I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 854: Kill Kusaka Genzui! Copy Talent [Failed Art Student +3] [4900]

After the sword fight, the two men did not separate immediately, but kept their sword guards together.

“Drink aaaaaaaa——!”

Kusaka Genzui suddenly shouted, a low, hoarse roar burst out from his throat, his expression became extremely ferocious, and his facial lines were twisted into a ball.

He leaned forward, adding his own weight to the blade to increase the power of the strike.

Qing Deng remained calm, and calmly observed Kusaka Genzui in front of him through the two swords that were closely connected in mid-air.

Now, at the age of 24, Kusaka Genzui is in the prime of his life.

He is 6 feet (1 meters) tall, with regular features and a handsome face. He is indeed one of the most beautiful boys in Choshu.

At this moment, his handsome face was dominated by an expression of incomparable determination.

With just one glance, one can clearly feel from him the tenacious determination of "facing death with equanimity" and "preferring to die in glory rather than live in dishonor".

The enemy who has no fear of death and only wants to die on the battlefield is the most difficult to deal with and must not be taken lightly.

In order to suppress Qing Deng, Kusaka Genzui used up all his strength.

However, Qing Deng remained as steady as a rock, his feet rooted deep into the ground like the roots of a thousand-year-old tree, not moving an inch.

Suddenly, Qing Deng took a breath.

The next moment, the force he had originally applied frontally was suddenly released sideways!
The wrestling match suddenly ended... Caught off guard, Kusaka Genzui lost his balance due to inertia, as if he had stepped on an empty staircase, and his body fell forward heavily.

While withdrawing his strength, Qing Deng moved to the side of Kusaka Genzui.

Move your body, aim at the target, and swing your sword to chop down - these three actions are carried out almost simultaneously.

A silver line splashed down, and Vairocana drew a thrilling arc in the air, slashing straight towards Kusaka Genzui's neck.

Qing Deng's combo is really brutal.

It has both insidious routines and terrifying power and speed.

Even if a master possesses the Mian Xu Jie Chuan, he may not be able to withstand his move.

Kusaka Genzui was good at writing, but he was not a world-famous swordsman like Katsura Kogoro and Takasugi Shinsaku.

If it were an ordinary time, he would definitely not be able to dodge Qing Deng's knife.

However, after making up his mind to sacrifice his life, he felt as if a burden had been lifted from him, and now he felt in great physical condition.

His facial features were extremely sharp, and his limbs were exceptionally nimble.

In this way, he displayed amazing strength far beyond his usual level!

In a flash, his body took action one step ahead of his consciousness.

He twisted his body and changed his steps swiftly, narrowly avoiding Vairocana's blade.

Then he retreated quickly, retreating to 10 meters away in one breath, creating some distance.

The strike that was thought to be a sure hit actually missed... Qing Deng was surprised, but did not reveal any flaws.

He quickly pulled Vairocana back to his hand and completed Zanshin.

The separation of the two was just a matter of a snap of fingers.

After a snap of a finger, accompanied by two indistinguishable sounds of footsteps on the ground, the two men started fighting again.

Zhurong is showing his power.

Black smoke rose and spread.

Sparks burst in my ears.

The air was filled with a foul, burnt smell.

The sound of wood cracking was heard repeatedly.

The flames gradually engulfed the temple's roof.

Not far away, the Choshu battle flag with the "Ichimonji Sanxing" painted on it was burning and fluttering up and down.

In just a moment, there was no place without fire in Tianlong Temple.

The soldiers who attacked Tenryuuji retreated because they were afraid of the fire.

The only people left in Tenryuuji now were the generals of both sides.

A one-on-one duel between generals... Even looking at the entire history of the world, this is a very rare event.

“Hah! Ha!”

Two powerful shouts burst out from Kusaka Genzui's throat in succession.

He first launched a straight stab, but after Qing Deng dodged it, he changed to the Eight-Pair Formation and quickly launched his second move, using the Cassock Slash to chop Qing Deng's chest hard.

This time, Qingdeng did not dodge, but held Vairocana diagonally above his head.

With a clang, the two knives met.

