I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Suehiro instinctively wanted to retract his Wind Cutter to block the leaping Qing Deng.

However—it was too late to defend.

Qingdeng's body and the knife... have already fallen!

Aoto, holding his sword high in the upper right stance, looked down at Suehiro with a gaze devoid of joy or sorrow.

With a swift movement, Qing Deng used the force of his falling body to deliver a powerful diagonal slash aimed at Suehiro's head!

"Hmph...!" Upon seeing this, Suehiro gritted his teeth, let out a cold snort, and jumped to the side and back with all his might.

Blood splattered everywhere.

Suehiro's timely backflip saved him from Aoto's fatal blow.

Qing Deng's blade failed to cleave Suehiro's head, but instead sank deep into Suehiro's left shoulder.

The intense pain in his left shoulder jolted Suehiro's mind.

He roared like a wild beast, then kicked out with a flying kick to Qingdeng's soft belly.

Qing Deng had already landed back on the ground. Seeing the whip kick that Sue Hiro was throwing at him, he quickly abandoned the katana that was embedded in Sue Hiro's left shoulder and was now extremely difficult to pull out. He crossed his arms into an "X" shape and blocked Sue Hiro's kick.

Suehiro's leg struck Aoto's arms hard, the force of which made Aoto feel as if he was about to lose all feeling in his arms.

Unable to withstand the immense force, Qingdeng staggered backward several steps before falling heavily to the ground face up.

"Aa ...

Suehiro let out a scream that sounded like he was about to vomit his own internal organs.

The blade of the katana was deeply embedded in his left shoulder... one can only imagine the pain he must have felt.

His cheeks and lips were completely drained of color, his body convulsed uncontrollably, and he was covered in cold sweat.

The blood flowing from the wound visibly stained most of his body crimson.

He knelt down, handed the wind-cutting sword to his left hand, and with his right hand grasped the hilt of the katana embedded in his left shoulder. Enduring the excruciating pain that nearly made him faint, he slowly pulled the katana out inch by inch.

After pulling out and throwing away the katana, Suehiro gripped his left hand tightly a few times.

Qing Deng's attack just now directly broke the bone in his left shoulder.

His left arm is temporarily unable to be raised...

Damn it...! Damn it...!

Looking at the gruesome wound on his left shoulder, Suehiro gritted his teeth, his nostrils flaring as he breathed heavily through his teeth.

Tachibana Aoto... You're really something...!

Recalling the scene of Qing Deng running across his spear shaft and then leaping over it to seriously injure his left shoulder, Suehiro felt extremely indignant.

Given the level of medical care in Japan at that time, his left shoulder would very likely suffer irreversible damage.

Thinking of this, Suehiro's breathing became increasingly heavy and uncontrollable.

However, along with feeling indignant, Suehiro also felt a faint... fear.

Would a normal person think of jumping over the enemy's gun barrel like that?

If the enemy reacts quickly enough and manages to throw you off the gun barrel, you're doomed!

Suehiro took several breaths to regulate his breathing, which had become extremely disordered due to the severe pain in his left shoulder.

Just then...

"...Ha...hahahaha..."

Soft chuckles drifted into Suehiro's ears.

Suehiro, his face contorted with astonishment, raised his eyes and looked toward the direction from which the laughter was coming from—to Aoto, whom he had just kicked away and who was still lying on the ground.

……

……

—Ah…this guy wielding the spear is really something…I thought my attack just now would have taken him down…

Qingdeng, lying on his back, clenched his fists tightly a few times.

The arms, which had been slightly numb from taking Suehiro's whip kick, are now gradually regaining sensation.

The surprise attack just now failed, and we were unable to take down Suehiro.

But strangely, Qing Deng didn't feel any regret or disappointment.

Is this what they call a "death struggle where every muscle and nerve in your body is taut"...?

Whether in his past life or this life, this was the first time Qing Deng had ever experienced such a fierce battle that made people afraid to even breathe.

Completely focused, with my whole body tense, I dare not be careless or distracted in the slightest.

Being so close to death, even the smallest mistake could lead to irreversible consequences.

