48 Hours a Day

Chapter 569 Gion Blood War (IV)

In the courtyard shrouded in darkness, enemies were waiting to land a critical hit on Zhang Heng. Zhang Heng’s words were like a chant that opened the doors of hell, breaking loose minions of bloodthirsty evil spirits. They charged at Zhang Heng like moths attracted by the fire. The maid carrying the lantern adjacent to them finally drew her tachi. At the same time, at least three knives slashed at different parts of Zhang Heng’s body.

In a moment of life and death, Zhang Heng did not lose his calm, firmly holding the katana with one hand and his wakizashi in the other.

He had challenged many dojos in Kyoto, and besides the fact that he was looking for legendary katana, he wanted to observe the swordsmanship of different sects and learn from the best. Although his swordsmanship was still at Lv.3, Zhang Heng felt that he had made some progress. Unlike when he first came here and got defeated by relying solely on his basic attributes, he now had learned many combos. Although he could not incorporate all these combinations into one, he could use different combos according to the situation.

For example, since Zhang Heng was surrounded right now, the Niten Ichi-ryū would be the best method to deal with them. Holding the wakizashi in his left hand and holding the katana in his right, he managed to block the two Tachi that slashed at his left leg and lower waist. The attacker was a womaneven though she was skillful on the Tachi, she would still possess less strength than men no matter what. The moment her Tachi collided with Zhang Heng’s katana, he exerted all his might into blocking her attack, managing to force her to drop her Tachi.

Zhang Heng quickly utilized this small gap, swinging the wakizashi to the front of his forehead. And he managed to block the incoming third slash. At the same time, he swung his katana and sliced off one of her arms before she could land another strike on him! The blood splattering on the ground further intensified the courtyard’s atmosphere.

Zhang Heng did not stand there and wait for his enemies to surround him. Instead, he retreated while defending himself. At the same time, he was looking for weakness in the encirclement—this allowed him to showcase the quintessence of the Niten Ichi-ryū. Miyamoto Musashi was not only a samurai but also a master of war. In the famous duel at Ganryu Island, Musashi defeated the most powerful samurai, Sasaki Kojiro, with a unique strategy.

Musashi’s swordsmanship was flawless, and he defeated his opponent with his masterful skills. Besides, he did not limit his creativity on his attacks. When it came to Zhang Heng, he became even more imaginative. Since Zhang Heng was holding two weapons of different lengths, his moves were extremely unpredictable. It caused many of his enemies to be seriously injured.

These samurai really lived up to their name. Even if their companions were dying nonstop, their eyes held not the slightest hint of fear, and even if their limbs were severed, they would charge at their enemies.

Who cared if Zhang Heng were to chop off their heads—they would still charge at him with no hesitation, all to create opportunities for their companions. This was how they fought. All they knew was to continue attacking their enemies, even if it meant certain death. Retreating was never an option for them!

Many of them were adopted by powerful and influential sect members since they were still a child. Some of their family members received great help during their most difficult times. So, they were willing to offer themselves to those who help their families. The ancient training method allowed them to abandon all the emotions. They were also taught to fear nothing. In other words, their purpose of living was to complete the tasks given to them. Often, it could help them to burst out terrifying combat power.

Under such a violent offense, no matter how powerful the person, it was impossible for them to leave the battlefield unharmed. Zhang Heng’s left arm, calf, and waist were slashed one after another. Fortunately, they were just light injuries. Two of the injuries were caused by his underestimation of his opponent’s decisiveness. He made sure that his wakizashi was penetrated the opponent’s heart, but the enemy could still rely on his amazing willpower to slash Zhang Heng with his Tachi. There was even an enemy who left a row of teeth marks on his wrist.

However, Zhang Heng was not polite. The battle of life and death was not a time to pity and cherish jade. In a short period, he had cut over more than a dozen people, including the maid he had rescued before. The deepest cut in his waist was the last gift the other party gave him.

Zhang Heng’s heart remained calm, and he did not feel regret for saving the woman earlier. He did not want to watch her kill herself because of a small mistake. It had nothing to do with her trying to kill him right now. Just like the other party said, they were trying to fulfill their responsibility.

All those attackers that wanted to kill Zhang Heng could no longer be considered as a whole human. They had abandoned their lives and feelings. Now, they lived their lives for others and were willing to die for others.

Zhang Heng used his wakizashi to block a sudden attack, and then he aimed for the right timing and used his katana to pick up the burning lantern that had fallen to the ground and threw it at the room where the firewood was stored. He retreated to the burning room and stood there to prevent others from putting off the fire.

Zhang Heng took out the might he gained from the Black Sail quest and started to swing both of his weapons to make sure no one could get close to him. And in that short time, no one could get into one foot within his range.

After Zhang Heng did some calculations, he found out that the people he just killed or injured were probably less than a third of the tea house’s manpower. If this went on, he might use up his stamina and die here. That was why Zhang Heng set the room on fire. He was preparing his escape route. The main entrance and the side entrance of the tea house were heavily guarded. It was probably going to be difficult to break through them. However, Zhang Heng still had his lvi rock climbing skill to climb up the roof and flee from this place. It was also the weakest spot of the encirclement. Although some men knew ninjutsu standing on the roof, most of them had jumped down from the roof when the fight broke out. They were trying to sneak an attack on Zhang Heng, but Zhang Heng eventually killed most of them.

Once the fire got bigger, Zhang Heng would leave the tea house. But at this moment, he suddenly heard the faint shouting from outside the gate, and at the same time, he could feel that the pressure around him had reduced. Did something change? While trying to figure it out, he heard a familiar voice shouting, “The captain of the Shinsengumi first strike team is here! Listen up! Put down your weapons for us to inspect the place! Our director is en route as well!”

After he shouted, his enemies had no intention to do what he ordered. Instead, it only made his enemies fight more fiercely. The tea house people seemed to be planning to get rid of the captain before Kondo Isami arrived here. But what they did not expect was that tonight was going to get worse for them. Before they could defeat Zhang Heng, their sworn enemies were here to assault them without warning.

Okita Soki started to charge into the tea house after he voiced out his intention. The katana in his hand bloomed in the dark, like a butterfly. However, this beautiful butterfly was extremely deadly. His katana cut down anyone who stood in his path.

And he was all alone.