I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Whoosh—the sharp blades whipped up a gust of wind as the bandits, advancing side by side, drew their knives, sealing off Qingdeng's escape route in front of and to the sides.

If Qingdeng wanted to dodge, he could only dodge backward.

But Sanako and Otsuki Minoru were behind him, and if he retreated, the two women would inevitably be in danger.

Given this, there's absolutely no need to think about what choice to make right now!

"hiss……"

Qingdeng inhaled quickly and forcefully.

The "Iron Lung" effect activated, and Qingdeng's chest swelled up like a balloon.

In the next instant, a powerful shout shattered the surrounding tranquility.

"Wa ...

A terrifying roar, sharp and inhuman in tone, burst forth from Qingdeng's throat like a burst of lava from a volcano.

It is precisely the technique of the flow of energy: the monkey's cry.

Unless one has extensive combat experience or exceptional composure, it's impossible to remain unresponsive upon suddenly hearing such a frightening shout.

"Ah!"—Ootsuki Minoru's startled cry rang out from behind Aoto.

She was frightened by the cries of the apes in Qingdeng.

Not only her, but even Sanako's body trembled slightly from shock.

"Piercing Clouds and Splitting Rocks" and "Golden Voice" amplify the power of Qingdeng's ape cries many times over.

Even Sanako and Otsuki Minoru, who were standing behind Aoto, were in such a state, let alone the group of enemies who were facing Aoto directly.

The five bandits showed varying degrees of physical reaction—the enemy to Qingdeng's right was the most affected.

His expression froze, his body trembled violently a few times, and he almost lost his grip on the knife, causing his charging steps to slow down by half a beat.

The once tight battle line has now developed cracks.

Qing Deng seized this precious opportunity.

Passa – the snow that has been kicked away, scattering and flying everywhere.

Qingdeng threw away the lantern in his left hand, and then rushed to the right like a surging raging tide, quickly slashing his beloved sword to subdue ghosts and gods.

*Pfft*—the sound of a water bag bursting.

A vibration, as if something was obstructing him and something was being cut open, traveled up Qingdeng's arm and wrist to his heart.

Qing Deng cleaved the enemy's skull with a single strike.

The blade that had been used to subdue ghosts and gods immediately gushed forth a torrent of blood.

The limbs were broken, and the bones were exposed.

Before the enemy could even utter a cry of pain, their eyes rolled back and they collapsed into the blood plasma that had been melted by scalding hot blood.

At that moment, a flash of white light appeared in the darkness beside him—it was an enemy that had come to reinforce from the second line, which was positioned further back.

The fighting skills of this gang of bandits were truly remarkable. When they saw their comrades fall in front, those behind would immediately follow up to fill the gap.

Qing Deng parried the unexpectedly charging blade with his sword, then slightly adjusted the blade and swiftly retaliated with a fierce strike.

Qingdeng heard the sound of the snow being kicked and crackling.

It was the person who ambushed Qingdeng who was retreating.

The spirit that was fixed in a smooth arc moved from Qingdeng's left side to Qingdeng's right side.

It felt like I had successfully struck something—I hit the attacker, and this thief's reaction speed and footwork are commendable.

At the critical moment, he successfully dodged outside the effective range of the Ghost-Slaying Blade, causing the blade to move a little further away, only grazing his clothes and a small patch of skin on his chest.

Before Qingdeng could catch his breath, a new blade struck.

Not just one, but a full four.

The other four members of the "first line of defense" who had just launched the first wave of attack on Qingdeng adjusted their positions and launched a new offensive against Qingdeng.

Four people, four knives, attacked from four different directions.

Qingdeng had experienced this situation of being besieged by enemies countless times before.

"Drink!"

Qingdeng let out a short shout, spread his legs, strained his back, and used his single sword to meet the four swords from the opposite side.

clang!

Sparks exploded, deflecting the sword to the left and using the recoil to strike the two enemies in front, forcibly forcing them back.

Just then, the enemy's blade on the right was about to fall on Qing Deng's head. In that split second, Ding Guishen arrived.

At first glance, it's hard to tell which of their swords is faster, but upon closer inspection, one can see that Qing Deng's sword is slightly faster.

This slight difference determined the outcome.

clang!

Another clang of metal striking metal.

The enemy's attack from the right was also successfully neutralized.

