I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Mr. Ebina, Mr. Ichinose." The man in the "Browne Mask" turned to the three men who had arrived and asked, "Should we kill this scoundrel right here?"

“No. Not here,” said the “Black Cat Mask.” “This place is too conspicuous… Take him somewhere deserted.”

"Yes."

The "brown bear mask," nodding vigorously in agreement, dragged Shirahara Ginji along like a dead dog.

Having just escaped from the alley, Shirahara Ginji was once again swallowed by the shadows within...

The four masked men dragged Ginji Shirahara to a deserted riverbank and then threw him to the ground.

"Who...who are you...?"

With the numbness in his lips and tongue slightly reduced, Shirahara Ginji was finally able to utter a coherent sentence.

"Are you...patriots who want to expel the barbarians...?"

The first group that would kill people without reason... Ginji Shirahara thought of was that group of "anti-foreigners" who used extremely extreme methods!

“I…I have never…had any…contact with barbarians…and my family…never uses…any barbarian…things…you…have…gotten the wrong person…? I am…Shirahara Ginji…a junior inspector under the Temple and Shrine Magistrate…”

Ginji Shirahara begged for mercy, his tears streaming uncontrollably from his overwhelming fear.

But all he got in return was a disdainful sneer from the "brown bear mask".

"Tch... 'Anti-foreign patriots'... Don't lump us together with those low-class lunatics. Shirahara Ginji, the person we're looking for is you."

After saying that, the "brown bear mask" pulled out a scythe from his lower back.

“We are the ‘spirits of Osaka,’ people who obey the will of Mr. Ōshio.”

Ginji Shirahara's eyes widened the instant the "brown bear mask" finished speaking, his face filled with disbelief.

"Big...salt...?"

Pfft!

Without uttering another word... the "brown bear mask" raised the scythe high, then swung it down heavily...

……

……

江户，某处——

Even though his feet were firmly planted on the ground, Qingdeng had the illusion that he was floating in mid-air.

After hearing Sanako say "thank you" to Aoto several times with a dreamy look in her eyes, Aoto felt as if all his emotions and energy for the night had been exhausted.

Tonight's fireworks display has come to a successful conclusion.

After leaving the performance venue and parting ways, Aoto and Sanako had no further special interaction.

Walking home calmly... saying goodbye calmly.

"Miss Sanako, go home soon." Aoto said to Sanako, who had returned the rented yukata to the kimono shop and changed back into her kendo uniform.

“Hmm…” Sanako nodded gently.

Qingdeng: "..."

Sanako: "..."

After that, the two of them remained mostly silent.

After saying "See you later," the two parted ways and embarked on their respective journeys home.

Although tonight's final farewell was a little bland... Qing Deng didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

Because hidden within this "ordinariness" is a strange sense of "peace of mind".

This sense of reassurance made Qingdeng's lips curl up slightly involuntarily.

Aoto thought: Sanako must feel the same way—after all, like Aoto, she had a faint smile on her face from the moment the fireworks display ended.

call……

A sticky, humid wind, full of the scent of summer, blew in from the southeast.

The night sky was clear just a moment ago, but now it has suddenly turned gloomy.

A few wisps of dark clouds, like thin veils, obscured the dawn.

Although the visibility decreased considerably as the night sky suddenly darkened, it didn't matter to Qingdeng, who possessed the talent of "cat's eyes," whether the sky was bright or dark, as it did not affect his vision.

After a leisurely journey, Qingdeng passed through a bustling city that was particularly lively during the day, and arrived at a rather quiet neighborhood that was the only way to get back to Shiwei Hall.

Qingdeng continued walking forward with a normal expression.

However, at this moment—

puff...

A faint, unusual sound suddenly reached Qingdeng's ears.

The sound was very soft... If it weren't for the "Wind Sensitor," Qing Deng would definitely have missed it.

Qingdeng frowned, turned his face in the direction of the sound, and stared intently at the street corner to his right, gazing in the direction from which the strange noise came.

That sound... Qing Deng couldn't be mistaken.

This was a voice he was very familiar with.

That's the sound of human flesh and bone being cut by a sharp blade...

Hearing such a sound in the streets of Edo shrouded in night... is not such a surprising thing.

Considering that some remnants of the Extermination Group were still barely clinging to life, Qing Deng didn't hesitate for long before turning around and quickening his pace, chasing after the direction from which the sound came.

The shadows cast on the ground by the moonlight, and the houses on both sides of the street... flashed past Qingdeng's side in streaks and rows.

