I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

However, privately collecting armor is likely to attract special attention from the government.

However, martial arts protective gear is not on the government's "blacklist".

While martial arts protective gear is definitely not as protective as armor, wearing it is worse than nothing, and you might actually be able to save your life with it.

Looking at the long, winding procession moving in and out of the Qingshui Residence, and the massive amount of weapons they were carrying, Qing Deng involuntarily raised an eyebrow, his expression slightly grim.

At that moment, he suddenly heard a gasp from beside him.

"Look, it's 'Blood Tiger' Sakurai Shigetaro..."

Qing Deng raised his gaze and saw a tall, fierce-looking samurai with scars all over his face swaggering out of the Shimizu residence with an arrogant, square gait.

All the Yakuza inside and outside the Shimizu residence showed reverence upon seeing this warrior.

Aoto recognized the man... This man was one of the famous henchmen under the Shimizu clan, named Sakurai Shigetaro, nicknamed "Blood Tiger".

He's brain-dead—brain-dead in the physical sense.

It is said that he fell from a height when he was young and hit his head, and ever since then, a piece of his forehead bone has been missing.

That's probably why he damaged his brain. He lost the normal emotions that humans should have and became a bloodless and tearless killing machine. He was a pervert who would not hesitate to torture an infant in swaddling clothes without hesitation.

Not long after, another prominent figure in the underworld emerged.

Tall and slender, carrying two short guns on his back... he is "Dual Gunner" Mantaro Kishijima.

As his name suggests, he is a "two-gun master" who can use two short guns to attack enemies at the same time. He is also one of the famous henchmen under the command of the Shimizu clan.

As if a hornet's nest had been stirred up, one after another, famous figures who were rarely seen on ordinary days stepped out of the Shimizu Residence and appeared in front of the public like they were walking a catwalk.

"Oni Nagano" Nagano Binjiro, "Spear Eisuke" Kusunoki Eisuke, "Sendai's Fierce Bull" Ozeki Louzaburo... they are all ruthless characters who kill without blinking an eye.

The top-notch thugs hired by the Shimizu clan are usually idle at home, and are only summoned when there is a mission.

These killers gathered together... Such a scene was both rare and shocking. The atmosphere at the scene changed abruptly, and even the air seemed to carry a hint of blood.

Suddenly, the last person walked out of the Shimizu residence.

The man was dressed simply, with his hands behind his back, and walked at a leisurely pace.

At first glance, he appears to be just an ordinary middle-aged man.

However, the moment this person appeared, all the Yakuza present... including the group of murderous maniacs who had appeared earlier, stopped what they were doing and hurriedly bowed to him.

This person was an old acquaintance of Qingdeng—the commander-in-chief of the Shimizu clan, Shimizu Eiichi!

Since their brief encounter at the fireworks festival six months ago, Aoto has had no further dealings with Shimizu Eiichi.

After paying their respects to Shimizu Sakae and his group, the ruthless men led by "Blood Tiger" Sakurai Shigetaro consciously stood behind them.

Surrounded by so many menacing "beasts"... Shimizu Eiichi's aura remained completely unaffected.

Rather, when those ruthless individuals stood behind Shimizu Eiichi, the onlookers, including Aoto, suddenly felt a strange sense that "these people all seemed to have shrunk in stature."

The reason for this is quite simple.

Besides being the "Commander-in-Chief of the Shimizu Clan," Shimizu Eiichi has another identity—the Shimizu Clan's number one combatant!

Eiichi Shimizu, who came from a humble background, had never learned martial arts, but he managed to develop a wild and untamed fighting style on his own through a series of life-or-death bloody battles, relying on his superior talent.

Although Shimizu Sakae retired from the front lines long ago and no longer personally went to the front lines, no one doubted that this legendary hero, who rose to power by daring to fight and kill, still possessed a formidable fighting ability that inspired fear!

After leaving the Shimizu residence, Shimizu Eiichi stopped three steps away from the door.

He surveyed the crowd gathered nearby with a disdainful gaze.

Many people, after being caught in his gaze, unconsciously took a step or even more steps back, feeling as if they had been pricked by an arrow.

"Quite a few people have come... Well, that suits me just fine."

After muttering to himself for a while, Shimizu Eiichi cleared his throat.

Then, in a loud voice, he shouted:

"Tachibana Aoto! Are you here?!"

As Shimizu Eiichi's question fell, the surrounding crowd stirred quietly.

Qing Deng's gaze narrowed slightly, but he remained unmoved, continuing to stare at Shimizu Eiichi not far away with an attitude of watching a show.

"If you're here, listen up!"

