(From now on, you are my last disciple. Although you are my last disciple, you must not expect that you will have any special status in Iga Village.)
…
(Master Jijiu, I heard that you recently adopted Hatsumitsu as your goddaughter. Is this true?)
(Nonsense! Who spread these rumors? Chu Guang is just a young girl with great potential. I saw her potential and accepted her as my last disciple. That’s all our relationship.)
…
(Don't call me 'Ji Ye', it sounds ugly and disgusting. If you want to build a relationship with me by calling me this kind of intimate name, then I advise you not to think of these crooked ways! Have you been misled by some recent gossip? Humph! Don't think that I really regard you as my own granddaughter just because I am a little gentle to you!)
…
(You are such a bad swimmer! As a ninja, how can you not know how to swim! Stay in this lake and practice! When you can swim to the other side of the lake, come back out!)
…
(Master Yoshihisa! Oh no! Hatsumitsu drowned while practicing scuba diving!)
(What?! Did you save Chu Guang?!)
(We have sent people to jump into the lake to retrieve him! But we can't find Hatsumitsu's location...Ah! Master Jiku! What are you doing? The water is very cold now! Please come up quickly!)
…
(Cough cough! Cough cough cough! Hey! Chu Guang! Wake up! Wake up!)
…
What do people recall when they die?
Maybe everyone will think of different things.
For Yoshihisa... when Hatsumitsu's wakizashi struck down, all that flashed through his mind were fragments of memories that made him wonder what expression to put on to face them...
"...Thank you for taking care of me over the years."
Hearing what Hatsumitsu said, the corners of Jijiu's mouth slowly drooped.
She revealed an expression that looked like... I couldn't tell whether it was crying or laughing.
…
…
The head of Jijiu that was cut off by Chuguang rolled forward for several steps before slowly stopping.
Handfuls of blood, still steaming, flowed out from Yoshihisa's head and severed head, staining the feet of Atachi and the others with a liquid that had turned pink from the rain.
After his head was chopped off, Yoshikyu did not move again, nor did he grow any flesh to repair the severed head.
Seeing Yoshihisa finally dead, Amaji, Asai and others all showed expressions of relief - at this time, only Hatsukuni had a complicated expression.
She lowered her eyes, looked at Yoshiku, whose head and body were separated, for a moment, then silently took off her coat and covered Yoshiku's body with it.
"Ms. Hatsumitsu." Atachi, who was beaten all over by Yoshihisa, felt pain and fatigue, but she still forced herself to ask Hatsumitsu, who followed Ogata and the others to chase the second ship but returned to the shore for unknown reasons, the question she wanted to know most:
"Ayi... How are Ogata and the others doing? How is the battle going?"
"Battle situation?" Hearing the question raised by Atachi, Hatsumitsu frowned slightly, "How should I put it... before I fainted, Ogata..."
She had just spoken.
Boom boom boom——!!
A loud explosion suddenly erupted on the sea in the distance, interrupting Chu Guang's words.
The sudden explosion made everyone on the shore change their expressions drastically.
They quickly turned their heads towards the sound - a burning fireball suddenly appeared on the sea near the horizon.
Ating, who had the best eyesight among everyone present, immediately realized that this "fireball" was none other than the currently burning Hikari Maru.
The fire on the Hikari Maru was huge.
Even though they were at a very long distance, the slightly pale faces of Ating and the others were illuminated red.
…
…
Time goes back to a while ago. When Toyotomi learned that Lin had escaped from the room and was about to go and catch her -
Nikki Maru, on the open deck——
"...Master. Do you feel better now?" Toyotomi asked Master Xianyuan, who was half leaning on the railing of the ship and had been vomiting due to seasickness.
"Well... I'm a little used to the shaking of the deck now." Compared to before, the complexion of Master Xianyuan has recovered a lot and nodded, "So I feel much more comfortable now."
"Is that so... That's good." Fengchen nodded, and after a pause, he continued to speak to Master Xianyuan in a low voice, "Master, I now... have a task for you that perhaps only you can accomplish."
"Lord Toyotomi, please speak." Hearing Toyotomi's serious tone, Master Xianyuan quickly straightened his expression.
"Ogata Ittosai and my uncle are both tough guys." Toyotomi said in a leisurely tone, "Even if we have the chance to defeat them separately, it does not guarantee that we can win."
"So - I decided... to add some insurance."
Toyotomi's tone and intonation gradually became strange.
"Most of our Hikari Maru's firearms and ammunition are stored in the No. A ammunition depot located in the center of the cabin."
