I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

As Ebina finished speaking, everyone's eyes, including Sanako and Souji's, fell on Aoto.

Qingdeng remained silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.

"...I understand. Since you have taken the initiative to be friendly, it would be impolite of me not to give an effective response."

After speaking, Qingdeng untied the rope hanging from his chin.

The straw hat slipped off... In that instant, as if it had been rehearsed in advance, the facial expressions of Ebina and the others changed in unison—their eyes widened, their mouths slightly open, as if they had seen a ghost.

A deathly silence descended between them...

About 10 seconds later, Ebina finally managed to voice his shock:

"Nioh...?"

Qingdeng nodded slightly.

"As you can see... it's me. We meet again."

As he spoke, Qing Deng deliberately turned his head to glance at Akutsu, with whom he had once fought a great battle.

Ebina and others looked at each other.

The mysterious person who suddenly appeared was "Nioh" Tachibana Aoto... Even Ebina, a seasoned veteran, couldn't help but feel at a loss.

Just then...

"Ebina! Ebina!"

The sudden shout caused Ebina's expression to change instantly.

"Ichinose! What's wrong?"

While Aoto was negotiating with Ebina, Ichinose was meticulously treating Nishino's injuries.

"Ebina, Nishino-kun, he...he...huh? Nishino-kun?"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Nishino slowly sat up.

"Does anyone... carry... a hidden sword...?"

As Nishino spoke weakly, he tore open his shirt, revealing his blood-stained belly...

*******

*******

At this point, Qingdeng had established connections with the three major factions: the Calabash House, the Law Extermination Party, and the Great Salt Party.

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Chapter 469 A Free Soul! An Unprecedented "Three-Character Cut"! [5000]

Pulling open his shirt to reveal his belly, he demanded the sword... Anyone who saw Xiye's actions knew what he was up to.

"Nishino-kun..."

Ebina seemed to want to speak but remained silent.

He subconsciously turned his head to look at Ichinose.

Ichinose closed her eyes and shook her head.

"..."

Ebina didn't speak, didn't sigh, didn't show any sadness, and had no intention of blaming Ichinose.

Because he already knew Nishino was no longer capable...

His entire body was covered in wounds, and he had almost lost all his blood... Anyone with a modicum of common sense would know, upon seeing Nishino's horrifying appearance, that he had no chance of survival...

At this moment, Nishino twitched the corners of his mouth and let out a self-deprecating chuckle.

"Since I'm going to die anyway... let me... die with some dignity... Doesn't anyone have a sword...? Oh well..."

Nishino pulled the wakizashi from his waist with one hand.

Because his right hand was still tightly bound to the hilt of his sword, he only had his left hand available.

"Is there anyone... willing to be my... second...?"

[Note: Kaishaku: refers to the act of beheading the person committing seppuku in the Japanese ritual of seppuku, in order to hasten death and spare them from painful suffering.]

Ebina and the others looked at each other, none of them volunteering.

Not everyone can be a kaishakunin (second).

According to custom, the second (kaishakunin) cannot completely decapitate the person committing seppuku. Otherwise, it would be considered a grave disrespect to the person committing seppuku.

A proper second must sever the neck but not completely, leaving a slight connection between the head and neck.

This method of decapitation is called "embracing the head"—when the head and neck are only connected by a little skin, the severed head will fall into the arms of the person committing seppuku under the pull of gravity, hence the name.

The best decapitation result can only be achieved by cutting into the gap between the third and fourth cervical vertebrae.

After committing seppuku, the person committing the act would writhe in pain, or at the very least tremble all over, which made it even more difficult for the second to behead the victim.

It requires both strong mental fortitude and precise swordsmanship, capable of severing the opponent's head and neck with a mere sliver of skin, even when the target is moving erratically... Only the most skilled swordsmen can achieve this.

The second was so incompetent that he failed to decapitate the person committing seppuku even after several slashes, resulting in the person suffering excruciating physical torture before death—a tragedy that was all too common.

