I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Although he failed to defeat Chiba Michizaburo directly, in terms of the result, Souji's sharp offensive launched with his secret technique was "perfect".

She successfully fulfilled Qing Deng's request to "take away one of Chiba Michizaburo's swords"! She secured a once-in-a-lifetime, invaluable opportunity for Qing Deng, one that would never come again if missed!

At that moment, Qing Deng, who had been waiting patiently for the right moment, suddenly flashed a sharp light in his eyes.

Without any thought... Qingdeng's body acted before his brain could react.

Suddenly, Qing Deng lowered his center of gravity and rushed towards Chiba Michizaburo with movements and speed that seemed to be flying close to the ground!

As he rapidly closed in, Qing Deng abruptly pulled his hand, which was lightly resting on the hilt of the sword, and gripped the sword tightly.

The instant before he rushed into the distance where his sword could strike Chiba Dosaburo... a sword shadow soared into the sky!

Using the weight of his body, Qing Deng drew his blade from its sheath!

The sword, drawn from its sheath, swept straight upwards towards the porcelain bowl on Chiba Michizaburo's forehead.

The sword's force intertwined, stirring up the surrounding air with a whooshing sound. The dust and smoke on the ground were swept up by the airflow generated by the sword, rolling and scattering in all directions!

Sword Drawing Technique: Flowing Light!

The only sword left in Chiba Michizaburo's hand was the katana in his right hand.

The end is not yet in sight! Although he has lost his most proficient dual-wielding style, his limbs can still move! His hands can still grip and wield the sword!

In the blink of an eye, Chiba Dosaburo changed to gripping the katana with both hands, as if to suppress Aoto's swift attack from above. He raised the katana high above his head and then slashed down!

Bang-!

The loud bang made one wonder if someone's bamboo sword had broken!

"Drink up! Aa ...

"Ughh ...

As if they had agreed beforehand, at the same time, Qing Deng and Chiba Dozaburo burst out with a roar from their throats, as if to release all the power and emotions hidden within them!

Where the bamboo swords clashed, a groan came from the blades, unable to bear the weight any longer.

This duel, which captivated the attention of everyone present, began in an instant... and ended in the blink of an eye!

"Drink! Aa ...

Qingdeng's volume gradually increased.

Along with it, the sword in his hand also "improved"!

Like going against the current of a waterfall falling from the heavens, Qing Deng's bamboo sword parried Chiba Dozaburo's slash, gradually raising the height of the ground!

Even though Chiba Michizaburo exhausted all his strength, he still couldn't stop Aoto's sword.

finally--

Snapped!

A crisp, clear sound.

Chiba Michizaburo's katana was knocked away with a heavy blow!

With overwhelming slashing power, it shattered Chiba Dosaburo's last defensive bamboo sword and struck Chiba Dosaburo's forehead with undiminished momentum.

pat.

The shards of the porcelain bowl fluttered down...

[Ding! Talent detected]

[Successfully replicated talent: "Ambidextrous combat"]

[Talent Description: Ability to multitask. Can perform two completely unrelated tasks simultaneously.]

A concise, clear, and impressive introduction to a talent.

Unfortunately, Qingdeng currently has no energy to listen carefully to the system's voice message or savor the joy of gaining another god-level talent.

At this moment, looking at the pile of brand-new porcelain shards on the ground in front of him, Qingdeng felt as if his soul was about to leave his body, and that his bones and internal organs had been hollowed out... His body felt light and his legs were weak, and he felt like he could barely stand.

No. It's not a feeling.

They could no longer stand steadily.

The tension in his mind suddenly eased, and Qingdeng felt every muscle in his body no longer obey his commands. He saw the dark yellow mud beneath his feet getting closer and closer...

Fortunately—just before Qingdeng's face was about to make intimate contact with the ground, a pair of small hands reached out in time and supported Qingdeng's waist.

Qing Deng turned his face away, and his vision was instantly filled with the bright smile of the Souji—the Souji had not come to help Qing Deng.

She came to hug Qingdeng.

"Tachibana-kun, that's great! That's great!"

Overwhelmed with excitement, Souji jumped up and wrapped his arms around Aoto's neck, clinging to him.

The commander-in-chief had no idea that Aoto was now unable to stand.

Qingdeng: "Whoa!"

Souji: "Ah!"

Already unsteady on his feet, Aoto completely lost control of his center of gravity after Okita leaned against him, and fell to the ground in a sideways position.

As he fell to the ground, Aoto instinctively reached out and hugged Okita tightly.

The two, who were pressed tightly together, fell to the ground together. They tumbled around on the ground several times before finally coming to a stop.

