I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Then... let's go!"

……

……

The five figures swept across the quiet, empty street.

As they approached their destination, they split into two groups—Ebina, Ichinose, and Akutsu approached Phoenix House Yataro's mansion from the front, while Abiko and Nishino took a detour to the rear of the mansion.

Before long, heart-wrenching screams and howls that seemed to shatter the clouds and split rocks shattered the tranquility of the night.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"What's going on? Have the lowly people come to rob us of our money and rice?"

"I don't know!"

"Let's go! Let's check the situation!"

……

When he felt the time was right, my grandson whispered:

"Nishino-kun, let's go."

Nishino nodded vigorously, and then he and my grandson rushed out of the alley where they were hiding.

My grandson mustered all his strength and ran to the bottom of the wall first. Then he squatted down, put his hands together in front of his navel, palms facing up.

Nishino took a few running steps, then lightly jumped, stepping on my grandson's palm with his right foot. Using this as a leverage point, he leaped up like a spring, and my grandson pushed him upwards with the momentum.

As Nishino's body soared to its highest point, he gently extended his long arms, his large, iron-like hands gripping the top of the wall. Then, like folding paper, he flipped his body upwards, his feet firmly planted on the wall.

Immediately afterwards, he turned around, stretched out his right hand, and pulled my grandson, who was still stuck at the base of the wall, up.

With their tacit cooperation, the two successfully crossed the wall.

*******

*******

Who exactly is this "comrade" my grandson is talking about? I wonder if any fellow readers can guess?

"A subtle clue, a hidden thread running through the woods," is one of Leopard's specialties. Attentive readers should be able to deduce the general idea.

Chapter 462 The Rakshasa's Counterattack! A Formidable Enemy with Unfailing Strategies! [4200]

As expected of the incredibly wealthy Zaza, Nishino could smell the money even before entering his residence.

Between the walls and the mansion lies a large, magnificent courtyard.

A spacious and grand stone slab bridge, a crystal-clear babbling brook, a quiet and elegant path, perfectly trimmed shrubs, and a deer roaming incessantly.

[Note: Deer-shaped ornament (鹿威): A classic decoration in Japanese gardens. A bamboo tube is placed on a stand under a water source. When the tube is full, the balance is broken, and the tube will tip over, spilling all the water. During this tilting motion, the tube will inevitably hit a pre-placed stone, producing a crisp sound. Its original purpose was to frighten animals.]

Although Nishino had no intention of appreciating it, the beautiful scenery around him still made him turn his head.

He knew nothing about courtyard culture, but even in his ignorance, he could tell that this courtyard was very elegant... and very expensive.

—How much money must it have cost to build such a large and exquisite courtyard...?

The moment this idea came to him, he and my grandson had already crossed the veranda of the adjacent courtyard and arrived at a paper sliding door.

bass.

Nishino drew his sword, Teitake, inserted the blade into the bottom of the door crack, and slashed it from bottom to top. With a "click," the blade successfully pried open the door latch.

Upon entering, there is a large hall with twenty tatami mats. Passing through the hall, one walks to the corridor outside the hall and then along the corridor to the end, where one sees an extremely grand and spacious courtyard and a tall hall. Behind the hall, there are winding corridors and many doors.

If just now Nishino could only smell the scent of money, now that he had entered the mansion, he was being bombarded with the stench of money!

Vermilion carved window lattices.

A cabinet displaying rare and famous paintings.

A magnificent screen painted with gold leaf.

A bright yellow glazed tile ceiling.

The sandalwood pillars exude a pleasant fragrance.

Although Nishino was a righteous man who followed the established town's rules, his official position... or rather his social class, was not high enough for him to deal with privileged merchants.

In other words, this was the first time Nishino had directly experienced the extravagant daily lives of privileged merchants.

—How shameless! They have already amassed such an outrageous fortune, yet they are still not satisfied! Not only do they not think of giving back to the shogunate, but they also collude with the disastrous Faju Party!

Thinking of this, Nishino felt an uncontrollable rage, as if an unnamed fire was burning fiercely in his chest.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps reached his ears from ahead.

"Ah! There are enemies here too!"

A samurai with a sword at his waist blocked Nishino and my grandson's way.

