I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

No matter how hard Qingdeng racked his brains, he couldn't think of any major enemies he had made recently.

If conditions allowed, Qing Deng really wanted to capture this unidentified young samurai alive and interrogate him thoroughly about what "blood for blood" really meant and who they really were.

Unfortunately... Qingdeng is currently struggling to protect himself, so how could he spare any strength to capture others alive?

"Cough cough cough! Cough cough cough cough cough—!!"

A thick plume of smoke swept in from nearby, hitting Qingdeng directly in the face, and a pungent, irritating stench filled his mouth and nose.

The damp cloth on Qingdeng's face had long been evaporated by the high temperature of the surrounding environment, and its effect on blocking the thick smoke was almost negligible.

The moment the thick smoke hit his face, Qingdeng felt as if a ball of fire was stuck in his throat, his stomach acid churned, and he coughed until he almost vomited, supporting himself with his hands on the ground.

"Damn it...!"

The mysterious man failed to kill Qingdeng himself, but he successfully bought time and exacerbated Qingdeng's physical exhaustion.

Time, physical strength... these are precisely the things Qingdeng lacks most right now.

The extended time Qingdeng was in the fire, coupled with the forced exertion of his physical strength, directly led to the complete "collapse" of Qingdeng's already near-limited body.

At this moment, Qing Deng felt the dizziness in his head rapidly increasing, measured in seconds.

My throat and respiratory tract felt like they were being burned; every breath I took caused intense pain in those areas.

Everything that the eyes could see seemed to be covered by a "rain and fog" filter; as far as the eye could see, everything was shrouded in "fog".

Qingdeng tried to stand up, but his limbs... no, his whole body wouldn't obey him!

The strength in my body is rapidly draining away. My consciousness is also gradually fading away.

To stay awake, Qingdeng bit his tongue hard.

A pricking, stinging sensation surged from the tip of my tongue toward my head, but it was of no use.

If the dizziness that was dominating Qingdeng's brain was a colossal wave that could swallow an entire island in one go, then the stinging pain caused by Qingdeng biting his tongue was just a dike about a meter high.

Can a dam that can only hold back a small stream stop a raging torrent?

The answer is naturally no.

In just a short while, Qingdeng began to feel as if his body was floating.

The world's gravity seems to be disappearing.

The sounds and sights of the present moment are all distorted.

Soon, even the existence of one's own self became hazy.

Then... Qingdeng doesn't know much about what happened after that.

—What the heck… “When a person is about to die, they will see a revolving lantern”… That’s definitely a lie…

This was the last thought that surfaced in Qing Deng's mind before he collapsed to the ground and his consciousness completely vanished.

……

……

News of the fire at the prison house in Kodenma-cho spread like wildfire throughout Edo.

When he first heard about this, Souji felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and he was completely stunned.

She couldn't remember what she did or what happened after that.

This memory seems to have been cut out of thin air.

When she came to her senses, she had already arrived at the scene of the fire in Kodenmacho with all the staff of Shieikan.

fire.

What a huge fire!

It was like a raging fire that was about to scorch the entire sky.

Collapsed houses; raging flames that devoured everything in their path; swarms of refugees; cries for help from loved ones...

Whenever the wind blows, countless sparks rise into the air and dance, adorning the night sky—so beautiful, yet so terrifying.

The crimson light of the flames illuminated Edo, but it couldn't restore the original plump color to Souji's face... that pretty face that was already so pale it seemed like it might drip ice water at any moment.

The commander stared blankly at the boundless fire before him.

Up to now, the thought "How is this possible?" has been lingering in Souji's mind.

While it's true that fires were frequent in Edo, and that the frequency of fires in Edo was so high that a fire would break out somewhere every few days, but... but... but how could it be such a coincidence?! Why would a fire happen exactly on his first day in prison?!

I don't believe it...

Unbelievable...

I don't have the courage to believe...

However, at this moment, after witnessing this scene of fire with her own eyes, no matter how much she tried to deceive herself, no matter how much she couldn't believe it, she had to admit the fact: the man who had just pledged his life to her a few days ago was trapped in the fire, his fate unknown.

"My lord!"

