"Ju Qingden, you look much more normal today than yesterday."
"Yesterday you were like a bloodthirsty, hungry beast. It once made me wonder if this was really the Tachibana Aoden I know?"
Faced with Takasugi Shinsaku's ridicule, Aoto retorted without showing any weakness:
"Takasugi Shinsaku, you look much weaker today than yesterday."
"It's really hard for you to hold yourself up and go to the front line even though you are covered with bruises."
Takasugi Shinsaku smiled calmly:
"There are some battles you can't escape - I'm sure you can relate to that."
After that, he took out the red pills he had prepared early in the morning.
Qingdeng saw this and said calmly:
"It seems that you are already prepared to die."
Last night, Katsura Kageyama, who was captured by the Shinsengumi, told Ayoto and others clearly: "Decisive Yodo" will cause great harm to the human body! If you take it continuously in a short period of time, you may die suddenly!
Based on the opponent's various performances yesterday, Qingteng was certain that Takasugi Shinsaku had taken the "Decisive Battle of Yodo" yesterday, and that was how he gained the ability to fight against him.
"Oh? Judging from your tone, you seem to already know what this thing in my hand is."
Although Takasugi Shinsaku put on a surprised expression, there was no hint of surprise in his tone.
"Sima Qian once said: 'Everyone is destined to die. It may be heavier than Mount Tai, or it may be lighter than a feather.'"
"We are warriors who 'live by the sword and die by the sword', and death is always with us."
"You have to die sooner or later anyway, so why not die more heroic and meaningfully?"
Having said this, Takasugi Shinsaku suddenly bowed his head and raised his left hand to cover his mouth and nose.
Along with a violent cough, drops of bright red blood dripped down his fingers.
Qingdeng has rich experience in the aspect of "injury".
He immediately realized that this was not coughing up blood caused by internal injuries.
Strangely enough, even though he was in the center of the battlefield, with the enemy's general in front of him, Qingden didn't feel any nervousness in his heart. Instead, he asked aloud:
"Are you seriously ill?"
Takasugi Shinsaku wiped the blood from his mouth and chuckled a few times:
"Haha...you saw it."
"It's a 'blood cough'. A red terminal disease that cannot be cured by medicine or stone."
"Only when death is approaching, people will truly understand what they want - I am ashamed to say that it was not until I suffered from a 'blood cough' that I realized this truth belatedly."
"God has treated me well."
"Not only has such a magnificent decisive battle site been arranged for me."
As he spoke, he kicked the snow at his feet.
"And he has prepared the best opponent for me!"
He raised his eyes and cast a fiery glance at Qingden.
"At this moment, my heart is filled with gratitude!"
The moment he finished speaking, he put the "Decisive Lake" in his hand into his mouth without hesitation.
Seeing Shinsaku Takasugi exuding astonishing aura, Aomori didn't say anything more.
He clamped the blade of Ding Guishen's sword with the crook of his left arm, wiped off the remaining blood on the blade, and then raised his chin to the right.
Takasugi Shinsaku nodded understandingly.
Immediately afterwards, as if they had agreed in advance, they both walked towards the open space not far away.
After heavy snowfall, this open space has been dyed with dazzling white.
When moving, they always faced each other and stared at each other.
Their feet dragged two long marks on the pure white snow.
After a while, after arriving at the two sides of the center of the open space, they unanimously stopped and steadied themselves.
Qingdeng spread his legs, raised the tip of his sword to fix ghosts and gods, and picked up the clouds.
"Naturally Rishin flow"
"Tachibana Aoden!"
Takasugi Shinsaku raised Muramasa high and assumed a eight-pair stance.
"Shinto Wu Nian Ryu"
"Takasugi Shinsaku!"
After shouting the next breath of announcing the door, two handfuls of snow splashed out - they kicked the ground hard and rushed towards each other like cannonballs!
clang!!
The blades of the knives meet, and the knives and tangs offset each other.
Terrifying slashes and terrifying collisions, like two giant beasts!
Qingdeng unexpectedly put the knife back, and the middle door of his body opened wide.
Takasugi Shinsaku could tell at a glance that Aoto was deliberately showing off his flaws.
However, he still chose to take advantage of the situation and slashed Qingdeng's Tianling Gai with his sword.
This strike was as fast as thunder and as heavy as a mountain, but Aoden was well prepared and calmly held the Dingkishin above his head, deflecting Takasugi Shinsaku's slashing blow.
Immediately afterwards, he slid forward like a loach, and the knife in his hand slashed diagonally towards Takasugi Shinsaku's waist and abdomen.
Just like a "scene replay", a similar scene happened again, but this time, the roles of both parties were reversed.
The attacker becomes Aoto, and the defender becomes Shinsaku Takasugi.
Although he was reluctant, Takasugi Shinsaku pulled the knife back to his hand in time, blocked Aoto's slashing with a "clang" sound, and then used the reaction force of the slashing to jump back to widen the distance.
Qingteng immediately handed out the second knife, but the speed was half a minute slower, the tip of the knife was a little farther, and it only grazed Takasugi Shinsaku's sleeve, and the small half of the sleeve hung down boringly.