"If we detonate all the gunpowder stored in the No. 1 ammunition depot... it won't be a problem to blow up most of the Hikari Maru."
"Therefore, I hope that you can be responsible for hiding in the No. A ammunition depot and ignite the gunpowder in the No. A ammunition depot after receiving the signal."
As soon as Toyotomi finished speaking, Master Xianyuan's expression changed slightly.
Toyotomi noticed the change in Master Xianyuan's expression, but he turned a blind eye and continued:
"The insurance I ordered is quite simple."
"When I was at a disadvantage in the battle with Ogata Ittosai, Kinoshita Genichi and others and was about to be defeated, I managed to lead them to the open deck of the Hikari Maru."
"By then, I will certainly be in a fierce battle with Ogata Ittosai, Kinoshita Genichi and the others, and I may not be able to free up a hand to slowly signal you."
"So I'm going to find another person to help me signal."
"The signal is the sound of our Toyotomi clan's specially made 'tube-shaped fireworks'. The sound of our 'tube-shaped fireworks' is very special, you will definitely not misunderstand it."
"Upon receiving the signal, you will detonate ammunition depot No. 1."
"If we're lucky... we can turn defeat into victory in one go and blow Ogata Ittosai, Kinoshita Genichi and the others right up to the sky."
Toyotomi's voice was very calm, and he used a very calm tone to tell Master Xianyuan about the plan that made him break out in a cold sweat.
"...Lord Toyotomi." Master Xianyuan glanced around with a vigilant look, "If your plan is implemented... I'm afraid that most of the people on the ship... will die without a burial place..."
"Besides, what you said about blowing away Ogata Ittosai and Kinoshita Genichi... is just a situation that can only happen with good luck."
"Maybe... Ogata Ittosai and Kinoshita Genichi were not killed in the explosion, but you were blown away..."
"Master." Toyotomi smiled at Master Xianyuan, "Of course, my plan will only be implemented when I am completely suppressed by Ogata Ittosai and his men and am about to lose."
"Since we're going to lose anyway, why not have a bet to see who can survive the explosion?"
"As for the majority of the people on the ship you mentioned..."
The smile on Toyotomi's face...slowly showed a bit of madness.
"If I die under the swords of Ogata Ittosai and his men... then what is the use of the people on this ship?"
Having said that, Toyotomi changed the subject, raised his hand and patted Master Xianyuan on the shoulder.
"Master, this mission... I don't need to explain it in detail. You also know what will happen to you after setting the ammunition depot on fire, right?"
"To be honest - I don't really want to entrust this task to you."
"But I can only entrust this task to the person I trust the most."
"Can I... please?"
Toyotomi didn't talk too much about the big principles or interests with Master Xianyuan.
Because he knew - there was no need to say too much to this old subordinate who had followed him for many years.
Just a simple “Please?” is enough.
"...I understand." After a moment of silence, Master Xianyuan smiled faintly, "Please leave it to me."
Master Xianyuan did not make any passionate declarations to Toyotomi.
He just said lightly, "Please leave it to me."
"Lord Toyotomi, according to what you just said, you are planning to find someone to help you signal. Who do you plan to find?"
"Ah, about that. I've already decided on a candidate." Toyotomi smiled slightly, "I found someone...who I trust very much and who also has a great passion to kill Ogata Ittosai."
As soon as Toyotomi finished speaking——
"Lord Toyotomi!"
A young male voice sounded from behind Toyotomi - it was Prajna, who had just received a precious sword from Toyotomi today for his contribution of "finding Ogata in Osaka".
Holding Lin's Yama and Zhen Guishen, Prajna ran quickly to Toyotomi's side.
"Lord Toyotomi, I have followed your orders and brought these two swords from the storeroom!"
…
…
Time goes back to the present——
Sitting on the observation deck of the main mast of the Hikari Maru, Prajna was staring closely at Toyotomi's every move on the open deck.
After seeing Toyotomi raise his left hand to block Ogata's stab, he raised his left palm with a big hole in it high up.
Seeing Toyotomi's action, Prajna's eyebrows immediately jumped.
(Prajna, listen carefully, the signal is the "pierced left palm". After you see me raise my pierced left palm high, you will set off the "tube-shaped fireworks")
"Lord Toyotomi..."
Prajna took a deep breath.
"I wish you...good luck in martial arts!"
laugh--!!
Prajna raised the wooden tube that she had been playing with in her hand high up, pointed it towards the sky and pulled the fuse.
…
…
laugh--!!
Inside the No.1 ammunition depot, Master Xianyuan pursed his lips as he heard the sharp sound of fireworks breaking through the air.