There was a subtle technique hidden in Qingdeng's block, which directly pushed Kusaka Genzui's sword to the side, and the uncontrolled sword hit the wooden wall on the side of Qingdeng... Correction, it should be "fire wall".

The wall was engulfed in flames, with burning debris constantly falling down, and it was crumbling.

Kusaka Genzui's attack was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

With a loud "boom", the "wall of fire" shattered into thousands of pieces, falling like raindrops.

Qing Deng and Kusaka Genzui jumped back at the same time and rushed out from under the "fire wall".

The collapsed "wall of fire" just separated the two people.

Thousands of sparks and dust stirred up by the collapse of the wall filled the air, blocking the view.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough!"

Kusaka Genzui accidentally inhaled some dust and smoke, and couldn't help coughing repeatedly, and his body posture became a little disordered.

Just at this moment, a flash of cold light suddenly appeared!
Qing Deng leaped up, broke through the obstruction of sparks and smoke, and rushed to Kusaka Genzui in one breath.

The tip of the knife was raised upward in a kasumi configuration, aiming directly at Kusaka Genzui's chest, and using the potential energy of the charge, it pounced forward.

The pig's rapid charge, coupled with the horn-like tip of the knife, really made it look like a wild bull.

Everything happens in milliseconds.

Kusaka Genzui didn't even have time to be surprised, he subconsciously lowered his body and rolled on the ground.

Although he looked very embarrassed, at least he managed to save his life.

However... although he dodged the fatal blow, his chest was accidentally grazed by the tip of Vairocana's knife, his clothes were torn, and a bright red wound opened up like a shell, with blood oozing out.

As if they had agreed in advance, Qing Deng and Kusaka Genzui did not rush to pounce on each other, but just stood there, facing each other from a distance.

Looking around, the only fire-free area was the small open space under the two of them.

In the dim firelight, the changes in the expressions of the two people were more prominent.

Qing Deng was still the same, with no expression on his face.

Kusaka Genzui stared at Qing Deng with a serious face, breathing heavily, "Hu...! Hu...!"

As far as the results are concerned, Kusaka Genzui's performances just now were indeed amazing and could definitely be considered an extraordinary performance.

He dueled with Qing Deng and fought for more than ten rounds without losing.

However, the gap between the two is still obvious.

Apart from anything else, just by looking at the looks of the two men, one can see the strength comparison between the two sides.

Qing Deng's breathing was still steady and his complexion was normal.

On the other hand, Kusaka Genzui was already out of breath.

"Huh...! Huh...! Huh...! Huh...! Huh...!"

After his breathing became even, Kusaka Genzui gripped the sword again, got into position, and shot his eyes like a sharp arrow straight at Qing Deng.

Even though he didn't say a word, Qing Deng could sense his intention from his eyes: the next round will decide the winner!

It seemed that he planned to channel his remaining strength and will into his next attack while he still had the strength to fight.

This is exactly what Qing Deng wants!

As the fire spread, the air became thinner.

No matter how powerful Qing Deng is, he can't stay active for a long time in an area filled with fire.

Even as powerful as he was, he couldn't help but feel difficulty breathing.

Qing Deng raised his chin to indicate "come on", then spread his legs and casually placed the knife in front of his chest.

"..."

"..."

Suddenly, the only sound left at the scene was the sound of burning flames.

The two of them seemed to have stopped breathing, staring at each other motionlessly.

Suddenly, the air between the two of them vibrated violently—they launched their attacks at the same time!

Kusaka Genzui kicked the dust, raised his sword above his head, and ran straight towards Qingdeng.

Qing Deng adopted a knife-dragging posture, scraping the ground and rushing head-on without any order.

The outcome was decided in an instant.

The moment Qing Deng entered his attack range, Kusaka Genzui shouted loudly, took out the momentum of "Splitting Huashan with Force", and swung his sword to cut him down.

At the same moment, Qing Deng slashed the lower part of the knife upward diagonally.

clang! !

Steel knives collide.

The knife that Kusaka Genzui used to chop downwards and the knife that Qing Deng used to chop upwards collided heavily.

Bluish-white sparks flew out, and Kusaka Genzui's sword was directly bounced away and almost slipped out of his hand.

