"Master Fengma, can I borrow your small yard for a while?"
"Of course I can... Brother Ogata, what do you want to do by borrowing my yard?"
"I made an appointment to give Kondo some swordsmanship instruction."
After obtaining permission to use Fuma's yard, Ogata turned around and returned to the yard.
Because Fuma's family did not have the kind of wooden or bamboo swords used for sword practice, Ogata and Kondo could only temporarily use two thick and long branches in the yard that were about the same length as the katana.
Ogata held the branch and danced casually, moving his muscles and bones as much as possible without pulling the wounds on his body.
As Ogata stretched his muscles, Kondo, who was standing opposite him, said to him hesitantly:
"Master, in this state... can you do any strenuous activities?"
Ogata's naked skin outside the kimono is mostly wrapped in thick linen.
Through the collar of the kimono, one can see that Ogata's upper body is also wrapped like a dumpling.
"My injuries are not a problem." Ogata said, "The 'Ogata Style' that I am going to teach you does not consume much physical strength, nor does it put too much strain on the body, so even if you are covered in wounds, it will not hinder my teaching of the 'Ogata Style'."
A-Machi and Fuma sat at the edge of the yard, watching the battle silently.
Fengmo is just too idle right now and is happy to watch the show.
And A-machi was also very interested in the "Ogata-ryu" that Ogata mentioned. After all, she had never heard Ogata talk about "Ogata-ryu" before.
"Ogata, brother."
While Ogata and Kondou were stretching their muscles and doing warm-up exercises, Fuma asked Ogata.
"Kondo has been calling you 'Master'. Have you really accepted Kondo as your apprentice?"
"No, I didn't accept him as my apprentice." Ogata said helplessly, "It's just that he likes to call me that unilaterally. Since he likes to call me that, I will let him use this name for me."
As early as that night four days ago, Ogata told Kondo not to call him "Master".
But I don't know if it's because he's used to calling him that, or because Kondo is just a stupid person, but no matter what Ogata said, Kondo didn't correct the way he called him.
Since Kondo couldn't correct it, Ogata didn't bother to worry about the issue of address anymore.
"Are you ready, Kondo?"
"Yes!" Kondo said seriously, "I'm ready!"
"If you're ready, come at me." Ogata said as he held a branch in one hand and assumed a true mid-section stance.
"Let me attack first?" Kondo asked.
"That's right. If I let you attack first, I can better show you what the Ogata Style is."
"Then—I'm on it!"
Kondo made a powerful sound of breathing and raised the branch in his hand high in the air.
Ogata - not moving.
Just as Kondou raised the branch high and prepared to charge at Ogata—
Click.
Ogata suddenly raised his left hand, which had been hanging naturally since a while ago, reached into his arms, and took out Kasumi.
He pulled out the Kasumagami, raised the gun, and aimed it at Kondou—his movements were quite smooth.
"Kondo, if you don't want your head blown off, just stand still."
After seeing Ogata take out Kasumi, Kondo's face changed instantly, and then he suddenly stopped moving forward.
He had seen this strange thing the night four days ago.
Kondo was extremely impressed by this thing.
This strange-looking thing is like a miniature cannon that can shoot things to attack opponents.
So when he saw Ogata take out this strange-looking thing, Kondo subconsciously stopped.
As he paused, Kondo suddenly remembered something:
"Wait!" Kondo shouted, "Isn't this the 'Ogata Sword Technique'?!"
Kondo heard Ogata say that on the night four days ago.
This move of him taking out a "miniature cannon" to attack the enemy is the secret of Ogata's swordsmanship.
"Yes, it is 'Ogata Swordsmanship'." Ogata said softly, "'Ogata Style' is actually just another way of saying 'Ogata Swordsmanship'."
"Master..." Kondo cast a complicated look at Ogata, "I hope you are teaching me swordsmanship..."
"Kondo."
Before Kondo could finish his words, Ofang interrupted him with a serious look on his face.
"You are wrong."
"My 'Ogata-ryu' is actually swordsmanship."
"How can taking out a 'small iron cannon' and shooting at the enemy be considered swordsmanship?" Kondo looked puzzled.
"This thing in my hand is not called 'Small Cannon'. Its official name is 'Short Gun'. It also has a very nice name 'Kasumi'."
Ogata said as he took Kasumiganagi back.
"The reason I took out Kasumi Nagi just now was just to give you an example."
"You don't have to take out your cannon to attack the enemy in future battles."
