I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

At the entrance hall, Shusuke, Abi, Kondo, Hijikata, Inoue, Saito, Nagakura, Harada, Kyubei, Okita Hikaru, Okita Rintaro... everyone was ready to go.

As relatives of the Souji and distinguished guests of the Shieikan, the Kondo family would not forget to invite Hikaru Okita and Rintaro Okita to watch today's match.

Faced with the Kondo family's generous invitation, the Okita couple readily agreed without hesitation, repeatedly stating, "We will definitely come to watch the game."

Upon seeing Aoto and Souji finally arrive from afar, Okita Hikaru first nodded to Souji, then glanced sideways at Aoto with a meaningful look... Her gaze was fleeting, and in the blink of an eye, she withdrew her gaze from Aoto.

"You two are so slow!" Hijikata, who always had a bad temper, grimaced. "My butt is practically melting into the floor."

"That floor is so pitiful, it's connected to Mr. Hijikata's butt." Souji's lips curled into a "tragic" expression.

"Heh, it would be an honor for this floor to be connected to my ass." Hijikata grinned. "Do you know how many people obsessed with various paths covet my ass?"

"Don't just say such vulgar things!" Souji switched to "Tyrannosaurus Rex Roar Mode" with a "whoosh whoosh whoosh" sound.

"Hehehe, alright, alright, whatever you have to say, we can talk about it on the way." Zhou Zhu clapped his hands. "Now that everyone's here, let's set off!"

"Brothers, let's go!" Kondo raised his fist with a righteous expression. "Let's go and defeat the Genbukan!"

……

……

It takes nearly 30 minutes to travel from Shieikan to the stadium on the outskirts of Edo.

After successfully arriving at the stadium, where the air was relatively cool due to its proximity to a wide river, Qingdeng and his group were immediately surrounded by gazes from all directions.

"Ah, Mr. Kiryu, look! Aoto and the others are here."

Kinoshita Mai's face flushed a light pink with happiness.

She forcefully straightened her body above the knees while still kneeling on the ground, her plump "peach" body separating from her crossed feet, facing the green hills, her right arm raised high and swinging rapidly from side to side like a car's windshield wiper.

Kiryu looked at Kinoshita Mai with a complicated expression. In his memory, she had never interacted with him with such enthusiasm since he turned 10. He let out a long, heavy sigh, filled with a myriad of emotions...

Aoto immediately noticed Kiryu, who was sitting in the "audience seats" on the south side, and Kinoshita Mai, who was waving vigorously at him.

To outsiders, Kinoshita Mai's gesture of waving her arms like a car windshield wiper might seem quite comical.

But in Aoto's eyes, he just thought Kinoshita Mai was cute doing that pose.

Amused by Kinoshita Mai's cuteness, Aoto felt a warm feeling in his heart, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

He raised his arms high and waved to Kinoshita Mai from afar, indicating with the gesture, "I see you!"

At the same time, Aoto spotted the group of Chiba Kenkan sitting directly opposite Kiryu and Kinoshita Mai in the "spectator seats" on the north side of the arena.

Chiba Jutaro, Yamanami Keisuke, and the others, noticing that Aoto was looking in their direction, quickly smiled and waved to Aoto.

Sitting beside Chiba Jutaro, Sanako maintained her usual elegant demeanor as a "Yamato Nadeshiko".

Unlike Kinoshita Mai, who waved her hand excitedly, she simply placed her gaze, which flickered with a faint smile, on Aoto's face and nodded to him.

If we were to say who is under the most intense and intense scrutiny right now, it would undoubtedly be Qingdeng.

……

"Hey, look! It's 'Nioh'! 'Nioh' is here!"

Which one is 'Nioh'?

"He's very tall, and he's not the one with the shaved head."

"Just as young as the rumors say..."

"You have a very good physique; you can tell at a glance that you exercise regularly."

"Is he the one who recently defeated 18 members of the Chiba Sword Hall..."

……

At the Xuanwu Hall's "main camp," sharp gazes pierced Qing Deng like arrows.

With very few exceptions, these gazes all have one thing in common—they are all mixed with a fierce, warlike light!

"...Third Brother, everyone from the Shiwei Hall has arrived... Tachibana-kun is here."

Chiba Tamon Shiro slowly walked to their "commander's flag" and spoke softly to a tall young man who was sitting cross-legged under the flagpole with his eyes closed.

"..." The tall, imposing young man, sitting upright like a bell, slowly opened his eyes, raised his eyebrows, and gazed at Qing Deng opposite him...

……

……

"Young Master, please don't rush over to greet Tachibana-kun. The competition is about to start. If you, an outsider, rush into their 'main camp,' you'll cause them trouble."

“I know about this.” Kinoshita Mai lowered her body, returning to her kneeling position, her “peach” resting on her crossed feet again. “Mr. Kiryu, what time is it now?”

"9:50." Kiryu glanced at his pocket watch.

"The competition is about to begin!" Kinoshita Mai excitedly squeezed her two small hands, which were resting on her lap.

Even setting aside her infatuation with Aoto, Kinoshita Mai herself enjoys watching martial arts competitions where warriors clash fiercely.

"Mr. Kiryu, you just said that Aoto and his team will have a very tough time in today's match... Does that mean that Aoto and his team have a low chance of winning this match?"

A hint of worry crept into Kinoshita Mai's voice.

Given her feelings for Qingdeng, she would naturally want the person she admired to win.

"...I can't say for sure either." Kiryu smiled mysteriously. "Genbukan is full of experts, including a genius like Chiba Michizaburo who is only seen once every 10 years. Normally speaking, the probability of Shieikan winning is not high."

