Chapter 455: Chapter 162: The Swordsman Who Severed the Ironclad Ship: Mamiya Kurō
"Before leaving my hometown, I had already heard of your renowned name and greatly admired your power!"
"I truly wish to personally experience the distance between myself and a true master!"
"A single match with me will suffice!"
"I hope you can oblige!"
Having said this, Nagakura respectfully bowed at a 90-degree angle to Chiba Eijiro.
Nagakura’s sudden challenge left Aoto and the others momentarily stunned.
Straightforward, outspoken, quick and decisive... these traits truly embody Nagakura’s brash personality.
Perhaps witnessing the fierce duel between Aoto and Chiba Eijiro earlier had ignited the warrior spirit within him, Nagakura’s face read, "I also really want to have a match with Chiba Eijiro."
Chiba Eijiro raised his gaze, assessed Nagakura Shinpachi, who was a head taller than him, and smiled faintly:
"Not bad eyes."
Chiba Eijiro lowered the bamboo sword he had shouldered.
"Alright then, let’s have a match."
Nagakura’s cheeks flushed with visible delight: "I am very grateful!"
At this moment, a baritone voice suddenly rang out as if it held no emotional tone.
This voice seemed to possess some kind of magic power, causing the expressions of Aoto and the others to subtly change.
"...Mr. Chiba, may I also request a match with you?"
The owner of this voice... Saito, stared at Chiba Eijiro with piercing eyes.
"I also wish to personally experience my own shortcomings compared to Edo’s strongest swordsman."
"Please fulfill this request, Mr. Chiba."
Saito remained as expressionless as ever.
Yet in his eyes, one could faintly see a flame-like fighting spirit.
Aoto and the others... now looked at Saito, visibly astonished.
Their reaction wasn’t due to Saito’s request for guidance from Chiba Eijiro following Nagakura, nor was it because of the fighting spirit flickering in Saito’s eyes.
"Saito." Harada, with wide-open eyes and mouth agape, looked at Saito, his expression as if he had witnessed an unbelievable sight, "You could actually speak so much in one go?"
Aoto, who had the longest acquaintance with Saito among those present, was equally shocked by Saito’s lengthy speech.
When was the last time Saito said so much at once?
Or rather... had Saito ever spoken so much at once before?
Confronted by Harada’s doubts, Saito gave him a casual glance: "I have a tongue, so naturally, I can speak a lot at once."
Indeed, a succinct yet persuasive answer... Harada, whose wits weren’t the sharpest, showed an expression of "Ah, that’s true."
Saito’s earnest assertion of "having a tongue" strangely gave Aoto and the others a sense of absurdity.
Chiba Eijiro, who was unaware of Saito’s taciturn nature, and unclear why Aoto and the others were so taken aback by Saito’s speech, generously shared a warm smile with Saito.
"You want to have a match with me too... alright then."
"Line up and take turns one by one."
Having spoken, Chiba Eijiro put back on the mask he had removed not long ago.
...
...
The positions had shifted.
Earlier, Aoto stood on the stage for a match with Chiba Eijiro; now, he sat by the edge of the dojo as an observer.
Previously seated by the dojo’s edge, Nagakura and others now stood up for a match with Chiba Eijiro.
The first to take the stage was Nagakura, who immediately took the upper rank and aggressively initiated a fierce attack on Chiba Eijiro as soon as the match began.
Possessing a very robust physique and employing the Shindo Mononoke Stream, focusing on overwhelming the opponent with momentum and power, Nagakura favored direct fierce assaults due to his personality, making him the most aggressive attacker in Shiwei Hall.
Aoto always thought weapons such as axes and maces might better suit Nagakura’s full attack power and aggressive style as a "Strength Type Swordsman."
Nevertheless, no matter how high one’s strength, it’s useless if you can’t hit the opponent.
No matter how desperately Nagakura swung his sword, until he admitted defeat from exhaustion, his bamboo sword never touched Chiba Eijiro.
Saito was the second to step onto the stage, a "Speed and Technique Type Swordsman," contrasting with Nagakura but akin to Chiba Eijiro.
Due to practicing No External Stream, which emphasizes efficient killing methods, Saito’s fighting style was to "slice at the enemy’s vital spots in the quickest and most effortless manner."
Thus, the duel between Saito and Chiba Eijiro presented Aoto and the others with a spectacle of speed.
Their figures drew trails of afterimages in the dojo as they exchanged quick sword movements.
However... despite the seemingly intense battle with Chiba Eijiro, the outcome was almost identical to that with Aoto and Nagakura—he was severely suppressed, and until the duel ended, his sword never touched Chiba Eijiro.
Following Saito, Harada, itching to join the action, picked up a wooden spear, expressing a desire for guidance from Chiba Eijiro. Perhaps in a good mood or for some other reason, Chiba Eijiro generously agreed.
Even when facing a long spear, which has multiple times the attack range of swords and is the "King of Hundred Weapons," Chiba Eijiro continued to display his kingly prowess.
To Chiba Eijiro, Harada’s attack and defense range seemed nonexistent.
Chiba Eijiro could effortlessly advance to Harada’s front, and Harada’s spear could never thwart Chiba Eijiro.
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