My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 373 - 143: Another Instant Kill! [Talent Fusion]!

The speed, angle, and timing of Aoto’s strike were something that the "Three Heroes"... no, that all of the contestants in this tournament couldn’t even hope to match!

In the seating area of the Training Hall, Niitsuma Kan, who hadn’t left his seat, lowered his head and rasped to Saito Mijuro, who sat in front of him and also remained seated:

"Master... do you think, when facing Tachibana Aoto, how much chance do I have of winning... Please, tell me honestly."

When asking his master, Saito Mijuro, this question, Niitsuma Kan’s expression was extremely gloomy, as if black water would drip out at any moment. His lips were tightly pressed, corners of his mouth drooped, and his eyes and brow were filled with intense anxiety, unwillingness, panic, and various other emotions...

After witnessing the strike with which Aoto instantly defeated Adachi, Niitsuma Kan suddenly realized—this Tachibana Aoto’s strength... far exceeded anything he had imagined!

If it were him, he simply couldn’t defeat Adachi so neatly and beautifully.

Even though he realized Aoto’s strength far surpassed his own, a slight glimmer of hope still lingered in Niitsuma Kan’s heart.

Perhaps... after facing Tachibana Aoto, I might still have some chance of winning—with this guess in mind and after hesitating several times, Niitsuma Kan decided to seek confirmation from his master, Saito Mijuro.

As the Hall Master of the Training Hall, "Powerful Saito" certainly had a clearer and more comprehensive assessment of Aoto’s strength than Niitsuma Kan.

He hoped to hear something from Saito Mijuro’s mouth like "You are not completely without hope."

If that were the case, he could reignite his fighting spirit and fight Aoto with all his might.

"Hmm..." Hearing Niitsuma Kan suddenly throw this question at him, Saito Mijuro stroked the short gray beard on his chin, then turned his head, a helpless smile on his face, and asked Niitsuma Kan, "Mr. Niitsuma, my answer... may not be pleasant to hear. Even so, do you still want to hear it?"

"..." After pondering for a while, Niitsuma Kan gritted his teeth, "Please, Master, answer honestly."

Seeing Niitsuma Kan say this, Saito Mijuro’s hand stroking his beard slowly stopped: "Facing Tachibana Aoto now... you have no chance of winning at all."

With that said, Saito Mijuro sighed with emotion and grinned slightly.

"Among the contemporaries, the strength of Tachibana Aoto is absolutely unrivaled."

"Looking all over Edo... no, all over Japan, there should be no one of his contemporaries with the same strength as Tachibana Aoto."

With that said, Saito Mijuro turned his gaze to the direction of the seats of the Shiwei Hall’s contingent, his hand once again stroking the short beard on his chin.

"If nothing unexpected happens... the winner of this tournament should be Tachibana Aoto."

In this tournament, Tachibana Aoto should be unstoppable—Saito Mijuro was not the only one with this thought.

As early as when he saw Aoto instantly defeat Adachi with that strike, "Position of Peach Well," Taojing Chunzang revealed a bitter smile.

Other swordsmen with a certain level of swordsmanship also realized this; after watching Aoto’s matches, they all understood—unless something unexpected happened, Aoto should be able to crush all the opponents he encountered and win the tournament effortlessly.

Many Sword Dojo masters even sighed with regret, as they had originally hoped for their disciples to try to seize a good position in this tournament. Now, with Aoto present, they could only hope for their disciples to try for second place.

Hearing the answer from Saito Mijuro, spoken in such a certain tone, Niitsuma Kan’s expression first stiffened, then his hands clenched tightly on his lap.

The unwillingness, frustration, and anxiety on his face were so intense that they were almost tangible.

Instinctively, Niitsuma Kan turned his head and looked toward Aoto’s seat in the distance.

As soon as his gaze fell there, Niitsuma Kan’s expression stiffened again—he saw "Edo’s Strongest," "Skill of Chiba," Chiba Eijiro, enthusiastically chatting with Aoto...

...

...

After the referee announced a temporary suspension of the match and the surrounding spectators scattered in small groups, Aoto stood up expressionlessly and walked towards Zhouzhu.

"... Master."

"How should I put it... I’ve really been fooled by you all for quite a while."

After finishing his first match and returning to his seat, Aoto promptly adjusted his mindset and seriously, attentively watched the other contestants’ matches.

A significant portion of the participants had the strength to put one through a tough battle—at that time, Aoto still believed the reminder Zhouzhu had been telling him almost daily, even several times a day.

He must seriously observe the matches! He must strive to remember each expert’s favored techniques to prepare for the upcoming matches!

With this thought in mind, Aoto watched the matches intently.

Then he was filled with questions.

The more he watched the matches, the more he couldn’t help furrowing his brow.

Why are the contestants’ skills... so lacking?

When Aoto vaguely sensed something was off, he still chose to trust his master.

The three acclaimed as the "Three Heroes" had not yet appeared, and perhaps their skills would indeed be remarkable—comforting himself with these thoughts, Aoto patiently watched the matches.

Finally, when the first "Three Heroes" member, Morioka, stepped onto the stage, Aoto immediately became spirited, watching Morioka’s every move with full attention.

After watching Morioka defeat his opponent from start to finish, Aoto had only one thought: