Looking at this familiar yet unfamiliar old friend in front of him, Takasugi Shinsaku couldn't help but have a mixed feeling.
His first meeting with Qingdeng goes back a long time.
At that time, Qingdeng, who had just made his fortune, was still the captain of the third division of Huofu Thieves.
During an operation by the Huofu bandits to suppress the remnants of the rebel group, they met on a narrow road and had a brief confrontation.
Although the duel ended halfway and was forced to end due to uncontrollable external forces before the winner could be decided, Takasugi Shinsaku knew very well: if the fight continued, he would inevitably be defeated.
It is true that Qingteng was the sworn enemy of the Zunbang faction and repeatedly made trouble for Changshu. A large number of Changshu elites, including Kusaka Gensui, died under his sword.
However, Takasugi Shinsaku does not hate Aoto, and he will not write Aoto's name on the soles of his shoes like others to vent his anger.
To put it bluntly, the conflict between them and Qingdeng is just a matter of different positions and different ideas.
In terms of character, Takasugi Shinsaku admired Aoshito very much.
Even the people who hate Qingdeng the most cannot deny his abilities, achievements, and charm.
Takasugi Shinsaku fantasized more than once: It would be great if Tachibana Aoden was our companion.
If Qingdeng is a member of the Zunbo faction, then he is willing to go north and assist him wholeheartedly.
In his impression, Qingdeng has always been a gentleman full of righteousness, just like a benevolent king who protects the world.
But the Qingdeng he remembered was completely different from the righteous Qingdeng he remembered!
Takasugi Shinsaku couldn't help but lower his eyelids, staring half in confusion and half in vigilance.
Is it because he was covered in blood?
Or is it the visual effect brought about by the changing light and shadow?
He always felt that Qingdeng at this time was...a bit eerie!
He didn't put on any posture, he just stood upright with his arms hanging down naturally.
From his hair to his face to his clothes, everything was soaked in blood, and his original skin color and clothes could hardly be seen.
The only expression on his face is a faint smile, his eyes are flashing with a chilling chill, with a sharp aura, and his whole body exudes a strange murderous aura...!
What happened next really happened in an instant.
Qingdeng suddenly disappeared from where he was!
When his figure reappeared, he had already appeared in front of Takasugi Shinsaku!
Holding the knife in one hand with the right hand, he raised the upper right section and slashed down diagonally - a simple and unpretentious blow, a powerful and heavy blow!
Takasugi Shinsaku's pupils instantly contracted into pinhole shapes.
Driven by his instinctive reaction, he subconsciously raised the Muramasa in his hand, narrowly blocking Qingto's blow.
In an instant, a majestic force hit him head-on like a tsunami!
Takasugi Shinsaku felt his palms go numb, and he could hardly hold Muramasa in his hands.
Although he cannot compare with Katsura Kogoro, Takasugi Shinsaku is also a master of swordsmanship.
While raising his sword to defend, he quickly retreated, not only minimizing the pressure caused by Qingden's heavy slash, but also taking advantage of the situation to retreat and widen the distance.
As soon as his front foot retreated, Qingdeng's back foot caught up with him.
Seeing the fierce attack of Aoto, Takasugi Shinsaku cheered up, clenched the Muramasa in his palm, and his fighting spirit burned:
"Come on, it's time for the duel between us to come to an end...!"
In a matter of seconds, Aomori's sword struck again, slashing at Takasugi Shinsaku's shoulder.
This time, Takasugi Shinsaku didn't retreat anymore. He stepped forward without showing any signs of weakness and attacked Aomori's chest without showing any signs of weakness.
The two swords struck each other in the air, causing the surrounding air to stir.
In the next breath, both sides flew backwards in unison, and then collided together again, fighting hand-to-hand.
Qingdeng's cutting speed is extremely fast, and his steps are as fast as a ghost. Every move and style hides a mind-numbing killing intent!
Soon after, Qingdeng lowered his waist, used the footwork of sticking his feet to the ground, and rushed to Takasugi Shinsaku as if sliding on the ground. He swung the knife from bottom to top and swept it diagonally towards his waist.