Kondo Isami's shout brought Souji back to reality.

Kondo called out to a young man dressed in a black firefighter uniform.

"I'd like to ask if there's a young man who's about my height, who's been released from prison..."

Kondo hadn't finished speaking.

"I'm very busy right now! Don't bother me unless it's urgent!"

It was interrupted by the firefighters' shouts.

Even just by looking at him, you can easily see how tired this young firefighter is.

His face was so blackened by the thick smoke from the fire that his original flesh color was almost completely obscured.

The firefighters of the town fire extinguishers were the most respected and beloved group among the people of Edo, almost without exception.

Because the yōri (specifically referring to the yōri who served in the government, such as Arima) was wealthy, the sumo wrestler was strong, and the kōshō-tō (fire brigade captain) was charismatic, these three became idols in the hearts of Edo women.

The proverb "Add fire to the head when you fight with strength and sumo" illustrates this point.

The people of ancient Japan firmly believed that fires were disasters caused by demons and monsters, so those who could face fires were heroes.

Edo was known for its frequent fires. In the more than 200 years since the founding of the city by the first shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, there have been more than 100 major fires. On average, there was a super fire every six years that could burn down half or even most of Edo.

Hence the saying: "Scorched earth appears once every six years."

If large-scale fires occur at such a high frequency, then smaller fires must be even more numerous.

The frequent fires posed a serious threat to the safety of the people of Edo. As a result, the firefighters who would always be on the front lines of the disaster area whenever a fire broke out naturally became objects of great respect and affection.

In the eyes of the people of Edo, the firefighters who dared to fight against the flames were outstanding heroes, courageous men, and superheroes.

Even the most aloof samurai often held the bravest firefighters in high esteem.

Therefore, influenced by this social culture, Kondo did not get angry or dissatisfied even after being scolded by the young firefighter.

Of course, there was another important reason why Kondo did not feel any negative emotions because of the young firefighter's reprimand: he knew he was in the wrong.

People are working tirelessly to extinguish the fire and save lives, and it's really inappropriate to bother them for your own selfish reasons.

"I apologize." Kondo lowered his head, his expression sincere and heartfelt. "I was thinking of my friend and inadvertently offended you. Please forgive me!"

Seeing Kondo's sincere attitude, the young man's dissatisfaction immediately melted away.

"Do you have any friends trapped in the fire?"

"Yes."

Hijikata answered for Kondo. He was about to say something more when the young firefighter interrupted him:

"In that case, let's lend a hand!"

"Everyone is either demolishing houses to contain the fire or evacuating refugees! No one has the spare capacity to help check if your friends have successfully escaped the fire!"

"This kind of thing can only be done after the flames have died down!"

"So, come and help! We're desperately short-handed!"

"It's winter now, the weather is very dry, and tonight is a windy night. If we don't control the fire quickly, we risk repeating the tragedies of Furisode and Sakurada!"

Furisode and Sakurada – the former refers to the Furisode Fire that occurred in 1657, and the latter refers to the Sakurada Fire that occurred in 1794.

Both of these fires brought immense suffering to Edo.

"The sooner the fire is extinguished, the faster you can go to find your friends."

The young firefighter added.

The people in the testing hall looked at each other in bewilderment.

The commander-in-chief nodded first.

Extinguishing the fire... this was for Qingdeng, and also for herself.

She was eager to do something.

Aside from keeping herself busy, Souji couldn't think of any other way to calm her current mind.

Anything is fine! As long as it keeps her busy!

After Souji nodded, Saito also nodded slightly.

Next up were Kondo, Hijikata, Harada...

Not a single person in the entire testing center objected; they all cast determined glances at the young firefighter.

"Alright! Then, please follow me!"

The young firefighter gave the commander and others grateful looks, then led them off towards the distant "front line"...

……

……

Due to limited technology, even if the firefighters of the town fire station used all their manpower and resources, they would not be able to extinguish this massive fire that had begun to spread in all directions.

Therefore, the only option left is the classic, old method: demolition!

All houses adjacent to the disaster area were demolished to create firebreaks, and then the flames were allowed to extinguish naturally once there was nothing left to burn.