My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 101: Chapter 78: Breaking the Formation! [Bonus 10,000 Words]

Tachibana...?

Saito, with most of his body splattered with blood, glanced at Aoto, who had been shouting just now, out of the corner of his eye.

As his gaze landed on Aoto, Saito was immediately stunned.

At this moment, Aoto was holding his sword high and raising his head.

Has... his demeanor changed?

Saito felt that Aoto seemed somewhat different now.

For some reason, after Aoto’s shout just now, everyone - be it Saito, the guards led by Oomura, or Anton and Elodie, without exception, instinctively focused their attention on Aoto.

Those who had spare energy glanced at Aoto out of the corner of their eye.

Those who didn’t have the spare energy, perked up their ears.

Even those who heard Aoto’s shout just now... like Yamada, who believed they already had the victory in hand, uncontrollably directed their astonished gaze towards Aoto.

”Everyone, calm down!”

After drawing everyone’s attention, Aoto turned his head, expressionless, and shouted in a loud voice that wasn’t particularly passionate.

”Calm down, and look carefully at the enemy in front of you!”

”They’re not invincible foes!”

”Their attack lacks coordination entirely!”

”Not all of them are one-man armies or formidable warriors!”

”What they’re relying on is nothing more than their numbers and momentum!”

”Quickly regain your composure!”

”Once you regain your calm and your rightful strength, what can these insects do to you?”

”You are the elite of Osaka Prefecture, even if you’re at a numerical disadvantage, there’s no reason you should lose to enemies of this level, right?”

Aoto’s words were neither lengthy nor impassioned.

But strangely, after hearing Aoto’s words, everyone, including Anthony, felt their heartbeat calm down significantly, and their originally panicked emotions became much more composed,

One by one, they refocused on the enemy in front of them—they were astonished to find: after their minds steadied from listening to Aoto’s words, the ”world” before them also changed.

The calmness of their minds allowed them to see things they hadn’t been able to see before!

As Aoto said, once they calmed down and took a serious look, the enemies in front of them were indeed in chaos.

The formation was a mess... no, there was no formation to speak of.

Everyone was fighting separately, hindering one another.

Those who appeared strong were only a small portion; the vast majority seemed extremely weak.

Having seen the enemy before them, having seen the ”world” in front of them, the expressions on their faces changed!

The fear and panic that once filled their faces had completely disappeared.

Instead, there was determination and... blatant fighting spirit!

”What’s going on...?” Yamada stared blankly at Aoto and the others in the distance.

He clearly felt... after Aoto’s brief statement, the atmosphere surrounding these barbarians and scoundrels changed.

Clearly, these people had been on the brink of collapse just moments ago, at any moment about to be overrun by them. Yet, with just a few words from Aoto, everyone’s expressions and the atmosphere changed!

Not only did Yamada sense the change in Aoto and the others, but most of the Anti-foreigner Group members also sharply detected—this group of opponents before them seemed to have become somewhat different.

The members’ expressions began to show a slight waver.

A foreboding feeling emerged from the depths of Yamada’s heart.

”Charge!”

Yamada yelled at the top of his lungs.

”They’ve only got a breath left! Just a few people remaining!”

”Charge and crush them in one go!”

So far, those who could still stand and fight properly, including Aoto, Saito, and Anthony, numbered only 23.

Yamada’s shout took effect.

The Anti-foreigner Group members steadied themselves and, with a rallying cry, once again surged like a tide towards Aoto and the others, launching a new assault.

Saito and Oomura, using their bodies as a defensive line against the ”red tide,” raised their swords again, ready for another round of combat.

But just then, Aoto’s voice suddenly rang out—

”The one wearing the dark green feathered robe, black hakama, and black socks!”

”Huh?” A guard on Aoto’s right, clad in a dark green feathered robe, was stunned and glanced at Aoto, who had just called him out.

”Don’t defend that area!” Aoto said in a deep voice, ”The enemies in your position are weak! There’s no need to leave so many people defending that place! Hurry to this direction!”

Aoto pointed to his true north.

”Move quickly!”

After being shouted at by Aoto, the man in the ”dark green feathered robe” shuddered a few times: ”Yes, sir!”

”The one with the straw hat and short spear! Yes, you! Fall back and come this way!”

”Spread out, don’t clump together!”

”You! Move to that position!”

...

Oomura kept glancing back in disbelief at Aoto, who was continually dispatching and maneuvering troops.

Hey! Are your deployments reliable?! Don’t direct us blindly!

Unfamiliar with Aoto, Oomura couldn’t help but question loudly in his mind.

It wasn’t just Oomura; even Saito, who was slightly more familiar with Aoto, couldn’t hide the astonishment in his expression now.

If he remembered correctly... the young man he was tasked to protect was supposed to be a ”Three Times” Dōshin who usually just handled cases and caught thieves, not an officer serving in the Shogunate’s regular army.