I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"The double relay" and "the instigation of Aoi and others to deliberately use techniques that greatly deplete Aoto's physical and mental strength" were all Akabane's doing.

Incidentally, Aoi Osamu was unwilling to obey Akabane.

Firstly, he himself was not skilled in martial arts and was not confident that he could exhaust Qing Deng's physical and mental state to the greatest extent.

Secondly, he was unwilling to use such despicable means to deal with Qing Deng.

However, for various reasons, Aoi Osamu ultimately succumbed to Akabane's tyranny.

Akabane approached Shirasaki, who was also resentful of Aoto's rise to power, and proposed a simple collaboration:

"Let's not rush into battle yet. Let Aoi and the others wear down Tachibana Aoto's stamina as much as possible before we make our grand entrance." — These were Akabane's exact words to Shirasaki.

The reason why Akabane proposed such a plan is very simple - among all the members of the Third Division, he and Shirasaki have the strongest martial arts skills!

In terms of martial arts skills alone, he and Shirasaki are firmly in the top and second positions of the Third Division, respectively.

Although Akabane has a "mountain-like" physique with a height and waist of 1.6 meters, he is a nimble fat man and a skilled swordsman.

Two years ago, when he was 26, he successfully obtained the Manuka Kaiden of the Katori Shinto-ryu school based on his undeniable hard skills.

It must be said, Akabane really had a good plan.

His meticulously planned scheme actually had a significant effect, just as he had hoped.

After being exhausted by the "two-person battle technique" and Lan Jing and others, Qing Deng's physical and mental strength was losing at a much faster rate.

Especially during the battle with Shirasaki, in order to ensure that he could successfully deflect Shirasaki's spear, Qing Deng gritted his teeth and poured all the little strength he had left into his waist and arms.

Although he successfully defeated Shirasaki, the price he paid was not small—due to excessive exertion, his muscles could not bear the strain, and his arms began to tremble uncontrollably.

Akabane, who noticed Aoto's arm condition immediately, was overjoyed.

A smug smirk appeared on Akabane's lips. He thought to himself: Tachibana Aoto is exhausted! If not now, when?

He stood seven steps away from Qingdeng, stabilizing his sword in a lower stance.

"..." Qing Deng glanced at Chi Yu expressionlessly, then raised his sword in a mid-range stance.

Having been defeated by Qingdeng, Shirasaki and the others, who were now relegated to spectators, all stared intently at the movements before them, particularly at the two swordsmen facing each other from afar.

The outcome of this massive "1 vs 60" showdown—whether Qingdeng will emerge victorious or suffer a crushing defeat—depends entirely on the final showdown right now!

……

……

Qingdeng's expression was solemn, and he thought to himself:

—Taking on 60 people alone is definitely too much of a challenge…

Qing Deng thought that with his current strength, defeating the entire Third Division, whose skills were generally weak, would be a piece of cake.

Looking back now, I realize that I still have many shortcomings in the path of martial arts.

Qing Deng had long heard of Akabane's strength.

With such a weary body, to face Akabane, who possesses the Menkyo Kaiden of the Katori Shinto style and whose skills are among the best in the Third Division... if he were to charge headlong into the enemy like a bull, without thinking or caring about anything, he would probably end up with a bloody head.

If you remain still, blood can easily stagnate in your legs, causing your movements to become sluggish.

To maintain agility, Qingdeng kept moving his feet, circling around Chiyu, but never getting any closer to her.

Time is on Qingdeng's side.

Qingdeng possesses the talent of "strong essence." This talent endows Qingdeng with a physique where "energy and physical strength recover faster than ordinary people."

If he can hold out for one or two minutes, Qingdeng can complete the breathing adjustment and restore his breathing to a steady state.

However, Akabane is not a fool.

Akabane could clearly see that the longer the situation dragged on, the more unfavorable it would become for him.

Therefore, he was constantly looking for an opportunity to attack.

But Qing Deng maintained a distance of more than 7 steps from him.

If you take a step forward, I'll take a step back; if you take a step back, I'll take a step back too... In short, I'll try every means to stay away from Akabane and not let him have a chance to get close to me.

At first glance, Qingdeng seemed to have the upper hand and controlled the rhythm of the battle, but this "cat and mouse" tactic was ultimately just a temporary measure.

It won't be long before Akabane, unable to bear this agonizing stalemate any longer, will unleash his fury and attack with his sword, disregarding everything else.

The swordsman is one whose mind and strength are in perfect harmony.

This is something Kiryu often said to Aoto when teaching him the Ryuko Drawing Sword Technique. It means: the spirit and the body must become one; this is the law of swordsmanship, and only in this way can the power of the sword be maximized.

At this moment, for no apparent reason, Aoto recalled this teaching that Kiryu-sensei often repeated.