"You can throw sand into the enemy's eyes, or step on the enemy's toes when the enemy is not paying attention... In short, you can use all the tricks that can help you win."
"Kondo, whether it's the big schools like Mugai-ryu and Katori Shinto-ryu, or the small schools like my Sakakibara Ittoryu, most swordsmanship schools pursue the same thing - 'how to defeat the enemy as quickly as possible'."
"My 'Ogata-ryu' is a summary of what most sword schools pursue. It can be said to be the 'root of swordsmanship'."
"A sword school that doesn't teach you any sword techniques, but only teaches you a simple truth: in a life-and-death duel, you must win by any means necessary - this is the 'Ogata-ryu'."
"The essence of Ogata-ryu lies in one sentence: 'Practicality is the key.'"
"Throwing ash into other people's eyes - this is Ogata-ryu."
"Take advantage of the enemy's inattention and shoot them with a cannon. This is also the Ogata style."
"As long as it is a practical method to fight the enemy, you can use it as much as you want."
Kondo listened carefully to Ogata's teachings.
After Ogata finished speaking, he murmured the words that Ogata had just uttered:
"The essence of swordsmanship... as long as it is practical..."
As he muttered, the confusion that had just accumulated in Kondo's eyes gradually dissipated, and light burst out.
"Master! I understand!"
Seeing that Kondo looked as if he had comprehended some truth of the world, Ogata's expression involuntarily became strange.
But Ogata still managed to hold back his expression, keeping a calm demeanor, and said:
"Well, it's OK once you understand it."
After Ogata nodded, he paused as if he remembered something.
Then added :
"Although it is necessary to flexibly utilize the 'Ogata-ryu' in a life-and-death duel, there are some battles where the 'Ogata-ryu' cannot be used."
"Huh?" Kondou's face showed doubt again. "There are some battles in which the 'Ogata-ryu' cannot be used? Then what kind of battles can't the 'Ogata-ryu' be used?"
"Hmm..." Ogata groaned, thinking of a suitable example, "For example - a battle with an opponent that must be defeated fairly."
"What kind of enemy must be defeated fairly?" Kondo asked.
"I don't know about that." Ogata smiled bitterly, "Anyway, I haven't encountered this kind of enemy before, but I may encounter it in the future."
"Anyway - Kondo, make good use of the 'Ogata-ryu'."
"That's all I can teach you."
"Yes!" Kondo said excitedly, "Thank you for your guidance! I will go back and practice 'Ogata Ryu' now!"
After saying that, Kondo turned around and left without any hesitation.
Looking at Kondo's back as he left, Ogata couldn't help but secretly thought:
——Practicing "Ogata-ryu"...? How is he going to practice this...
After Kondo left completely, Atachi, who had been sitting on the side watching, came up.
"Ayi, I thought you were really going to teach Kondo some swordsmanship techniques..."
“I’m actually feeling a little guilty right now.”
"Hmm? Why do you say that?"
"Because a lot of what I just said was made up on the spot... For example, the 'Swordsmanship Sect', 'Ogata Style' is also a swordsmanship, etc.... These are actually just things I said casually on a whim..."
"Ah?" Ating's beautiful eyes widened. "So that means... you were just teaching nonsense just now?"
"I wasn't teaching randomly. I was really teaching Kondo something seriously just now."
"The 'Ogata Style' I just taught Kondo is the valuable experience I have gained from years of life-and-death battles. It is much more practical than any swordsmanship technique."
"It's just that the words used when introducing this 'Ogata-ryu' were a bit exaggerated..."
"And then... Kondo seemed to believe every word and sentence I just said..."
At this point, Ogata couldn't help but recall Kondo's look just now, as if he had realized some truth of the world.
Thinking back to Kondo's appearance just now, Ogata couldn't help but twitch his lips.
"I hope Kondo really understands what I just said to him..."
"Speaking of which..." Atachi looked hesitant at this moment, "Is it really okay to just let Kondou go?"
"Why do you say that?"
"Doesn't that Kondo know that you are Ogata Ittosai?"
"Not only do we know that you are Ogata Ittosai, we also know that you are hiding here and recovering from your injuries."
"If we talk to the government later..."
Before Atachi finished speaking, Obe smiled:
"Don't worry, Kondo won't do that."
"If he had set his sights on the bounty for my head, he would have reported me to the authorities long ago."
"and……"
At this point, Ogata's face showed a hint of helplessness.
"Does Kondou look like someone who would report me?"
