As Toyotomi Nobuhide was looking at the deck where Yoshihisa was no longer visible from the corner of his eye, another slash came at Toyotomi Nobuhide's head at a tricky angle.
"We really can't relax even for a moment..." Toyotomi Nobuhide retracted his gaze, took a wrong step, and dodged Genichi's attack.
"Hey, hey, hey, old man." Toyotomi Nobuhide sneered, "Your companions have fallen into the water. Don't you care at all?"
"I haven't seen you show any concern for your companions either." After replying to Toyotomi Nobuhide in a cold tone, Genichi slashed at Toyotomi Nobuhide again.
From beginning to end, Genichi never even glanced at the battlefield .
It’s not that Yuan Yi is indifferent to Chu Guang’s life or death.
It was because he was facing a powerful enemy in front of him and he really couldn't spare any time to pay attention to other people's battles.
"Don't look at me like this. I was very worried when I saw Yoshiku fall into the water. After all, if even Yoshiku is gone, there won't be many reliable combat forces left under my command."
After saying this, Toyotomi Nobuhide took a deep breath and raised the Yoshimitsu bone food in his hand diagonally upwards.
Just by looking at Toyotomi Nobuhide's posture, Genichi immediately recognized what he was planning to do.
——The decisiveness of the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu…
[Note: Decisive and decisive is also a real sword technique of Yagyu Shinkage-ryu]
Yoshimitsu Koshoku was lifted high up and slashed down at Genichi's right wrist.
Genichi did not take the attack head-on, nor did he use footwork to dodge. Instead, he simply pulled his right arm back to avoid Toyotomi Nobuhide's "cutting hand".
Yoshimitsu Bone Food flew through the air in vain and smashed towards the deck below.
But just as the tip of the sword was about to hit the deck, the sword suddenly stopped!
After using brute force and skill to stop the sword that was about to hit the deck, Toyotomi Nobuhide turned the blade at lightning speed!
The blade that was originally pointed at the deck was adjusted to face the cloudy sky, and then the sword was raised!
The blade was raised and brushed towards Genichi's chin!
Toyotomi Nobuhide's two consecutive attacks were extremely swift.
Unfortunately - as soon as Nobuhide Toyotomi took his stance, Genichi recognized what Nobuhide was going to do and had already predicted Nobuhide Toyotomi's attack.
He calmly jumped back half a step, and once again Ji Guang Gu Shi's attack was in vain.
This time, Genichi did not rush to launch a counterattack .
After dodging Toyotomi Nobuhide's "decisive attack", Genichirō retreated seven steps in one breath, greatly widening the distance between him and Toyotomi Nobuhide.
Seeing that Genichirō had retreated on his own initiative, Toyotomi Nobuhide did not immediately pursue him, but stood still.
Because he also wanted to take this opportunity to carefully re-draft his "battle plan".
——That idiot Yoshihisa is of no use for the time being.
——I can only rely on myself to defeat the "Sword Saint"...
——As expected, at the critical moment... I still have to rely on myself to take action...
When Toyotomi Nobuhide was sighing inwardly, Genichi suddenly said to Toyotomi Nobuhide in a calm tone:
"...Shigen-ryu, Mugai-ryu, Katori Shinto-ryu, Yagyu Shinkage-ryu... You know a lot of styles. It's rare for someone so young to be able to master so many styles of swordsmanship."
"Ha..." Toyotomi Nobuhide said with a wry smile, "Thank you for the compliment."
"Although I have been a little slack in swordsmanship training in recent years due to my busy work, I used to be a madman obsessed with swordsmanship."
"I eagerly learn various styles of swordsmanship."
"Oh, only in this respect do we seem like blood relatives."
"I've also heard from my grandfather before: Uncle, you are also a madman who is extremely obsessed with swordsmanship and eagerly learns various styles."
Having said this, Toyotomi Nobuhide held Yoshimitsu's bone food in one hand and casually made a knife flower to shake off the thick layer of rain water that had accumulated on the blade.
"But, then again - it's really strange. I heard from my grandfather that you are proficient in countless styles of swordsmanship."
"But since we started fighting, I have hardly seen you use any of your sword skills."
