I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Ugaki Goro is currently riding high on his momentum; if he were to launch a counterattack rashly, he would likely suffer a setback.

Therefore, Aoto deliberately adopted a defensive stance, unilaterally defending and gradually wearing down Ugaki Goro's strength and spirit.

There is no human being in this world who never makes a mistake.

Even those with extraordinary talents like "focusing the mind" or "super brain +9" will still have moments of distraction, absent-mindedness, and mental lapses.

Just like now—perhaps he was blinded by the gradually improving situation, or perhaps it was just an accidental mistake, in any case, Goro Ugaki made a big mistake.

He changed his position from the middle of the sword, which was originally pointing diagonally at Qing Deng's brow, to the upper part of the sword, which he held above his head.

The transition from mid-range to high-range is a very risky move in Japanese swordsmanship, requiring extreme caution when executed.

The middle stance is a very versatile and all-around stance, capable of both offense and defense, and it exposes very few weaknesses.

In the process of transitioning from a middle stance to an upper stance, and raising the sword and arm, the elbow will inevitably be exposed to the opponent's view—a fatal flaw that could lead to disaster if the opponent seizes it.

The same principle applies to drawing a sword.

Even someone who has never learned swordsmanship knows that when reaching for a sword at the waist, the elbow of the hand drawing the sword will inevitably be exposed to the opponent—that's for sure.

Many novices stumble here. They think they've been extremely careful, but they don't even realize they've exposed a fatal flaw.

Without maintaining a safe distance from the opponent, rashly raising your hand to draw your knife exposes your elbow, which the opponent can then use to dart forward, strike, and cut your elbow—the outcome is already decided. Countless novices have lost because of poor timing in drawing their knives.

Every proper swordsmanship dojo teaches its students to always be mindful of their elbows!

Ugaki Goro is indeed a highly skilled and experienced veteran.

His speed in changing stances was incredibly fast—but ultimately, he still couldn't outpace "Hawk Eye +2" and "Godspeed +4".

This fleeting flaw was clearly reflected in Qing Deng's eyes.

Seizing the moment when Ugaki Goro raised his bamboo sword to the "upper level," Qing Deng took a large step forward with his left foot and swung his sword at the opponent's raised hand.

Looking at the bamboo sword heading straight for his hand, Ugaki Goro was first taken aback, and then a look of regret flashed in his eyes as he realized he had made a mistake.

However, this only lasted for a moment.

A moment later, the annoyance in Ugaki Goro's eyes transformed into a strange smile.

Without dodging or defending, Ugaki Goro unexpectedly lunged forward and launched a surprise attack on Qing Deng! Without hesitation, he swung his sword down towards Qing Deng's body!

Upon seeing this, Qing Deng's pupils involuntarily contracted.

His bamboo sword could only have struck Ugaki Goro's hand.

But now, because Ugaki Goro charged forward in an instant, his bamboo sword was able to strike the opponent's chest.

Although he was able to inflict greater damage on Ugaki Goro, Aoto was not happy at all.

Ugaki Goro's behavior of being willing to suffer greater harm himself in order to "bite" a piece of flesh from Aoto is both insane and extremely threatening!

Qingdeng's bamboo sword had already been slashed out and could not be retracted.

In this position, neither dodging nor defending is an option.

Qingdeng could only manage to twist his body to the right with difficulty.

Snapped!

Snapped!

Two sounds of flesh colliding rang out, one after the other.

Aoto's bamboo sword struck Ugaki Goro's right chest.

Ugaki Goro's bamboo sword cut Aoto's left upper arm.

If Qingdeng hadn't reacted quickly enough and twisted his body to the right in time, he wouldn't have been cut on his left arm, but rather on his left shoulder.

Even so, the burning sensation still spread from the spot where he was stabbed to Qing Deng's entire left arm, and then throughout his whole body.

Qingdeng glanced down at his left arm and moved his left hand fingers—it hurt, but it was just a superficial injury, not a bone injury, so it was fine and he could continue fighting.

On the other hand, Ugaki Goro, who had been stabbed in the chest again, swayed a few times before regaining his balance and turning around to face Aoto again.

His rosy face showed no sign of pain, his eyebrows were filled with excitement, his lips were upturned, and he gripped the bamboo sword tightly... everything remained the same.

"...You're really tough."

Qingdeng's tone was half admiration and half helplessness.