He was single-mindedly focused on how to defeat his opponent.

They racked their brains trying to come up with a way to defeat the enemy.

They waited anxiously for the best opportunity to counterattack.

All of these experiences were things Qing Deng had never experienced before.

At this moment, Qingdeng felt only a deep ache in his heart...

There was a strange sense of exhilaration!

Looking back, whether it was achieving outstanding results in the major exams that determine one's life or attaining enviable achievements in certain fields, Qingdeng has never experienced such a thrilling and exhilarating feeling, as if the blood in his body is about to boil!

—Thinking back carefully… Just now, when I led Saito into the enemy ranks, charging left and right through the enemy crowd, I also felt that sensation of my blood almost boiling over…

—Haha...hahaha...

"...Ha...hahahaha..."

Qingdeng's heart and lips involuntarily emitted low laughter at the same time.

He used his hands to push himself up from the snow.

As he stood up, Qingdeng casually grabbed a katana that was lying next to him. At this moment, in this battlefield that had just experienced a large-scale bloody battle, the ground was full of all kinds of swords and knives scattered everywhere.

Still kneeling on the ground, Suehiro's gaze gradually rose as Aoto slowly stood up, his eyes looking up at Aoto.

Suehiro's mouth... slowly opened into an "O" shape.

On his pale face, a look slowly appeared on his face, as if he had seen something unbelievable.

He... is smiling...?

Although Qing Deng's face appeared expressionless at first glance.

But upon closer inspection, one can see that the corners of Qingdeng's mouth are slightly upturned.

A faint smile played in his eyes and at the corners of his mouth.

A wild laugh...!

Suehiro instinctively leaned back slightly, trying to get away from Aoto at this moment.

He sensed a strange aura emanating from Qing Deng.

Suehiro had often felt a powerful aura from some masters, such as his master who taught him spear techniques.

However, the aura he had previously sensed from those experts was completely different from the aura emanating from Qing Deng at this moment.

The former exudes the aura of a strong person, an aura that inspires fear in others.

The latter's imposing presence... gave Suehiro a sense of powerlessness.

A sense of powerlessness, like standing at the foot of a high mountain, looking up at its peaks that pierce the clouds...

This feeling of powerlessness, for some reason, stirred up waves of fear in Suehiro's heart.

A sense of fear uncontrollably appeared and gathered on Suehiro's face.

However—before this look of fear could fully form, a fierce glint flashed in Suehiro's eyes.

What's going on?! What's there to be afraid of! When you decided to dedicate yourself to the "great cause of expelling the barbarians," didn't you already disregard life and death?!

The angry shout that came from his heart was like a blow to the head, stopping the fear that was spreading across Suehiro's face.

...Suehiro silently released his right hand, which had been covering the wound on his left shoulder, picked up his Kazegiri again, and stood tall once more on the vast snowfield.

Just then, the night wind, which had suddenly stopped after the start of the great battle tonight, suddenly picked up again!

The falling snow, whipped up by the night wind, pattered against Suehiro's face, which still bore traces of fear.

He laboriously raised his left arm, gripped the gun with both hands, and assumed a stance with the gun tip pointing diagonally at the ground.

"...Hozoin School".

"Suehiro Moritoyo".

Suehiro, no longer daring to underestimate Aoto who was now exuding an eerie aura, solemnly introduced himself.

To invoke one's own name—in the duels of samurai, this is a signal that one values ​​one's opponent and is willing to go all out!

Seeing that Suehiro had performed the samurai ceremony for him, Aoto's arrogant smile deepened.

He quietly placed the knife in front of him.

"Natural Flow of Mind and Body"

“Ju Qing Deng”.

The moment they both bowed in the samurai salute, they moved at the same time!

Suehiro swung his wind-cutting blade from bottom to top, stirring up layers of snow scattered across the snowfield!

Qingdeng then slashed his sword downwards, stirring up snowflakes that fluttered in the air!

Under the snowy night, swords and spears clashed in mid-air.

The shockwave dispersed the surrounding snow!

……

……