I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

However... even so, Sanako's fingers did not loosen, but instead gripped the hilt of the knife even tighter.

Seeing this, the young man slowly wiped the smile off his face.

"You're already too weak to fight anymore, why don't you put down your knife?"

"To lay down one's weapons before dying in battle... is a disgrace to a samurai."

"Zanako said calmly."

"……amazing."

The young man twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a strange expression that was neither a smile nor a frown.

"Even though you're so badly injured, you still maintain your indomitable fighting spirit. If all the samurai in the shogunate and the feudal domains could be as noble as you..."

The young man hadn't finished speaking—

Whoosh!

Suddenly, the sound of an arrow slicing through the air came from not far away!

The young man paused for a moment, then suddenly turned his head in response to the sound.

The sharp wind made the hairs on his face stand on end.

In the blink of an eye, the sharp arrow was already three inches from his nose.

Sanako was stunned.

It wasn't because the arrow came suddenly, nor because the young man's head was blown off.

It was because the arrow stopped flying when it was within inches of the youth; it stopped abruptly in mid-air, in the youth's large hand!

Da da da da da!

The sound of rapid, powerful footsteps approached the youth from the side and front with the speed of lightning.

Immediately afterwards, a dark figure leaped high into the air.

Echizen-no-kami Kaneshige's blade was aimed straight at the young man's skull!

The young man's pupils contracted slightly, and then he suddenly threw away the arrow in his hand and drew his sword.

clang!

The blades clashed in mid-air.

The reaction force, as if trying to snatch the knife away, traveled along the blade and hilt to Qing Deng's palms.

—This guy…he may not be muscular, but his strength is no joke!

Upon seeing the young man's agile yet composed and flawless figure, Qing Deng immediately sensed something was wrong.

His "combat instincts," honed through years of rigorous training and desperate battles, were frantically sounding alarm bells—this person was extremely dangerous! He was no ordinary opponent that archers could easily handle!

To save Sanako, Aoto rushed towards the young man without hesitation.

While sprinting at full speed, Qingdeng raised his bow and shot, trying to distract the young man. Once he was close enough to be within a suitable distance, he immediately threw away his bow and arrows, discarded the quiver on his right hip, and leaped toward the young man.

And so, this scene unfolded.

At this moment, Qingdeng felt his heart rate increase sharply and his adrenaline surge rapidly.

This is a manifestation of a "lone wolf" attack.

Qing Deng was taken aback by this.

There are two conditions for activating "Lone Wolf".

First, facing multiple enemies.

Secondly, facing an enemy far stronger than oneself.

The latter's activation conditions haven't been triggered by Qingdeng for a long time...

The only opponent Qing Deng faces is this mysterious and unpredictable young man.

Since "Lone Wolf" has been activated at this moment... it means that this young man's strength is far superior to his!

Compared to the dignified Qing Deng in his heart, the young man's current state was very special—he grinned and laughed.

"Tall and wearing a straw hat... You're the one who caused my men so many losses! Well done!"

Clang!

The misaligned blades shook the surrounding air.

The two adjusted their positions and assumed fighting stances without taking turns.

Rakshasa's feet moved forward as if gliding, and the upper part of the blade slashed down heavily diagonally, drawing a breathtaking arc in the air. The speed of the blade was terrifying.

Facing the Rakshasa's sword strike, Aoto didn't retreat an inch. Echizen-no-kami Kaneshige held the sword horizontally in front of his chest and forcefully deflected it back.

In the blink of an eye, Rakshasa's figure suddenly disappeared from Qingdeng's sight.

The young man moved with incredible speed. Even with all of Qing Deng's talents activated, such as "Lone Courage," "Focus," and "Eagle Eye +3," he could only barely see a blurry afterimage. The young man crouched low with lightning speed and flashed to Qing Deng's side and rear.

This place happens to be Qingdeng's blind spot!

The moment he sensed a slight movement in the air, Qing Deng instinctively raised the knife in his hand over his shoulder and extended it behind him.

This move is extremely difficult, requiring you to twist your arm backward as if it were about to break.

Fortunately, Qingdeng possesses a talent that enhances his physical flexibility: "the body of a snake."

clang!

After narrowly deflecting the youth's attack, Qing Deng took a few quick steps forward, adjusting his breathing and regrouping as he ran.

When he turned around, the young man was already close to him again, his vision filled with the high-flying hem of his clothes.

hum!

The blade whistled.

This attack was a powerful and heavy reverse kasaya slash.

At the critical moment, Qing Deng swung his sword and deflected the young man's downward slash to the side.

The young man, following the momentum of his charge, passed by Qingdeng's side.

The two men's sleeves touched.

Just as the two passed each other... a flash! Another flash! Two blades of light appeared between them, almost indistinguishable.

The first flash of light was the young man's slash.

The young man suddenly lowered his body and swung his knife across Qing Deng's chest.

The second flash of light was Qing Deng's stabbing attack.

Qing Deng, starting with the Xia Duan stance, aimed at the young man's waist and abdomen, unleashing a thrusting technique from the Natural Rinshi-ryu style: Wuming (Ignorance).

This close-quarters battle was over in an instant.

The young man's knife was like a very flexible leather whip. Although Qing Deng consciously twisted his body to dodge, he was still hit hard on the left shoulder.

Qingdeng suddenly felt a chill run down his shoulder.

Immediately afterwards, the coldness turned into pain.

My left shoulder felt like it had been bitten by a tiger; the pain was excruciating.

As for the young man who was also attacked by Qing Deng... his left sleeve drooped down.

The young man dodged Qing Deng's thrust.

The blade of Echizen-no-kami Kaneshige barely grazed the young man's armpit, severing only his sleeve sash.

The two ran past each other, creating a distance of about five steps between them.

The young man turned around and stared intently at Qing Deng as if he were eyeing his prey.

At the same time, Qing Deng turned around and cast a hunter's gaze at the young man.

My left shoulder is injured...that's alright.

The injury was not serious and did not affect Qing Deng's ability to wield the sword.

The throbbing wound awakened another talent within Qing Deng.

Berserker, activate!

In an instant, the young man moved.

He suddenly spread his arms and pounced on Qingdeng. His movements were as nimble as a light bird in flight.

Qingdeng ran to meet him.

This time, Qing Deng made the first move.

The tip of Echizen Sumitachi no Kami's sword trembled like the tail of a sekirei.

Qing Deng used the Hokushin Itto-ryu sword technique, striking the young man's right wrist holding the sword with a mid-section sword strike.

In any case, Qing Deng is a swordsman who is proficient in both the Natural Rinshū-ryū and Hokushin Ittō-ryū styles.

His skill in Hokushin Itto-ryu is by no means inferior to that of Tennen Rishin-ryu.

Upon seeing this, the young man's expression turned slightly solemn—he was of course unaware that Qing Deng's "Berserker" had been activated, but he could tell that Qing Deng's speed was slightly faster than before.

His knife tip suddenly dipped, changing to a lower section configuration.

Their bodies were drawn together like magnets, and then immediately separated.

The instant their figures overlapped, Qing Deng's slashing blade tore through the youth's sleeve, while the youth's upward thrust severed the rope tying the bamboo hat hanging below Qing Deng's earlobe.

The two switched places, their heavy footsteps pounding as if they were about to crack the ground.

The distance between the two at this time was about 8 steps.

As if by prior agreement, neither of them launched a new offensive, both silently maintaining their resolute stances and gazing at each other.

From the moment Qingdeng arrived until now, it seems like the two sides have been fighting for a long time. In reality, the entire series of fierce exchanges just now occurred within 8 seconds.

It didn't even take the 10 seconds required to copy the talent.

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