Takasugi Shinsaku quickly took a deep breath with a hiss, summoned up all his strength, raised Muramasa, and slashed down with all his strength, barely blocking Aoden's sword.
Unexpectedly, in just the blink of an eye, Qingdeng pulled the knife back to his hand, and then struck out a second knife from a different direction.
Just listen to the collision of the blades, a clanging sound, and sparks flying.
Aoto's blow was so powerful that Takasugi Shinsaku had no time to dodge. Although he put up a defensive posture in time and barely blocked it, his left arm was still scratched by the tip of the knife.
He hugged Muramasa who was pushed away and staggered back a few steps.
Before he could stabilize his body, Qingden had already set up his Canshin stance, ready to launch a new offensive at any time.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Takasugi Shinsaku has fallen into a disadvantage.
Facing Qingdeng's fierce attack, he could only parry but had no power to fight back.
If he hadn't taken the "Decisive Battle" in advance, he might have been killed by Qingden.
At this moment, Takasugi Shinsaku felt that his body was constantly heating up and the blood in his veins was flowing rapidly.
The heart beats very fast... the "plop", "plop" sound keeps hitting the eardrums, as if it will jump out of the throat at any time.
Although the battle situation was unfavorable and Qingdeng's knife kept making large and small wounds on his body, he not only did not feel depressed or lost, but instead felt more and more excited! Even more excited than the night when he first tasted the joy of fish and water!
There is no doubt that these are the effects brought about by the "Decisive Battle of Lake".
Whether it was his muscles that were rapidly congested with blood or his extremely excited emotions, his combat effectiveness was greatly increased.
Only with the help of external forces can he compete with Aoto... This made Takasugi Shinsaku feel very unwilling.
But the matter has come to this, and in order to preserve the overall situation, he can no longer care so much.
When he chose to stay and hold Qingdeng back, he was already prepared to die.
He never expected to defeat Qingden in a head-on battle.
But until now, he suddenly realized that he was not helpless!
Just now, he suddenly discovered Qingdeng's weakness - the knife in his hand was not good enough!
Although Takasugi Shinsaku is not a professional sword appraiser, as a samurai, he still has the most basic ability to appraise swords.
He could tell at a glance that the knife in Qingdeng's hand was of inferior quality. It was probably an unmarked knife that he had pulled from someone's body.
How can this kind of mediocre guy who doesn't even have a sword inscription be Muramasa's opponent?
Sure enough, after the two had sparred with each other for several rounds, Muramasa's blade was still intact as before, but Aomori's blade had been covered in large and small gaps.
Beware of blade breakage - this is a must-have quality for experienced swordsmen.
Focusing only on killing the enemy, but neglecting the state of the knife in the palm, the blade broke during the battle... Many novices fell into this problem.
If possible, Takasugi Shinsaku would like to find an opportunity to slash his blade.
In this way, no matter how good the quality of the sword is, it will inevitably break.
However, with his skill, it was really beyond his power to hit Qingdeng's blade.
He didn't notice that the sword in his hand was about to break, and he was still attacking crazily... To be honest, it was hard for Takasugi Shinsaku to imagine that the dignified Nioh would make such a low-level mistake.
Aoshito's current state was indeed extremely weird. His eyes were fixed on Takasugi Shinsaku without even blinking. He looked like "I won't stop until I chop Takasugi Shinsaku to death." He didn't care about the knife in his palm.
Although he was full of confusion, Takasugi Shinsaku couldn't think about the reasons behind it.
No matter what, this is undoubtedly his only chance to turn defeat into victory!
Ever since, from just now, he has deliberately changed his dodge into defense, fighting Qingdeng risklessly!
Dang! Dang! Dang! Dang! Dang! Dang! Dang!
The clanging sound like striking iron became the only sound here and now.
Even with the blessing of "Decisive Battle of Yodo", Takasugi Shinsaku's power is far inferior to Aoto.
Therefore, this is a competition of perseverance!
Every time the two swords collided, Takasugi Shinsaku felt as if his arm was broken, and even his internal organs were wailing.
His hands had long lost their sense of intuition, and he had to grit his teeth until they creaked, struggling to hold on.
To be continued...