Despite being outnumbered two to one, the samurai showed no sign of panic, drawing his sword with swift movements.

Nishino calmly and methodically charged forward.

A battle ensued, a chance encounter that quickly escalated.

"Drink it! Ahhhhhh!"

The samurai shouted and thrust his sword straight into Nishino's chest.

Nishino stared intently at the tip of his opponent's knife, lowered his body, and tilted his head. The knife tip, which was originally aimed at his chest, instead grazed the side of his left neck.

Kara la la la!

The blade grazed the chainmail, making a piercing sound.

Just as the opponent's old strength was exhausted and new strength had not yet been generated, Nishino suddenly tilted his head and used the armor plates on his neck and shoulders to tightly clamp the blade that the opponent had failed to withdraw in time.

The instant he gained control of the opponent's weapon, Nishino shoved the knife in his hand into the opponent's arms.

puff!

One cut, two holes. Zhenzhu's blade pierced through the opponent's chest.

The other party struggled only twice before stopping.

Nishino steadied the other man's body, and looking at his face, he saw no signs of life. His body collapsed like a lump of mud, with only his chin still hanging on Nishino's shoulder.

"What was that sound?!"

"Hey! There are enemies here!"

"Come here! Come!"

……

In the blink of an eye, several new enemies appeared, emerging from various inconspicuous dark corners like cockroaches in a kitchen.

"Wa ...

Nishino steadied himself and stared intently at the enemy who was closest to him and had already swung his sword at him.

He aimed at the direction the blade would strike, raised his left arm—clang—a sharp sound rang out, sparks flew.

Nishino's left arm... to be precise, his armored left arm was completely unharmed, while the other's blade had a large gash.

The powerful strike actually hit an incredibly hard block of iron... The sensation and the recoil were something not everyone could endure.

At least, the enemy currently facing Nishino doesn't have that ability.

"Waaaaah...!"

With a pained expression, he clutched the knife that had been thrown back and staggered back half a step—it was this half step that caused a flaw in his stance.

In the next instant, Nishino glided forward, and in the brief moment they passed each other, his left hand softly wrapped around the other's body, depriving him of his freedom. Before the other could struggle, Nishino had already swiftly plunged the bamboo stick in his right hand into his neck, the tip of the knife probing the neck bone before being pulled out.

No sooner said than done, a new enemy attacked.

dong dong dong dong!

Hearing the wooden walkway beside him creak loudly underfoot, Nishino instinctively swung his sword horizontally in the direction of the sound.

However, this time the enemy was extremely agile.

He leaped back nimbly, dodging Nishino's blade with astonishing agility.

The next instant, he leaped into the air without a running start, gliding through the air and using gravity to deliver a powerful and fierce strike to Nishino's head, his blade striking like a rainbow, terrifying all who witnessed it.

However, its power is not enough to cut through iron.

Seeing through this, Nishino neither dodged nor flinched, but instead straightened his chest and let the opponent's sword strike him.

Karaaraaraara!

The enemy's blade sliced ​​from Nishino's left shoulder all the way to his right abdomen... a perfectly executed kesa slash.

However, the result was quite touching—only Nishino's clothes were damaged, and the chainmail under his clothes... while not completely intact, was only scratched with a shallow white mark.

The reason Nishino opened his chest and let his opponent slash was for this moment—the moment when his opponent had just finished using his move and hadn't had time to regroup.

A flash of white light—Nishino swung his blade fiercely, slashing down at the top of his opponent's head.

Although the enemy managed to dodge the fatal blow with his swift footwork, he was still slashed in the chest.

Seeing that Nishino was wearing chainmail, the enemy probably realized he was no match for him and looked around, trying to escape.

But at that moment, my grandson rushed up.

Although my grandson's physical skills are nothing special, his combat awareness is very sharp.

He always knew when to retreat, when to attack, and when to support his comrades.

This must be an ability he developed while serving as the captain of the Fire Thieves Division 1, dealing with difficult and vicious criminals for many years.

When the enemy turned to flee, my grandson appeared just in time, blocked his path, and held him back tightly.

Nishino seized the opportunity to catch up.

The opponent pretended to be cornered, then suddenly turned around and slashed with a knife, ambushing Nishino who was approaching him from behind.

His move was undeniably ruthless.