Soemon's face, with its eyes wide open, was very close.
Ogata heard screams one after another - they were the voices of the ten archers brought by Soemon.
Although Ogata and Soemon were fighting with each other, making it difficult for them to find an opportunity to snipe, they still did their best to follow closely behind Ogata and Soemon. Wherever Ogata and Soemon fought, they followed.
They witnessed the entire process of Soemon's throat and heart being pierced. Some of them managed to remain calm, but some couldn't help but scream out.
——It worked…
——Finally, I defeated this guy...
Ogata breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.
Stepping on the tip of the enemy's naginata in mid-air, using it as a foothold and a point of force - perhaps only when one's level is raised to the "Grandmaster" level can such a godly scene appear.
Ogata had never tried such a bold close combat method before, so he was sweating just now.
Fortunately, his bold attack plan was successful, and Ogata finally felt relieved.
Click.
There was a sound like a knife cutting meat.
Ogata turned the wakizashi and katana, making the two swords circle inside Soemon's body, and then pulled them out of Soemon's body.
The muscles of the knife contracted due to the severe pain, clamping the blade to make it easier to draw the sword, but at the same time, the injury was further aggravated, making it impossible for Zuoemon to die.
——Okay... Next... let's defeat the shooters brought by this big guy, and then take a short break...
Although the battle with Soemon lasted less than three minutes from beginning to end, the intensity of the battle, which lasted only three minutes, really increased Ogata's fatigue.
While Ogata was pulling the knife out of Soemon's body, he was thinking about his next course of action.
However……
Just as Ogata pulled the katana and wakizashi out of Soemon's body, and Soemon's body swayed and was about to fall to the ground -
Bang!
Ogata suddenly felt his right shoulder being grabbed by a hand as big as a palm-leaf fan!
The sudden change caused Ogata's pupils to shrink suddenly.
The owner of this large hand like a palm-leaf fan is none other than Soemon who is supposed to be dying soon!
Soemon, who had been staggering and about to fall, suddenly stood firm and raised his huge left hand to grab Ogata's right shoulder.
Waves of intense surprise and shock hit Ogata's brain, like gusts of cool breeze whistling in Ogata's skull.
The fighting instinct cultivated through years of battles came into play again at this moment.
Ogata's body reacted before his brain did—he quickly retreated! He distanced himself from Soemon!
His reaction was very quick, and he reacted immediately.
But... I was still half a step slower because I was robbed of the opportunity...
Bang!
Soemon bent his right leg and used his knee to hit Ogata in the abdomen.
Ogata was hit hard in the stomach by Soemon's knee.
Ogata's body bent into a bow shape with the area hit by the knee as the center, and flew backwards. After flying a full two steps backwards, Ogata finally adjusted his body shape and landed steadily.
“Cough! Cough cough! Cough—!”
As soon as his feet touched the ground, Ogata started coughing violently.
Now Ogata has one good thing and one bad thing.
The good thing is that his katana and wakizashi did not fall out of his hands and were still in his hands.
The "swordsman's instinct" made Ogata subconsciously hold his two swords tightly even after being hit by Soemon's knee, and he did not let the swords fall out of his hands.
The bad thing was that Soemon's knee strike just now made Ogata feel that his internal organs were about to shift out of place. A sweet taste surged in his throat, and the saliva that came out when he coughed hard was all stained with blood.
——Damn it…!
Ogata coughed violently while staring at Soemon, who now looked very scary.
There was now a hole in Soemon's throat and heart, caused by a knife, running from the front to the back of his body.
A large amount of blood oozed out from the two holes, dyeing most of Soemon's body red and bloody.
With this appearance, it is impossible to equate him with a living person.
However, the fact is so amazing - Soemon's eyes are still full of light and spirit, and he can still kick out a powerful knee strike that Ogata has not recovered from until now.
Ogata was 100% sure that his katana and wakizashi had not stabbed the wrong spot just now, and that he had indeed pierced Soemon's heart and throat.
Not only did it pierce the wound, but it also turned in a circle when it was pulled out, further increasing the damage.
A pierced throat and a pierced heart - either of these two injuries can kill a person beyond death.
Soemon, who should have been dead, suddenly "resurrected" - Ogata suddenly remembered that he had seen a very similar scene before on Choujima...
In the past on Die Island, I had dealt with people like this who should have died but didn’t.
——Isn’t there anyone who is not dead…!
As soon as the word "immortal" popped up in Ogata's mind, a terrifying wind pressure sounded in front of him.
This is the wind pressure created when Soemon swung his large naginata.
call--!
The blade of the naginata whistled as it slashed towards Ogata's head.
Ogata gritted his teeth and rolled to the right.
Although he dodged the slash, it was a close dodge, and the blade of the naginata almost grazed Ogata's left shoulder.
boom!
The naginata flew into the air and hit the wooden bridge, creating a large hole that led directly to the turbulent water below.
