When Aoto looked over, he just caught sight of how Kawashima was “unleashing a killing spree.”
He first slashed diagonally, the sword tip precisely shattering a person’s porcelain bowl at the forehead, then slightly changed the sword’s path, slashing towards another guy beside him, and as he retrieved the bamboo sword in front of him, he simultaneously sent another person beside him out of the game.
Three strikes, three people... In the blink of an eye, they lost three combatants at Shiwei Hall.
Similar scenes were playing out elsewhere at the same time.
The swordsmen from Xuanwu Hall and Shiwei Hall—both groups were fiercely battling each other with great momentum, neither side giving way, the loud shouts and clashes of bamboo swords echoing like thunder.
Even though the swordsmen of Shiwei Hall fought with great tenacity and bravery... their defensive line, their formation, was ruthlessly torn apart.
In the blink of an eye, the battlefield situation changed dramatically.
Up until one minute ago, Shiwei Hall’s side was still greatly boosted in morale because of Aoto’s lively performance.
But now, merely one minute later, a cloud of “panic” and “confusion” overshadowed the hearts of Shiwei Hall’s swordsmen.
Aoto calmly redirected his gaze forward, then cast his just retrieved glance towards Chiba Domon Shiro and others surrounding him from different positions, muttering:
“To be repaid in kind... “
Now it was Aoto’s turn, being bogged down by others.
Only at this moment did Aoto suddenly realize: They seemed to still have underestimated the strength of Xuanwu Hall.
Before the war, whether it was him, Kondo, Toshisuke, or the others, they all thought that their disciples from Shiwei Hall, no matter how lacking in strength, shouldn’t be getting completely beaten by Xuanwu Hall.
However... the harsh reality before Aoto now coldly told him: What do you think Xuanwu Hall’s high status is based on?
The gap in individual strength was too large... excluding Aoto, Toshisuke, and a few others, there were almost no one else in Shiwei Hall who could barely stand their ground or not fall behind when dueling Xuanwu Hall’s swordsmen.
After Xuanwu Hall’s swordsmen recovered from Aoto’s initial fierce assault, and under Chiba Domon Shiro’s prior arrangements began to counterattack, the battlefield situation was instantly reversed.
Currently, among the swordsmen remaining on the field from Shiwei Hall, including Aoto, Toshisuke, and others, only eight remained.
Looking at Xuanwu Hall, they still had a full fifteen people who were still lively.
Aoto really wanted to support those comrades who were not yet out of the game... but those tightly entangling him, Chiba Domon Shiro and others, clearly weren’t going to allow him to leave.
Supporters of Shiwei Hall, like Abi, Mukiwa, and others, clenched their fists in nervousness at this moment.
“Mr. Kiryu...” Mukiwa said anxiously.
“Young Master, don’t worry.”
Mukiwa had not had a chance to say anything else; just as she called out “Mr. Kiryu,” Kiryu, as if knowing in advance what she wanted to say, interrupted her:
“The real show hasn’t started yet.”
Although Xuanwu Hall’s strength exceeded expectations... the change in the situation was still under Aoto’s control.
In the end—Aoto had never expected much support from anyone other than Toshisuke, Kondo, Hijikata, and Inoue.
“Ha...”
Aoto gently exhaled, raising the bamboo sword and posed in his most adept stance: Kasumi Stance, with the forward edge of the bamboo sword pointing directly at Chiba Domon Shiro standing opposite him.
Chiba Domon Shiro’s intention was clear, he wanted to use the same tactic they used against Chiba Daisaburo, concentrating a small portion of elites to firmly hold him back.
But Chiba Domon Shiro should never have expected—his attempt to gang up on Aoto, instead ended up giving Aoto an advantage.
The talent “Lone Brave” activated!
“Lone Brave,” “Gathering Spirit”... buffs instantly maxed out!
With a bang!
Aoto suddenly stomped the ground forcefully, displacing a large piece of earth beneath him.
Rocketing out like a cannonball, Aoto charged heavily towards Chiba Domon Shiro.
“...?!” Chiba Domon Shiro’s pupils shrank suddenly, instinctively swinging the blade to slash at Aoto charging towards him.
However, Aoto had already vanished from the place where his sword’s edge reached.
Aoto shot up at lightning speed, flashing into the blind spot of Chiba Domon Shiro’s vision
While evading Chiba Domon Shiro’s counterattack, he lowered the sword, chopping fiercely at Chiba Domon Shiro’s lower body.
At that critical moment, Senda standing beside Chiba Domon Shiro promptly intervened to block Aoto’s strike for him.
Kikuchi and others belatedly rushed in, trying to squeeze Aoto’s movement space.
In a one-against-many battle, movement space is the “lifeline;” Kikuchi and the others were attempting to cut off Aoto’s “lifeline.”
Facing Kikuchi and others closing in on him, Aoto stood motionless.
His composed gaze swept broadly along the sword’s edge.
He calculated Kikuchi and others’ positions with “See Through” and “Memory,” and in the next instant, he shot up again, soaring over the heads of two people sideways as if breaking free of gravitational binds.
Just as he was about to fly over the heads of these two, Aoto swung the bamboo sword twice consecutively like a wheel.
The shadow of the sword rolled through the sunlight, raising a whistling gale and a thin trail of dust.

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