Hearing Ogata's words, Atachi began to recall Kondo's simple and honest appearance...
"It doesn't seem so." Ating said seriously.
"Okay, let's go back." After saying that, Ogata turned around and left the yard first, returning to Fuma's room.
After telling Ating that he was a little tired and planned to go to bed, Obian went straight back to his room.
Atachi also knew that what Ogata, who was now covered in wounds, needed most was more rest and recuperation. Therefore, after Ogata said that he wanted to sleep, Atachi very obediently stayed away from the room where Ogata was resting, trying not to disturb him.
Of course—Ogata was actually lying to Atachi.
He didn't want to sleep at all now.
After returning to the room and sitting on the futon on the tatami, Ogata opened his personal system interface.
[Name: Ogata Noriyoshi]
[Current personal level: Lv29 (230/4200)]
Personal attributes:
Strength: 12
Agility: 11
Reflexes: 9
Stamina: 11
Vitality: 23
【Skill:
Sakakibara Ittoryu Level: 10th dan (3455/5000)
Wuwo's ​​dual swordsmanship level: 9th stage (5520/8000)
Shiranui-ryu Ninjutsu Level: 4th stage (1210/1500)]
[Remaining skill points: 5 points]
…
[Sakakihara Itto-ryu (10 steps):
Climbing: Intermediate
Water Fall: Advanced
Bird Thorn: Master Level
Dragon Tail: Intermediate]
…
【Muga Two-Sword Style (9th level):
Step: Advanced
Blade Return: Master
Flow: Advanced
Breath of the Source: Advanced
Raikiri: Beginner
Cicada Rain: (To be unlocked)]
…
【Shiranui Style Ninjutsu (4th stage):
Shiranui Stealth Technique: Elementary
Shiranui Style Jujutsu: Intermediate]
…
Compared with the past, the biggest difference in the personal system interface is that the two-sword style has unlocked a new sword skill to be unlocked: Cicada Rain.
Although he did not count them carefully, according to Ogata's estimation, there were nearly 200 enemies gathered on the castle tower in the "Battle of Nijo Castle" four days ago, and most of them were "gravediggers" and bounty hunters.
The number of people who fell under Ogata's sword was more than 100, less than 130. The rest of the people who did not fall under Ogata's sword all fled in all directions due to the collapse of morale.
So in the end, the enemies that Ogata faced only numbered a few hundred people in total, and the rest fled before they could get close to Ogata.
That night, Ogata's enemies were mainly three groups: the "gravedigger", the bounty hunter, and the ninja from Shiranui.
After all, Nijo Castle was not a military fortress, but only the headquarters of the general in Kyoto. Normally, not too many military forces would be deployed in Nijo Castle, so the defense forces that night were mainly two groups: the ninjas in Shiranui and the guards of those dignitaries.
So on that night, in addition to these three enemy forces, there were also guards of high-ranking officials who came to fight Ogata, but their number was not large.
The guards of these dignitaries basically wore very gorgeous clothes, so they were quite easy to recognize.
In Ogata's impression, the number of enemies wearing gorgeous clothes seen on the castle tower was not large, no more than ten fingers.
This is easy to understand. At that time, most of the guards must have given priority to escorting the nobles they were responsible for protecting away.
After all, their mission is to protect their master, not Nijo Castle.
Protecting Nijo Castle is the mission of Kotaro and his men.
Thanks to the fact that the nobles who came to fight Ogata had few guards, the battle was much easier for Ogata.
From last year when he had to rely on the power of the "selfless state" to face off against a hundred people in the Hirose domain, to today when he can face off against hundreds of people under normal conditions, such a big improvement can be attributed to the system plug-in.
After all, compared to last year, Ogata has become much stronger, whether in terms of sword skills, personal physical fitness, or actual combat experience against many enemies.
Of course, the victory in the battle against the castle tower was partly due to the fact that the enemy was disorganized, had no coordination at all, and were always hindering each other.
The enemy's large composition means that they are a mess from another perspective. This is especially true among the bounty hunters.
At least in the battle that was fought in Hirose Domain last year to kill Matsudaira Gennai, the hundreds of guards of Matsudaira Gennai were all samurai from the same domain. They knew each other and had the same goal of "protecting the lord", so they knew how to cooperate.
Four days ago, the group of people on the Nijo Castle tower really had their own ulterior motives and were hindering each other.
Both the "gravediggers" and the bounty hunters would flee after their casualties exceeded a certain number, so the total number of people who fell under Ogata's sword that night basically met Ogata's expectation of "between 100 and 130".