Toyotomi Nobuhide changed his tone to a mocking one.
"Could it be that you are too old and your memory has deteriorated, causing you to forget most of the sword skills of the school?"
After hearing what Toyotomi Nobuhide said, a smile slowly appeared on Genichi's face...a smile that was rarely seen since the war with Toyotomi Nobuhide.
This is not a smile that laughs at others or at oneself.
It was a smile as if one had heard a funny joke.
"...It seems that your swordsmanship still needs to be improved. Didn't I use the sword skills of various schools a long time ago?"
After saying that, Genichi took a deep breath, then leaped over without a running start, using gravity to chop down the swords in both hands, and once again took the initiative to attack Toyotomi Nobuhide.
What Genichi just said... Toyotomi Nobuhide had no idea what it meant.
Facing Genichirō who was attacking again, Toyotomi Nobuhide had no time to think about the meaning of Genichirō's words just now.
The sound of metal striking against metal, and the sound of footsteps sliding on the deck.
Physical functions...there is no doubt that Toyotomi Nobuhide, who is now in his prime and possesses the "power of immortality", has an absolute advantage.
However, Genichi possessed exquisite sword skills that could make up for this gap to a great extent, as well as rich combat experience that allowed him to immediately predict what moves Toyotomi Nobuhide would make as soon as he took up a stance!
Strength VS cleverness, force defeats skill VS a little effort can defeat a great result - this sentence is the most appropriate to describe the battle between the two.
Every strike of Toyotomi Nobuhide revealed an aura of "brutality" and "violence".
It was like a bear waving his paws, tearing everything to pieces.
And Genichirō, who relied on his skills and combat experience to fight Toyotomi Nobuhide... was like a dancer with graceful postures.
Every defense, every dodge, and every counterattack of Yuanyi was filled with a unique beauty.
Just now, when he worked together with Yoshihisa to deal with Genichi, Toyotomi Nobuhide was still able to suppress Genichi.
And now - without Yoshihisa's assistance, he can only fight against Genichi alone, and there is no calm look on his face.
laugh!
Toyotomi Nobuhide felt a stinging pain at the tip of his nose - Genichi had just successfully misled Toyotomi Nobuhide's defensive direction with his exquisite feint, resulting in a sword stab in the face, but fortunately he reacted quickly enough and tilted his head back in time, so that only the tip of his nose was cut.
Although it did not cause much damage to Toyotomi Nobuhide, this blow was of great significance - because it was the first time that Toyotomi Nobuhide was injured since the fight between the old man and the young began.
The pain at the tip of the nose was only fleeting - because as soon as the tip of the nose was cut, countless red flesh threads emerged from the wound and "mended" the wound.
Looking at Toyotomi Nobuhide's nose that had recovered, Genichi couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly: "It's recovering really fast..."
After muttering this, Genichi quickly repositioned his body and slashed out once more.
The two attacked each other again for a few rounds, and Toyotomi Nobuhide suffered another wound on his body - this time the injured part was the chest.
There was a big cut on his chest - but it was a well-deserved wound, as it could be considered an injury in exchange for an injury.
When Genichirō was stabbed in the chest, Toyotomi Nobuhide immediately counterattacked and also cut Genichirō's left shoulder, but the cut was not deep.
The two of them attacked, defended, and got hurt...
Although Genichi relied on his skills and combat experience to fight Toyotomi Nobuhide to a draw, anyone with a discerning eye could see who had the upper hand...
Every wound that Genichi inflicted on Toyotomi Nobuhide healed quickly.
And every wound that Toyotomi Nobuhide cut on Genichi's body... would only cause bleeding and would only bring a heavier burden to Genichi's body...
But even so, Genichi did not back down at all.
With his eyes wide open and blazing, he launched a fearless attack on Toyotomi Nobuhide without flinching, which made him feel his life was in danger several times.
After the two exchanged several rounds of attack and defense, Genichi suddenly cut the Yang Shen in his right hand into an upper stance and slashed towards Toyotomi Nobuhide's head diagonally.
If he raised his sword to defend, he might be attacked by the flames in Genichi's left hand, so Toyotomi Nobuhide chose to retreat and dodge.
