Chapter 289: Chapter 121: One Against Ten, Five Against a Hundred!

Noticing that this tall man had some skill, Aoto exhaled a murky breath and held the Ghost-Slaying stance in front of him.

Retreat, then retreat again.

Relying on "Eagle Eye" and "See Through," Aoto discerned the tall man’s swordplay, stepping back twice — not an inch more, not an inch less — avoiding the tall man’s two successive slashes.

With the innate talent of "Cat Form," Aoto could swiftly stabilize himself after each retreat and be ready for a counterattack at any moment.

No sooner said than done, Aoto seized the moment when the tall man’s sword had just swung out and wasn’t yet retracted, pointing his blade at the tall man’s left chest, stepping forward —

Unconscious Sword!

This was the first Natural Reasoning Heart Stream sword technique Aoto learned after entering Shiwei Hall.

Because it was the first sword technique he came into contact with, this Unconscious Sword was also one of Aoto’s best-practiced techniques.

As the blade thrust out, it whipped up a gust of wind, and the strength imbued in the sword made Aoto’s mouth slightly open in silent amazement.

Aoto had just acquired a new talent this morning: Take the Lead, and he hadn’t fully adapted to the greatly enhanced explosive power of his lower limbs.

The Unconscious Sword Aoto used now was powered by a forward step thrust.

The powerful lower limb explosiveness made Aoto’s Unconscious Sword exceptionally potent, its speed so swift that the tall man couldn’t even react.

The flat blade slid through the gap between the ribs and pierced through the man’s left chest cavity.

The tall man’s body convulsed a few times, then in just an instant, there was no sign of life on his face, and his body collapsed like a shadow puppet with its strings cut, hanging on Aoto’s blade.

Aoto pulled out the blade and shook the tall man off, resetting his stance to welcome the next enemy.

As Aoto engaged each enemy before him, he also kept an eye on his comrades’ battles nearby.

This attentiveness from Aoto was actually unnecessary—Saito and the others didn’t need Aoto’s concern at all.

Saito, Nagakura, and Harada each fought as if they were ten men.

Saito needs no more introduction; he’s been a long-time comrade in arms with Aoto, and Aoto knows his strength thoroughly.

The prowess displayed by Nagakura and Harada surprised Aoto secretly.

Having sparred with both, Aoto knew they possessed formidable strength, but now he realized he may have underestimated them.

Nagakura and Harada fought with exceptional bravery and momentum, making it impossible for anyone attempting to approach them to lift their heads.

Fujimura’s performance was a bit lacking, but while his offensive skills were insufficient, he was more than capable of protecting himself.

Of course, their ability to fight as if they were ten men was also due to their current equipment.

Having armor for protection—this was one of the main reasons Aoto dared to charge against the thirty-odd members of the Anti-foreigner Group surrounding the Foreign Language Research Institute with just five companions.

In such cold weapon battles, unless there was a huge disparity in skill, the difference in combat power with or without armor was like a chasm.

Aoto and his group wore chain armor, gauntlets, and leg protectors. Ordinary slashes were ineffective against their armor.

The members of the Anti-foreigner Group could only aim for their faces, necks, and upper arms to inflict any effective harm on Aoto and his group.

With the confidence of having armor for protection, Nagakura and the others sometimes didn’t even bother to dodge certain attacks, openly letting the enemy strike them.

After much effort, when the enemies finally landed a hit on these officials, they realized the group was heavily armored, making it hard to break through, and the hard-earned attacks only damaged their clothing. Such incidents demoralized the enemies.

Back to back, forming a circle, Aoto and his companions protected each other’s backs and coordinated their defenses.

From the start of the melee to now, less than two minutes had passed, and nearly twenty corpses already lay at their feet.

Compared to Aoto and his group, the Anti-foreigner Group did have a significant numerical advantage.

But they misjudged Aoto and his group’s equipment and strength.

Those who hadn’t been struck down by Aoto’s group were now too afraid to advance.

They retreated several steps in fear, looking at each other.

Maintaining the encirclement of Aoto and his group, none of them dared to attack further.

At this moment, Aoto suddenly heard the sound of a struggle and screams coming from the top floor of the nearby Foreign Language Research Institute.

Amidst the sounds of fighting, there were also several gunshots.

Harada raised his head, looking at the top floor of the Foreign Language Research Institute: "Mr. Tachibana, it seems there are still people alive inside the Institute..."

"Hmm..." Aoto nodded expressionlessly, "I heard it."

...

...

Shinno was still unaware of the changes outside the Institute.

The "Surrounding Team" hadn’t managed to inform Shinno, who was fighting on the top floor of the Institute, that the "officials from the Magistrate’s Office had arrived."

At this moment, Shinno was fully focused on attacking Katsu Rintarō.

After breaking through the first "rampart" built by Katsu Rintarō’s group, Shinno pressed the attack, breaching the second "rampart" as well.

Katsu Rintarō and his group had to retreat behind the third and final "rampart."

If this last rampart was also breached, then Katsu Rintarō and his group would have no more defenses and nowhere to retreat!

Perhaps because they knew they could retreat no further and would die if they didn’t fight, their survival instincts kicked in, and Katsu Rintarō’s group fought fiercely and stubbornly to defend the last rampart.

But mental strength could never overcome the material gap.

Katsu Rintarō’s revolver had exhausted all its bullets while defending the second rampart.

Judging by the results, the outcome was rather gratifying—Katsu Rintarō had shot down a total of six Anti-foreigner Group members.

But this achievement couldn’t change the overall situation; such casualties weren’t enough to harm Shinno’s group seriously or dampen their morale.

Moreover, should it be said that Katsu Rintarō was simply unlucky? He hadn’t hit an executive like Shinno.

Shinno, who personally led the charge, was still unscathed.

The final rampart... was ultimately pushed past by Shinno’s group, whose numbers and combat strength were overwhelming.

Shinno and his group, like demons unleashed from Pandora’s box, laughed and roared as they crossed the collapsed rampart, pouncing on the now utterly pale and panic-stricken innocents.

By now, the aging Katsu Rintarō only felt that his stamina was failing.

The reliant revolver was unusable, and he was so exhausted that even his breathing was erratic... yet, despite this, Katsu Rintarō gritted his teeth, raised his sword, and tried to stop the thugs lunging at his students and subordinates.

There was no exchange of words — Shinno didn’t want to waste any words on these traitors, nor did he have anything to say to them.

Shinno charged straight at Katsu Rintarō, who had caused much trouble with that revolver.

He raised his sword, slashing down — Shinno mechanically completed these movements.

Katsu Rintarō hastily lifted his sword to defend against Shinno’s slash.

But his speed... was no match for Shinno’s.

His sword had just been raised to chest level when Shinno’s blade was already upon his forehead...

Just then, a gust of wind blew in through a window beside them.

Clang!

The sound of blades clashing was deafening.

Shinno and Katsu Rintarō both felt the light dim at their sides.

Both revealing expressions of surprise, they turned their heads to look at the window.

A young man dressed as a Dōshin from the "Three Times" perchance squatted on the window sill. The night wind blowing into the room from outside ruffled his hair, the hem of his wine-red feathered robe, and the Magistrate’s Seal Cage at his right waist.

With his sword leveled forward, he used the broad back of the blade to block Shinno’s sword while glaring at Shinno.

His gaze was like lightning, and his eyes like sharp blades.

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