There was a hole in the throat and heart - this didn't seem to have much impact on Soemon's strength.
Soemon raised his naginata again at a rapid speed, and then launched a fierce attack on Ogata on the wooden bridge.
And at this moment, Ogata discovered something strange about Soemon's wound - strands of red blood were emerging from Soemon's wound like disgusting worms.
These insects tangled together, filling and repairing Soemon's wounds...
--hateful……
Ogata endured the severe pain in his abdomen while dodging Soemon's attacks with great effort.
The impact that Soemon's knee strike just now had on Ogata was undoubtedly huge.
The knee is one of the hardest and most powerful weapons of the human body, and the one who delivered this knee kick was Soemon, a man with amazing strength and speed.
Ogata felt like a motorcycle hit him in the stomach.
The severe pain in his abdomen not only made it difficult for Ogata to concentrate, but also made his movements slow and stiff.
Soemon also discovered that Ogata was in a very bad condition due to his previous sneak attack, so he increased the frequency of his attacks, not giving Ogata any chance to breathe.
Bang!
After blasting another large hole on the bridge that led directly to the river below, Zuoemon quickly changed his stance and swung his sword towards Ogata's feet with a sweeping motion.
While holding his aching abdomen with his left hand that was holding the wakizashi, Ogata jumped to the side and jumped onto the handrail of the bridge next to him.
As soon as Ogata jumped onto the handrail, Soemon's naginata blade seemed to be equipped with a tracker and chased after him from bottom to top.
Ogata leaped again.
Bang!
The row of hand guards where he had just stood was swept away by Zuoemon like knocked-over building blocks.
Ogata fell back to the ground from the gauntlet.
Due to his poor physical condition, Ogata finally made a mistake - when he jumped away from the gauntlet, he failed to adjust his body posture in mid-air.
After falling back onto the bridge, Ogata staggered several steps on the bridge due to his incorrect body posture.
In a duel between masters, a moment's mistake could bring about a catastrophic disaster - this sentence was the most appropriate to describe Ogata at this moment.
Naturally, Soemon would not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to "expose Ogata's flaw."
With his left foot as the center, he transferred the power from his foot to his waist, and then from his waist to his arms holding the sword. With the momentum as if he wanted to chop Ogata into two neat halves, he raised the large naginata high up, and then chopped down heavily at Ogata from top to bottom.
Due to his unstable posture, Ogata didn't have time to dodge with a step.
Therefore, Ogata gritted his teeth, crossed the two swords in his hands into a cross, raised them up, and met the oncoming large naginata.
clang--!
Click!
The sound of metal colliding and the sound of blade breaking rang out almost at the same time.
This time, when Ogata used the wakizashi and katana to form a "cross" for defense, he placed the wakizashi on top of the katana, mainly using the wakizashi to block Soemon's attacks.
After the wakizashi of Ogata and the left and right naginata collided with each other, Ogata's wakizashi finally broke under the heavy weight, and only the handle and the blade that was half a finger long remained of the entire wakizashi.
Ogata also reacted quickly. When he saw that the wakizashi was broken, he immediately threw it away.
His right hand continued to hold the katana that had not yet broken, while his left hand pressed down the back of the katana. He exerted force with both arms, trying to push back the large naginata that was pressing towards him.
Squeaky...
The two supermen, whose strength far exceeded that of ordinary people, firmly planted their feet on the bridge surface and exerted force at that corner. The wooden bridge beneath their feet groaned in pain.
Ogata tried his best without any reservation, but... the blade of Soemon's naginata was still pressed down little by little, gradually approaching Ogata's neck.
Squeak...!
The groaning of the wooden bridge became louder.
The hole in Soemon's throat has been blocked with the cooperation of those red blood vessels.
The repair of his throat also allowed Soemon to finally speak normally.
"The sneak attack I made just now had a significant impact on you." Zuoemon said this in a joking tone.
Ogata ignored Soemon's ridicule. He just gritted his teeth silently and tried his best to stop Soemon's naginata blade from getting closer to his neck.
Although he didn't want to admit it, Ogata had to agree that what Soemon had just said was true - the severe pain in his abdomen made it difficult for Ogata to use almost 30% of his strength.
This adverse effect made Ogata unable to compete with Soemon in terms of strength.
Ogata could only watch as the huge naginata blade got closer and closer to his left neck.
"As expected of Shura..." Zuoemon murmured, "Watching death getting closer and closer to him, he can still remain so calm..."
Although Zuoemon said this in a tone of admiration, his hands were ruthless.
Squeak!
The groaning of the wooden bridge intensified further.
The large naginata continued to break through the obstruction of the katana, and its height was pressed from the top of Ogata's head to...Ogata's right neck.
As Soemon was full of anticipation, the blade of the naginata finally - cut into the flesh of Ogata's right neck.
