My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 375 - 143: Another Instant Kill! [Talent Fusion]!

"Oh... So you mean you didn’t carry out any meticulous calculations with that sword move..." Chiba Eijiro slightly lowered his eyelids in a barely noticeable manner.

Suddenly, Chiba Shigetarou’s voice sounded from behind Aoto: "Hmm? Brother Rong?"

Chiba Shigetarou and Sazanoko approached Aoto from the front and back.

Sazanoko had already reverted to her usual "distinguished young lady" demeanor that kept everyone at a distance, no longer showing the previously shocked expression when Aoto demonstrated his skills, with her lips forming a cute "O" shape and her expression looking dumbfounded.

Chiba Shigetarou looked at Aoto with confusion, then glanced at Chiba Eijiro: "Brother Rong, what are you chatting about with Mr. Tachibana?"

"Nothing much," Chiba Eijiro chuckled gracefully a few times, "just casually chatting a bit."

"Oh, I see..." Chiba Shigetarou sneaked a glance at Sazanoko beside him, then swept his eyes over Chiba Eijiro in front, pursed his lips thoughtfully, and laughed heartily, "As long as Brother Rong gets along well with Mr. Tachibana, that’s good."

Nobody noticed — when Chiba Shigetarou said this, a meaningful gleam flickered in his eyes.

— Chiba Eijiro is much more approachable than I imagined...

After actually interacting with Chiba Eijiro, Aoto found him to be quite amiable. Despite being a powerful figure whose mere footsteps could cause tremors in the entire Edo swordsmanship circle, he had no airs.

This naturally increased Aoto’s good impression of Chiba Eijiro.

...

...

The scenes of Aoto and Chiba Eijiro conversing warmly were fully taken in by Niitsuma Kan from afar.

Not only Chiba Shigetarou... but even Chiba Eijiro’s attitude towards that Tachibana Aoto was very cordial...

Inadvertently, Niitsuma Kan clenched his hands even tighter.

His ten fingers sank deep into the skin of his palms, making them red as if ready to ooze blood at any moment...

...

...

A one-hour lunch break passed swiftly.

As the competition resumed near eight o’clock in Korea (2 PM), the surrounding spectator seats became packed again.

The elderly samurai serving as the host stepped onto the stage again, said a few words that almost nobody listened to seriously, and began drawing lots for the second round of eliminations.

Aoto felt uncertain whether today’s luck was "good" or "bad."

The host drew the first lot from the tube, glanced at the name written on it, and raised his head to announce loudly:

"Natural Reasoning Heart Stream, Shiwei Hall, Tachibana Aoto!"

Wow!

As soon as the host finished speaking, a commotion erupted among the spectators.

It was entirely unexpected for Aoto to go first again in the second round of elimination...

The host handed Aoto’s lot to the assistant beside him and reached into the tube to draw another lot.

After glancing at the name on the lot, the host, who often wore a stern expression, suddenly had a strange look on his face.

After a momentary pause, he lifted his gaze from the lot.

"Mirror Heart Mingzhi School, Shixue Hall, Morioka Tadao!"

The commotion that had just died down erupted again in a new wave.

They were about to witness... Tachibana Aoto versus the "Three Heroes"!

The spectators who didn’t know the skill gap between Aoto and the "Three Heroes" immediately got excited, ready to watch the upcoming "clash of titans" seriously.

Only Chiba Eijiro and Saito Mijuro, who understood the skill disparity between Aoto and other competitors, remained calm—they knew matches with such lopsided strength had no appeal.

Recovering from the shock of "I’m first up again," Aoto composed himself, picked up his bamboo sword, and stepped onto the stage.

Upon learning that his second-round opponent was Aoto, Morioka’s expression turned slightly peculiar, but he resolutely raised his sword.

They donned their gear, stood on opposite sides, paid respects, and as the referees said "Begin," the second round of eliminations officially started!

Morioka tightly gripped his bamboo sword, staring intently at Aoto, who was in a middle stance opposite him.

Morioka knew he wasn’t a match for Aoto now, but even so, he wanted to fight with all his might until the end!

Aoto didn’t immediately attack as he did against Adachi in the previous match.

This time, he simply held the sword in front of him, motionless.

Seeing Aoto completely still, Morioka couldn’t help but wonder:

— Why is he not moving?

— Is he looking for my weakness?

— Or is he considering which direction and method to attack from?

As Morioka pondered Aoto’s inactivity, he tensed his nerves, ready for any move Aoto might make.

Not knowing Aoto’s intentions kept Morioka from making rash moves, forcing him to stand off against Aoto from a distance.

Morioka and the spectators now tensely awaited Aoto’s next move.

Actually... Morioka misunderstood Aoto.

His inactivity wasn’t due to planning an attack or spotting Morioka’s weakness.

He wasn’t thinking about anything.

He was simply counting down the 10 seconds needed to copy an ability...

— Seven... Eight... Nine... Ten...

Quietly finishing the 10-second count, Aoto expelled all the stale air from his lungs.