"Still...are we going to use this plan..."
After Master Xianyuan muttered this in a low voice, he pushed open the lid of a huge gunpowder barrel next to him and picked up... an oil lamp next to him.
When he was about to throw the oil lamp into the gunpowder barrel... Master Xianyuan glanced at Kikutaro, who was lying on his side at his feet, his body still having some body temperature.
"…As long as there is a glimmer of hope for the lofty ideal of 'spreading Buddhism', I am willing to die for it."
He repeated in a low voice the words he had just said to Kikutaro.
Then he let go of the oil lamp in his hand...
…
…
…
…
“Hmm…”
Ogata felt as if he had just had a long and difficult nightmare.
My consciousness was in a state of confusion, and there seemed to be a strange sound of tearing cloth constantly ringing in my mind, and even my own existence became vague.
Ogata felt as if gravity had disappeared.
He felt like he was floating in a place without gravity, and the images and sounds of the world around him were all distorted.
The only things I can clearly feel right now are... my heartbeat and my breathing.
The only clear sounds of heartbeat and breathing were deafening in my mind.
He instinctively matched his heartbeat and breathing, and tried his best to open his heavy eyelids.
As his eyelids gradually opened, light leaked into Ogata's eyes.
As his eyelids gradually opened, Ogata felt that all his senses were returning to his body.
The first sense to return to the body is touch.
The cold raindrops hit Ogata's face and all the exposed skin. The cool touch made Ogata, whose consciousness was still hazy, feel a lot more comfortable.
As soon as I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the thick dark clouds that separated the sky from the earth, and the heavy rain...
——I am...lying...on the ground...?
The second item returns to the body’s senses, which is hearing.
Snap, Snap…
“Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh——!”
“Ahh! Ahhhh!”
"Quick! Jump into the sea!"
…
The sound of wood cracking, people screaming... one after another.
With the question "What's going on?" in mind, Ogata raised his head and looked around.
As soon as he glanced around himself, the scene around him... made Ogata stunned as if he heard a loud bell ringing in his ears in a drowsy dream.
Fire, fire everywhere!
The blazing fire flickered, and the flames rising into the sky dyed the magnificent sea surface red like clouds.
The fire was so big that even the heavy rain could not put it out in a short time.
Amid the surging waves, pieces of flames soared, trembled, and exploded, transforming into bright red flowers on the endless sea.
These red flowers ignited the turbulent sea and illuminated the misty and gloomy clouds. The flames were so bright that the sun seemed inferior to them.
The mighty Hikari Maru...is no longer in existence.
This mighty warship had been broken into two parts in the middle, and Ogata was now on the open deck of the front half of the wreckage.
Both the front and back halves of the wreckage had been destroyed by the fire.
The Hulu Maru, which collided with the Hikari Maru, was also affected by the explosion, and the bow of the ship was engulfed in flames.
The crew members who accidentally let the flames touch their bodies rolled on the ground like crazy, while the crew members who were lucky enough not to be burned by the flames kept howling in fear and jumped into the sea to escape.
Of course, there were also quite a few people who had no chance to extinguish the flames on their bodies or jump into the sea to escape. These people either turned into charred corpses or into fragments that were no longer recognizable as human beings...
Along with the hearing, the sense of smell also recovered.
The burnt smell of wood, the strange meaty aroma of roasted human bodies...all these smells mixed together, making people want to vomit.
The last sense that returned to Ogata's body... was pain.
Because he was shocked by the scene before him, Ogata only realized now that his body was in severe pain.
There was tearing pain in every part of the body.
The intestines seemed to be twisted into a ball and the stomach turned inside out.
The pain in his limbs... especially his left arm, was so severe that even Ogata, who had long been accustomed to injuries and pain, could not help but show a sudden change of expression.
He lowered his head and checked his body - as soon as his eyes glanced down, Oobian couldn't help but gasp.
His current physical condition... can only be described as "terribly"...
From his chest to his abdomen, it was a mess of blood and flesh...as if a cannonball had exploded right next to his abdomen.
Among the four limbs, only the right arm was less seriously injured, with only a few broken skins...
The other three limbs... there were hardly any intact pieces of flesh that were not stained with blood...
Ogata quickly raised his hand and touched his head - his head was not seriously injured, there was only a large cut on the left corner of his forehead, and a large amount of blood flowed through the cut, covering most of Ogata's face.
Every wound is now growing "flesh threads" to repair the wound.
Xuan Zheng also said: Their "immortal power" is not omnipotent.
