I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Page 78

This launch message seems to have gotten a bit long, so I'll stop here for now. Anyway, there will be plenty of opportunities to write more messages later.

I will accompany "Nioh" Tachibana Aoto on his journey.

I hope that you, who are reading this, can also accompany me on this rather long journey of "Nioh".

It will be officially available at 12:01 PM today.

To be honest, I was under a lot of pressure when I decided to write this book, because I expected that after the book was published, there would be a lot of people who hadn't even read the contents of the book but were just spouting nonsense in the comment section.

Although I was mentally prepared, I still felt very depressed after seeing the big accusations these flies put on me.

The author doesn't have high expectations for the initial subscription; all that's needed is for everyone to support the author as much as possible.

Those book lovers who, for various reasons, have to resort to reading pirated copies also hope to be able to subscribe to this book for just 1 cent.

Your small support brings me great comfort—there are still many kind people willing to support this work, which I wrote under immense psychological pressure. The subject matter is extremely niche, destined not to become a big hit, and is very likely to attract some flies with baseless slander.

My deepest gratitude to all the readers who have supported me and this book!

……

Shumengshi

May 24, 2022

Chapter 77 "The Song of the Benevolent King"

"Is there something in your eyes? If there is, wipe your eyes clean quickly!"

Saito, who didn't understand what Aoto meant by "my vision has become strange," simply thought that Aoto had something dirty in his eyes that was obstructing his vision, which was why his vision was strange.

While urging Qingdeng to wipe his eyes quickly with a somewhat impatient tone, he held his knife in front of him and stared intently at the large force of the Expeditionary Army that had attacked from the south and stormed into the camp, as if facing a formidable enemy.

The expeditionary force that charged towards the main camp had no formation whatsoever.

To put it bluntly... they were just like a bunch of thugs fighting for territory on the street, with no formation or organization whatsoever, rushing up in a chaotic swarm.

Therefore, some of them will inevitably rush to the front because they run faster, while others will rush to the back because they run slower.

Saito also knew that their most urgent task was to reunite with Komuro and the others as soon as possible.

Only by rejoining the main force and pooling all our strength can we have a chance to break through the current predicament.

If he and Qingdeng were to fight such a large-scale enemy one-on-one, they would either be killed or exhausted to death by the sheer number of people.

As Saito escorted Aoto back to the center of the camp, he continuously swung his sword, killing all the invading enemies one by one!

A freckled samurai, holding a sword that was still sheathed at his waist, suddenly drew his sword when he was three zhang away from Ao and Saito. Saito was unmoved by this. As the "freckled" samurai passed by Saito, a dull thud of a sharp blade cutting through flesh was heard. The two only exchanged one blow before the "freckled" samurai fell forward to the ground.

In one strike, Saito finished off "Freckles" and also snatched "Freckles'" knife with his right hand.

The instant after successfully stealing the knife, Saito pointed it at another enemy on his right, thrusting it forward with force. The sharp tip sliced through the man's lips, shattered his upper teeth, and pierced through his mouth to the back of his head.

After leaving the knife, which he had just snatched and hadn't even had a chance to warm up, on the man's head, Saito hurriedly continued to protect Aoto as they moved toward the center of the camp.

But before they had gone far, several more enemies rushed at them.

Saito stopped in his tracks and quickly prepared for the next battle.

This time, the attacking enemy numbered four.

Faced with four blades slashing in arcs from different directions, Saito's expression darkened slightly, but he remained calm.

Saito's footsteps slid, kicking at the snow on the ground.

Saito moved nimbly, breaking free from the entanglement in one breath.

A flash, then a flash—Saito's sword flashed silently twice.

He killed all four men with just two swings of his knife.

After taking down the four men, Saito dared not linger in the fight any longer.

Because he saw that a large group of at least 20 people was approaching them.

Even if he were alone, Saito wasn't confident he could fight against more than twenty samurai on his own, let alone now that he also needed to protect Aoto.

These two grown men were naturally much faster than the women and children. In just a short while, Qing and Zhai caught up with Elodie and Leroy, who had "retreated" ahead of them.

Qingdeng and the others were looking for the "main force," while the "main force" was also looking for them.

"Elodie! Elodie! (in French)"

Anthony's anxious shouts rang out from the west.