Although he tried his best to pull the knife back to his hand, it was too late.

After Qing Deng deflected the opponent's knife, he adjusted the blade, and the purple blade light poured down, covering Kusaka Genzui's body——

Puff! A "purple line" splashed down.

The blood-red color blurred the purple light that had not yet dissipated.

Qing Deng ran past Kusaka Genzui, steadied himself after running a few steps, turned his head to face the enemy again, and habitually put on Zanshin.

In fact, his reluctance was completely unnecessary.

The blow he just made was very powerful, and it felt like he was cutting tendons and breaking bones.

Unless the opponent is a legendary creature like the "Undead", it is impossible for him to stand up again.

As expected, Kusaka Genzui shook a few times, then fell to his knees with a plop, and the knife in his hand fell to the ground with a clang.

【Ding! Scan to talent]

[Successfully copied talent: "Failed art student +3"]

[Talent introduction: Contagious speech]

【Ding! It is detected that the host already has the same type of talent]

【Ding! Start talent fusion]

[“Failed Art Student +2” ability upgrade – “Failed Art Student +5”]

The failed art voice +3... Qing Deng finally understood why Kusaka Genzui was so popular and had so many fans.

After the system sound in his mind stopped, Qing Deng slowly walked towards the other party.

“Ah…! Ah…! Puff! Cough cough cough! Ugh…!”

Kusaka Genzui's limbs were constantly twitching, and blood foam mixed with saliva kept flowing out of his mouth and nose.

A horrific cut extended from his left abdomen to his right shoulder, with blood flowing all over the ground.

With such a serious injury, there is no cure and he will die of blood loss soon.

Qing Deng raised the knife, ready to give him a quick death.

Unexpectedly, Kusaka Genzui spoke first:
"No... no need for you to do it..."

As he spoke, he raised his hand, opened his shirt, exposing his belly, and then pulled out his wakizashi with a clang.

When Qing Deng saw this, he immediately understood.

"Do you need an assistant?"

Perhaps it was a last burst of energy, Kusaka Genzui's body spasms were relieved a lot and his speech became clearer.

"No need...My stupidity caused countless people to die."

"At this point, how can I die a quick death?"

After a few self-deprecating sneers, Kusaka Genzui raised the wakizashi, with the tip of the knife pressed against his left abdomen.

Seeing that the other party rejected his kindness, Qing Deng did not force it. He simply swung his sword to wipe off the remaining blood on the blade, then turned and left.

The flames grew stronger and stronger, licking the ground, almost burning to the feet of Qing Deng and Kusaka Genzui.

Just as Kusaka Genzui was about to be surrounded by the sea of ​​fire, Qing Deng suddenly heard him shout:

"Tachibana Aoto...just watch!"

Kusaka Genzui kept the wakizashi pointed at his stomach and shouted loudly without raising his head.

"We're not done with Choshu yet!"

"Shogunate, Qinjin, Aizu, Satsuma... We, the men of Choshu, will defeat you all!"

"The one who finally conquers the world will definitely be Changzhou!"

Qing Deng stopped, turned half of his head, and looked coldly at the figure of Kusaka Genzui who was twisted by the sea of ​​fire.

"I'm always ready to teach you. Just come at me."

After saying that, Qing Deng no longer paid attention to the other party, took another step, and walked forward.

"Tachibana Aoto...just wait...the day when Choshu will rule the world...will not be far away..."

As his strength gradually faded, Hisaka Genzui's voice became weaker as he continued speaking.

Just before he was about to lose consciousness, he took a deep breath, secretly exerted a great strength, and forced the wakizashi into his stomach.

puff!

He suddenly fell forward, his body convulsing violently.

Raging fire surrounded from all directions.

Several burnt logs fell not far from him.

In a short while, his body disappeared in the vast sea of ​​fire...

"The most talented person in Choshu" Kusaka Genzui died in battle!

……

……

West of Tenryuji Temple, Arashiyama——

"One, two, three, pull! Again! One, two, three, pull!"

Katsura Kogoro personally stepped forward to push the wheel, and finally managed to get a carriage full of wounded soldiers out of the mud.