Once one suffers too many or too severe injuries in a short period of time, the "immortal power" will lose its effectiveness because it cannot be repaired.
The wounds on Ogata's body were all repairing - but the speed was not fast.
The chaotic brain has become much clearer at this time.
Fragments of memories before the coma now came flooding in like snowflakes.
When he had completely suppressed Toyotomi and it was only a matter of time before he won, Toyotomi suddenly stretched out his left palm to block Ogata's stab...
The pierced left palm was raised high...
Suddenly, fireworks shot into the sky...
As soon as the fireworks went off, a violent explosion occurred on the ship...
The last memory before he lost consciousness was... He was caught off guard by the explosion and was thrown away by the waves of fire and shockwaves...
When he was blown away by the waves of fire and shockwaves, he saw that Toyotomi, who was standing right in front of him at that time, was also blown away, and was blown to the completely opposite direction of Ogata...
——Toyotomi!
Ogata, whose consciousness and memory were fully restored, narrowed his pupils and quickly turned his gaze to look around, searching for Toyotomi's figure while also searching for his own sword.
The explosion came so violently and so suddenly, but even so, Ogata's hands were still tightly grasping his two swords.
Daijizai and Daishiten were still tightly held in Ogata's left and right hands. Seeing that his sword was not blown away, Ogata couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Before he lost consciousness, he saw clearly that Toyotomi was blown away along with him.
For Ogata... the scene he would like to see the most is naturally the body of Toyotomi who was blown to death, and the one he least wants to see... is Toyotomi who is still alive and kicking...
However... this may be what is called "what you fear will come true".
Just as Ogata was looking around for Toyotomi——
“Ha…Ogata Ittosai, you’re here…hahahaha…neither of us are dead…”
A male voice came from beside Ogata, causing his expression to change slightly uncontrollably.
Ogata's face suddenly darkened, and he followed the sound and slowly turned his head to look -
Toyotomi, holding Yoshimitsu's bone food in his right hand, walked slowly towards Ogata with a slightly staggering step, like a demon from hell.
The corners of his mouth were raised in an exaggerated arc, revealing a crazy grin.
His body, from head to toe, was covered with wounds.
Like Ogata, he had a large wound on his forehead, and a large amount of blood was flowing down the wound, all over his face.
From the chest to the abdomen, it was a bloody mess. The limbs also had more or less serious injuries.
But it is obvious that Toyotomi's injuries were lighter than Ogata's. He could still stand up and walk, while Ogata could only stand up at most. This is the best proof.
At this time, Ogata discovered that Toyotomi's left hand was still holding a beautiful brocade box, which contained something unknown.
Ogata felt that this brocade box looked familiar. After taking a closer look, he remembered that before Lin was rescued by Mamiya and his men and was still under strict guard under the main mast, this brocade box containing an unknown object was placed next to her.
"Although I know... you're not a normal person... but I didn't expect you to be this abnormal...!" Ogata's eyes were so sharp that even the word "glare" seemed too weak to describe it. "You actually blew up the entire ship! In your eyes, are the subordinates on this ship just a bunch of people who can be abandoned at will?"
Ogata struggled and slowly stood up with his two swords in hand.
After Ogata stood up, Toyotomi stopped and no longer approached.
The two of them confronted each other less than 20 steps apart.
No matter how dumb Ogata was, he could guess that the sudden explosion of the Hikari Maru was caused by Toyotomi!
He suddenly used his left palm to block his thrust, which was just intentional.
Ogata guessed: Toyotomi must have given his subordinates an order like "if you see him raise his pierced left palm, detonate the ship."
The purpose of this order was to be able to die together with Ogata and the others when the battle situation was unfavorable, so as to prevent Ogata and the others from winning...
If they were lucky, perhaps only Ogata and the others would be killed, while Toyotomi would survive by relying on the strong vitality given by the "immortal power" and turn defeat into victory by simply "detonating the ship".
Ogata couldn't help but feel grateful now - grateful that he had allowed Mamiya and the others to evacuate here with Genichi and Lin, who were unable to fight, before the ship exploded.
He estimated that when Toyotomi gave the order to detonate the Hikari Maru, Mamiya and his men should have run far away and were unlikely to be affected by the explosion.
Toyotomi was a madman - Ogata already knew this based on all the information he had previously known about Toyotomi.
He knew that Toyotomi was a madman...but he didn't expect that he was so crazy...
Even before the battle, they had planned this crazy move to kill everyone on the ship...
If possible, Ogata really wanted to pounce over immediately and kill this madman who might have some crazy tricks he hadn't used yet.