At this moment, Kondo and the other students of Shieikan rushed excitedly toward Aoto and Okita.

Along with them came Kiryu and Kinoshita Mai.

"Qingdeng, that's great! You won! Congratulations!" Kinoshita Mai shouted excitedly.

It was just a very ordinary blessing, nothing special.

However... Kinoshita Mai's way of addressing Aoto surprised everyone around her.

"Qing...Deng...?"

Souji, still tightly embracing Aoto, stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

She looked at Aoto with a blank, unfocused gaze, then at Kinoshita Mai, who was running towards them with a joyful smile.

*******

*******

One step beyond sound, two steps without gaps, three steps with a deadly blade, three stages of ignorance... Ah, sorry, I've switched scenes. (Leopard.jpg)

This is the debut of Okita Souji's historically famous technique: "Hira Seigan Sandan-tsu". In order to write it cool and stylish, the author has pondered this chapter repeatedly for a long time.

For the sake of the author's "craftsman spirit," please vote for this book with some monthly tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets!

Although the "clash of 'moments'" in this chapter is written in a seemingly impressive way, it's all just literary exaggeration. The author would like to reiterate: this book is low-brow martial arts oriented. The "momentum" aspect of this concept far outweighs its "practical" aspect.

Chapter 223 Qing Deng Gao Sheng! Fire Thieves Become Captain of the Third Squad and Leader of the Seventh Squad of the First-Hand Archer Group [6100]

Amidst the cheers and shouts of Kondo, Hijikata, and their gang of men, Kinoshita Mai's clear, bell-like voice stood out.

Kinoshita Mai, moving at a speed four body lengths faster than Kiryu, hopped and skipped towards Aoto in her flat-soled wooden clogs.

Kondo and the others who were surrounding Aoto and Souji automatically parted to make way for Kinoshita Mai and Kiryu.

"Kiryu-sensei! Mai!"

Upon seeing the two people approaching, Qing Deng's facial features instantly relaxed, revealing a soothing and harmonious smile.

When we arrived at the venue today, it was already quite late.

Because he needed to warm up quickly, he couldn't go to the "spectator stands" to say hello to Kiryu and Kinoshita Mai before the match. He could only wave to the old man and the young woman from afar.

This was the first time Aoto had spoken to Kinoshita Mai that day.

Although it might seem a bit disloyal to say this... Kinoshita Mai's congratulations made Aoto much happier and more excited than Kondo and the others' congratulations.

During the conversation, Kinoshita Mai had already hopped up to Aoto.

At that moment, Aoto also stood up from the ground while holding Souji.

"Qingdeng! That attack you just made was absolutely amazing!"

Kinoshita Mai exclaimed excitedly, her two clenched fists raised to her chest, and words of praise for Aoto poured out from her red lips.

Generally speaking, Kinoshita Mai, who is timid and shy, and who doesn't wear a face mask or other coverings to conceal her face, would likely find it difficult to make such a loud sound in such a crowded setting.

But the excitement of Qingdeng's victory overwhelmed his fear of strangers, temporarily overcoming his shy nature.

Aoto and Kinoshita Mai, who were focused on each other, did not notice the strange expressions and reactions of the people around them after Kinoshita Mai loudly called out Aoto's name.

Qing Deng's words "A Wu" were like fuel poured into a fire, instantly intensifying the strange expressions on the faces of those around him.

Wow!

At this moment, Hijikata suddenly put on a meaningful smile and swaggered over to Aoto's side.

"Tachibana, when did you and the girl from the Senjiya become so close? You can even call each other by our first names now."

When he said that they could address each other by their first names, Hijikata deliberately drew out the words, his tone full of jokes.

As soon as Hijikata finished speaking, low, mocking laughter immediately rose from all around.

Everyone around clearly heard how Aoto and Kinoshita Mai addressed each other just now.

In Hijikata and the others' memory, the man and woman used to address each other respectfully as "Tachibana-kun" and "Kinoshita-san".

As a result, at some point, they started calling each other by their first names.

When men and women suddenly start calling each other by their first names... in this day and age, that's some serious gossip and talking point!

Hijikata's teasing and the laughter around them made Kinoshita Mai's face turn bright red. She quickly lowered her head and stared intently at her small toes.

Although Kinoshita Mai's eyes were currently clouded with shyness... the feeling that others might misunderstand whether something had happened between her and Aoto made a faint hint of pleasure lurk beneath the cloudiness in her eyes.

However, not everyone around them was now casting mocking glances and laughing at her and Qingdeng.

For example... Souji, who was still clinging to Aoto like a koala.