Retreating, the Yang Shen passed in front of his nose and smashed into the deck below - all these scenes were in line with Toyotomi Nobuhide's expectations.
But at this moment——
call!
Genichi suddenly stopped the blade from falling, then aimed the tip of Yang Shen at Toyotomi Nobuhide's throat, and then thrust Yang Shen forward like a rainbow piercing the sun.
Toyotomi Nobuhide's eyes twitched suddenly.
Genichi's attack just now... Toyotomi Nobuhide felt a strong sense of familiarity...
He felt that this move was somewhat similar to the decisiveness of the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu... but there were many differences.
There was no time to think any more—the tip of Yang Shen’s knife was already here.
He moved his body half a step sideways, to a place where Yang Shen could not reach. However, before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he heard the sound of an approaching blade from his side again - Yan Rong chopped from a place that he could not see clearly with his eyes!
Toyotomi Nobuhide's eyes twitched again and he jumped back quickly.
His dodge this time... was a little forced.
Although he avoided a fatal injury, Yan Rong's blade still cut from the right corner of his mouth to the left corner of his eye, leaving a large crack on Toyotomi Nobuhide's face.
“Hmm…!”
Toyotomi Nobuhide let out a low cry of pain, covered his cheek, which was instantly covered in blood, with his left hand, and took several steps backward.
While retreating, in order to prevent Genichir from chasing him, Toyotomi Nobuhide swung his sword in the direction of Genichir and made a heavy slash, forcing Genichir to retreat three steps.
“Huh…hahahahahaha…” Toyotomi Nobuhide retreated more than ten steps in one breath, covering his bloody face with his hands, and laughed sinisterly, “Amazing…really amazing.”
"This is the first time I've fought someone to a draw since I gained the 'power of immortality'..."
Toyotomi Nobuhide put down his left hand that was covering his face.
On his face...there were no more scars, only blood covering most of his face.
Genichi no longer rushed over to chase Toyotomi Nobuhide and beat him up.
The series of quick attacks just now had made his breathing a little disordered.
Since Toyotomi Nobuhide didn't attack him now, Genichi was happy to take this opportunity to adjust his breathing rhythm and reorganize his posture.
"If time permits... I would like to have a good fight with you to see who is stronger between you and me."
Toyotomi Nobuhide raised his hand and slowly wiped the blood off his face.
"But unfortunately - I don't have the leisure to continue to slowly battle with you here."
An intriguing smile...appeared at the corner of Toyotomi Nobuhide's mouth at this moment.
Looking at the smile on Toyotomi Nobuhide's face, for some reason... a chill rose in Genichi's heart...
Genichirō had no idea what Toyotomi Nobuhide wanted.
He only knew - get close and chop down Toyotomi Nobuhide, there would be no problem!
The originally chaotic breathing rhythm has been adjusted.
Genichi clenched his two swords and rushed towards Toyotomi Nobuhide like an arrow.
Facing Genichi who was trying to kill him again, Toyotomi Nobuhide no longer held Yoshimitsu Bone Food in front of him.
He just smiled silently, then reached his left hand into his arms and suddenly pulled out a small crossbow.
This crossbow is only the size of a palm, but due to special modifications, it can shoot four arrows in one breath.
He did not aim the crossbow at Genichi.
Instead, he aimed his crossbow... at Lin, who was still unconscious and was leaning against the mainmast not far away and was being protected by Toyotomi Nobuhide's subordinates!
Yuan Yi's pupils suddenly contracted at this moment.
Toyotomi Nobuhide had been observing Genichi's expression since a while ago.
Looking at Genichir's expression at this moment, Toyotomi Nobuhide revealed...a smile of joy as pure as that of an innocent child.
Click!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Toyotomi Nobuhide pulled the trigger.
Four arrows rushed towards Lin!
The situation was so urgent that Yuan didn't even have time to change his expression - he didn't hesitate at all and ran desperately towards the direction where the four arrows were flying.
In his desperate run, he narrowly intercepted the four arrows before they hit Lin.
He had just rushed over and had not even had time to adjust his posture, but he had to immediately launch a defense to intercept the incoming arrows - this was extremely difficult for Genichi.