After taking over the command of the army from Kusaka Genzui, Katsura Kogoro immediately began to plan the retreat.

Under the fierce attack of the Choshu Army, the Choshu Army's command system was already on the verge of collapse.

Katsura Kogoro, who was given the task in a time of crisis, managed to complete all preparations for retreat and organize the corresponding defense lines in the midst of chaos.

First, let the wounded evacuate, and the remaining soldiers who are unable to fight anymore will be responsible for escorting them.

Then, the troops that were still able to fight were selected to form the rear guard and deployed at Arashiyama, west of Tenryuji Temple.

Arashiyama is located on the eastern edge of the Tamba Plateau, with a high terrain and a mountain height of 375 meters.

By taking advantage of the geographical location, it is possible to stop the offensive of the Tantamount Army and buy time for retreat.

Fortunately, Katsura Kogoro is one of the "Three Heroes of Choshu" and has authority second only to Hisaka Genzui and Takasugi Shinsaku.

When the generals heard that Katsura Kogoro was now in charge, they all kept silent and silently carried out the orders given by Katsura Kogoro, not daring to resist.

If it were someone else, they might not have the qualifications to overpower the generals.

In order to boost morale and ensure a smooth retreat, Katsura Kogoro personally commanded the rearguard troops and would live and die with them.

Prajna folded her arms and followed Katsura Kogoro with an indifferent look on her face, refusing to step forward to help anyone.

When Katsura Kogoro tried to push the carriage that was stuck in the mud, he stood by as if it had nothing to do with him.

Katsura Kogoro has long been accustomed to Prajna's indifference.

He knew very well that Prajna's only mission was to save his life.

Everything beyond this is beyond his scope of responsibility and he will never help.

"Haaah~~"

Prajna looked up to the sky and yawned loudly.

"You are such a troublemaker... It's all your fault for staying behind to cover the rear, causing me to suffer as well."

"Let me be frank with you. I won't save anyone. I'm only responsible for protecting you."

"Don't even think about running headlong into the enemy and forcing me to fight the 'Chang's Army' to protect you."

"If you make me angry, I won't care about the mission, I will chop off your head first to vent my anger."

"I am different from Otakemaru, Shuten Douji, and Rakshasa. I don't have such deep feelings for the Dharma-Slaying Party, and I will not obey the orders of the Yamata no Orochi."

"I agreed to join the Dharma Punishment Party purely to spar with Otakemaru and Shuten-doji more often."

"I assure you: I have absolutely no virtue of 'completing tasks in quality and quantity'."

In addition to "indifference", Katsura Kogoro has also long been accustomed to Prajna's "venomous snake" and "chatty".

He simply ignored Prajna and continued to focus on the matter at hand.

Seeing that Katsura Kogoro treated him as air, Prajna didn't care and just yawned loudly.

At this moment, he seemed to sense something, his expression suddenly changed, and then he turned his head to look towards the east.

Katsura Kogoro noticed something was wrong and couldn't help but ask:

"Prajna, what's wrong?"

Prajna did not answer immediately.

He stared straight at the dense forest in the east for a long while, until Katsura Kogoro began to feel impatient, and then he slowly spoke:

"...Katsura Kogoro, you go first."

"Huh? What do you mean? What happened?"

Prajna grinned, revealing her sharp white teeth and a smile full of complex emotions.

"An old friend has come to visit me...! I can't take care of your life for now, so you're on your own!"

After saying that, Prajna kicked the ground hard, and in the blink of an eye she plunged into the dense forest in the east, leaving Katsura Kogoro alone in a daze.

Crack, crack, crack, crack...

Prajna ran quickly through the forest, and leaves brushed against his body, making crackling sounds.

After a while, he suddenly felt enlightened - after rushing out of the dense forest, there was a large open space in front of him.

Right in the center of the open space, an old man stood as straight as a mountain.

Prajna looked at the old man and smiled faintly.

"Long time no see...Master."

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PS: In fact, Kusaka Genzui committed suicide by stabbing others after being defeated in the "Kinmon Incident". Because this book can't find anyone who can stab him, he can only commit seppuku alone.