I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Regarding Tsuchida's strike... Aoto's assessment was the same as Kazama's attack: the only thing he could offer was "momentum".

No! Tsuchida is even worse than Kazama! At least Kazama's sword tendons are still quite straight. If he were to hit Aoto, he would definitely tear Aoto's skin, flesh, tendons, and bones apart.

As for Tsuchida... his sword veins were crooked and his sword path was extremely irregular. It was obvious that he was just swinging his sword haphazardly and making random slashes.

You should know that Qingdeng's body is much more resilient than the average person's.

First there was "Steel Bone," which was copied from Nagakura to increase bone strength, and then there were "Slender Body" and "Graceful Body," which were obtained after defeating the Double Sisters to enhance the toughness of internal organs and skin.

Even if Tsuchida's self-destructive attack hit Qing Deng's body, it would be unlikely to cause significant damage to Qing Deng, whose physical strength far exceeds that of ordinary people.

There's not much to say. Qing Deng pierced through Tsuchida's left armpit before Tsuchida's sword could completely fall.

As they passed each other, Qing Deng lowered his head, the handguard of the bamboo sword pressed against Tsuchida's waist, and the blade sliced ​​across Tsuchida's abdomen from the handguard to the tip!

Tsuchida was "cut in half".

"Cough!"

Tsuchida's head jerked forward, and he vomited up everything that was left in his stomach. After vomiting until there was nothing left to vomit, he slumped forward, his limbs supporting him on the ground.

Although Tsuchida's martial arts skills were poor, his "resilience" was quite good.

Despite being cut in half at the waist by Qing Deng, he did not immediately lose consciousness.

But that's all.

He clung to his last shred of consciousness and shakily tried to get up.

As soon as he looked up, he saw a bamboo sword rapidly enlarging...

Bang!

Tsuchida, who had been stabbed in the back of the neck, snorted, then rolled his eyes, tilted his head, and followed in Kazama's footsteps.

Qingdeng subconsciously flicked his bamboo sword, shaking off non-existent bloodstains from its surface.

The last two targets, Kimura and Hisaka, took advantage of the moment when Aoto was dealing with Kazama and Tsuchida, and sped off into the distance.

Their figures had disappeared from Qingdeng's sight.

But this is not a problem for Qing Deng at all.

The eyes have never been the only sensory organ that Qingdeng relies on.

Qingdeng closed his eyes and focused his mind on his ears.

The power of "Divine Brain +9" is once again evident at this moment!

The extreme clarity of his mind, as if a layer of cool mint had been applied to his scalp, significantly enhanced Qing Deng's perception.

In the instant that Aoto closed his eyes and listened, he discovered and locked onto the locations of Kimura and Hisaka.

They possess both endurance and explosive power in their legs, unleashing their full potential.

About seven seconds later, Kimura and Hisaka reappeared within Aoto's sight.

"Oh shit……!"

Upon discovering that Qing Deng had caught up, Kimura cursed loudly. He pursed his lips thoughtfully, then turned around with his sword in hand.

"Hisaka! The thief's speed far surpasses ours! We can't escape! Since we can't run away, we might as well fight! Let's cooperate! If we work together, maybe..."

Kimura's words came to an abrupt end.

There was no need to continue the conversation.

Hisaka ignored Kimura's suggestion and continued to flee in the direction away from Aoto, leaving Kimura far behind.

Left all alone, Kimura stared blankly at Hisaka's receding figure.

After a moment, he came to his senses and said through gritted teeth:

"Damn it! You spineless coward!"

Kimura was already determined to "fight to the death!" so even though Hisaka "abandoned him," he did not put down his sword.

"Come on, you thief!"

Kimura brandished his sword and slashed at Aoto.

Qing Deng dodged the attack, simultaneously stepping forward to slash straight at Kimura's chest. Just then, Kimura's sword suddenly slashed upwards, its momentum unstoppable.

If the weapon in his hand were real, then Aoto could have easily parried Kimura's attack.

However... talking about "what ifs" during a battle is quite ridiculous.

Despite feeling regretful, Qingdeng had no choice but to switch from offense to defense, giving up the precious opportunity to counterattack.

As if bounced away, the two quickly missed each other.

"what……!"