Qingdeng thought to himself: Since my body is already exhausted... I'll use my mind to make up for my lack of strength!

"call……"

A long, misty breath escaped from Qing Deng's slightly parted, dry, white lips.

He lowered his eyelids slightly, staring intently at Akabane opposite him.

The lines of the face and the muscles of the body gradually relax due to the high concentration of the mind.

The impurities in his pupils were gradually removed and disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye... His gaze gradually calmed down.

In the talent list, the entry for "Gathering Spirit" burst forth with dazzling golden light!

Qingdeng kept focusing his attention, trying to enter a state of complete concentration where he only saw the bamboo sword in his hand and the enemy in front of him.

Akabane, who was not a novice in martial arts, immediately sensed the changes in Qingdeng.

The composed expression on his face froze instantly.

Akabane's heart pounded with alarm bells of panic.

It got louder and louder.

A goosebump-like sensation shot from the soles of my feet to the top of my head.

An anxious cry rang in my heart: We can't wait any longer! We can't keep dawdling like this!

At first glance, it seemed that Qing Deng was simply concentrating normally, but Akabane instinctively felt that Qing Deng was in great danger! And that it would become increasingly dangerous!

Akabane was stunned by the sudden change in Aoto, and fell into a state of confusion, his body frozen in place, imprisoned by his thoughts.

However, this only happened in an instant.

A moment later, Akabane's lower body seemed to have a mind of its own, and he managed to lift his feet off the ground.

踏出

He suddenly closed the distance between himself and Qingdeng while emitting sharp, piercing breaths.

Akabane attacked, but Aoto remained standing still, maintaining his mid-section stance, completely unperturbed.

When Akabane was only 3 steps away from Aoto, he suddenly lowered his center of gravity and gathered strength in his waist.

In the next instant, he leaped out like a tiger! He unleashed all the power he had been storing at his waist in one breath!

He jumped up with force, using the momentum of his run-up and descent to cleave the bamboo sword that was raised high above his head.

Just as Akabane's feet were about to leave the ground, Aoto subconsciously held his breath, preparing to meet the enemy.

But at that very moment, an unbelievable scene unfolded before Qing Deng's eyes... Correction. To be more precise, it happened right in front of Qing Deng.

airflow.

Qingdeng saw that strange "airflow" again.

A faint, wisp-like "flow" emanated from Akabane's body.

If it were just a gust of air, that would be fine; Qingdeng would at most just sigh, "Tsk, I saw it again."

However, this situation is different from the past.

At this moment, Qing Deng not only saw the "aura" on Chi Yu's body, but also some things that were so incredible that Qing Deng didn't know how to describe them.

He saw the muscles, internal organs, bones, blood vessels, and blood flowing through Akabane's skin.

Akabane's body... seemed to have become transparent! Every movement of his body, whether it was the flow of blood or the movement of muscles, was completely visible to Aoto!

This eerie vision, as if the world had become "transparent," instantly filled Qing Deng's expression with intense astonishment.

Because everything happened so fast and so suddenly, Qingdeng didn't even have time to utter a cry of surprise.

The only reaction he could manage at that moment was to instinctively constrict his pupils.

What shocked Qingdeng was not yet over.

In the next half-second, Qing Deng's body seemed to be sensed and broke free from the control of his brain, moving on its own.

Before Akabane could even jump up, Aoto, as if he had already anticipated where Akabane's sword would strike, held the bamboo sword diagonally in front of him with the tip of the sword pointing diagonally to the right front of his body.

Just as Qingdeng got into position, Chiyu's bamboo sword fell precisely—his bamboo sword landed exactly on Qingdeng's bamboo sword, precisely in the best defensive position for Qingdeng.

The deafening crash of the collision transformed into a surging wave of sound, engulfing the two of them.

At the same instant the bamboo swords clashed, Qing Deng's vision returned to normal.

The strange world of "airflow" and "transparency"—these bizarre things disappeared in the blink of an eye.

It appeared suddenly and disappeared just as quickly—for a moment, Qingdeng seriously doubted whether he was dreaming.

Although he was puzzled about what he had just seen, the current situation did not allow Qingdeng to think about such trivial matters slowly.

Qing Deng raised his eyes, his gaze passing through the two bamboo swords placed together, and fixed on the front, looking at Chi Yu's face.

A look of astonishment was clearly visible on Akabane's face.

His heart was screaming hoarsely: Impossible!

Akabane was very confident in the sword strike he had unleashed.

Akabane was very satisfied with the power, speed, and timing of the sword strike.

If Qing Deng had only blocked his sword, Chi Yu wouldn't have been so surprised.

The problem is that Qingdeng's defense just now was really too unusual.

The speed of that defense... it can't be described simply as "fast"!

Akabane saw it clearly: just as he jumped and before he could even raise his bamboo sword, Aoto had already placed the bamboo sword diagonally in front of him.