My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 564: Chapter 184: Sword in Hand, Captain’s Cloak Under Moonlight, Sword Qi Like a Dragon!

Up until now... the blade on the Ghost-Slaying sword has become jagged like a shark’s teeth.

Just a rough count reveals there are at least 10 nicks.

After the battle, this severely damaged sword will need to be sent to the swordsmith for major repairs.

Shinno’s sword isn’t in much better condition. The quality of his sword is obviously inferior to the Ghost-Slaying one.

Even though it hasn’t undergone the continuous battles like the Ghost-Slaying sword tonight, Shinno’s sword blade is covered with as many or even more nicks.

Clang!

The two swords collided again... but this time there was an unexpected development.

In the instant their swords clashed and haven’t separated, Aoto quickly freed his left hand and grabbed the wrist of Shinno’s right hand holding the sword, trying to disarm Shinno using a grappling technique.

Shinno reacted quickly... worthy of being the leader and the strongest of the Anti-foreigner Group.

He gripped the sword handle tightly with his right hand, preventing Aoto from controlling him, while retaliating by releasing his left hand from the sword and grabbed Aoto’s right wrist.

This left them in a strange standoff, their swords locked together while each held the other’s right wrist.

Neither would yield, nor could gain any advantage...

Continuing like this would only waste energy, strength, and time.

For Aoto, who’ve been fighting across multiple locations tonight and whose physical strength has been rapidly drained, a war of attrition focusing on strength and stamina is the fight he most wants to avoid.

Thus, Aoto took the initiative to break the deadlock.

He released Shinno’s right wrist, which he had been gripping tightly, angled his left shoulder forward, and lunged toward Shinno’s chest.

Shinno was mentally prepared and wary for body attacks like Aoto’s shoulder thrusts and kicks.

For Shinno, the sooner and easier he wins this duel against Aoto, the better.

After all, aside from this detestable traitor, there was also that girl in red with impressive martial arts, standing quietly not far away, that needs to be dealt with.

Moreover, if the fight dragged on too long, other Officials might arrive.

This kind of prolonged battle of stamina and time is also something Shinno wishes to avoid.

So, when Aoto let go of his right wrist and crashed toward him, Shinno took a step to the side in response, dodging Aoto’s ”Meat Bomb Impact”.

Their positions exchanged once more... the one facing away from the moon now faced it, and the one facing the moon now had his back to it.

The moonlight cast the stretched shadows of the two swordsmen onto the bridge’s surface.

Under the witness of the moonlight, as soon as the two figures separated, they merged again.

”Ha... ha... ha... ha... ha... ha...”

”Ha... ha... ha... ha... ha... ha...”

The increasingly intense battle left the two no time to adjust their breathing before they plunged back into combat.

The battle continued... and grew increasingly heated!

Strictly speaking, Aoto is a ”speed type” swordsman, and Shinno happens to be the same.

This duel between the two can be described as a clash of speed against speed.

Shinno skillfully dodged Aoto’s blade, gliding to Aoto’s side as if soaring through the air, then delivered a ferocious overhead strike towards Aoto, his attack fierce and imposing, truly terrifying.

The outcome of this duel would directly determine who could still stand and live, and also directly determine if Shinno can still pursue his ”Anti-foreigner Cause”.

The immense pressure of ”life and death and ideals” in this high-speed, high-intensity battle has unconsciously pushed Shinno into a state where his nerves were extremely tense, and nothing else existed in his eyes except the mortal enemy ahead.

In this state, Shinno’s concentration was so high he forgot to breathe or blink countless times, and the power and speed of his sword increased even further!

As the duel gradually intensified, Shinno entered his state... so did Aoto.

At this moment, Aoto’s ”Gathering Spirit” was fully activated.

With ”Gathering Spirit” boosting him, Aoto’s concentration far surpassed Shinno’s!

Aoto’s focus reached a level where his body would react before his brain.

Often, when facing Shinno’s attacks or rare attack opportunities, Aoto’s body moved first, with his thoughts trailing his body by a beat.

Like now—facing the slash from Shinno who suddenly appeared at his side, Aoto’s body moved first, stepping back twice in quick succession.

At this moment, Aoto suddenly felt something hard behind him... it was the half-height bridge railing.

”Haahhhhhhh!”

Aoto’s back was blocked by the railing, leaving him no retreat... Upon seeing this, Shinno’s fighting spirit surged, he stepped forward vigorously, swinging his sword like a wheel, launching a fierce horizontal slash at Aoto, who had no retreat.

Shinno’s strike was exceptionally well-timed and precise in angle.

The horizontally swung blade, blocking Aoto’s movements to the left and right, prevented him from dodging the attack laterally.

With the railing behind him, Aoto couldn’t retreat backward. With the lateral slash blocking escape routes, Aoto would have no choice but to take Shinno’s strike head-on to avoid getting a massive hole in his abdomen.

Both Shinno and the only witness to the battle, Mukiwa, thought this way.