The massive amount of experience allowed Ogata to increase his personal level by 3 levels and his dual-sword style by 1 level, for a total of 5 skill points.
In the battle 4 days ago, Ogata mainly used Muga Nito-Ryu to fight the enemy, and more than 80% of the enemies were killed by Muga Nito-Ryu. Therefore, Muga Nito-Ryu gained the most experience points, directly upgrading from the 8th level to the 9th level. At the same time, there were only a little more than 2,000 experience points left to upgrade to the 10th level.
Because he mainly uses Muga's Two-Sword Style to fight the enemy, both Sakakibara's Ittoryu and Shiranui-style Ninjutsu have gained a lot of experience points, but there are only a few experience points left for upgrading.
——The higher the level, the harder it is to upgrade...
After sighing in his heart, Ogata began to add points.
Ogata already had an idea of ​​how to use the five skill points he currently possessed.
The battle with Kotaro made Ogata realize that Shiranui's combat power was far beyond his expectations.
The Yashamaru alone, which allows them to enter the "Yaksha Realm", is a tricky thing.
According to Kotaro, the other three of the "Four Heavenly Kings" and their leader, Enma, also possess this Yashamaru.
Under normal circumstances, Ogata could hardly compete with Kotaro who had entered the "Yaksha realm".
If the other three of the "Four Heavenly Kings" and their leader Enma are as strong as Kotaro or stronger than Kotaro, then Ogata has only one way to defeat them: enter the "state of no self"!
Only the "selfless state" can counter their "Yaksha state".
Now he has completely torn his relations with Shiranui, and there is no telling when he will clash with these masters in Shiranui again.
In the battle with Kotaro four days ago , Ogata was lucky. He entered the "selfless state" at the critical moment and turned the situation around in one fell swoop.
But whether there will be such good luck in the future - that is unknown.
Therefore, Ogata has made up his mind - no matter what, he must master the ability to freely enter the "state of no self" as soon as possible!
So without any hesitation, Ogata added 4 of his current 5 skill points to "Breath of the Source".
[Ding! Consume 4 skill points, the Wuwo Two-Sword Martial Art: Breath of the Source is upgraded to a "Master Level" skill]
As soon as this system sound fell, another new system sound rang in Ogata's mind:
[Ding! Wuwo's ​​two-sword martial arts: Breath of the Source has been upgraded to a "master-level" skill]
[Source Breathing Ability Upgrade]
[Using Breath of the Source can greatly improve the host's concentration and temporarily increase the host's "Reflex Nerve" by 8 points]
[Maintain the breath of origin for about 10 minutes to enter the "selfless state"]
After this series of system sounds ended, Ogata was slightly stunned.
Although the system voice had finished speaking, the last sentence was still echoing in Ogata's mind.
After finally coming to his senses, Ogata took a deep breath and then slowly adjusted his breathing to the "Original Breathing".
He wanted to experiment with the system sound he had just heard.
[Ding! Use "Original Breathing" to temporarily increase reflexes by 8 points]
[Current reflex nerve value: 17 points]
[Concentration is greatly improved]
After using the "Master Level" Source Breathing, the first feeling Ogata felt was that it was completely different from the "Advanced" Source Breathing.
The significant increase in concentration has greatly improved the sharpness of Ogata's five senses.
Ogata could clearly hear the footsteps and conversation of Fuma and Atachi who were active on the first floor.
Ogata could even vaguely feel their breathing.
Ogata sat on the futon, maintaining a meditation posture, silently using the Source Breathing, without moving.
Gradually, Ogata began to have a strange feeling.
There's a feeling... that I'm sinking slowly into the sea.
He had just used the Breathing of the Source and was still floating on the sea.
But gradually, I began to sink to the bottom of the sea bit by bit.
As they got closer to the seabed, Ogata could clearly feel his concentration deepening...
As his concentration continued to improve, Ogata gradually felt that his state of mind was changing little by little into... the state of being free from distractions that is unique to the "selfless state"...
About 10 minutes later, Ogata finally sank to the bottom of the sea.
The next moment after reaching the bottom of the sea, a system voice that had only sounded twice in Ogata's mind sounded:
[Ding! The host enters the state of selflessness! ]
As soon as the system voice fell, Xu Fang suddenly opened his eyes and looked down at his hands.
Power...began to flow out of Ogata's body continuously.
It is the power of the "state of no self"!