I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Viewed from the front, Qing Deng's figure seemed to be split in two by the eerie light emanating from the tip of his blade.

A somber atmosphere permeated the surroundings.

The two reached the same understanding at this moment—the next round will be a decisive battle!

The crescent moon generously shared its bright, emotionless silver light with the swordsmen.

A lone bird flew gracefully overhead.

With a "snap," the sound of air vibrating came from between the two of them!

Shimizu Eiichi suddenly strode forward, instantly closing the distance between himself and Aoto!

At the same time, Qing Deng scrambled to his feet, then charged forward with his knife!

Just as their figures were about to intersect in a flash of light, they simultaneously swung their white blades down at each other's heads with such force that it seemed they wanted to cleave each other's bodies and the ground beneath their feet!

In the next instant... under the moonlight that swayed for a moment due to the two's desperate clash, Shimizu Eiichi's upper body rolled to the ground. A moment later, a right arm, still tightly gripping a knife, fell beside his body.

Shimizu Eiichi first swung his sword downwards in an upper stance, then continued to step forward, passing by Aoto, before suddenly turning around and switching to a lower stance to slash the sword upwards.

His first strike clashed heavily with Qingdeng's first strike. Qingdeng had a slight advantage, but overall, neither of them gained a clear advantage in this exchange of blows.

His second strike was the real killing blow.

After passing each other, he turned around with lightning speed, wielding his knife, and launched an attack from an extremely tricky angle, raising the blade and aiming straight for Qing Deng's chest.

This is his signature move.

He used this move to take the lives of countless martial arts masters.

However... he was ultimately a step behind in skill.

Just as his chest was about to be cleaved in two, Qing Deng swung his sword in time, deflecting Shimizu Eiichi's attack.

Immediately afterwards, he turned the blade upside down and swung the knife upwards, severing Shimizu Eiichi's right arm in one stroke.

In the blink of an eye, he slashed again, the second slash aimed at Shimizu Eiichi's left shoulder—a very standard kesa slash—cutting from the left shoulder all the way to the right side of his abdomen, slicing Shimizu Eiichi's body diagonally in two.

[Ding! Talent detected]

Successfully copied the talent: "Lone Wolf +2"

[Talent Introduction: The more numerous and stronger the enemies, the more it ignites the fighting spirit and allows one to unleash extraordinary strength; however, there are limits to this extraordinary performance.]

[Ding! Detected that the host already possesses a talent of the same type]

[Ding! Initiating talent fusion]

[Ding! "Lone Wolf" and "Lone Wolf +2" are beginning to merge.]

[Please wait, host... Please wait, host...]

[Ding! Talent fusion successful]

[Upgrade to "Lone Wolf" Ability - "Lone Wolf +3"]

[“Lone Wolf +3” Talent Description: The talent effect is enhanced on top of its original effect. “+9” is the highest level.]

"Huff... huff... 'Lone Wolf +2', huh... no wonder he's so troublesome..."

After glancing at Shimizu Eiichi's body, Qing Deng looked down at the sword in his hand—a broken blade, a shattered and mangled surface, and a completely twisted and deformed body from the tip to the guard.

Just one battle was enough to ruin a sword that was otherwise in perfect condition except for some rust... You can imagine how intense the duel between Aoto and Shimizu Eiichi must have been.

Pat-pat-pat! Pat-pat-pat!

As if timed perfectly, the chaotic footsteps that had been ringing incessantly behind Qingdeng finally arrived on schedule.

"Ah! Found it! It's here!"

"It's Tachibana Aoto!"

"Attack him together! Surround him!"

……

Before long, thirty or forty Yakuza men entered Qingdeng's field of vision.

The troops gathered at the Shimizu residence today are indeed the elite forces of the Shimizu clan. Even though none of them have successfully stopped Qingdeng so far, they still maintain their high morale and willingness to compete.

Whether it was because they didn't see Shimizu Eiichi's body lying at Aoto's feet or something else, they all looked fierce and menacing, with expressions of confidence that suggested they believed they could defeat Aoto.

Perhaps it was Qingdeng's current state that gave them confidence.