Such strong bones and muscles... even Nagakura Shinpachi, who I remember being the most physically robust, is probably no match for him.

"Ouch, that hurts..."

Ugaki Goro raised his hand and gently touched the spot where he had been stabbed.

Although he kept saying "It hurts so much," his expression showed absolutely nothing to do with "pain."

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that after saying "Ouch!", the look of excitement on Ugaki Goro's face seemed to intensify...

"No matter how many times I'm slashed, I won't fall; no matter how many times I'm slashed, I can get up and fight again... That's why those who hate and despise me have given me the nickname 'Mad Dog'!"

As he spoke, Goro Ugaki struck that strange pose again, saying that the upper section was too short and the middle section was too high.

"How are you? Can you still wield your sword?"

"Still able to wield a sword? Who are you talking about?"

Qingdeng sneered, his toes brushing the ground as he spread his legs, adopting the Caixia stance.

"You should worry about yourself! I saw you were swaying a bit just now!"

"You don't need to worry about that! If I were that easy to fall, I wouldn't be called a 'rabid dog'!"

Ugakigo laughed loudly.

"Niou! Attack! If you don't come, I'm going to launch a full-scale attack!"

The two figures rushed towards each other without either of them coming first.

The two bamboo swords slashed at each other simultaneously.

……

……

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!

The bamboo sword struck through the air.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

The novels piled on the floor were kicked over.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The tatami mats were worn with countless long marks.

At this point, Qing Deng finally realized that his thinking was wrong.

Up until now, he had been subconsciously following the traditional rules of swordsmanship competition in his duel with Ugaki Goro.

In other words, if you can hit the opponent's vital point while preserving yourself, you will win.

The problem is that the battle he is currently engaged in with Ugaki Goro is not a traditional swordsmanship contest, but a war of attrition.

Whoever is unable to stand up first, whoever is unable to fight again first, will lose.

Therefore, we need to change our approach...

As long as you make sure you don't get beaten to the point of losing your fighting ability, that's fine.

What we really need to pursue is to inflict maximum damage on our opponents.

If this goal can be achieved, defense can be abandoned to a certain extent.

Just like Ugaki Goro just now... even if it means suffering even greater harm, I will still retaliate against Aoto...

With this thought in mind, Qingdeng exhaled a breath of stale air, having made a decision.

"ah--!"

Just then, Goro Ugaki let out a piercing scream and lowered his waist sharply into a low stance.

In the next instant, he suddenly straightened his upper body, and the power accumulated in his waist burst forth instantly, pressing down on Qing Deng like a giant.

Qingdeng stuck out his tongue and licked his dry lips. He steadied himself by stepping firmly on the ground, slightly adjusting the direction of his sword tip. It was now pointing diagonally at the middle of his opponent's brow, changing to a flat blue eye. At the same time, he hunched his shoulders, as if his entire being had disappeared into the shadow of the bamboo sword in his hand.

Qing Deng's posture has a terrifying sense of oppression.

The two shouted and began to fight.

Aside from his durability, Goro Ugaki's strength, speed, and swordsmanship are all inferior to Aoto's.

However, Goro Ugaki's strength continued to improve.

His current condition is incomparable to what it was before.

However, Goro Ugaki is no longer the only one whose strength has been continuously improving.

—As expected… my gut feeling was right!

Although the increase was small, Qing Deng was certain that his strength had indeed improved!

Strength, speed, agility, and reflexes all received only minor improvements.

At first, Qing Deng was still wondering: Ugaki Goro's strength level should not be enough to inspire "lone courage".

It wasn't until a moment later that Qingdeng suddenly remembered: besides "lone wolf", he also had a talent that could temporarily enhance his physical functions!

It's a "Berserker"!

The tolerance to pain and blood loss is greatly increased. The more pain one feels, the more one can unleash the hidden power within the body. However, this effect is nullified when the damage exceeds the body's physiological limits. These are the innate effects of the "Berserker".

Ever since copying "Berserker" from Shinsaku Takasugi, Aoto has never had the opportunity to activate this talent.

Over time, Qingdeng forgot about its existence.

Just now, Qing Deng's left arm was cut by Ugaki Goro's bamboo sword, and the pain still lingers in Qing Deng's body.

It must have been this pain that triggered the "Berserker".

In the blink of an eye, Ugaki Goro suddenly moved.

He leaped into the air, his bamboo sword hurtling towards Qing Deng's left shoulder with the force of a mountain crashing down.