second round between the two swordsmen... began in the utter silence.

With a mid-stance stance, Kanno held his sword upright in front of his chest, the tip slightly raised, the blade gleaming with a ghostly blue light, neatly dividing his entire figure in two.

It appears to be a calm and unassuming demeanor, but in reality, it harbors a deadly intent and exudes a terrifying, invisible sense of oppression.

Qingdeng showed no hesitation or fear.

Ignoring the oppressive aura emanating from Jinno, he spread his legs, pointed the tip of his sword at Jinno's chest, and assumed his most proficient Kasumi stance.

The two, locked in a fierce standoff, have been staring at each other ever since the refreshing night breeze drifted in from the distant horizon.

Finally, Qing Deng broke the stalemate. He moved forward little by little, gradually closing the distance between himself and Jin Ye.

Kanno stood still, letting Aoto approach.

In no time, the distance between the two was only four or five meters. Qing Deng continued to approach, but Jin Ye remained standing still.

The two were only a little over three meters apart... yet they continued to maintain this "tacit understanding".

Qingdeng moved forward with steps that seemed to stick to the ground, like ink spreading little by little on rice paper.

Kamino, with his feet firmly planted on the bridge, was like a strong bamboo, like a rock.

Just when the two were less than two meters apart, Qingdeng suddenly stopped moving.

In the next instant... the world went on fast forward!

Clang! Clang!

The two men swung their swords simultaneously! In the blink of an eye, their swords clashed twice in mid-air.

Two streaks of light, like silver snakes, once again disturbed the tranquil moonlight.

With a clang, after parrying Qing Deng's slash, Jin Ye's sword tip suddenly stopped, and then, with the speed of a whirlwind, he swept the sword horizontally across Qing Deng's chest!

Qing Deng remained calm and fearless. He leaned to the side, dodging Jin Ye's attack, while simultaneously thrusting his left shoulder forward and concealing the blade of the Demon Slayer behind him in a lower right stance. He then slashed upwards at Jin Ye's body, but Jin Ye lightly leaped backward, dodging the sword.

Qing Deng switched stances, adopting the most commonly used stance in the Natural Rishin-ryu school: Ping Qingyan, with the tip of his sword angled towards Jinno's right eye.

While still in the middle stance, Kanno shrank back, tightening his neck, shoulders, and waist, as if trying to hide his entire body in the shadow of the sword standing in front of him.

Clearly, Shinno's posture was a buildup of explosive power.

As expected—Kano let out a low growl, and then in the next instant, his body, which had been curled up, suddenly burst open like a "compressed spring being released"! He charged straight towards Qing Deng!

The sharpness and killing intent contained in this knife should not be underestimated.

Qing Deng deflected the attack and retreated. But Jin Ye's offensive continued, and he immediately launched a new attack.

The new attack was a straight thrust of equally terrifying power. But Qing Deng easily parried this deadly sword with his blade.

The two passed each other and switched places.

The bridge surface made a "thump, thump, thump" sound.

Stand still!

Turn around!

Then he swung his sword at the opponent again!

"Haaaaaaah!"

As expected of the "elegant" Kagami Akage-ryu school, even the breath control sounds more refined than other schools.

Jinno switched to the top lane and launched an attack, his sword drawing an arc of light in the air.

Instead of retreating, Qingdeng advanced and leaped up with great force.

Jinno and Aoto's swords and bodies collided heavily.