The Ancestral Legacy Begins in the Wild West

Chapter 102 The Bi-character Flag with Apricot Leaf Pattern - Shura Ikeda-ya

"Yaru!!!" Hijikata Toshizo's muscles bulged, and his hands gripping the sword had never been so tense.

Harada Sanosuke stared intently at the burly figure in the distance, but the old man in the monk's robe in front of him simply twirled the cross-shaped spear in his hand.

"clang!"

He actually predicted Harada's movements with ease, reacted in advance, and blocked the spear that was slashing down.

Harada's imposing figure immediately turned around and moved. He had no intention of getting entangled in a fight with the person in front of him, so he immediately began to use his Treasure Unin Spear Technique.

"Whoosh!" He gripped the spear in his hand and raised it high above his head.

This is a very standard stance, a starting position created by imitating the stance of Kendo, which is very suitable for performing the unique cross-blade spear with two horizontal blades on both sides of the Hozoin school.

But before Harada could make a further move, he froze on the spot.

Because he clearly saw that the old man in front of him had actually made the same move as him! And although he was a step slower than him, the old man had formed the move faster and was already slashing down with his huge cross-shaped spear!

"Click!"

On the south side of the street, another figure emerged from the shadows of the ruins, stepping onto broken wooden planks.

The man was also dressed in heavy armor, covered by a white monk's robe. He was tall and slender, with a cold and frosty face. He had a large, unsheathed sword hanging at his waist, which had already cut down several waves and was slowly dripping blood.

However, its most striking feature is the huge banner behind it, bearing only one large character: "Bi!"

As he slowly walked out, the scene that had been hidden in the shadows behind him finally came into view. Several corpses lay there, some ronin, others members of the Shinsengumi. The cuts on each corpse were so clean, as if they had been measured with a ruler.

"Click-click-click—" The man on the rooftop continued to slowly rotate his gun, adjusting it while searching for his next target. The Takeda rhombus on his kimono was particularly dazzling in the firelight.

Right under his nose, Nagakura Shinpachi and Saito Hajime, who had just rushed out of the Ikedaya, along with some other squad leaders, encountered two more figures.

One of them was equally imposing, dressed in exquisite silver armor, with clear apricot leaf patterns painted on the wide sleeves of his shoulders—the symbol of the Tachibana family.

The katana hanging at his waist was longer than usual, almost the length of a spear as tall as a person, and the scabbard was inlaid with gold and silver patterns, which glittered in the firelight.

The one on the right looked even stranger. He had no patterns on his body, nor was he wearing armor. He was only dressed in a simple swordsman's robe and was carrying a wooden sword in his hand.

"Baka!!"

"Kill him!"

Okita Souji had lost count of how many people he had killed.

The second floor of the Ikedaya was a very cramped space, yet it was crammed with countless ronin. The anti-shogunate patriots surged forward like madmen, their swords flashing from all directions, leaving no room to breathe.

He dodged a diagonal slash to the side, simultaneously thrusting his blade into the man's throat. As the blade was pulled out, blood splattered on his face, warm and sticky. But before he could wipe it away, another knife came slashing down from the side.

"clang!"

He braced himself, deflected the attack, and with a swift slash, another person fell. But there were more to come. And yet another blade remained.

It slashed towards this side.

By this time, Yoshida had already fallen behind him. Nagakura Shinpachi and Saito Hajime had already fought their way downstairs. Mr. Kondo had been badly shaken by the explosion, and although he could deal with the enemies around him, he also had to focus on directing the outside.

One person, plus a few fringe members, against dozens of people. Okita could only be thankful for his mechanical lungs, which prevented him from having to adjust his mindset and breathing in such situations.

But the problem remains unresolved; there are simply too many people in front of us.

These were not ordinary, idle ronin wielding katanas and showing off; many of them were serious swordsmen. They possessed the sharp eyes and agile movements honed in dojos, and their swordsmanship was solid.

Just like Sakamoto Ryoma, Katsura Kogoro, and even Yoshida, who are all quite skilled, Okita is facing a large group of experts.

"Hoo—" Okita took a deep breath, and the valves of the mechanical lung emitted a slight hiss.

He slashed left and right as he retreated, but soon he found himself backed against the wall of the inner room.

Three ronin charged at him simultaneously, shouting, their blades flashing like a net. Okita ducked to avoid two of the blows, but the third grazed his shoulder, slicing off a piece of his clothing.

He swept his sword horizontally, severing the leg of the man in front. The man screamed and fell to the ground, blocking the path of the two behind him.

But the crowd in front of him remained impenetrable.

"Be careful!"

Kondo Isami's voice came from above.

Out of the corner of his eye, Okita saw the chief standing on the edge of the half-collapsed stairwell, where the explosion had created a gap that offered a direct view of the street outside.

He was covered in blood, but his hand gripping the knife remained as steady as a rock. He shouted outside, "Don't go near these people! Take the squad and chase them out! They're not important; the important thing is not to let Katsura Kogoro and the others get away!"

He stood there directing the operation, his throat aching from shouting. Then, he looked up and saw the man wearing a Takeda Hishijin haori, holding a rifle, with the Furin Kazan flag on his back.

He had silently arrived on the rooftop opposite Kondo.

"Damn it!" Kondo roared, "Who the hell are you people?!"

His answer was a gunshot.

"Clang!" Kondo casually drew his Kotetsu, and in the blink of an eye, the bullet was sliced ​​in two, with one fragment flying past his ear.

At the same time, he turned around decisively, and his long sword slashed behind him. A ronin who was about to launch a sneak attack fell to the ground with a huge sword wound running across his face.

Kondo didn't even glance at it twice. He immediately turned his gaze back to the figure on the opposite rooftop who was loading the equipment, while the Kotetsu in his hand was still slowly dripping blood.

At the same time, Okita's gaze swept across the scene before him, seeing only layers upon layers of people. Had he killed ten? Twenty? Thirty by now?

No matter how many there are, the crowd in front of them doesn't seem to have decreased at all.

The people behind were still surging forward, while those in front were still desperately hacking away.

Okita's mouth was already tasting of blood, and his hands were beginning to tremble slightly from exhaustion.

But he didn't think about it carefully, because he didn't have time; three more ronin were already rushing at him.

So, Okita took a deep breath.

Then, I decisively took a step forward!

"Whoosh!" The valves of the mechanical lungs opened fully, oxygen rushed into his bloodstream, and every muscle burst forth with maximum power in an instant. He took a sudden step forward, and like an arrow released from a bow, he shot towards the three people.

"Thud!" A single slash. The throat of the person at the front was pierced, and he fell to the ground.

"Thud!" The second person's chest was pierced, and he was knocked down by the force of the impact, crushing several people who rushed up behind him.

But Okita didn't stop. Neither his footsteps nor his sword faltered. This wasn't the Nameless Three-Stage Thrust, but rather the Nameless Infinite Thrust performed using his mechanical lungs.

"Pfft!" The third person was sent flying along with the long sword in his hand, and blood gushed from his chest.

At the same time, he immediately turned his feet and kept changing direction in the narrow space, so that those who tried to surround him had no time to react. Wherever he went, there was only blood splattering and corpses falling.

"ah!!"

Occasionally, a blade would flash in his face, but he would simply twirl his longsword to parry it, then immediately spin the blade again to cut down the person in front of him.

He needed to break out as soon as possible; there were more important battlefields outside.

"call----"

His breathing was loud and rapid, like a bellows, but even with the shouts of countless ronin around him, some discordant sounds were still quite noticeable.

"Hiss—" That was the sound of air leaking out, caused by the damage from the explosion on the mechanical lungs.