But his legs had not yet fully recovered... so Ogata had trouble even walking, not to mention flying...
While staring at Toyotomi in front of him, Ogata checked the injuries all over his body, anxiously waiting for the injuries... especially the injuries to his two legs to recover.
"Abandon casually..." Toyotomi repeated the words Ogata had just said in a low voice, and sneered, "Whatever you say."
"Anyway, I simply gave the most appropriate orders based on the battle situation."
"Judging from the results, the order I just gave was very wise."
The smile on Toyotomi's face became more and more crazy.
"Although I didn't kill you directly, I did injure you badly, Ogata Ittosai, can you still swing your sword now?"
"You can come over and try it yourself." Ogata said solemnly.
—Lungs…no damage…very good…
There was a foul smell in the air, but it wasn't so bad that people couldn't even breathe.
Ogata took several deep breaths and confirmed that his lungs were not injured and that he could breathe in the surrounding air smoothly. He felt relieved.
The lungs were not injured and he could breathe normally, which meant that Ogata could still use the "Origin of Breathing" and enter the "state of no self".
As long as he can enter the "selfless state", he can continue to suppress Toyotomi like before the ship exploded.
The previous battle had already made it very clear - Toyotomi did not have the ability to contend with him who had entered the "state of no self".
"Ha, you can still swing your sword... I think so, after all, you also have the 'power of immortality'." Toyotomi laughed softly, his shoulders shaking with laughter, "Ogata Ittosai, you should have noticed it too - the wreckage of the ship under our feet has been slowly sinking."
Toyotomi lowered his eyes and glanced at the deck below him.
The hull that was broken into two pieces naturally lost the ability to float on the sea.
The waves continued to hit the wreckage of the Hikari Maru.
The inky black seabed was like the bloody mouth of a monster, swallowing up the broken-in-two hull of the Hikari Maru bit by bit.
There was no need for Toyotomi to remind him, as Ogata himself had clearly felt it just now - the wreckage of the ship under his feet was slowly sinking.
According to Ogata's estimation, it would only take about 10 minutes... for the wreckage they were standing on to completely sink into the sea.
"It won't be long before there is no place for us to stand on this sea." Toyotomi slowly raised his gaze from the deck at his feet and looked at Ogata.
His cheeks were pulled up again, and there was a hint of ferocity in his toothy smile.
"Since time is running out and you still have the ability to swing your sword... let's quickly resume our fight!"
Snap!
Toyotomi moved the five fingers of his left hand, which was holding the beautiful brocade box, flexibly and with a flick, he opened the brocade box and took out the things inside.
Looking at the things in the brocade box, Ogata's eyes suddenly widened.
The thing in the brocade box... was actually the head of a beautiful woman.
His eyes were closed and his face was peaceful, he looked as if he was asleep.
After seeing this head, all the information about the "immortal power" that Xuan Zheng had previously told him flashed rapidly through Yu Xufang's mind.
Although no one came to introduce or explain to Ogata, based on the information he knew, Ogata quickly understood - this head was exactly that of Yaobikuni!
"Hahaha... Ogata Ittosai, looking at your expression... you seem to have guessed whose head I hold in my hand belongs to."
Toyotomi smiled with a wry smile.
"Ogata Ittosai, have you ever thought about what will happen if you continue to eat Yaobikuni's flesh and skin after your body has already successfully digested the 'power of immortality'?"
Toyotomi laughed a few times in an uncomfortable tone, and then continued to talk to himself:
“I was very curious about this question.”
"So, I once had a test subject successfully digest the 'power of immortality' with the Dinghao Pill, and then had him eat a piece of Yaobikuni's meat."
"The final result was both unexpected and reasonable."
"Having already successfully digested the 'power of immortality', eating the flesh and skin of the Eight Hundred Bhikkhunis will further enhance the 'power of immortality' in your body."
"It's just that this will bring a huge burden to the body. The burden brought to the body by devouring the flesh of 800 nuns for the second time will be far greater than the first time."
"The third time he devoured the skin and flesh of eight hundred nuns, the burden he brought to his body was even greater than the second time."
Having said this, Toyotomi, with a smile on his face that was as wild as it could be, slowly raised the head of Yaobikuni, which he was holding in his left hand, to his lips .
"The reason why I said the order to 'detonate the hull' was wise was not just because it successfully injured you."
"Moreover, the detonation of the ship gave me the time and opportunity to obtain the head of Yaobikuni."