"If you are not here, I would like to ask everyone present to help spread the word of what I am about to say!"

Shimizu Eiichi paused, then took a deep breath.

"Ju Qingdeng! If you've got the guts, come and attack this place! We're ready to teach you a lesson anytime!"

*******

*******

The Yakuza in reality would not have so openly stockpiled weapons. Please do not take the plot of this book as historical fact.

Another day of failing to reach 10,000 views! Ugh! (crying leopard head.jpg)

Chapter 458 Congratulations to Aoto and Sanako on their successful relationship! [4300]

Just as Shimizu Eiichi finished speaking, the previously noisy scene fell silent instantly.

The middle-aged women whispering to each other.

An uncle with an indifferent expression.

The young boy and girl looked shocked.

Qingdeng remained calm and composed.

Everyone present, regardless of age or gender, seemed to be under a time-stopping spell, completely still, and even their breathing became much quieter.

It wasn't until quite some time had passed that the frozen time began to flow again.

"Hey, what did he just say?"

"Is Shimizu Eiichi... issuing a challenge to 'Nioh'?"

"Oh my, this is going to be really funny!"

Will 'Nioh' be here?

"It can't be that much of a coincidence, can it?"

……

Sanako and Souji turned their heads at the same time, looking at Aoto standing behind them.

Seeing that Qingdeng remained calm and composed, their slightly tense facial expressions finally relaxed a little.

At this moment, Shimizu Eiichi spoke again:

"I believe that everyone here is already more or less aware of what happened last night, right?"

At the same moment that Shimizu Eiichi's hoarse voice rang out again, everyone present who had been whispering immediately shut their mouths—no one dared to make noise while the Shimizu clan's number one killer was giving a speech.

"Although from a standpoint of our position, Tachibana Aoto, who caused us such heavy losses, is a hateful guy, at the same time, I have to admit: he truly deserves the title of 'Niou' (the King of Benevolence)."

"...Such superb skills are truly admirable."

"However, if we examine his achievements last night closely, he only killed some insignificant little guys when we were off guard."

"Such behavior is hardly worth mentioning."

"If you've got the guts, come here!"

Shimizu Eiichi suddenly raised his voice, and his aura changed accordingly, exuding a vibrant energy and unusual confidence in every gesture.

Aoto had felt a similar aura in people like Ii Naosuke, Tokugawa Iemochi, and Tenshōin—an aura that held the power of life and death over the world they lived in.

"Ju Qingdeng, I'm right here!"

"All my important subordinates are here too!"

"If you want to fight, then we'll fight you to the bitter end!"

"To show my respect for you, I have issued an unprecedented mobilization order!"

"I have mobilized the maximum amount of weapons and the maximum combat power here, in this Shimizu Mansion!"

"Ju Qingdeng, this is a 'feast' prepared especially for you!"

"Tachibana Aoto, bring it on!"

We eagerly await your arrival!

After speaking, Shimizu Eiichi once again glanced around with a disdainful look, then leisurely turned around and walked back to the Shimizu residence with unhurried steps.

"Blood Tiger" Shigetaro Sakurai and others followed closely behind him, filing in one after another.

Soon, the area outside the gates of Shimizu Residence returned to tranquility.

The Yakuza men responsible for transporting supplies continued their work, carrying weapons into the Shimizu residence.

It was as if nothing had happened, leaving the bewildered crowd staring at each other in disbelief.

After a short while, the scene calmed down without any major disturbance.

"They really have issued a challenge..."

"Hiss... Look, I'm getting goosebumps! The all-out war between 'Nioh' and the Shimizu clan... Just imagining it makes my heart race!"

"Don't get excited over there. It's still a question whether Tachibana Seiden will dare to accept the challenge."

"'Niou' will definitely come!"

"I'm not so sure. You saw it just now, didn't you? All the best fighters from the Shimizu clan gathered together, with Shimizu Eiichi personally overseeing the operation, and they even brought such a large amount of weaponry. That amount of equipment is enough to arm a 300-man army!"

"Sigh... Why has things been so unsettled lately... What was that group again? Oh right, the Extermination Group was causing trouble everywhere. We finally wiped them out, but now a new disturbance has emerged..."

“I really hope that ‘Niou’ can teach the Shimizu clan a lesson, just like he did with the Extermination Group.”

"Impossible, right? You know perfectly well that the Shimizu clan is far more powerful than the Extermination Group!"

“I know, so I don’t expect ‘Niou’ to do anything to the Shimizu clan. I’ll be satisfied as long as they suffer a little.”

"I just hope they don't fight too fiercely... at the very least, they don't start fires."