I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Takasugi Shinsaku failed to trip up Aoto, and Aoto was powerless against Takasugi Shinsaku either; neither of them gained any advantage.

However, although the lower body battle was evenly matched, the upper body duel determined the winner.

clang!

Aoto took a deep breath, using all the muscles in his legs, waist, and arms to parry the attack. Despite his best efforts, he was ultimately no match for Aoto's sword in terms of strength.

Knowing that he was now wide open and in a very dangerous situation, Takasugi Shinsaku quickly retreated, trying to widen the distance between himself and Aoto and regain his footing.

However, Qing Deng had already seen through his plan.

Qingdeng followed closely behind.

Compared to the beginning of the fight, Takasugi Shinsaku's skills have indeed improved significantly... but in terms of raw strength, Aoto still has a slight advantage!

With his center of gravity extremely low, Qing Deng concentrated his strength on his toes, then pushed off the ground and sprinted forward as if gliding across the earth. At the same time, his right arm transformed into an indistinct phantom, abruptly sheathing the Ding Gui Shen sword.

The next instant, this body, with its left hand on the scabbard and its right hand on the hilt, its back arched and its waist taut as if gathering strength, appeared at Takasugi Shinsaku's side.

The next instant... a burst of white light!

Flowing light!

With his right foot poking forward and his left leg bent into a squatting position, almost supporting himself on his left knee... Qing Deng drew his sword in one swift motion! The sword slashed straight down from Takasugi Shinsaku's lower abdomen to his face! The light emanating from the sheath, carrying the force of ten thousand men, rushed straight towards Takasugi Shinsaku!

The Draw Sword Technique Flowing Light, which combines power and speed, is arguably the most powerful move that Qing Deng has mastered so far.

Therefore, it is no exaggeration to call it one of Qingdeng's biggest trump cards.

In an instant, Shinsaku Takasugi's pupils shrank to the size of a pinhole.

In that split second where life and death were decided in an instant, Takasugi Shinsaku's subconscious muscle memory saved his life—he reflexively raised his arms and held the knife in front of him.

After a loud crash, Shinsaku Takasugi, clutching the sword that had been violently thrown back, flew backward like a baseball after being hit, landing four steps away in an arc before crashing back to the ground.

"Huff...! Huff...! Huff...!"

Qingdeng regulated his breathing as he slowly straightened his legs and waist.

At that moment, he suddenly heard a strange "crackling" sound coming from his right side.

He looked in the direction of the sound—it turned out that his right arm was trembling slightly, causing the metal blade and guard of the sword to make a rattling sound.

This is the effect caused by the reaction force generated when the light stream is blocked.

Even Qing Deng, who possesses "Strong Muscle +1" which enhances muscle endurance, could hardly resist the immense force that felt like it was about to break his bones.

If the arm was like this, then the knife must be even worse—a large, conspicuous nick appeared on the blade of the sword that could subdue ghosts and spirits.

This is where the swords of Takasugi Shinsaku clashed just now.

At this moment, Qing Deng sincerely felt that while the power of the Flowing Light was great, it was also very costly to use a knife.

"It really hurts..." Qing Deng raised his left hand to hug his right arm, which was both painful and numb, and then looked up at Takasugi Shinsaku in front of him.

Takasugi Shinsaku lay on his back in a "T" shape, his arms trembling slightly, just like Aoto's right arm.

"laugh……"

Aoto looked up at him and saw Takasugi Shinsaku grin and chuckle a few times.

"I lost."

He slowly straightened up, leaning on his knife as he rose, and spoke these simple words frankly and directly.

Anyone with eyes to see can see that unless Takasugi Shinsaku has some hidden tricks up his sleeve, if the fighting continues like this, Aoto, who has already firmly grasped the initiative on the battlefield, will undoubtedly win.

Faced with Takasugi Shinsaku, who openly admitted his defeat without a trace of regret, Aoto, somewhat surprised, said:

"Since you already know you've lost, just throw away your knife and surrender, so you won't suffer any more pain."

As soon as Qingdeng finished speaking—

[Ding! Talent detected]

A system voice suddenly sounded in my mind.

Takasugi Shinsaku is very young; judging from his appearance, he should be no more than 20 years old, and is of the same generation as Aoto.

To achieve such mastery of swordsmanship at such a young age—it would be strange if such a person didn't possess extraordinary talent.

While waiting for Takasugi Shinsaku's response, Aoto listened attentively to the system notification.

Immediately afterwards, Qing Deng, unusually, showed a look of astonishment because the content displayed by the system voice was too explosive.

Successfully copied the talent: "Berserker"

[Talent Description: Greatly increases tolerance to pain and blood loss. The greater the pain, the more the body's latent power can be unleashed; however, this effect is nullified when the damage exceeds the body's physiological limits.]

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng was stunned for a full moment.

Good heavens!

Aoto cast a meaningful glance at Takasugi Shinsaku.

No wonder this person was able to act as if nothing had happened after I stabbed him, and even showed stronger strength than before...!

Judging from the description of this new talent, there is no doubt that it is a god-level talent that Qing Deng has not seen in a long time!