As soon as Toyotomi finished speaking, he opened his mouth wide and bit the white left skin of Yaobikuni. With a pull, he dragged off a large piece of flesh on Yaobikuni's left cheek and put it into his mouth. His cheek moved and he chewed it casually before swallowing it into his stomach.
Watching Toyotomi gnawing on the flesh of Yaobikuni's head, Ogata's breathing slowed down uncontrollably due to the shock.
As soon as he saw Toyotomi take out the head of Yaobikuni from the brocade box, Ogata vaguely realized that Toyotomi seemed to be planning another trick and planned to rush forward to kill this beast.
However, his legs were severely injured and had not yet fully recovered, and he was unable to even walk, so Ogata could only watch Toyotomi devour Yaobikuni's flesh and blood.
In the heavy rain, on the wreckage of a burning ship, a young man with a crazy smile on his face was frantically gnawing on the head of a woman - it was truly a hellish scene.
Only after Toyotomi tore off most of Yaobikuni's face and swallowed it did he finally put Yaobikuni's head down from his lips.
He threw the bitten thing back into the brocade box at his feet like throwing away garbage.
When Ogata saw Toyotomi at this time, his appearance began to change horribly.
Limbs, neck... In short, all the exposed skin of Toyotomi that Ogata could see was covered with blue veins.
The whites of his eyes were covered with red bloodshot, and his pupils were black... with a faint purple light faintly visible.
If we talk about the biggest change...it is undoubtedly Toyotomi's current recovery speed.
If Toyotomi's recovery speed just now was 10, then Toyotomi's current recovery speed is at least 30 or above!
All the injuries on Toyotomi's body were restored to their original state in just a moment! His body was restored to a state without any trauma!
"Alright..." Toyotomi slowly raised his purple eyes towards Ogata, laughing wildly, "Let's get started! Let's fight to the death!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Toyotomi rushed towards Ogata like a gust of wind!
Looking at the speed displayed by Toyotomi at this time, Ogata's pupils shrank, and then he immediately switched his breathing to "Source Breathing" and entered the "selfless state".
After dodging to Ogata's side, Toyotomi slashed at Ogata's forehead with his sword, while Ogata swung Daishakuten horizontally in the direction where Yoshimitsu Kokushoku was coming from.
clang--!!
This sword fight between the two men...can no longer be considered a "competition between swordsmen."
Compared to a swordsman...it's more like two monsters colliding and biting each other!
Snap...
After the ear-piercing sound of swords clashing, the sound of something breaking was quietly heard.
The swords of Ogata and Toyotomi... were broken.
No matter how powerful the swords of the two men were, they were still just ordinary weapons made of metal.
It can't withstand the torment of monsters.
Where the two sharp blades met, tiny gaps appeared on both sides, and the cracking sound was their groans of pain.
The huge force transmitted back along the blade turned into an intense numbness and soreness, spreading throughout Ogata's entire right arm.
Toyotomi's power has increased by an unknown amount compared to before. In response to this, Ogata's expression... did not change at all - because before he could make any changes, Toyotomi retracted his sword and then slashed at Ogata again.
Not only the strength, but also the speed has been greatly improved.
The speed was so fast...even Ogata, who had already entered the "selfless state", was unable to react.
Ogata's legs have not yet recovered, so now Ogata can only choose to swing his sword to block Toyotomi's attack.
clang--!!
The two knives touched each other again, and then the two knives knocked each other and left small cuts...
Retracting the sword that had been used to strike in the air, and striking again - Toyotomi repeated this process over and over again.
Facing Toyotomi's attack that combined extraordinary strength and swiftness, Ogata defended himself with forced and awkward movements.
The positions of the two were swapped.
Before the ship exploded, it was Ogata who had the upper hand and was suppressing Toyotomi.
And now... the two of them switched positions, with Toyotomi gaining the upper hand and Ogata passively parrying Toyotomi's attacks.
If you defend too long, you will lose. Ogata, who was constantly defending against Toyotomi's attack, accidentally missed a move of Toyotomi...
Swish——!
The knife, which was overlooked, cut Ogata's left shoulder fiercely...
"Ahaha... I hit you!" Toyotomi grinned, retracted the knife, and attacked Ogata again.
——The state of no self... can't you resist it...
Ogata, who didn't even have the energy to check the injury on his left shoulder, gritted his teeth, struggled to block Toyotomi's attack, and waited for the right moment to counterattack Toyotomi.
It was obvious - Toyotomi's senses and reaction speed had also been greatly improved...
Ogata slashed at Toyotomi four times in a row, but Toyotomi dodged easily with a leisurely movement as if playing with a pet, then resumed his offensive and slashed at Ogata's vital points...