In the blink of an eye, a secluded riverbank appeared before Qingdeng.

From afar, Qingdeng could see four blurry figures standing on the riverbank.

As they got closer, Qingdeng could see the four figures clearly—two middle-aged men and two young men, all wearing masks that only revealed their eyes.

In the middle of them lay a... no, it should be said that lay a heavily pregnant corpse!

The body was found dead in a gruesome manner, having died from a stab wound to the forehead.

Judging from his appearance, he must have died not long ago. The blood gushing from his wounds had stained his entire face beyond recognition.

The sound of Qing Deng's footsteps as he arrived naturally drew the attention of the four masked men.

Upon seeing who the newcomers were, the eyes of the four men instantly lit up with surprise.

"...Who are you people?" Qing Deng asked in a deep voice, lowering his center of gravity and raising his hand to press on the hilt of the sword that he used to subdue ghosts. "Are you...from the Exorcism Group?"

The relationship between Qingdeng and the Expeditionary Force had long been one of life and death, but he was constantly hoping that the remnants of the Expeditionary Force would be brought to justice as soon as possible.

Qingdeng heard that the remnants of the Expeditionary Force were still causing trouble everywhere.

He rushed over in such a hurry just to confirm whether the remnants of the Extermination Group had reappeared.

The middle-aged man among the masked men, wearing a demon mask... Ichinose murmured, "An unexpected guest has arrived..."

As soon as Ichinose finished speaking, Ebina, who was standing next to him, raised his outstretched hands high.

“Your Majesty, please do not misunderstand. We are not patriots who oppose foreigners, much less members of the Expeditionary Force.”

Qing Deng's brows did not relax because of Ebina's words... on the contrary, they furrowed even more.

Before Qing Deng could finish his sentence, the young man wearing the brown bear mask let out a strange laugh.

"Oh my... So you are Niou? Hmm... Just like the rumors say, you are a young samurai whose appearance and physique are quite different from the 'Niou statue' in the Buddhist temple."

Splash splash splash splash...

As the man in the brown bear mask spoke, he reached behind his waist with his right hand and pulled out a scythe.

"Hey, Akutsu." Ichinose's brow twitched suddenly, and she asked quickly, "What do you want to do?"

The young man, addressed as "Akutsu," responded in a cheerful tone:

"It's nothing, I just feel that since we've met tonight... why not take this opportunity to properly test the strength of the renowned Niou!"

With that, Akutsu suddenly unleashed the kusarigama in his hand, and the fist-sized copper blade drew a straight black line, flying directly toward Aoto's head!

Clang!

Sword drawn!

The instant he saw Akutsu suddenly attack him, Qing Deng immediately drew his sword. With a "clang," he knocked Fen Tong away.

"Ho..." Akutsu let out a low laugh, then pulled the chain, and the copper coins that were falling to the ground flew back to his hand as if they were remotely controlled.

"Hey, Akutsu," Ebina's voice was deep. "Don't do anything unnecessary, it's time to leave."

“I’ll just exchange a few blows with Niou. Just a few.” Akutsu gripped the sickle in his left hand and swung the copper chain in his right, making a “whoosh whoosh” sound like a windmill. “Mr. Ebina, I know…you must also be curious about Niou’s true abilities, right?”

"..." Ebina suddenly fell silent.

Taking advantage of Ebina's silence, Akutsu spread his legs and swung the copper even faster and more powerfully.

"Niou...I'm going!"

call--!

The cylindrical black copper fragments are rapidly approaching Qingdeng once again!

—The Kusarigama technique, huh…?

The relaxed mood I had just experienced after returning from the fireworks display quickly dissipated.

Instead, a solemn mood prevailed as people entered a state of "focused concentration" and combat readiness!

The so-called kusarigama is a unique weapon that evolved from the agricultural sickle.

It is formed by attaching a chain with a metal weight to the end of the handle of the sickle. That metal weight is called "copper splitter".

Because of its small size and ease of concealment, it can be used for slashing and smashing, and for both close combat and ranged attacks, making it one of the most beloved weapons of ninjas since ancient times.

This was the first time Qing Deng had ever encountered this martial art, which he had long admired... He suddenly realized that he had many "firsts" today.

In the morning, I sparred for the first time with a master of the naginata (Sanako), and in the evening, I fought for the first time against a mysterious warrior who used the kusarigama technique.

Having no understanding of the fighting style of Kusarigama, Aoto initially adopted a conservative approach.