In short, the Berserker talent effect makes Qingdeng a more durable "tank" and increasingly unafraid of tough battles.

The more painful the injury, the more courageous the fighter!

This is the third "buff-type talent" that can temporarily enhance Qingdeng's personal strength in a short period of time, following "Lone Courage" and "Gathering Spirit".

Qing Deng couldn't help but sigh inwardly: tonight's "hostage rescue operation" was a huge success.

At this moment, the commotion in front of him pulled Qingdeng back to reality.

"..."

Takasugi Shinsaku remained silent, neither nodding in agreement nor shaking his head in refusal to accept Aoto's offer of surrender.

He only revealed a mysterious smile.

Looking at Takasugi Shinsaku's smile, a bad feeling rose in Aoto's heart.

He had already demonstrated that he could easily defeat him, but the man still seemed calm and composed... Qingdeng thought to himself: Could it be that this guy still has some trump card or backup plan that he hasn't used yet?

For a moment, Qing Deng felt no apprehension, his eyes fixed intently on Takasugi Shinsaku. He was prepared to rush over and kill Takasugi Shinsaku if he made any strange move.

But just then, Qingdeng suddenly heard a series of strange noises coming from behind him.

Qingdeng strained his ears—this seemed… no! Not just seemed! It was a series of footsteps!

Aoto turned his head slightly and glanced back out of the corner of his eye: he saw a large group of black-clad thieves who had turned into soldiers, with shield bearers at the head and musketeers at the rear, rushing towards Aoto and Takasugi Shinsaku along the corridor.

Upon seeing this, Qing Deng was greatly surprised—how could soldiers disguised as thieves suddenly barge in? Hadn't I already given instructions to the entire Third Division: not to come in casually?

Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the people who had barged in did not seem to be his subordinates... they were all unfamiliar faces.

"Ah! We've found Lord Tachibana!"

I don't know who shouted that.

Immediately afterwards, the soldiers who had suddenly barged in all fixed their gazes on Takasugi Shinsaku, who was clearly not one of their own and appeared to be outnumbered and outmatched, their expressions filled with murderous intent.

"what……"

Takasugi Shinsaku shrugged and chuckled softly.

“Some unrelated people have come out to cause trouble… What a pity, Niou, I was hoping to have a few more rounds with you, but it seems things haven’t gone as planned.”

“I still have many unfinished business, so—farewell, King Ni. I hope that when we meet again…you will not refuse without hesitation when I invite you to Choshu.”

Having said that, Takasugi Shinsaku sheathed his sword... then reached into his robes and pulled out a revolver in each hand, its metallic sheen reflecting the bright moonlight! The dark muzzles were pointed directly at Aoto and the soldiers, the fire-wielding thieves who had suddenly appeared, who were standing at the same level!

In that instant, Qing Deng suddenly understood why Gao Shan Jin could remain calm and composed throughout his defeat in the previous battle.

It's a pity that Takataka Todo and the others are dead, otherwise they would know why Shinji Takasugi was so confident in escaping this place and breaking through the encirclement of the fire-treasure thieves.

Here we go again!

With his pupils constricting and a quick roll on the ground, Qing Deng slipped into the room next door—he performed the two actions almost simultaneously.

Then, a loud shout rang out from behind Qingdeng:

"Watch out! He has a Western-style pistol!"

"Back off! Back off!"

The menacing faces of the officers and soldiers vanished instantly.

Like shattered waves, their once tight formation collapsed in an instant. They scattered like lost lambs, some hastily fleeing into nearby rooms, others retreating in a panic.

Bang!Bang!

Shinsaku Takasugi fired a shot with each hand.

One bullet hit the ceiling, and another hit the wooden corridor.

In terms of both power and rate of fire, the revolver far surpasses the matchlock gun, an old relic!

Taking advantage of the chaos caused by the sudden firing, Shinsaku Takasugi turned to the right without hesitation, creating a gust of wind as he leaped out of the window.

Immediately afterwards, Qingdeng heard a series of exclamations and occasional bursts of gunfire outside.

This is the second time... Last time, when they encountered those mysterious people who claimed they were "not anti-foreign patriots," they also escaped by suddenly pulling out a pistol!

When did revolvers become so popular in this country?

While thinking this to himself, Qing Deng quickly grabbed his knife and rushed to the nearest window, peering out.

Bang!Bang!

As soon as Takasugi Shinsaku jumped out of the window, he immediately fired two more shots at the soldiers outside.

Panic instantly spread from inside the house to outside.

Aoto saw Kimura and Tsuchida.

Suddenly, a samurai wielding two guns appeared—a situation that far exceeded their expectations—and the two men were dumbfounded.

Despite being an armed force whose main weapons are firearms, from the squad leader down to the ordinary soldiers, they are surprisingly not good at dealing with enemies who wield guns.

Takasugi Shinsaku had only fired a few shots, none of which hit anyone. As a result, the order collapsed immediately when the soldiers who rushed into the house and those outside saw the pistol in Takasugi Shinsaku's hand and heard the loud gunshot that was so different from that of a matchlock gun.

The vanguard ignored the rearguard, and the rearguard ignored the vanguard; everyone was only concerned with escaping.