My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 457: Chapter 163: Aoto’s Rare Talent Among Millions

Western ironclad ship...? Armor plating...? To cut through...?

Can these words... really be put together?

After Chiba Eijiro finished speaking, Aoto forgot to breathe for about two seconds.

Aoto’s reaction was not an exception.

Kondo, Chokata, Saito... in short, except for Chiba Eijiro himself and Zhouzhu, everyone else was now in shock, bewildered.

At this moment, Zhouzhu suddenly interjected with a bitter smile:

”Eijiro, Mamiya Kurō went out to sea alone on a small boat and cut through the armor plating of a Western ironclad ship... it’s nothing more than a legend that has never been confirmed.”

”The ’cutting the ironclad ship’ event might have been exaggerated,” Chiba Eijiro shrugged at Zhouzhu, ”but there’s no doubt that Mamiya Kurō was terrifyingly strong, his swordsmanship had reached a masterful level.”

”...” Zhouzhu pressed his lips together and fell silent.

”Mr. Chiba.” During the brief silence in the dojo caused by Zhouzhu’s silence, Harada suddenly filled the gap with his question, ”Who is this Mamiya Kurō? I’ve never heard of such a person.”

Harada’s question echoed the heartfelt thoughts of Aoto and others, asking the question they all had in mind.

Neither in the memories of ”Original Tachibana Aoto,” nor in what he had seen and heard since crossing over, could Aoto recall the name ”Mamiya Kurō.”

Judging by the expressions of Chokata and the others, they too had never heard of such a person.

As such, Aoto and the others couldn’t help but feel curious—just who was this swordsman they had never heard of, who could be respectfully acknowledged even by someone as skilled as Chiba Eijiro as ”If this person really is hiding in Edo, then the title of ’Edo’s Strongest’ could never fall to me.”

Seeing the expressions of Aoto and the others, Chiba Eijiro paused for a moment, then laughed heartily a few times: ”It’s normal that you haven’t heard of Mamiya Kurō’s name.”

”After all, it’s already the Man’en Year, and it has been far too long since the Kansei, Kyowa, and Bunka Eras when he was active.”

”He didn’t create some timeless great deeds like the great sword saints Uekizawa Shingen, Takemura Bocchuan, or Ogata Isseki, so his name gradually being forgotten with the passing of time is only natural.”

”Now, it’s likely only older folks who would be familiar with this name.”

”It was only recently that I happened to hear of his name and anecdotes by chance.”

At this point, Chiba Eijiro paused—he appeared to be organizing his thoughts and words.

A moment later, he continued leisurely:

”Regarding Mamiya Kurō’s life and his various anecdotes, I’ve only heard snippets of rumor.”

”So I’ll try to get to the point and omit details.”

”Mamiya Kurō was an amazingly talented great sword hero who began to gain fame during the Kansei Era, seventy years ago.”

”There are many opinions regarding the extent of his swordsmanship skills.”

”But there is one point that’s commonly agreed upon—Mamiya Kurō was proficient in Iaijutsu, and his Iaijutsu had reached the Heaven-Reaching Realm.”

”At a young age, he had already developed his unique Iaijutsu: ’Flowing Light.’

”According to rumors—in the prime of Mamiya Kurō’s career, when he cut you with his Flowing Light, you would only hear the sound of his sword after being cut by it.”

”Because this Flowing Light technique was so formidable, people gave him a grand title for his unique skill while he was still active: Flowing Light Eight Banners.”

Eight Banners... Hearing this recently familiar term, Aoto’s eyelid twitched.

No one noticed the slight change in Aoto’s expression at that moment, as Chiba Eijiro continued at an unhurried pace:

”Mamiya Kurō was active until the Bunka Era, after which he gradually retreated from the scene.”

”Yet over the past few decades, there are still occasional, uncertain rumors about Mamiya Kurō.”

”For instance, the ’Mamiya Kurō cutting an ironclad ship’ story I mentioned earlier is just one of the many vivid rumors that surfaced after he went silent.”

”It’s described in vivid detail, too.”

”The rumor goes—while traveling in Nagasaki, some Dutch sailors provoked Mamiya Kurō over trivial matters. To teach them a small lesson, Mamiya Kurō, alone in a small boat one quiet night, stealthily approached the hull of the Dutch sailors’ ironclad ship. He then used his sword to cleave a huge gap in the ship’s armor, and then stylishly rowed back the way he came, completely unscathed.”

”The move he used to cut through the armor was his unique Iaijutsu: Flowing Light.”

”Because the rumor sounded so convincing, some enthusiasts even gave Mamiya Kurō another title, ’Ship-Slaying Sword Hero.’

”Of course, rumors are just rumors, and you can treat them as interesting anecdotes.”

”About two months ago, I heard a new rumor related to Mamiya Kurō in an izakaya in the Mito Domain—that Mamiya Kurō is still alive, living in seclusion in Edo under an assumed name.”

”If that rumor is true... then the title of ’Edo’s Strongest’ indeed wouldn’t belong to me.”

Chiba Eijiro paused at this point, and two breaths later, the corners of his mouth curved into a wistful smile.