Kimura exhaled a breath of stale air, then spread his legs and assumed a posture with the blade of a sword held diagonally across his chest. He stood there motionless, his neither fat nor thin body seemingly becoming as hard as a rock in an instant.

"I underestimated him a bit..." Qing Deng thought to himself. He had never sparred with Kimura before, nor had he heard that Kimura was skilled in martial arts. He had thought that Kimura was just an average swordsman, but he turned out to be quite capable.

Qingdeng lowered the tip of his sword slightly, his toes brushing the ground, gradually shortening the distance between himself and his opponent.

Kimura's feet remained firmly planted on the ground as always, his eyes fixed on Aoto, as if waiting for Aoto to attack.

The instant that Qing Deng stepped into Kimura's attack range, Kimura suddenly moved.

He moved with light steps toward Qingdeng, just like a bird spreading its wings.

Almost at the same time, Qingdeng also ran to meet him.

The distance between the two instantly shortened.

As if drawn together by a magnet, the bamboo sword and the steel knife touched.

The steel knife cut through the air.

The bamboo sword struck the side of the steel knife.

In that instant, Kimura felt as if the knife in his hand had been struck by a fast horse, the overwhelming and fierce force flowing continuously from the blade to his hand and body.

If Kimura hadn't instinctively tightened his fingers, and if his finger strength and grip strength hadn't been exceptional, his knife would definitely have been knocked away by now.

However... although he didn't end up losing his weapon, Qing Deng's slash disrupted his stance, leaving him wide open!

Oh no! Kimura's expression suddenly changed, and he immediately dropped his katana and reached for his wakizashi at his waist.

But it was too late.

Qingdeng stepped forward, transforming into a bamboo sword with a cloud-like structure that whistled in the wind.

At the same time, Kimura drew his wakizashi and struck Aoto hard in the waist and abdomen.

The two passed each other in an instant.

In the instant their sleeves met, Aoto slashed deeply into Kimura's chest, while Kimura's wakizashi was further away, only grazing Aoto's sleeve.

After running nearly four steps in one go, Qing Deng, while habitually maintaining his stamina, looked back at Kimura.

Kimura stood still, his back to Aoto, without turning around.

The person was still in the stance of making a move.

But this is only temporary.

Two seconds later, the wakizashi in Kimura's hand fell to the ground, his head and hands drooped limply, and his legs supported his unconscious body as he staggered forward two steps before falling heavily to the ground.

[Ding! Talent detected]

[Successfully Replicating the Talent: "Skillful Hands"]

[Talent Introduction: Fingers are far more dexterous and powerful than the average person]

[Ding! Detected that the host already possesses a talent of the same type]

[Ding! Initiating talent fusion]

[Ding! "Skillful Hands" and "Skillful Hands +1" are merging.]

[Please wait, host... Please wait, host...]

[Ding! Talent fusion successful]

[Upgrade your "Skillful Hands" ability - "Skillful Hands +2"]

[“Skillful Hands +2” Talent Description: The talent effect is enhanced on top of its original effect. “+9” is the highest level.]

……

……

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

With a pained expression, Hisaka clutched his aching side with one hand and leaned against the wall with the other, moving forward breathlessly.

This is the first time in recent years that Hisaka has run so hard.

The body, which had not been exercised for a long time, was groaning in pain and roaring in protest.

Just a little longer... just a little longer... that's what Hisaka told himself.

There are two staircases leading downstairs.

One of them was the staircase that Qingdeng and his men used to climb up. It was clearly impossible to get any closer to this staircase.

Therefore, if Hisaka wants to escape, she can only choose to go to another staircase.

The stairs are not far away. If we just hold on a little longer, we can escape from here—this belief has sustained Himaka to this day.

Finally, Hisaka arrived at a corridor he had walked through countless times.

Just a short walk forward, and just around that corner, and you'll reach the stairs leading downstairs! Hisaka's face was filled with the exhilaration of someone who had just escaped a disaster.

Ironically, the look of excitement on his face lasted only a second before he froze.

Right in front of him, on the path he had to take to the stairs, a section of "darkness" suddenly began to wriggle gently.

In no time, the "darkness" separated from the surrounding environment and transformed into a tall figure carrying a bamboo sword.

"Aaaaaaahh ...

Hisaka was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, staring in terror at Aoto, who should have been behind him but had somehow appeared in front of him.