The skin on Ogata's right neck had been cut by the sharp naginata blade.
Ogata now looked as if he was carrying Soemon's naginata on his right shoulder.
Soemon's eyes were filled with ecstasy.
He knew it—it was almost there!
He was just a little bit away from taking Ogata's life and successfully completing the mission given to them by Lord Toyotomi.
This joy made Zuoemon feel a little stronger.
Without hesitation, he poured the extra strength in his body into his arms in an effort to kill Soemon as quickly as possible.
Zuoemon's face showed ecstasy.
As for Ogata—he remained fairly calm.
Even though he was no match for Soemon's tremendous strength at this moment, even though Soemon's sword had already reached the right side of his neck and was only one step away from taking his life, Ogata still remained calm.
He did not give up the confrontation with Soemon, and was still calmly thinking about ways to break the deadlock and counterattack.
The blade of the naginata was cutting deeper and deeper.
More and more blood oozed out from the growing wound on Ogata's right neck.
——Go die quickly! Shura!
Soemon shouted in excitement in his heart.
However, at this moment——
Squeaky! !
Click, click!
The groaning sound of the wooden bridge suddenly increased in magnitude.
Immediately afterwards, a sharp cracking sound exploded.
The wooden bridge under Ogata and Soemon's feet was like a torn piece of paper, breaking into pieces of varying sizes.
After being struck twice by Soemon's heavy blows, this crude wooden bridge had two large holes on its deck, which severely damaged the structure of the bridge.
Force originates from the ground, which is an immutable theorem in martial arts.
In order to defeat their opponent in the wrestling match, both Ogata and Soemon firmly planted their feet on the bridge surface and stepped on it tightly.
In other words, the bridge, which was already on the verge of collapse due to structural damage, finally broke apart under the heavy load after Ogata and Soemon stepped on it with all their might.
The first place to break was under Ogata's feet.
Having put all his energy into the wrestling with Soemon, and already in poor physical condition, Ogata was caught off guard by the sudden change under his feet.
"Huh?"
Ogata uttered a dull "Ah" and then fell into the turbulent water below along with the fragments of the wooden bridge under his feet.
As he fell into the turbulent water, Ogata, who had not yet fully reacted, suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. As he fell into the turbulent water, the back of his head accidentally hit the bridge pier below...
The bridge surface under Soemon's feet did not break immediately, so he reacted in time.
He quickly jumped back and after jumping out of the bridge in one breath, he quickly looked at the river, looking for the figure of Ogata who fell into the river along with the fragments of the bridge.
With the katana still tightly in his hand, Ogata drifted quickly downstream in the fast current.
Because the water was flowing so fast, Ogata disappeared in the blink of an eye...
Soemon's expression right now... is as if he had eaten shit.
He stared at the direction where Ogata was washed away, his face turning pale and blue: "Damn it...what's going on? It was so close...it was so close to taking Shura's life...!"
"Sa-Lord Soemon..." The 10 archers brought by Soemon gathered around with different expressions.
These 10 people now feel overwhelmed...
They had just seen it with their own eyes... Soemon, who was supposed to be dead, was suddenly alive and kicking and wrestling with Ogata.
This scene was so horrifying that the 10 people didn't even know what to say to Soemon.
Finally, someone plucked up the courage to ask Soemon:
"Lord Soemon, the place where Shura stabbed you just now...are you okay?"
The first bird to stick its head out usually has a bad ending.
As soon as the shooter who had mustered up his courage finished speaking, Soemon shouted at him rudely:
"If I had something wrong, would I still be standing like this?!"
"Don't just stand here like an idiot! Go outside and call everyone to chase Shura along this river! We must not let Shura have a chance to catch his breath!"
…
…
——Why did I fall into the water again? !
Ogata felt that he seemed to have a special affinity with water tonight.
He had just climbed out of the river, but fell back into it a moment later.
The river that Ogata fell into this time was not the canal with a gentle flow in which he had just swam, but an extremely turbulent stream.
The water is not only fast-flowing, but also very deep.
Ogata reached down, but couldn't reach the bottom.
He tried to keep his body steady in the turbulent water, but failed. The reason was that his head was dizzy.
Just now, when Ogata was falling into the river along with the fragments of the wooden bridge, his head accidentally hit the bridge pier.
First, there was a burst of pain from the place where he was hit, and then, with the place where he was hit as the center, a feeling of dizziness spread to Ogata's entire brain.
Although I tried to resist, the dizziness became more and more intense.
The intense dizziness made Ogata feel that the strength in his body was being continuously drained away.
——Now is not the time to sleep...
After using up his last bit of strength and muttering these words in his heart, Ogata's remaining consciousness was finally shattered by the feeling of dizziness.
Unable to resist his physiological reaction, Ogata's eyes slowly closed uncontrollably.
His body drifted straight downstream along with the current.