I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

After all, a generous reward could be obtained simply by taking the heads of Qing Deng and the others.

Their offensive tactics were not without method.

They can either cooperate with each other, attack as a group, or seize an opportunity to launch a surprise attack.

In short, their performance was beyond reproach... but they simply couldn't do anything about Qing Deng and the others.

He went up alone and got cut down alone.

Let's go together, and get cut down together.

This outcome is simply to be expected.

After all, their opponents were a Nioh and two genius female warriors.

Money is important, but to lose your life for money is to put the cart before the horse.

Driven by greed, the beasts gradually calmed down after witnessing their companions fall one after another.

They began to seriously reflect: were they really destined to receive that 50 taels of gold reward?

You can't blame them for being afraid of death.

It is human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm.

The burly man who had just arrogantly demanded Onodera's surrender now looked horribly pale, as if he had accidentally swallowed a fly.

"Damn it...! That bastard Onodera actually brought in such a powerful accomplice...!"

After saying that, the burly man pursed his lips and pretended to be deep in thought.

A moment later, he turned his head and instructed his subordinate beside him:

"Bring the archers over here!"

……

……

The formation of Qing Deng and others was roughly in the shape of the Chinese character "品" (pin).

Sanako and Souji protect the flanks, while Aoto plays as the striker.

As for Onodera, he was protected in the middle of the three "mouth" radicals of the character "品".

Anyone who can rise to the rank of an executive in a dog-eat-dog world like the Shimizu Clan must have exceptional mental fortitude.

Onodera, carrying a katana he had just picked up from beside a corpse, followed closely behind Aoto.

Judging from his footwork, it's easy to tell that he's a trained martial artist.

However, perhaps knowing that he was not capable of providing effective support to Qingdeng and the others, he wisely chose to remain hidden in the middle of the character "品" and obediently accepted the protection of Qingdeng and the others, never daring to step out of the character "品".

To be honest, Onodera's understanding of the bigger picture made Aoto breathe a sigh of relief.

If Onodera acts recklessly or without authorization, it will greatly increase the pressure on Aoto and the others to protect him.

As the "vanguard," Qing Deng endured the most attacks and also shouldered the greatest responsibility.

He needs to break through the layers of interception by the Black Mother Clan and carve a bloody path for everyone.

He has to kill the enemy in front of him, protect Onodera behind him, and keep an eye on Sanako and Souji to prevent them from getting into danger... He has to do three things at once, which is very difficult.

Faced with this situation, all Qingdeng could do was to give it his all.

In the blink of an eye, Qingdeng once again broke through the enemy's defenses.

Wherever the blade struck, the enemy horde retreated in disarray, like waves parting and breaking apart.

In an instant, several more women in black clothes fell to the ground.

Sanako and Souji then worked together to further tear open the breach that Aoto had created.

Qingdeng maintained his fierce offensive, becoming more and more courageous with each battle.

But at that moment... he heard a very familiar voice.

Squeak squeak squeak...!

That voice... Qing Deng was all too familiar with it.

He often heard this sound while receiving archery instruction from Tenshōin at the archery range of the Tsukimiya Shrine.

That's the sound of a bowstring being pulled taut!

In an instant, Qingdeng's pupils shrank to the size of pinholes.

"Everyone! Find a tree trunk to hide behind!"

Almost at the same moment that Qing Deng's shout ended—

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

In the distance came the sound of a bowstring being released and an arrow flying!

A dozen or so arrows, carrying a chilling aura, rained down from the distant bushes like a swarm of locusts, hurtling towards Qingdeng and the others!

Fortunately, Qingdeng's reminder was timely enough.

Despite the tight schedule, Qingdeng and the others managed to take cover behind a large tree with a thick trunk before the rain of arrows fell.

The arrows were incredibly powerful, piercing straight into the enormous ancient tree, penetrating three inches deep.

The trees where Qingdeng and the others were hiding were riddled with bullets in the blink of an eye.

"Everyone, stay hidden! Don't stick your bodies out!"

Aoto shouted at Souji and Onodera, who were hiding not far away.

Coincidentally, Souji and Onodera were hiding behind the same tree, while Aoto and Sanako were hiding behind another tree.

The sudden rain of arrows not only caused trouble for Qing Deng and his group, but also frightened the Black Mothers fighting on the front lines.

They were cursing and scrambling to retreat, afraid of being hit by stray arrows if they were even a step too slow.

Suddenly, the fierce battlefield, which had been filled with blood and gore just moments before, became a "vacuum zone" where no one stood and only arrows passed through.

Qingdeng cautiously peeked half of his head out of the tree to peek in the direction from which the arrows were coming.

The view was very poor because of the shade from the trees.

It took Qingdeng a long time to finally find the hiding place of all the archers in the dense thicket.

The archers of the Black Mother Clan all carried bows over 2 meters long and had huge quivers at their waists that could hold dozens of arrows.

They were all on high alert, arrows nocked, bows drawn, ready to unleash a rain of arrows upon Qing Deng and his men.

This scene caused Qing Deng to frown involuntarily:

"Tsk, this is troublesome..."

Before the advent of firearms, bows and crossbows were the most terrifying weapons on the battlefield—this has been true throughout history and across the world.

Statistics show that in the era of cold weapons, more than 70% of battlefield casualties were caused by crossbows.

Looking back, Qingdeng had repeatedly "single-handedly defeated the enemy's forces."

Not long ago, he even shattered a pistol bullet fired by Kitahara Konosuke.

However... even with a wealth of combat experience as a foundation, Qing Deng still couldn't help but feel apprehensive when facing the "king of the battlefield," the bow and arrow, once again.

"Onodera! And Onodera's companions! Listen up!"

It was that burly man's voice.

"I'm giving you one last chance!"

"Put down your weapons and surrender obediently!"

"Otherwise, I swear—I will absolutely use the cruelest methods in the world to torture you to the point where you can neither live nor die!"

The burly man had a very loud voice.

Compared to the burly man's volume, the so-called "thunderous voice" was nothing special.

However, his impassioned speech went unheard by Qing Deng.

Qing Dengli ignored the strong man's attempts to persuade him to surrender.

At this moment, his mind was completely absorbed in thought.

He looked around, scanning the bushes beside him.

Immediately afterwards, he half-closed his eyes and constructed a virtual forest in his mind.

In the "forest," his own position, the archers' positions, and the positions of the rocky outcrops were all clearly marked.

An invisible battle was raging deep within Qing Deng's mind...

*******

*******

The college entrance exam scores were released today! Leopard checked his score—100 points!

Long-awaited high spirits, so happy!

Chapter 434 Qing Deng, an exceptionally skilled archer [4400]

What should we do? What's the best course of action?

Sanako anxiously asked herself this question while subconsciously clenching the naginata in her hand.

They will never surrender; that is an indisputable choice.

Regardless of the fact that they still need information from Onodera, the pride of a samurai woman alone would not allow Sanako to wag her tail and beg for mercy.

Even if Qing Deng and Souji surrender, she will never betray her principles to the enemy.

Whether it's bows and crossbows or guns and cannons, the terrifying aspect of these long-range weapons lies in their "attack range".

Swords, spears, clubs, and halberds can only be used to deliver an effective strike after getting close to the enemy.

In contrast, bows, crossbows, guns, and cannons could send opponents to their doom from a great distance.

Therefore, the best way to counter them is to fight fire with fire—by using ranged weapons yourself.