Ding——!! Ding——!! Ding——!! Ding——!! Ding——!! Ding——!!
The sound of metal hitting each other continued over this boundless ocean and in this sea of ​​fire.
Swish - he failed to block Toyotomi's attack, and some flesh was cut off from Ogata's left leg...
Swish - deceived by Toyotomi's fake move, Ogata's head was almost chopped off. Although he managed to avoid it in the end, his neck was cut. Fortunately, the aorta in his neck was not injured...
Swish - Ogata missed Toyotomi's move and the tip of his left ear was cut off...
…
Toyotomi continued to inflict new injuries on Ogata's body.
The injuries that Ogata had suffered from the explosion had not yet fully recovered, and now he was constantly incurring new injuries...
The "immortal power" in Ogata's body... is probably now "working at full capacity" in the truest sense of the word.
Vaguely, Ogata felt that the speed of his recovery from injuries seemed to slow down further.
Under Toyotomi's attack, not only did Ogata's injuries continue to increase, but the "injuries" of his two swords also continued to increase.
The two knives that he had repaired with great difficulty were rapidly returning to their previous tattered state.
Ogata's left arm was less injured than his right arm. At the moment when the injury on his left arm had not yet fully recovered, Ogata mainly used the Daishakuten in his right hand to fight against Toyotomi.
Looking around, Ogata's Great Shakuten's blade had been chopped into more than ten holes...
Of course, Toyotomi's Yoshimitsu Boneshoku was not much better, and his knife also became bumpy.
The two men's knives... would leave a gap on both of them almost every three times they touched.
But even so - Toyotomi still launched wave after wave of attacks on Ogata with a nonchalant smile.
clang--!!
Ogata raised his left and right arms with all his strength, crossed Daishakuten and Daijizai and lifted them up to block Toyotomi's vertical attack.
Ogata felt like he was carrying a mountain. His knees bent uncontrollably and he was almost crushed to the ground by the "mountain".
This time, Toyotomi did not quickly put away his sword and strike at Ogata again as he had done before.
Instead, he quickly turned his body with his left foot as the axis and delivered a roundhouse kick to Ogata's chest.
Toyotomi's "slash-turned-kick" came too fast, and Ogata instantly determined that there was "no time to defend".
But fortunately - Ogata's legs have recovered a lot now.
Although he has not fully recovered yet, Ogata can now jump and walk normally.
Ogata pushed off the ground with his feet and jumped backwards, trying to avoid Toyotomi's kick.
Ogata jumped back as fast as he could, but Toyotomi's feet were still faster...
Bang!
The moment Toyotomi's heel hit Ogata's chest, a dull sound was heard.
Immediately afterwards, Ou Fang flew backwards like a kicked ball, breaking through layers of rain and heavily hitting the railing of the ship not far away, causing some cracks on the railing.
“Cough… cough cough…!” Ogata felt like there was a turbulent current running through his chest. He could not help but open his mouth and cough violently.
Although Ogata's retreat just now failed to completely avoid Toyotomi's kick, it still had some effect - it prevented Toyotomi's heel from kicking him hard in the chest.
Although he was kicked directly and flew away, the injuries were not too serious. Ogata felt that his chest had only some fractures at most.
"Cough... cough cough cough..." Ogata bent his waist and coughed violently for a while before he felt the "turbulence" in his chest slowly subside.
Just as Ogata stopped coughing,
Snap…
There was a sound of something falling.
It was a small black object that fell out of Ogata's arms.
Ogata looked over and saw a small medicine box...
Looking at this... medicine box that seemed to have its own consciousness and fell out by itself, Ogata's eyes narrowed slightly.
Look carefully - you can see that at this moment, a complex emotion is flickering in Ogata's eyes.
Crash, crash, crash...!
The rain picked up again.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The thunder roared louder and louder, as if to match the increasing weight of the rain.
Feeling the cold touch of raindrops hitting his skin, Ogata tilted his head back, opened his mouth slightly, let the rain flow into his mouth, and then swallowed it in one breath.
The cool rain flowed down his esophagus into his stomach. Stimulated by the rain, he felt his consciousness become slightly clearer.
The sound of footsteps, neither hurried nor slow, along with the sound of raindrops falling on a jade plate, approached Ogata little by little.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh——!
Not only did the rain and thunder get heavier, but the wind also grew stronger.
Strong winds blew on the two people on the deck, making their haori, which were soaked with rain and embroidered with "Balticiana flowers" and "Taikoku Paulownia leaves" respectively, flutter.