Under the close protection of Komuro and the others, Anthony, with slightly unsteady steps due to his flustered state, headed south towards the camp where Elodie was said to have been spotted.

Upon hearing Anthony's voice, Leroy, who was holding Elodie tightly in his arms, quickly responded loudly:

“Mr. Angoulême! We’re here! We’re here! (in French)”

Upon hearing Leroy's shout, Anthony quickly led his men to follow the sound.

The two groups finally met amidst a deafening roar of battle cries.

"Elodie! (French)"

"Grandpa!" (in French)

Elodie is now gradually recovering from the shock of the attack.

Upon seeing the familiar round figure and hearing the familiar aged voice, Elodie, her eyes slightly red, jumped down from Leroy's arms, calling out "Grandpa" in a slightly trembling voice, and rushed into Anthony's arms in three steps.

Vast and magnificent!

Suddenly, the sound of horses neighing came from the sky.

Hearing the neighing of horses, Komuro immediately turned his head to look—his six subordinates were dragging three horses toward them.

"Mr. Anthony!" Seeing that the horse had finally arrived, Komuro hurriedly called out to Anthony, "The horse is here! You and Miss Angoulême, please get on your horses and leave here! We'll cover your retreat!"

For Komuro and the others, the most important thing right now is undoubtedly to ensure the lives of Anthony and Elodie, the grandfather and grandson.

The French were killed... and a grandfather and grandson who had done nothing wrong, just doing business in the country... This was no small matter for the current Edo Shogunate.

France will absolutely not stand idly by in the face of such a situation.

After being questioned by France, how could the Edo Shogunate, which had no way to resist these foreign powers, explain itself?

Obviously... of course, they'll use Komuro and his group of incompetent guards as an excuse to appease France...

Seppuku (ritual suicide by disembowelment) would be inevitable, and he might even be stripped of his samurai status, with his entire family reduced to commoners...

Therefore, if anything happens to Anthony and Elodie, their group of guards will also suffer the consequences.

Since if Anthony and Elodie die, they will also die, it's better to protect the grandfather and grandson until the very end! That way, even if they die, they can preserve the family's samurai status.

Knowing the implications, Komuro had been sending his men to bring over the horses to pull the carriage.

To allow the horses, which had been pulling the carriages all day, to get a proper rest, they were tethered to several large trees in the center of the camp.

Komuro's plan was simple—to get Anthony and Elodie to ride away from here!

Even if you include Anthony and others, there are only about 40 people on their side.

Judging from the sound of footsteps, the attacking enemy numbered at least 150...

Such a huge numerical disparity led Komuro to immediately reject the idea of protecting Anthony and the others through a bloody battle.

At present, the most likely way for Anthony and his men to escape is to get on horseback and leave before the encirclement by the Expeditionary Force completely closes in!

The gunshots that Suehiro used to announce the start of the battle, along with the increasingly loud shouts of battle, startled the horses, making them difficult to control. In addition, due to the time constraints, Komuro's men sent to fetch the horses only managed to bring back three.

Three horses...that's enough!

"We see the barbarians! They're here! They're here!"

"Come quickly! The barbarians are here!"

"Kill! Kill!"

"Heaven will punish! Heaven will punish! Heaven will punish!"

……

Anthony, Elodie, and Leroy successfully reunited... With the main objectives of this operation all gathered together, it naturally attracted all the members of the nearby Extermination Group.

Groups of members of the Expeditionary Force, dressed in blood-red haori, swarmed in from all directions like locusts in a passing land!

Seeing this, Komuro broke out in even more sweat.

"Mr. Angoulême! Hurry up!" Komuro shoved Anthony, who was still clinging to Elodie, and pushed them toward the horses that had been brought over.

"Grandpa!" Elodie looked around anxiously. "Where's Miss Dance? Why isn't she here?" (in French)

Even in the midst of this crisis, Elodie has not forgotten her dearest friend.

However, when she looked around, she couldn't see Kiryu or Kinoshita Mai anywhere...

Anthony ignored Elodie's question in his arms.

His mind is now too busy to think about anything else.

Get Elodie away quickly... at least make sure Elodie leaves alone—this was the only thought left in Anthony's mind at the moment.

But at this moment...

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang...

A loud bang, like popping beans, suddenly erupted.