My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 83: Chapter 65: Iaijutsu! Then Embracing Three Girls (Part 2)

”Ahhh——!”

”What’s wrong? What’s happening?”

”Hurry, run! It’s the Anti-foreigner Faction people!”

...

Many people around, upon hearing the increasingly loud cries of ”Celestial Punishment” and seeing the samurai draw their tachi rushing towards Aoto and his group, screamed and dispersed, fleeing in all directions.

Nearby stall owners also abandoned their vendors, fleeing temporarily for fear of being involved or affected.

——Damn it, they’re here again?!

After being stunned for a moment by the sudden cries of ”Celestial Punishment,” Aoto immediately came back to his senses, gritting his teeth.

A bunch of samurai suddenly appeared, shouting ”Celestial Punishment,” charging towards them — Aoto instinctively believed this group must be the Radical Anti-foreigner Faction coming to assassinate him again.

Aoto was not one to commonly use foul language.

But at this moment, he couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

The Radical Anti-foreigner Faction had only just caused trouble a few days ago, yet here they were again. Their frequent attacks, and the fact that Aoto had already run to Fujisawa Inn, yet they could still hunt him down, made Aoto feel annoyed and frustrated.

——Were they always tracking me... or were they prepared all along to ambush me at Fujisawa Inn...

”Ahhh——!”

Staring at the incoming enemies, Aoto slightly tilted his head, using the corner of his eye to glance at Mukiwa and the three women standing next to him.

The scream just now was from the masked girl.

Mukiwa’s face turned pale, quickly shielding the masked girl behind her.

Also shielding the masked girl was another woman in a pale yellow kimono, who had been silent the entire time. Like a mother bird protecting her chick, she spread her arms, along with Mukiwa, to shield the masked girl.

For these three women, Aoto couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty.

The three women stood next to Aoto.

From their perspective, it seemed as though this bunch of Radical Anti-foreigner Faction was charging at them, so their fright was understandable.

His own affairs involving others — this guilt quickly transformed into anger.

Aoto’s expression darkened, and with a swift ”zing,” he drew his sword.

”Saito!”

Zing... Saito, standing slightly behind, also drew his sword.

Whether they had been tracking him all along or knew through some channel that Aoto would come to Fujisawa Inn and set an ambush there beforehand, it made no difference to Aoto — just draw his sword and cut them down!

Without any need for excess words, Aoto and Saito, with great tacit understanding, ”activated” simultaneously, charging towards the Radical Anti-foreigner Faction like two arrows released from their strings!

This time, there were four members of the Radical Anti-foreigner Faction, half the number from the last attack.

Among these four, the one charging at the forefront was a short fellow, only about 1.45 meters tall.

In just an instant, Aoto reached a position where his sword could strike the short fellow —

Thud.

Without hesitation, Aoto raised his sword and struck, splitting the short fellow’s forehead with one blow.

If possible, Aoto didn’t want to strike the short fellow’s forehead.

The skull is one of the hardest parts of the human body. Although Aoto’s sword was exceptionally sharp and durable, consistently striking hard skulls would greatly reduce its lifespan.

But there was no choice — Aoto and the short fellow had a height difference of nearly 30 centimeters.

Being a head taller, directly aimed at his forehead, a ”Powerful Split” came the easiest.

With Aoto’s current swordsmanship, he had yet to achieve the skill level required for more intricate techniques to take the short fellow’s life.

In a life-and-death duel, there was no time to think about the sword’s longevity. First, defeat the enemy; afterwards, if the sword breaks, it can be repaired or replaced. Once life is lost, nothing else matters.

The sensation of the skull shattering traveled continuously up the blade to Aoto’s hands.

Killing an enemy should be a joyful event.

But at this moment, a hint of doubt surfaced on Aoto’s brow.

Aoto now felt a puzzling sense of discord...

The first point of discord was the attire of these people.

Previously, the Radical Anti-foreigner Faction who attacked Aoto would all wear deep-brimmed conical hats to conceal their faces.

Only now, after trying to quickly deal with these troublemakers, did Aoto notice — this group of four came without the face-concealing hats.

Each person openly revealed their faces without a hint of care.

Aoto also noticed — they all appeared as destitute ronin.

The so-called ronin are samurai without a lord to serve.

Without a lord, they lose their salary positions, unable to be officials like Aoto, forced to find their own way out.

These four were standard ronin — shabby and unkempt, with dirt so thick it could form lumps the size of fists, and clothing so dirty their original color was unrecognizable. Each had deeply hollowed cheeks, murky eyes, and seemed long without a decent meal, malnourished to an extreme.

If not for the swords at their waists, it would be hard to distinguish them from beggars.

The second point of discord was the expression of the short fellow earlier.

Though it was only for a brief moment, when Aoto shattered the short fellow’s forehead with his sword, he vaguely saw an expression of bafflement, as if completely unprepared for Aoto and Saito’s charge...

Saito was unlike Aoto; he didn’t sense this dissonance so acutely.

After drawing his sword and charging alongside Aoto against the four, Saito focused intently.

Intently on cutting down opponents.

He truly was a bodyguard of unparalleled skills, sought by Arima and others for Aoto with significant expense.

His swordsmanship was of such excellent quality that Aoto, who still wielded his sword with broad, sweeping strokes, couldn’t compare.

The group they encountered this time was weaker than the Radical Anti-foreigner Faction they met three days prior.

Unsteady footsteps, weak arms.

Given their appearances, as if starved for a good meal, one could hardly imagine them being vigorous.

After charging into the enemy group with Aoto, Saito made a diagonal Kasaya Slash, slicing from the right shoulder to the left abdomen of one individual.

Then slightly raised the tip to pierce another’s chest, retracting his blade quickly, swiping against another’s body, and within moments, eliminated three for Aoto.

”Ahhh——!”

At this moment, a scream filled with fear pierced into Aoto’s ears from behind.

It was the masked girl’s voice.

Aoto hurriedly looked back — Mukiwa, the masked girl, and the pale yellow woman were still standing in place.

In front of them, two disheveled ronin-like samurai appeared out of nowhere, brandishing their gleaming swords, charging at the trio...