The relentless, high-intensity combat had long since caused Qingdeng's breathing to become uncontrollably rapid.

At first glance, Qingdeng already looked exhausted.

After playing for so long, this guy must be tired by now, right?

If everyone attacks together, we might be able to take advantage of the chaos and take Ju Qingdeng's head, thus rising to prominence and becoming famous throughout the world!

In short, it's all about wishful thinking.

"...The fire-fighting thieves and the 'three-times' officers from the Magistrate's Office like to arrive at the scene of an incident at the last minute. How come you guys are the same?"

Qingdeng sighed softly, a helpless expression on his face.

"Seriously...it leaves us no room to breathe..."

Just as Qing Deng steadied his sword, assumed a mid-range stance, and prepared for another battle—

"Orange-kun, you really are a terrible troublemaker..."

An old male voice that sounded very familiar to Qing Deng suddenly entered his ears.

Immediately afterward, before Qingdeng could react, an extremely large figure descended from the sky and stood steadily between Qingdeng and the Yakuza.

The wind pressure generated by the falling heavy object caused Qing Deng to unconsciously squint his eyes.

Once the wind pressure subsided, Qing Deng opened his eyes, and his expression was immediately dominated by intense shock.

Standing in front of Qingdeng was a burly man who was nearly 1.9 meters tall. His incredibly strong muscles stretched his clothes high, and his extremely long hair was simply tied up with a thin ribbon, hanging casually behind his head.

"Mr. Makimura?!"

Good evening, Tachibana-kun, it's been a long time.

Makimura Mihachi turned his head and smiled slightly at Aoto.

What's Grandpa Makimura doing here? Didn't he go to Yokohama?

Now that we've met old man Makimura, where's Mai? And what about Mr. Kiryu? Could they be here too?

The sudden surge of questions overwhelmed Qingdeng's mind.

He simply didn't have time to think about these intricacies.

In just a moment, only one thought remained in his mind: Old Man Mucun's sudden arrival was a great help!

"Mr. Makimura! You've come at the perfect time! Could you please block these good-for-nothing clothes hangers for me? I have very important things to do right now! I don't have time to play with these lackeys!"

"Aha?"

Makimura opened his eyes wide.

"Something important? What do you want to do?"

Qingdeng subconsciously turned his head and looked at the water tower that was not far away.

He intended to answer, "I want to go to the water tower."

However, when he turned his gaze to the towering building, he suddenly froze.

By now, the beautiful crescent moon had already set.

From Qingdeng's perspective, it is hidden behind the water tower, with only two corners showing.

“...I must follow my ‘way’.”

Qing Deng withdrew his gaze and turned his attention back to Mu Cun, a peaceful smile spreading across his face.

"I want to climb to a place higher than the moon."

"Huh? What are you saying... Ah! Hey!"

Before Mucun could even speak, Qingdeng took a step forward and rushed towards the Qingshui Tower like the wind, leaving behind a wisp of smoke.

The Yakuza panicked when they saw this.

"Don't let Tachibana Aoto get away!"

"Chase them! Chase them!"

Now, Mucun's mind was overwhelmed by a sudden surge of questions.

"Tsk! What kind of mess is this?!"

They came here intending to support Qingdeng, but what happened...?

Qingdeng did send reinforcements, but the actual situation was a little different from what Makimura had imagined!

After our reunion, shouldn't we work together to defeat the enemy?

How could you just leave me behind and run off all by yourself?!

Despite his inner turmoil, Makimura's hands moved swiftly—he swung his greatsword, forcing back all the Yakuza who were trying to pursue Qingdeng.

At that moment, a tall figure landed gracefully on the side of the pastoral village.

"Ah! Jiulang, you're back!"

Kiryu nodded slightly.

"Sorry, those guys were a bit more difficult than I expected, so it took a little more effort."

"Kuro, you're back just in time! I just saw Tachibana-kun!"

"Tachibana-kun? Where is he?"

"I don't know where he went! After saying some nonsensical things that I couldn't understand at all, he just left in this direction!"

"talk?"

Kiryu raised an eyebrow.

"What did he say?"