The lightning-fast transitions between offense and defense are enough to dazzle even spectators who are not skilled in martial arts.

The enemy's offensive has not yet stopped.

The guy who came up from the second front to fill in and who just launched a sneak attack on Qingdeng is back.

Qing Deng caught a glimpse of the figure stealthily approaching out of the corner of his right eye.

In the blink of an eye, Qing Deng turned to the right and swung his sword at the guy who was trying to sneak up on him again.

The turning and attacking actions occurred almost simultaneously.

This thief's agility and skill were truly remarkable. He leaped back as lightly as a swallow, retreating once again outside Qing Deng's attack range.

Suddenly, Qing Deng felt a murderous aura rushing towards him from the side again—the four people he had just forced back had returned.

At the same time, the guy with superb agility and a penchant for sneak attacks rushed up to Qingdeng again.

This time, he didn't resort to sneaky ambushes, but instead joined his four companions in launching a powerful frontal attack on Qingdeng.

The lineup besieging Qingdeng has become more impressive than before, with a full five people taking on Qingdeng.

There was no room for anyone else to stand next to Qingdeng. If another person came in, it would be too crowded and would hinder the movements of the others.

Therefore, the others on the second and third fronts could only stand on the periphery of the "battlefield" and stare at each other.

Although there was one more person besieging Qingdeng, the bandits still couldn't do anything to Qingdeng.

Beneath the dense barrage of blades slashed by the bandits, Qing Deng's tall figure and the chilling, icy glint of Ding Guishen's blade repeatedly leaped and flickered.

Qingdeng either twisted his body to dodge, raised his sword to block, or raised his sword to counterattack. With just a sword and a pair of ankles, he built a strong defensive circle that even five swords from his opponent could not penetrate.

While a chaotic battle raged on Qing Deng's side, leaving no time to catch one's breath, the battle on Sanako's side was equally intense.

Compared to Aoto, Sanako has far fewer enemies here.

There are no three battle lines, only two, and the enemy on each battle line consists of only three people.

As the enemy was about to reach her, Sanako silently threw off her high-toothed wooden clogs, designed to prevent her from stepping on snow, and, ignoring the cold, put her feet, which were covered with white cotton socks, on the snow-covered ground.

On the one hand, wearing high-toothed wooden clogs was inconvenient for fighting, and on the other hand, it was Sanako's habit.

Because you usually have to take off your shoes and socks when practicing martial arts in a dojo, Sanako, who grew up in the Chiba Kenkan, developed the habit of stomping her feet directly on the ground when fighting.

Stepping barefoot directly onto the ground and feeling the solid texture of the earth through the soles of her feet gives Sanako a strange sense of security.

"Drink it! Go to hell!"

The bandits approaching from behind Qingdeng showed no mercy just because their opponent was a woman.

Rather, they became quite excited after seeing a woman dare to draw her sword against them.

They must have thought that Sanako, being just a woman, would be easy to deal with.

The first three bandits who rushed to Sanako swung their weapons at her.

The bandits, confident of victory, grinned maliciously.

The smiles on their faces froze in the next instant.

"Uh!"

"Waaah!"

"What?! Damn it, that stinky woman! Pfft! Cough cough!"

Sanako grabbed the wrists or elbows of the thugs attacking her and, following their movements and body orientation, forcefully threw them away.

The bandits' attacks were ruthless; they had no intention of showing any mercy and held nothing back when they attacked.

But their knives couldn't even touch a single hem of Sanako's clothes.

Before he could even touch Sanako, he was thrown around so hard he was dizzy and seeing stars.

In this country where "tall people" are a rare breed, Sanako's height of 1.65 meters is definitely considered tall.

Looking across Japan today, probably more than half of the men of the same age are not as tall as Sanako.

However, despite her height, Sanako's physique is by no means strong.

Regarding Sanako's figure... it can be summarized by a classic phrase—slender branches bearing abundant fruit.

Apart from its full breasts and hindquarters, the rest of the bear is slender and slim.

Her slender waist looked so delicate that it seemed as if a little more force could break it.

How can such a slender waist support such a strong upper body? It's truly a mystery.

Neither possessing a robust physique nor the innate superhuman strength of Souji, Sanako was able to throw out bandits who were far taller than her...

Such a scene is unbelievable.

Actually, the ins and outs are not complicated.

Sanako merely used exquisite techniques to cover up her lack of physique and strength.