In fact, Qingdeng's current state is far from good.
Yesterday's state of "integration with the world" seemed to cause great consumption to the body.
Even after a whole night's rest and the blessings of a series of talents such as "Sleep God", "Strengthening Essence +4", "Yuan Yang +6", etc., my body could not fully recover.
His muscles are a little stiff and his body is a little bulky... According to Qingdeng's own estimation, he now only has 70% of the power he had in his prime.
On the other hand, Takasugi Shinsaku...
"Decisive Battle" made all the pain in his body disappear, and even the annoying cough stopped.
On this basis, his strong determination to "die here today" greatly strengthened his strength!
As we all know, martial arts pays great attention to momentum.
No matter which school or sect you belong to, any school that pays attention to actual combat will list "aura" as the most important combat quality.
Physical fitness, skills, etc., are secondary.
The awareness of "seeing death as home" brought Shinsaku Takasugi's combat power to an extreme beyond imagination!
If not, he wouldn't be able to exert such combat power at all!
In a matter of seconds, the two people who had just been separated bumped into each other again.
Qingdeng launched a surprise attack and rushed forward instantly.
Almost at the same time, Takasugi Shinsaku jumped up.
If there is a third person present, the two figures can be seen merging into one at the speed of teleportation.
Ayoto's sword struck Takasugi Shinsaku's waist and abdomen.
Both of them used fatal blows, and both used clever techniques to avoid danger.
They sprinted with great momentum, and after passing each other, they ran forward a few steps without losing any momentum.
Immediately afterwards, the two men stepped on their heels in no particular order, turned around and attacked again. Immediately, the clang of "dang", "dang", "dang" was heard as the steel knives collided.
Suddenly, a soft "hissing" sound was heard - Takasugi Shinsaku took a deep breath to gather strength.
In the next breath, powerful strength and superb skills bounced from his arms, and he swung dozens of knives in one breath, striking Qingdeng's vital points with precision.
Qingden changed his steps dexterously, moved left and right without panic, and deftly neutralized the opponent's attack.
There is a gap in every hundred meters - after launching such a violent series of slashes, Takasugi Shinsaku's muscles inevitably became tired and his movements slowed down.
Seizing sight of this opportunity, Aomori kicked off his hind legs, moved forward like a whirlwind, swung his sword from bottom to top, and used the back of the sword to knock open Takasugi Shinsaku's sword.
The next moment the tip of the knife pointed at the sky, he slashed down with all his strength, and a silver line fell like a meteor, straight towards Takasugi Shinsaku's chest.
Takasugi Shinsaku leaned back quickly, but his movements were still half a minute too slow.
The tip of Ding Guishen's knife swept across his chest, blood lines appeared, and then burst like a shell.
Being injured by a knife... This is a pain that cannot be ignored for anyone.
But for Takasugi Shinsaku, the pain is not only not scary, but also helps him!
Don't forget, Aoto's talent "Berserker" was copied from Takasugi Shinsaku!
[Note to Berserker: The tolerance to pain and blood loss is greatly improved. The more pain you feel, the more you can unleash the power hidden in your body. However, when the damage suffered exceeds the physiological limit of the body, this effect is invalid. 】
The constant pain coming from his chest and the drops of blood flowing down the wound did not make Takasugi Shinsaku timid, but instead aroused his bloodiness.
He gave a short cry and thrust the knife forward.
Qingden twisted slightly to avoid his attack.
He rushed forward, turned around, and approached Qingdeng again, and immediately launched a fierce attack.
Pasha, pasha, pasha... handful after handful of snow was kicked and trampled by the two men, causing it to fly everywhere, and clouds of snow mist rose upwards.
In the snow and fog that was rising violently, the two of them ran quickly, passing each other repeatedly, waving the knife in their hands, and shouting briefly.
The cold light flashes, and the gold and iron clang.
Compared to just now, Takasugi Shinsaku's slashes are a little faster and his movements are much more agile.
With a good knife in hand, the battle situation is indeed very different.
The knife in Qingdeng's hand was no longer as quick as it was yesterday.
But...instead, both of their knives were wearing out rapidly!
Whether it's the Sadukigami in Aoto's palm or Muramasa in Takasugi Shinsaku's palm, they are changing into a saw-like shape at a speed visible to the naked eye.
There are large and small gaps all over the blade... Every time the two knives collide, elven-like dazzling sparks and tiny blade fragments will burst out.
After an unknown number of rounds of fighting, Takasugi Shinsaku suddenly felt his weight sink to his waist, and then he jumped up like a ball! He slashed Aomori's face with his sword.
Qingdeng raised the Dingguishen in his hand without hesitation and took the blow forcefully.
There was a clang, and the two steel knives made a loud noise in mid-air.
Suddenly, the two of them cooperated tacitly again.
As if being bounced away, both parties retreated in unison, their four feet dragging four long marks on the snow.
Boiling heat spurted out from their bodies, and against the windy and snowy sky, translucent steam was faintly visible.
The snowflakes that fell on their heads and shoulders melted into snow water in the blink of an eye, mixing with sweat and flowing down.
