I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

At this moment, Saito seized the opportunity and rushed forward, cooperating with Inoue to launch a pincer attack on Tada Kōemon from the left and right.

With the addition of Saito, who possessed both exceptional swordsmanship and ample combat experience, the battle situation immediately changed.

Even if he only faced Inoue alone, Tada Kōemon could only fight him to a draw. How could he possibly fight both Inoue and Saitō at the same time?

Unable to fight against four opponents with one fist and at a disadvantage, Tada Kōemon gritted his teeth, moved to the right, and tried to shake off Inoue and Saitō's entanglement with his agility.

Having seen through Tada Kōemon's intentions, Ii and Sai followed without hesitation.

The three of them ran quickly along the wide street.

While moving laterally at high speed, the three continued to engage in fierce offense and defense.

The sounds of three weapons clashing—one gun, two swords…—were interspersed with short gasps and thunderous roars.

The fierce battle made it clear that martial artists clashed violently with each other, and that lives collided with each other.

Earlier, when Inoue and Tada Kōemon were locked in a fierce battle, Aoto wanted to rush forward to help Inoue, but he couldn't find a suitable opportunity to do so.

In battles of this caliber, untimely support will only backfire, not only failing to provide effective assistance but also hindering the enemy's progress.

"Group battles" are not necessarily better if more people are involved.

Whether there is enough room for weapons to be wielded is the key to "outnumbering the weak".

A dozen people rushed forward, and as a result, everyone was jostling and pushing each other, making it impossible for anyone to swing their weapons. How could they possibly fight like that?

One of the main reasons why Qing Deng was able to beat up the Expeditionary Group was that the members of the Expeditionary Group did not know how to cooperate with each other and only hindered each other, which prevented them from making the best use of their numerical advantage.

Souji, Sanako, Kondo, and the others also understood this principle, so like Aoto, they did not rush forward recklessly. Instead, they maintained a certain distance from Ii, Sai, Tada Koemon, and the others, patiently waiting for the best opportunity to provide support.

Under the combined onslaught of Ino and Sai, Tada Kōemon, who was increasingly at a disadvantage, could no longer guarantee that he could successfully withstand every attack from Ino and Sai.

More and more slashes successfully broke through the great spear's defense and landed on Tada Kōemon.

Unfortunately... Inoue and Saito's slashes couldn't penetrate Tada Kōemon's armor at all. The strikes that landed on the armor plates only produced sparks and scratches, achieving nothing else.

The quality of this armor is truly exceptional. Even back in the Warring States period three hundred years ago, only junior generals capable of leading an entire army would have been qualified to wear such fine armor.

Only by striking the gaps between the armor plates... such as that small area between the breastplate and shoulder armor that is not covered by the armor plates, can an effective kill be caused.

However, the gaps in these armor plates were too small to be easily hit.

Therefore, although the attacks by Ii and Sai were fierce, they were unable to deliver a decisive blow to Tada Kōemon for a long time.

However, their valiant efforts successfully created an opportunity for the others to launch a sneak attack on Tada Kōemon.

Snapped!

Tada Kōemon suddenly heard a loud stomping sound behind him.

In order to compete with Inoue and Saito, Tada Kōemon had to focus more on what was in front of him... He didn't realize until he heard footsteps that someone had sneaked up behind him.

Startled, he immediately turned to look behind him—the first thing he saw was a dark shadow.

Nagakura Shinpachi, lifting the upper body, arches his back and upper body with exaggerated movements.

Although the posture is a bit comical... the power contained in the amazing backward curve of the body is so great that no one dares to be complacent or careless!

The instant Tada Kōemon turned his head to look at him, Nagakura's body sprang back—his body swung forward like a slingshot, driving the sword in his hand to slash down at Tada Kōemon's head like a meteor falling from the heavens!

The sharp wind stung Toda Kōemon's face, making the hairs on his face stand on end.

In the blink of an eye, the slash, with the force to split mountains and cleave seas, had reached three inches in front of his nose.

In that split second, Tada Kōemon raised his left arm and used the gauntlet on his left hand to block Nagakura's slash.

Kara...!

The crisp cracking sound caused Tada Kōemon's expression to change drastically.

Nagakura, who practices the Shinto Munen-ryu style and specializes in offensive power, successfully broke through Tada Kōemon's arm armor with brute force!

Although the price paid was slightly higher—Nagakura's blade chipped open, and the blade failed to penetrate deeply into the flesh, only leaving a short, thin wound on Tada Kōemon's right arm that barely bled—the psychological damage caused by this attack far outweighed the physical damage.

Tada Kōemon's attack range was indeed terrifying, his spear skills were indeed superb, and his armor was indeed difficult to deal with... but when facing so many people at the same time, and the opponents he faced were all sword masters who had obtained the Manuka (licenses) of their respective schools at a young age, he was still unable to keep up.

However, despite being in such a disadvantageous position and being completely suppressed, Tada Kōemon did not show any fear or dejection.

On the contrary, he became more and more courageous in battle... no, it should be said that he became more and more insane in battle.

"How much skill do you have left? How many men do you have? Show them all! Send them up!"

After shouting, Tada Kōemon, ignoring the pain in his left arm, forcefully pushed away the sword embedded in his arm armor and flesh, then let out a powerful shout and swung his spear across Inoue and Saitō's chests.

Tada Kōemon's attack was filled with an aura of madness.

