This move, which combines "dodge" and "dragon tail", is far more powerful than dragon tail.
Even if he was using a wooden sword and even if Takigawa was wearing armor, Ogata was confident that he could rely on "Dragon Tail·Flash" to seriously injure Takigawa or even kill him directly.
Wooden swords can also kill people, after all, they are made of very solid wood.
If you accidentally hit someone's vitals with a little too much force, it is very easy to cause injury or even death.
In order to avoid killing Takigawa with one blow, Ogata reduced the power of his attack just now.
However, even though the power was reduced, Takigawa, who took a solid hit from Ogata's "Dragon Tail·Flash", did not feel well.
The part of the armor that was cut by Ogata's wooden sword has cracked.
Takigawa was covered in cold sweat, and his face was distorted with pain. His ribs must have been broken.
He tried to get up.
But the severe pain from the part that was hit by Ogata just now left Takigawa without the strength to even stand up.
And even if he stood up, it would be useless. The winner was already decided.
After he was chopped down by Ogata's sword, the referee who was responsible for deciding the victory was stunned for a moment, and then immediately announced Ogata's victory loudly.
After Takigawa was knocked down by Ogata's sword, the whole audience was briefly silent in shock.
After everyone was silent for a long time, it was as if the magic of "time pause" was lifted, and everyone began to stir slowly in a not too ostentatious manner.
Those people who had just asserted with a confident attitude that "the outcome has been decided, Takigawa won" now kept their mouths shut and remained silent.
Some people who are more ashamed just show embarrassment on their faces and lower their heads slightly.
Various discussions emerged like mushrooms after rain.
…
"I remembered where I heard the name 'Mashima Goro'! It is said that a newcomer named 'Mashima Goro' appeared in the Shirobei Club in Yoshiwara. Before the 'literary examination' of the Imperial Examination began, he alone cut down 25 fire thieves and officials."
"Hitsuki Thief Kai? Isn't that army full of tough guys?"
"Yes, after all, it is a unit that specializes in catching vicious arsonists and thieves."
"Why would this Majima Goro confront the fire thief Kai's officers?"
"I don't know the details, but it seems that the fire thief Kai's officers took the initiative to cause trouble, and then these troublemakers were dealt with by Majima Goro alone. After that, the 'Onihei' personally came forward to apologize to the Shirobei Club, and the incident was finally settled ."
"Too strong... One person can defeat 25 fire thieves and officers... This can be considered a swordsman, right?"
"Not only did this guy get first place in the literary exam, but he's also so good at swordsmanship... Could he be a descendant of some famous family?"
…
While everyone else was talking about Ogata, Takigawa's friends, led by Uesaka, rushed onto the field, took off Takigawa's armor, and carried Takigawa off the field.
"Wait! I can still fight! It's just a minor injury! I can still fight!"
As if Takigawa was unwilling to accept the cruel reality before him, he shouted madly with a ferocious face, "I haven't lost yet" and "Put me down".
Uesaka and the others ignored Takigawa who was yelling and unwilling to face the reality that "he had already lost", and simply carried Takigawa away as quickly as possible to take him to heal his injuries.
Ogata, who remained at the scene, was in no hurry to leave.
Instead, he struck the air in front of him twice, then smiled and murmured:
"Very good, the feel is back."
In the battle with Takigawa just now, the reason why Ogata's movements were so clumsy was simply because - Ogata was not used to using the wooden sword.
The last time I used a wooden sword was before heading to Edo, when I sparred with Shimada in Owari and gained experience points.
Ogata hadn't touched a wooden sword for such a long time that he couldn't even adjust his center of gravity.
The Daishakuten used by Ogata has a longer blade than most wooden swords, with the blade alone being 75cm long.
The wooden sword that Ogata used just now has a blade length of only about 63cm and is much lighter than a real sword.
Knives of different weights and lengths have slightly different optimal centers of gravity to maintain.
After getting used to the Daishikuten, Ogata was unsure of his body's center of gravity and the best attack range when he went back to using an ordinary wooden sword.
In order to quickly regain the feel of using the wooden sword, Ogata did not immediately attack Takigawa when fighting with Takigawa just now, but instead focused on defense and slowly regained the feel of the wooden sword.
That's why the scene where "Ogata passively defended Takigawa's attack with clumsy movements" appeared, giving everyone the illusion that Ogata's swordsmanship was very ordinary.
…
…
After handing the wooden sword back to the officer in charge of weapons and protective gear, and with the help of the officer taking off the protective gear on his upper body and the forehead protector, Ogata returned to Makimura and Shimada under the attention of the people around him.