Just as Ebina was hesitating, a calm male voice intervened between them.

"...I'll do it."

Aoto, supporting himself on the waist with the Echizen-suke Tsuri no Kami Kaneshige, stepped forward.

If we were to ask who among the crowd had the best swordsmanship... it would undoubtedly be Qing Deng.

Seeing that Qingdeng had volunteered, Haibin had no reason to stop him.

He turned his head to the side and gestured to Ichinose and Akutsu with his eyes. The three of them stepped back, making enough space for each other.

Qing Deng slowly walked to the left rear of Xi Ye.

“Your Majesty, here you go.”

As he spoke, Haibina tossed a bamboo tube to Qingdeng.

"There is water in the bamboo tube."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng nodded in understanding, then drew his sword, Richi no Kami Kaneshige, the resident of Echizen, unscrewed the bamboo tube, and poured the water inside onto the blade.

The second person washes the blade with clean water—this is one of the essential rituals for seppuku.

"The renowned... Niou... is going to... be my kaishakunin...? Hahaha... I'm truly honored..."

Nishino tilted his head back, looked at Aoto, and gave him a half-smile.

"Speaking of which... ever since you were transferred to... the Fire Thief Division... I haven't... spoken to you... at all..."

Qingdeng nodded slightly.

"That's true."

"Hmph... Just over a year ago... you were just a... worthless... dimwit... but now... you've risen to great heights... the title 'Renou' is renowned far and wide... Although it might be a bit late to say that... the you now... truly makes me... look at you with new eyes..."

This is probably what is meant by "a dying man's words are good".

Nishino's eyes were calm and indifferent, without a trace of jealousy or mockery.

"I understand a little bit... Lu Zijing's feelings when he realized that Lü Ziming was no longer the same as before..."

Qingdeng pursed his lips and said:

"Likewise. In my opinion, you've changed quite a bit too."

"Changes...? How have I changed...?"

Nishino's expression turned puzzled.

The brief silence was Qing Deng strategizing his words.

"To be honest, I don't know how to describe it. If I had to say... you used to be like a cold, lifeless puppet, but now you have a bit more of a 'human' feel to you."

At this point, Qingdeng paused, and after a long while, he continued:

"It seems you've been through quite a lot."

Qing Deng was of course unaware of Nishino's recent experiences and thoughts, but he could clearly sense from his eyes that the man in front of him was no longer the rigid, aloof, and unapproachable "puppet" he used to know.

"'people'……?"

Nishino blinked, a faint light gleaming in his eyes.

A moment later, a beautiful mixture of three emotions—panic, bewilderment, and confusion—appeared on his face.

"No longer a 'samurai'... but a 'human'...?"

After murmuring this as if chewing on each word, Nishino took a deep breath, straightened his back, sat upright, looked straight ahead, and removed his shirt from his right arm.

Seeing this, Qing Deng silently spread his legs and held his wet sword steady in an eight-pair stance.

[Note: Eight pairs: A stance in which the sword is held vertically in front of the right side of the body]

Nishino held the sword in one hand, slowly and deliberately placing the wakizashi vertically on his left abdomen... but he hesitated to strike.

"...Ju Qing Deng."

"Ok?"

“I… have violated the code of the samurai…”

“From the moment I drew my sword against…the revered…Sakai-sama, the esteemed head of the temple and shrine…I have been…a sinful…disloyal…body…”

"When I get to...that world...will my ancestors...scold me...?"

"Thinking about this... I'm a little... scared..."

Nishino appeared completely unfazed, with a slight smile even playing on his lips.

However, upon closer inspection, one can notice that, although the movement is very slight, the hand holding the knife is indeed trembling slightly...

Qingdeng lowered his eyebrows for a moment as if in distress, then immediately sighed as if helpless.

"What this world, what that world... it's all so troublesome. Let's not go anywhere and just be a free soul, no longer bound by any constraints."