If the duel is allowed to continue, both sides can fight for many more rounds.
It's just that... their bodies can still hold on, but the knives in their hands can't!
Both Dingguishen and Muramasa are now in a state of "on the verge of being broken."
The blade is full of gaps, so it’s not surprising that it breaks whenever it happens!
Since the knife in his hand was about to expire, they could not allow the fight to continue.
Ever since, Aoto and Takasugi Shinsaku made the same decision: one move will determine the outcome!
Takasugi Shinsaku slowly raised Muramasa in his palm and raised the sword to the upper reaches.
He practices Shinto Mu-Nen-ryu and is best at heavy slashes from top to bottom!
At the same time, Qingdeng also took a stance.
The most powerful sword skill Qingdeng has learned is naturally that move——
He adjusted his breath, flipped his right wrist, made a graceful knife dance, changed his grip to an inverted grip, and slowly put away the knife with a "chocking, squeaking, squeaking" sound. Then he lowered his waist, stepped firmly on his heels, held the sheath with his left hand, and gently lifted the knife with his right hand.
Put it on the handle of the knife.
Suddenly, a tense atmosphere filled the air between them!
Fierce and sharp energy floated in mid-air.
In this atmosphere, time seems to flow faster.
The confrontation between the two seemed to last for one or two hours... in fact, only three or four seconds passed!
Ga - suddenly, a crow flew high from the trees not far away! It screamed and flew over the heads of the two of them.
At this moment when the birds start chirping, the static scene becomes moving!
Snap!
Snap!
The sound of two footsteps kicking away the snow was heard indistinguishably one after another!
There was no signal gun, but Aomori and Takasugi Shinsaku made the same move at the same time - rushing towards each other!
Qingdeng's body was so low that his entire upper body seemed to be touching the ground.
Takasugi Shinsaku shouted and strode forward, using the power of kicking the ground and the potential energy of the charge to gather all the strength of his body into Muramasa in his hands!
Just before their bodies were about to collide, two silver snakes flew out and struck each other heavily in the air!
The confrontation happened in a split second.
The birth of the ending also happened in an instant.
Blue-white flames suddenly burst into the air, and immediately there was the distinctive shrill sound of metal breaking.
Sadikigami and Muramasa - the two swords were broken at the point where they collided.
The two severed blades flew into the air and fell to the side in a parabola.
Under the influence of inertia, Aoshinobu and Takasugi Shinsaku's sleeves intertwined and their shoulders crossed.
As soon as they turned around and took a step, they immediately planted their feet firmly! Then they turned back as fast as lightning!
Neither side uttered a cry... they just silently used the centrifugal force of their spinning bodies to fiercely push the broken blade in their palms towards the other's body!
Phew!
The sound of a sharp weapon entering flesh...
Snap, snap...the two broken blades that were thrown out fell back to the ground.
Ayoto and Takasugi Shinsaku stood next to each other, their upper bodies touching each other, and they could hang their chins on each other's shoulders by lowering their heads slightly.
Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock... a little bit of blood flowed down from among them.
First there were drops of blood, which soon turned into a thin stream of blood.
Qingden kept his thrusting posture unchanged.
And Takasugi Shinsaku...
"..."
He let out a silent moan, his body went limp, and his whole body hung on Qingdeng's body.
Looking closely, he saw that the half-cut blade in Qingteng's hand was thrust into Takasugi Shinsaku's belly, all the way to the blade.
On the other hand, Takasugi Shinsaku...the half-cut blade in his hand was about half an inch away from Aomori's waist and abdomen.
This small half-inch distance symbolizes the obvious gap in strength.
A slight difference can lead to a loss of a thousand miles - this is the way of martial arts.
People who are often stabbed by knives know that after the sharp blade enters the body, the body will have an extremely strong stress reaction! All the strength in the whole body will disappear instantly. Not to mention fighting back, you will not be able to even scream.
Even Shinsaku Takasugi, who has the talent of "Berserker", could not resist the damage caused by "being stabbed in the belly".
Click... Qingden turned the broken blade in his hand, opened the muscles clamping the blade, and then suddenly pulled the broken blade back to his hand.
Wow! In an instant, blood spurted out from his wound like a spring.
After Takasugi Shinsaku's body shook a few times, he knelt heavily on the ground.
However, he quickly adjusted his posture, changing from kneeling down in embarrassment to sitting upright, with his hands naturally placed on his legs, his head held high, and his face as pale as paper without any expression.
There is no sadness or regret, only peace.
"Tachibana Aoden...do it...!"
he said.
Ayoto didn't say anything, and quietly moved to his right side, raised his sword in eight pairs, and then slashed down diagonally! Hitting the back of Takasugi Shinsaku's neck.
The sword flashed past, and the head, which was only a trace of flesh and blood, fell downwards and fell into his arms.
Holding the head... is the most technical beheading, and it is also the highest level of beheading.
*******
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Happy New Year! The new year has arrived! Let me perform a leopard pat on the belly for everyone! (Papapapapapapapapap.jpg) After patting the belly, it is the customary request for votes!
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PS: Poor Takasugi Shinsaku, poor Sadukigami, did not survive until 2025.