I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Ignoring the anxious look on Usui's face, Nishino silently bent down and picked up a hard stone from the ground.

then……

Boom!Boom!Boom!

He swung the stone, aimed it at the hilt of the knife in his hand, and smashed it three times with force.

Although the hilt was made of iron, it could not withstand such damage.

After three heavy blows, a tiny crack appeared on the once perfectly smooth hilt.

The sword is hailed as the "soul of the samurai".

Nishino has always cherished his sword.

But at this very moment, he smashed his own sword with his own hands… he shattered his “samurai spirit”…

The next moment, he casually tossed the stone away.

In the next instant, he suddenly darted out!

Before the stone even hit the ground, he had already flashed to Phoenix House Yataro's side.

"Get out of my way!"

As Nishino held the knife to Phoenix House Yataro's neck, he roared with a furious, earth-shattering force at everyone present.

In an instant, the shocked gaze of Usui, the bewildered gaze of Sakai Kingo, and the fearful gaze of Phoenix House Yataro all focused on Nishino.

Kingo Sakai, who was the first to recover, immediately gave a powerful response—

"Form ranks!"

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The spiked forks, short guns, and katanas that had just been put down were raised again.

Without fear, Nishino raised his sword, assumed a fighting stance, and dragged Phoenix House Yataro westward to break through the encirclement.

"Tsk! Why are you doing this to yourself..."

Sakai Kingo's expression darkened slightly, and he waved his hand.

"Archers, step back! The rest of you, charge! Capture the traitor! Death or life!"

Kingo Sakai's lofty position as lord of the Shonai Domain and temple and shrine magistrate meant that he did not need to give face to Yataro Phoenix House.

Regardless of the circumstances, Phoenix House Yataro is a social celebrity. If he were to shoot an arrow without thinking and accidentally kill him, the consequences would be unpleasant.

Therefore, Sakai Kingo decided to put on an act of "I have done my best to help" for the time being.

Even when facing dozens of elite domain soldiers under the command of Sakai Kingo, Nishino still displayed an astonishingly indomitable offensive.

He kept dashing to the right, running to the left, lunging forward, and leaping backward.

Sometimes he would brandish his knife to force others to retreat.

Sometimes it would dodge attacks.

It would sometimes roar, intimidating the enemy.

The once orderly battle formation was thrown into chaos by Nishino's relentless attacks.

However... being alone, one's strength is ultimately insufficient...

"watch out!"

Taking advantage of Nishino's unpreparedness, someone swung a spiked fork and struck him squarely in the back.

"Ahem! Ahem!"

Nishino coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood and swayed a few times, but did not fall to the ground.

"superficial……"

Nishino spat out the remaining blood and foam from his mouth, then turned around and continued to fight with his sword.

……

Another attack landed on Nishino.

Blood splattered everywhere... but Nishino didn't even utter a sound.

……

"Drink up!"

A spiked fork struck Nishino squarely in the side of his wound.

A look of pain flashed across Nishino's face—however, it was only for a moment.

A moment later, he acted as if nothing had happened and continued to throw himself into the chaotic battle.

……

A one-sided battle...

Without companions, injured, and burdened by Phoenix House Yataro... unless a god descends, there is no way Nishino can break through the encirclement laid by Sakai Kingo.

But... strangely enough, no matter how the soldiers attacked, Nishino was like a roly-poly toy, and he would never fall down.

Amidst this chaos—

boom!

A powerful force suddenly pressed down on everyone present!

This sudden surge of momentum attracted the attention of everyone present.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their stiff necks—under everyone's gaze, a samurai wearing a straw hat and carrying a katana emerged from a dimly lit alleyway not far away.

"Get out of my way, all of you."

Qing Deng said coldly.

*******

*******

Today is Saturday, and I went out to eat with my family, so the word count is a little low... (crying leopard head.jpg) I was originally planning to write 6000 words today.

Chapter 467 Qingdeng, are you going on a rampage again? Take a break, okay? [4600]

Qingdeng knew that since Rakshasa was the actual ruler of the Qingshui clan, the Qingshui clan's cadres must know more or less some information related to Rakshasa or Huanfudian.

Under repeated interrogations by the new Oniwaban, someone finally couldn't hold on any longer and revealed everything they knew.

A zazashi named Phoenix House Yataro was getting close to the Rakshasa. Upon learning this information, Qing Deng immediately led Sanako and Souji to Phoenix House Yataro's residence without stopping.

Just as they were about to reach their destination, Qingdeng's expression suddenly changed, and he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

"Tachibana-kun, what's wrong?"

Souji also stopped, turned his head, and cast a questioning look at Aoto, who had suddenly stopped moving.

"..."

Qingdeng remained silent, staring straight to the southeast.

Neither Sanako nor Souji had as good hearing as him, so they didn't hear the "symphony" of footsteps, roars, and the clanging of swords coming from their southeast.

At this time, the townspeople of Edo were either already asleep or flocking to places like Yoshiwara and Okaba, places known for their extravagant lifestyles. How could such a large-scale fight be taking place on the streets?

Is it another case of radical anti-foreign rioters causing trouble?

With this in mind, Qingdeng no longer hesitated:

"...Miss Sanako, Okita-kun, excuse me, could you please take a slightly different route?"

……

……

Aoto, carrying Echizen-suke Riku-no-kami Kaneshige, unleashed his "power" as he strode forward toward the street, which had become exceptionally chaotic after Nishino's rampage.

At the same time, Souji and Sanako stepped out from behind Aoto, one on the left and one on the right.

The commander also unleashed his own power.

The two forces merged together... Everyone present, except for Qingdeng and the other two, felt their hearts race and felt as if a heavy stone was pressing on each of their shoulders.

The essence of "momentum" is a kind of spirit, which has the effect of intimidating and deterring enemies.

According to Shusuke Kondo, some monsters can even scare enemies into unconsciousness with their "power"—the legendary "one look that knocks you out."

Although neither Aoto nor Souji have reached such a terrifying level yet, they are more than capable of instilling fear in the weak.

Under their combined pressure, some of the more psychologically vulnerable people present had already turned pale and their legs went limp.

The way Qing Deng and his group made their entrance was both mysterious and powerful, inspiring awe and fear.

Kingo Sakai's expression turned extremely serious.

Having gained extensive knowledge through his position, he naturally understood what "power" meant.

How could two martial arts masters who have reached the realm of "momentum" suddenly appear here?

Despite his shock, Kingo Sakai quickly rallied his spirits.

He straightened his back and shouted in a strong voice:

"Who goes there? State your name!"

Aoto glanced at Sakai Kingo, then looked over his shoulder and stared straight at Nishino, who was still standing with his sword in hand.

Tick, tick, tick...

Countless drops of blood slid down from Nishino's joints, gathering at his feet to form crimson streams and pools.

His miserable appearance, with almost no part of his body intact... If he hadn't been still standing properly, with his chest rising and falling, Qing Deng would have almost thought he had already passed away.

However, although Nishino was in a very disheveled state, his eyes, which were buried deep beneath the bloodstains, appeared quite bright against the backdrop of the filth.

If we're talking about being "shocked," then Qing Deng's side is no less so.

He initially thought it was just another case of radical, anti-foreign lunatics harming people, but when he rushed over, what he saw before Qingdeng was an incredible sight.