"but--"

Kiryu abruptly changed the subject.

"There are two 'abnormal' people here at the Shieikan."

Kiryu glanced sideways at the main camp of the Shieikan, and at Aoto and Souji standing side by side.

"I can't say how this match will turn out..."

……

……

"Tsk tsk tsk, goodness, so many experts have arrived." Hijikata's mouth was practically stretched to his ears in a grin.

"Just like we heard before." Souji turned his head and grinned at Qingdeng beside him, "In order to fight against 'Nioh', a lot of experts from Genbukan are eagerly participating."

Qing Deng chuckled: "Are there many experts on the other side? I'm not very familiar with Xuanwu Hall... In the entire Xuanwu Hall, I only recognize the faces of Chiba Dozaburo and Chiba Tamon Shiro."

"Hahaha. Tachibana-kun, the lineup from the Genbukan over there is truly a gathering of heroes." Inoue, who was standing right behind Aoto, laughed heartily. "See that very thin guy? That's the headmaster of Genbukan: Kikuchi Takejiro; then that fierce-looking fellow is Kawashima Hachizo, known as 'Oni Hachizo'; and the baby-faced guy next to him is Sennosuke Chida, who at only 20 years old has already received the Hokushin Itto-ryu Menkyo Kaiden..."

"Who cares how many experts come!" Kondo crossed his arms, a confident expression on his face. "No matter who from the Genbu Hall participates or what strategies they use, what we need to do remains the same—we'll proceed according to the battle plan we set out the other day!"

Strangely enough, the contestants from the Test Guard Hall, standing at the east end of the arena, displayed two completely different mental states at this moment.

Most people, upon seeing the "all-star" lineup on the other side, couldn't help but show signs of tension, anxiety, and fear.

However, the five core members and top fighters of the Shieikan—Aoto, Kondo, Hijikata, Souji, and Inoue—felt calm and relaxed, each with a smile on their face.

It seemed as if they weren't worried at all about losing the battle that was to come.

Some were timid, some were excited, some were worried, and some were thrilled... Generally speaking, the mental outlook of the participants in the test hall presented such a polarized scene.

With less than five minutes left before the match begins... it's time for Zhou Zhu and the other idlers to leave the "main camp" and take their seats in the "spectator stands".

"Hehehe, everyone, don't be too nervous." Before leaving, Zhou Zhu stroked his smooth chin and encouraged everyone, "It's not some real sword duel that will kill people, so there's no need to be too nervous or afraid. Just treat it as an ordinary sword practice."

"Everyone! Don't lose!" Harada waved a flag with the Kondo family crest on it with great force.

"Sigh, I wish I could participate too... I really want to have a match with Chiba Michizaburo." Nagakura sighed.

Saito: "...Everyone, do your best."

"Young Master..." Jiubingwei gripped Qingdeng's hand tightly, "You must not get hurt."

……

Basically, everyone left behind a message of encouragement before they left.

"Sōji! You must be careful." Sōji's brother-in-law, Rintaro Okita, stood in front of Sōji and said earnestly, "It's okay if you lose, it's just a competition. Just don't get injured."

"Brother-in-law, don't worry!" Souji patted her chest hard. "I...no, we'll win the game unscathed!"

Everyone had gone to the "audience seats"... The only people who hadn't left were Hikaru Okita and his wife.

"I sincerely wish you all great success in your military endeavors."

Okita Hikaru clasped her hands in front of her, gave a slight bow with neither arrogance nor servility, and offered a simple blessing to everyone. Then, she led Okita Rintaro away gracefully in the direction of leaving the "main camp".

At that moment, no one noticed that Okita Hikaru suddenly changed his walking trajectory slightly, his route veered off course, and he approached Souji from behind.

“…Xiao Si, keep up the good work.”

Using a volume that only she and Souji could hear, she gave Souji these instructions, and then Okita Hikaru left quickly without the slightest hesitation.

"Huh?" Souji turned around in surprise, staring blankly at his older sister's departing figure.

A moment later, Souji seemed to have come to his senses and let out a long breath. Then, a bright smile slowly bloomed on Souji's face like a flower.

……

……

The winning rule in the Red vs. White Battle is to "kill" the opponent's general.

To make it easier for contestants and spectators to identify each other, both commanders-in-chief will wear eye-catching and gorgeous jinhaori (bamboo robes).

In short—if you want to win the Red and White Battle, you can defeat no one but the porcelain bowl on the Supreme Commander's forehead.

As Qing Deng and the others were tying porcelain bowls to their foreheads, gasps of amazement suddenly erupted from the "audience seats" on the north and south sides of the arena.

The people in the test hall raised their heads in confusion, looked around, and then in the blink of an eye, they knew why the exclamations in the "audience" had arisen.

In the main camp of the Genbu Hall, a very tall young man was wearing a white and red battle robe, symbolizing his status as the "Commander-in-Chief".

And this young man... was none other than Chiba Michizaburo!

In an instant, low gasps of surprise rang out around Qing Deng and the others.

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Hijikata glanced disapprovingly at the people around him who were exclaiming in surprise. “‘Chiba Michizaburo is very likely to personally assume the position of Commander-in-Chief’—isn’t this something we’ve already anticipated?”

"Chiba Michizaburo personally donned the general's battle robe... The worst-case scenario we had anticipated has come to pass." Souji said with a calm smile as he handed a piece of cloth to Aoto.

Qingdeng smiled but remained silent.