"It's a pity that there's no money to gamble." Makimura grinned at Ogata who had returned. "If there was money to gamble, I would keep betting on you and I would definitely make a lot of money."
"Please put all your little thoughts into serious matters." After complaining helplessly to Makimura, Ogata stood between Makimura and Shimada and continued to pay attention to the trials that were being carried out one after another on the two venues, "Field A" and "Field B".
Ogata and the others are waiting.
Waiting for Gokutaro to appear.
They had never seen Gokutaro's strength with their own eyes.
Therefore, they decided to see with their own eyes how skilled Gokutaro, one of the "Four Heavenly Kings", was.
Ogata and the others also asked Atachi about the strength ranking of the "Four Heavenly Kings".
It’s a pity that Atachi doesn’t know how the “Four Heavenly Kings” are ranked in terms of strength.
Questions like "Who is stronger?" have always been extremely easy to cause all kinds of controversy.
The current "Four Heavenly Kings" in Shiranui have never fought together, so the strength ranking of the "Four Heavenly Kings" has never been determined. The other ninjas in Shiranui can only be speculated through logical reasoning and imagination.
Because different people have different ideas, different versions naturally emerge.
Before Atachi betrayed Shiranui, the only versions I heard were:
Shuntaro is the strongest, followed by Shintaro, and then Kotaro and Gokutaro are probably on par with each other.
Some people also think that Gokutaro should be the second strongest one, because he has the most battle records and is the most diligent one among the "Four Heavenly Kings", so he has the most practical experience.
Some people also think that Kotaro, who was killed by Ogata, is the second strongest, because the weapon he used is the very unpopular Kusagiri. If one is not familiar with this weapon, even a master will easily fail.
Although there are many different versions.
But no matter which version it is, there is one thing in common.
That is——everyone thinks that Shuntaro is the strongest one.
In various versions of the strength rankings, no matter what the rankings of the last three are, Shuntaro must be ranked first.
Ogata once asked Atachi why everyone in Shiranui believed that Shuntaro was the strongest one. Has he ever done anything earth-shattering?
And Atachi's answer at that time was that she didn't know whether Shuntaro had done anything earth-shattering.
She only knew that about three years ago, Shuntaro seemed to have done something very extraordinary, and that incident caused a huge uproar.
What Shuntaro did three years ago is one of the taboos in their Shiranui.
It seemed that Enma was intentionally trying to make people forget what Shintaro had done, and was trying his best to control the scope of the spread of the news about Shintaro.
Many ninjas in Shiranui, including Atachi, have no idea what Shuntaro did three years ago.
No matter who you ask what Shuntaro did three years ago, the person being asked will either say "I don't know" or be very secretive about it.
According to Atachi, the reason why everyone believes that Shuntaro is the leader of the "Four Heavenly Kings" is actually very simple - Enma has told everyone in Shiranui more than once: if he, Enma, is not included, Shuntaro is the strongest combat force in their Shiranui.
Regarding Enma's personal certification, the other three people in Shiranui never questioned it and all of them tacitly accepted Enma's certification.
And Shuntaro's performance up to now has been consistent with the praise given to him by Enma.
The other three of the "Four Heavenly Kings" have all encountered strong enemies and have been seriously injured.
Only Shuntaro has never been seriously injured during a mission.
Not to mention serious injuries, even the number of injuries was so few that it could be counted on ten fingers.
No matter who he fights, Shuntaro can win as easily as beating his son.
With Enma's personal certification and his own brilliant achievements as support, everyone unknowingly reached a consensus - "Shuntaro is the leader of the 'Four Heavenly Kings'"
…
…
The three Ogatas listened attentively to the names called out by the officials from "Field A" and "Field B".
Finally - not long after Ogata ended his battle with Ryukawa, the long-awaited shout came from the "Aba" area:
"Jiuyilang! Jiyilang! Please come forward!"
Ogata and his friends had already learned from Hasegawa that Gokutaro had participated in the "Imperial Trial" under the alias "Gokuichiro".
As if it was a conditioned reflex, Ogata and the other two headed straight for "Field A" without saying a word.
As soon as Ogata and others arrived at the "A Field", they saw Gokutaro holding two short swords and wearing armor with the help of the officials.
The weapons held by Gokutaro are two wooden swords.
The sword in the right hand is held upright, and the sword in the left hand is held backward.
He uses two scimitars as weapons - a rare "user of unpopular weapons".
So after Gokutaro appeared on the stage, many spectators were attracted to the "A field".
After putting on the protective gear, Gokutaro stood opposite his opponent with a confident smile on his face.