He left no room for maneuver, made no defenses whatsoever... He swung this shot with a desperate spirit of "I'd rather die with you!"

If Inoue and Saito were willing, they could easily deliver a fatal blow to Tada Kōemon, who is currently wide open, sending this madman to meet the King of Hell.

But if they did that... their stomachs would be ripped open by the spearhead of the Great Spear while they killed Tada Kōemon, resulting in them dying together with Tada Kōemon.

Having no interest in dying with a madman, Jing and Zhai had no choice but to separate and retreat, hiding a few steps away.

The instant he forced Inoue and Saito back, Tada Kōemon turned and launched an attack on Nagakura.

"Did you all see that? I've torn through the traitors' defenses! Follow me! Pursue and annihilate the enemy!"

With his excellent eyesight and night vision, Aoto keenly noticed that the blood vessels in Tada Kōemon's eyes seemed to have become more prominent than before...

As the redness increased, the light in his eyes became increasingly blurred...

……

"See that? These traitors are nothing to fear! Though they carry weapons, they are ultimately just a bunch of low-ranking samurai! A bunch of peasants who have nothing to offer but tilling the land! Don't be afraid! Follow me!"

Tada Kōemon, ringing bells and beating drums, engaged in battle with Nagakura.

……

"Hey! Two people have escaped! Go after them! Don't let any of these traitors get away!"

Like a whirlwind, Tada Kōemon pounced on Hijikata and Tōdō, who were standing side by side.

……

"Tsk... You have firearms... You bunch of traitors are quite capable! Not only did you make your own cannons, but you also made your own muskets and rockets!"

As Tada Kōemon roared at his right front, he rolled low to the ground and hid behind a bench at a nearby open-air tea stall—there was nothing or no one in front of him…

……

"My lord! Look!"

Tada Kōemon turned around excitedly and shouted into the air behind him:

"The enemy is frightened! They are beginning to scatter! Now is the perfect time to pursue them! Order the pursuit!"

……

……

"What's wrong with this guy...?"

The commander shrank his neck, his face turning slightly pale with fear.

"That's terrifying... I got goosebumps..."

The "how terrifying" that Souji said was naturally referring to the strange things that Tada Kōemon was doing.

Shouting some unintelligible words...

He repeatedly yelled at empty air...

Sometimes I was shocked, sometimes I was overjoyed...

It can be as bizarre as it looks.

Qing Deng only regarded Tada Kōemon as a completely insane madman, so he didn't pay much attention to the crazy behavior he was exhibiting.

Under the relentless onslaught of Qing Deng and his team, Tada Kōemon, who had already suffered several wounds, was severely exhausted, and his breathing became erratic due to fatigue.

His movements were no longer agile, his stance was no longer steady... and he was revealing his weaknesses more and more frequently.

Qingdeng silently clenched the Ghost-Stabilizing Spell in his hand.

He knew in his heart that the opportunity he had been waiting for—to deliver the decisive blow to this madman—was almost here!

In the blink of an eye, Tada Kōemon shouted "Firearms!" again and rolled to the side.

But perhaps because his body was so fatigued that it could not be ignored, Tada Kōemon was unable to get up in time after rolling over.

In the next instant, a blur appeared in everyone's sight—Qing Deng, who had finally waited for the best opportunity, his eyes flashed with a sharp light, and without hesitation, he charged straight at Tada Kōemon in a lower right stance!

A distance of more than ten steps... arrived in the blink of an eye!

As Tada Kōemon was getting up from the ground, he saw Aoto running towards him and, while roaring, reflexively swung his gun at Aoto's body.

Although Tada Kōemon was exhausted, the remaining strength in his limbs and bones should not be underestimated.

Even when the spearhead of the large-bodied spear was still a considerable distance from his body, Qingdeng's skin began to tingle from the wind pressure generated by the spear's movement.

In the blink of an eye, Qing Deng moved swiftly from right to left, slipping past Tada Kōemon and past the tip of the Ōshin-yō spear.

As it slithered over and stood to the left of Tada Kōemon, the Demon God transformed into a dazzling blade of light, flashing twice.

First strike: An upward slash aimed at Tada Kōemon's unarmored face from below.

Tada Kōemon narrowly escaped the blade... but Aoto's pursuit came swiftly!

Second strike: After the sword, Ding Guishen, was slashed above Tada Kōemon's head due to the previous slash, Aoto turned the sword in his hand, changing the upward-facing blade to downward-facing, and then used gravity to slash down hard!

This time… Tada Kōemon, who was a beat too slow, was unable to escape danger as he had before.

Pfft!

Like a meteor falling straight down, the blade slashed across Tada Kōemon's face! The sharp edge of the blade sliced ​​from his left forehead all the way to the corner of his right lip.

Hot blood instantly soaked most of Tada Kōemon's face, making his appearance look even more ferocious and menacing.

A very beautiful pursuit... it's just a pity the strike didn't penetrate deeply enough.

It only injured Tada Kōemon's flesh, not only failing to kill him with a single blow, but also enraging him, his face contorted with a ferocious glint in his eyes.

"You ungrateful, unjust, and treacherous traitors who do nothing but commit heinous acts! Come on! I am not afraid of you! I will show you the samurai spirit of Tada Kōemon!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Tada Kōemon, shouting in a hoarse voice, charged at Aoto with his gun in his hand.