But even if it was a stretch, I could only grit my teeth.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
Yuan Yi swung his two swords, and the flashing sword lights formed a thick "barrier", which barely deflected the four arrows.
However, after these four crossbow arrows were deflected...
hiss--!
The blade of Yoshimitsu Gushi cut through the air and rain and smashed towards Genichi's forehead!
Genichi had just barely swung his sword to deflect the crossbow arrow, and he hadn’t had time to adjust his posture, or dodge or defend…
Swish!
The sound of the blade cutting through flesh exploded...
"Oh...?" Toyotomi Nobuhide blinked twice, looking at Genichi who was retreating quickly and putting some distance between them with interest. "When my sword was about to hit your head, you tried your best to block it, causing the sword to deflect..."
Yuan Yi retreated in one breath to the railing close to the side of the ship, and only stopped after he had retreated as far as he could.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough!"
As soon as he opened his mouth, he vomited handfuls of blood...
Although he wanted to keep his body straight, the pain from the wound caused Genichi's left leg to bend uncontrollably and he fell on one knee on the deck.
Genichi's appearance at this moment... was extremely horrifying.
A huge knife wound ran from the left shoulder to below the right ribs.
He held Yang Shen tightly in his right hand, propped Yang Shen on the deck, and struggled to support his body to prevent it from falling.
Still holding Yan Rong's left hand, he pressed his chest tightly, trying to stop the flow of blood.
But how could Yuan Yi's one hand possibly cover such a big wound?
A large amount of blood gushed out from the wound, and in just a blink of an eye, half of Yuan Yi's clothes were dyed red, turning Yuan Yi into a bloody man...
"This crossbow I bought from Tangtu is really useful." After saying this in a joking tone, Toyotomi Nobuhide stuffed the crossbow, which had been emptied of arrows, back into his arms. "Although I couldn't kill you directly, I am satisfied that I was able to seriously injure you."
Toyotomi Nobuhide raised his left hand and pointed at his chest.
"I advise you not to move."
He said in a mocking tone.
"There's a big cut on the body from the left shoulder to the right ribs. If you move your body, your internal organs might flow out of the wound, causing unnecessary pain."
Faced with this "reminder" from Toyotomi Nobuhide, Genichirō ignored it.
He turned his head with difficulty and looked at Lin who was still unconscious.
He finally breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that he had successfully deflected all the arrows and Lin was not injured.
Toyotomi Nobuhide noticed the little movement that Genichi had just made when he was observing Lin.
"Do you know why I brought Xiaolin to the open deck as well?"
Toyotomi Nobuhide's tone was still filled with sarcasm.
"Not only because of the current special situation, I want to bring Xiaolin to a place where I can see her."
"That's because - I think that by keeping Xiaolin by my side, I might be able to turn Xiaolin into a 'special weapon' that can effectively deal with you."
"I was just gambling."
"I bet you won't sit back and watch Xiaolin get shot into a hedgehog."
"If conditions permit, I don't really want to use this trick. After all, I don't like gambling."
"Fortunately, I made the right bet."
"You...are...crazy...!"
Even though it felt quite difficult for him to even say a word, Genichi still stubbornly cast a look that was reminiscent of a blade at the madman in front of him.
"Xiao Lin's life... is it really nothing in your eyes...?!"
"Well... not entirely." Toyotomi Nobuhide said with a wry smile, "I still value Xiaolin's life very much - if Xiaolin died, then my 'Edo Battle' would not be perfect."
After saying this, Toyotomi Nobuhide walked slowly towards Genichir while holding the Yoshimitsu bone food, which still had blood and fat on the blade that had not been washed clean by the rain.
"Okay, that's enough of the small talk."
"Please hurry up and get on your way, Uncle."
"You are worthy of the title of 'Sword Saint' for forcing me, who possesses the 'Power of Immortality', to resort to underhanded tactics to achieve a quick victory."
At this time, there was no longer any sarcasm in Toyotomi Nobuhide's tone.
There was only a hint of regret in his tone.
"It's a pity that I wasn't born in the same era as you."
"Although you are an enemy, I am also a swordsman, and I really want to see how terrifying your strength is when you are at your strongest."