Gokutaro's opponent uses a spear as his weapon.
Looking at Gokutaro holding two short swords, the spearman smiled with pride and joy.
An inch longer is an inch stronger - this is an absolute truth in this vast terrain without any obstacles.
Judging from the visual alone, the spearman, whose weapon's attack range is countless times greater than Gokutaro's, has the upper hand.
After both sides stood still, the referee on "Field A" waved his hand and loudly announced the start of the trial.
As soon as the referee shouted the start of the game, extremely loud sounds of footsteps hitting the ground were heard.
As soon as the referee announced the start of the trial, Gokutaro stepped forward with his hind feet, and his whole body turned into a shadow, attacking the spearman on the opposite side.
The speed was so fast that the spearman opposite him had his pupils shrink suddenly.
However, this spearman was still quite capable. After a brief shock, he quickly swung the spear in his hand and stabbed towards Gokutaro who was approaching rapidly like a poisonous snake emerging from a cave.
Unfortunately - the spearman's spear looks like a snake, and Gokutaro's movements also look like a snake.
Just as the tip of the spear was about to hit Gokutaro, Gokutaro twisted his body and slid towards the spearman, following the spear shaft.
Gokutaro slid in front of the spearman and put the sword held in his left hand against the spearman's throat.
Reluctance and astonishment flashed across the spearman's face several times.
Finally, after a soft sigh, the spearman said: "I lost..."
The entire battle, from start to finish, took less than 10 seconds.
The spearman only had time to make one move before Gokutaro's sword was placed on his neck.
Seeing the spearman readily admit defeat, the confidence and pride on Gokutaro's face became even stronger. After retracting the sword in his hand, he strode back to the edge of the field and took off his protective gear with the help of the officials.
Ogata and the other two all frowned slightly at this time.
They originally wanted to see with their own eyes how strong Gokutaro was.
In this completely one-sided battle where a level 100 player beats a level 10 player, it is impossible to see Gokutaro's actual strength.
"I can't tell how strong he is..." Makimura lowered his voice and whispered helplessly to Ogata beside him.
"It's not a complete loss." Ogata responded with a helpless smile, "At least we know that speed is his strong point and he is good at fast breaks."
After Gokutaro and the spearman left the "A field", two new contestants entered the "A field".
Because the outcome is decided by a single strike, the pace of the martial arts test is quite fast.
A game can be completed in just a few seconds at the fastest and about 2 or 3 minutes at the slowest.
Of course, there are a few exceptions where the game drags on for several minutes without a winner being decided.
The two of them were performing a crazy "duo act" there.
They kept turning around, but they just couldn't see each other rushing forward to decide the outcome.
Naturally, the government officials would not allow such a slow and sluggish approach.
If everyone was performing the "Errenzhuan", there's no telling how long the martial arts test, with more than 400 people taking part, would end.
Whenever a duet occurs on any field, the referee of that field will stop it sternly and ask the two not to waste time.
Because of the fast pace and the fact that two venues are being opened for competition at the same time, it is hoped that half of the 400 people will be screened out before this evening.
Just as Ogata was looking at Gokutaro from afar, who had taken off his protective gear and blended back into the crowd, a familiar young male voice sounded behind Ogata:
"Hmm? Isn't this Majima?"
Hearing the familiar young male voice, Ogata raised his eyebrows and looked in the direction of the voice.
"Five or six?"
A young man who was probably older than Ogata walked slowly towards Ogata with a smile on his face.
A very familiar face to Ogata - it was the young man named "Goroku" whom Ogata met on the bank of the Rashomon River a few days ago.
At this time, Wuliu was not wearing women's clothes like before, but an ordinary men's kimono.
Makimura and Shimada didn't know Oroku, so they looked at Ogata inquiringly.
"This is a friend I met in Yoshiwara, his name is 'Goroku'." After Ogata briefly introduced Goroku to Makimura and Shimada, he cast a puzzled and curious look at Goroku.
"Five Six, are you here to watch the game?"
"Yes." Wuliu shrugged. "Ever since the government announced that it would hold the 'Imperial Trial', I have been very interested in this 'Imperial Trial'."
As Goroku spoke, he walked to Ogata's side and stood side by side with him.
"Since you are interested, why don't you participate in person?" Ogata asked half-jokingly.
"If possible, I would like to take part in the Imperial Examination myself." Wu Liu smiled bitterly and shrugged, "Unfortunately, I have never learned the Four Books and Five Classics, and I can't even write Chinese characters very well. If I take part in the Literary Examination, I will definitely end up with a blank paper."
Ogata asked, "Did you just come here?"
"Yeah. I slept in today, so I just came here."
"I saw you when I came over. Majima, you're very tall, so it's easy for me to see you."
Ogata, who is 1.7 meters tall, is indeed quite conspicuous standing among a group of people who are only 1.5 meters, 1.6 meters tall, and some are even only 1.4 meters tall.
Ogata chatted with Goroku in this way.
While Goroku was chatting with Ogata, he was also watching the trials one after another on "Field A" and "Field B".
After watching for a while, Wuliu frowned slightly:
"How come the level is so poor... I can't even see a master... It's so boring..."
Hearing Goroku's words, Ogata couldn't help but smile.
The "Interview before the Emperor" has no restrictions on identity or age, so naturally there are quite a lot of evil people joining in this "Interview before the Emperor".
Although there are occasionally one or two people with decent skills, the vast majority of people are just noobs fighting each other.
"Occasionally, masters appear." Ogata said softly, "The sparring between the two samurai using spears just now was quite exciting."
…
…
"Yuji Sakamoto! Yuji Sakamoto! Please come forward!"
"Field B!" the officers' loud shouts were heard again.
The previous round of the test had already decided the winner, and the officials in "Field B" began to call out the names of the next round of contestants.
"Oh!" Wuliu exclaimed faintly, "It seems that a master has finally appeared."
As Wuliu spoke, he fixed his gaze on "Field B".
Ogata had just been watching the trial match on the "A field" with Makimura and Shimada.
Hearing Goroku say this, Ogata, whose curiosity was aroused, turned his head and looked at the other side of "Oba."
However - as soon as he turned his gaze to the "O-field", Ogata's expression and look suddenly froze as if he was cast by a "time freeze" magic.
Ogata saw a young man with a simple and honest face putting on protective gear with the help of the officials.
After putting on the protective gear, the young man quickly stepped onto the "B field" and stood opposite his opponent.
Looking at this honest-looking young man, a certain picture seemed to have its own consciousness and slowly emerged in Ogata's mind - this picture was the face of a person who Ogata met in Kyoto more than three months ago and had a special bond with Ogata.
Although he had known that guy for a relatively short time, Ogata could be said to have a life-and-death friendship with him.
Ogata himself also did his best to teach this guy, who kept stubbornly calling him "Master", a few moves, and was considered half a master to this guy.
And at this moment, the face in the memory and the face of the young man who is now standing on the "B field" perfectly overlap.
Kondo?!
Ogata almost blurted out the young man's name.
This young man with a simple and honest face was none other than Kondo Uchisuke, whom Ogata met in Kyoto more than three months ago.
Looking at Kondo, who was standing on the "O-field" with a knife in his hand, confronting his opponent, Ogata felt as if his head had just been hit by a super-speed train, and his brain was smashed into a pulp.
Questions popped up in Ogata's mind one after another.
Why is Kondo here?
He actually participated in the "Imperial Trial"?
He is also in Edo?
While Ogata was still immersed in shock, the referee of "Field B" waved his hand and announced the official start of the trial match.
Only after the referee announced the start of the match did Ogata slowly recover from his shock.
After regaining his composure and taking a closer look, Ogata discovered that he knew Kondo's opponent.
It was Nagano who had witnessed Ogata beautifully defeat the guy who used the Hozoin-style spear technique in Yoshiwara before , and then suddenly jumped out and invited Ogata to be a guest in his sword hall.
Ogata remembered that Nagano seemed to have some connection with Genichi, so he had a deep impression of Nagano.
Kondo and Nagano both took mid-section stances, standing opposite each other.
"Ono's one-sword style, Nagano Shun." Nagano was the first to announce his name.
"Tennen Rishin-ryu! Yuji Sakamoto!" Kondo responded with a much louder voice than Nagano.
When Ogata heard the name of Kondo's family, the frown on his face became even more intense.
In his previous life, Ogata knew little about Japanese history.
But even though Ogata knew little about Japanese history, he had heard of the name of Tennen Rishin-ryu.
Ogata vaguely remembered that Kondo had told him before: he had created a new school based on Katori Shinto-ryu, but he had never decided on a name for it.
——This natural Rishin-ryu is the new school created by Kondo? !
Ogata couldn't help but scream in surprise in his heart.
But now, compared to the Tennen Rishin-ryu, Kondo's name is more of a concern to Ogata.
——What the hell is this Yuji Sakamoto…Did Kondo change his name…
There are more and more questions that I want to ask Kondo by the collar and ask him seriously...
While Ogata was being "tortured" by the questions that popped up one after another, Kondo and Nagano's trial collaboration began.
It was Nagano who launched the first attack.
Nagano's sword exudes the word "stable".
Whether attacking or defending, he was very steady, neither hurried nor slow, neither arrogant nor impatient.
On the other hand, the aura of Kondo's sword is almost completely opposite to that of Nagano.
Although it was Nagano who launched the first attack, Kondo's subsequent counterattacks were more fierce than the previous one.
With great momentum, he launched a fierce attack on Nagano.
However, all the swords he swung out with great momentum were blocked by Nagano one by one.
"...Although I've never heard of the name Tennen Rishin-ryu, it seems that Tennen Rishin-ryu is a style that focuses on killing with one strike and ending the battle in the shortest possible time." Wu Liu, who was standing by, suddenly said, "This type of style has a problem, that is, every strike uses all the strength, so it is not good at prolonged combat."
"The uncle who was his opponent seemed to have noticed this weakness..."
Just as Goroku said, Nagano seemed to have seen the weakness of Kondo's natural rational flow and changed his tactics.
He no longer launched an active attack on Kondo, but instead began to focus on defense, consuming Kondo's physical strength.
Kondo saw Nagano's intention, gritted his teeth, and the wind pressure created by the wooden sword in his hand became stronger - but it was of no use, and still could not break Nagano's defense.
After the fierce attack and defense between the two continued for a while, heavy gasps began to come out of Kondo's mouth.
"...Young man." Nagano, whose breathing was only slightly faster, said softly to Kondo, who began to pant, "Although your swordsmanship is good, you still lack practical experience. You don't even know how to allocate your physical strength."
"Stop talking nonsense..." Kondo responded to Nagano in an unhappy tone, then raised the back of his left hand and wiped the sweat that was about to drip down his chin.
"There's nothing I can do..."
After muttering this, Kondou took a deep breath.
Then he straightened his slightly bent back and looked at Nagano in front of him with a serious face.
"Let me show you the Ogata Style!"
"'Ogata-ryu'?" Nagano frowned slowly, "What is this? Is it the secret technique of your school?"
Kondo didn't lower his voice when he shouted just now.
Even Ogata, who was a little far away from the "Osaka Field", could clearly hear Kondo's shout.
After hearing the term "Ogata-ryu" from Kondo, the expression on Ogata's face suddenly became strange.
"It is indeed a secret technique, but it is not the secret technique of my natural rational flow. Open your eyes and watch!"
After saying that, Kondo turned the sword upside down and then thrust it directly into the ground covered with fine sand and gravel at his feet.
Kondo's action of sticking the wooden sword upside down into the ground aroused the suspicion of everyone around him.
Whether you are a person who has learned swordsmanship or a person who knows nothing about swordsmanship, no one has ever heard of or seen such a sword-holding posture.
While everyone else looked confused, Ogata's expression became increasingly strange.
Ogata now only feels that this scene is very familiar, and the sense of déjà vu is extremely strong!
"...Young man." Nagano frowned, "This strange posture, is it the 'Ogata Style' you just mentioned?"
"No." Kondo shook his head. "It's hard for me to explain to you what's going on with this posture. Anyway, this is a special skill I've figured out over time."
Although he didn't understand Kondo's actions, the confidence and complacency on Kondo's face still made Nagano unconsciously wary.
As he became wary, his fighting spirit also rose.
After gripping the wooden sword in his hand tighter, Nagano slowly approached Kondo.
He planned to personally understand what the "Ogata Style" was that made the young man look so confident.
No matter how Nagano tried to close the distance between them, Kondo remained motionless and allowed Nagano to get closer.
Kondo's "unmoving as a mountain" appearance made Nagano frown even more.
Before they knew it, as Nagano approached, the distance between Nagano and Kondo was less than three steps.
It was a relatively safe distance—Kondo couldn't hit him directly with the knife.
Just as Nagano, standing in a safe atmosphere, opened his mouth and prepared to say something——
“Take that!”
Kondo suddenly opened his eyes wide and raised the sword that was stuck on the ground.
The raised sword blade stirred up a "fine rain" of broken soil and sand, which came towards Nagano.
Looking at the "sand and gravel rain" coming towards him, Nagano's pupils suddenly shrank and he subconsciously raised his left hand to cover his face.
Nagano reacted quickly and blocked the oncoming "rain of sand and gravel" in time.
Although he failed to blind Nagano, he succeeded in exposing Nagano's flaws.
With excitement on his face, Kondo immediately pounced on Nagano, whose weakness was exposed.
While rushing towards Nagano, he shouted excitedly:
"How is it? Have you experienced the power of 'Ogata Style'?"