"...Heh, the 'Bellflower' on your haori... The more I look at it, the more mixed my emotions are." Looking at the bellflowers fluttering on Ogata's body, Toyotomi's crazy smile slowly faded, "Ogata Ittosai, you should know about the 'Battle of Tennozan' between the Toyotomi clan and the Akechi clan, right?"
"Two hundred years ago, Akechi Mitsuhide, who had murdered his lord, and his former colleague Toyotomi Hideyoshi, fought a decisive battle at the foot of Mt. Tenno to determine the fate of the world."
"And Akechi Mitsuhide's family crest is the 'Ballitus'."
"This decisive battle between 'flowers' and 'leaves' ended with the complete victory of 'leaves'."
"This unprecedented decisive battle... established the hegemony of 'Taikoku Kiriha'."
Toyotomi's shoulders were shaking and he was laughing strangely.
"Two hundred years ago, the 'Baltha' stood in the way of the 'Taikoku Paulownia'."
"And now - when 'Taikoku Paulownia' is determined to start a new cause, 'Balala' appears again, once again blocking 'Taikoku Paulownia'."
"Should we say it is God's will? Or should we say it is fate?"
"...Ogata Ittosai." Toyotomi, who was walking towards Ogata with the sword in hand, lost his expression little by little. Finally, he looked down at Ogata who was still sitting on the ground with an expressionless face, "Is there any other way to swing the sword?"
"...You don't have to worry about this." Ogata said calmly while sitting on the deck, leaning against the railing behind him with his head lowered.
"That's good!" A terrifying smile filled with madness flew onto Toyotomi's cheeks again, "I have risked my life to defeat you. If you can't swing the sword so soon, it will be a bummer!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Toyotomi lowered his body weight and swooped down towards Ogata again like a flying swallow gliding along the ground.
Ogata swung his left hand, grabbed a large piece of wreckage beside him, and threw it at Toyotomi who was rushing towards him.
The thing that is most abundant on the deck right now is hull fragments of various sizes.
This kind of "hidden weapon attack" that seemed like a joke obviously could not play any important role on Toyotomi, who now looked like a ghost.
Toyotomi only swung his sword forward once, and the piece of hull thrown by Ogata was shattered into countless pieces, without even slowing down Toyotomi's steps for a moment.
However - although it failed to slow down Toyotomi's steps, it blocked Toyotomi's vision for a moment.
That way... that's enough!
After breaking the "hidden weapon" thrown by Ogata, Toyotomi reached Ogata without any hindrance. Yoshimitsu Bonesuke's blade broke through the rain curtain from above and fell towards Ogata's forehead!
Ogata, who had been hanging his head, suddenly raised his head and raised the two swords in his hands upwards.
clang--!!
"Huh?" Toyotomi's eyebrows jumped and he looked at Ogata in front of him in surprise.
The power transmitted back along the blade... became stronger - Toyotomi could clearly feel it.
Click…
At this moment, Toyotomi heard the sound of something falling - it was a medicine box.
An opened medicine box that was empty inside fell to the ground from Ogata's body.
"…You said—'You even risked your life'?"
Ogata slowly raised his eyes, looked over the swords that the two men were holding together, and looked at Toyotomi.
At this time, Toyotomi saw that Ogata's appearance was slowly changing.
The skin slowly turned red, and the color of the blush continued to deepen until it turned into dark red.
"You're not the only one who can risk your life!"
Ogata's arms suddenly exerted force!
Toyotomi felt as if a huge wave was crashing towards him and was pushed back two steps.
And the next moment after pushing Toyotomi away, Ogata took a deep breath——
Swish!
The blade of Dazizai slashed towards Toyotomi's face from bottom to top!
Seeing this, Toyotomi's expression changed slightly and he leaned back quickly.
Toyotomi leaned back in time and successfully avoided being cut in the face. The blade of Daijizai only passed through his chest, cutting a wound that was neither shallow nor deep.
The blood that flowed out from the wound on Toyotomi's chest, due to inertia, flowed along the blade of Da Zizai and splashed into the air.
These flowers of blood... were only splashed for a moment.
As the blade of Daijizai just passed by, the wound was repaired quickly.
It's like slashing the water with a knife - the blade cuts through the water one second, and the water closes itself again the next second.
Toyotomi did several backflips backwards, widening the distance between him and Ogata in one breath.
He just looked at Ogata with a surprised look for a few seconds, and then...he laughed loudly, which started slowly and then became faster.
"'Yaksha Realm'..."
Toyotomi, who had spent several years and a lot of effort to slowly plan in order to take Shiranui into his possession, naturally recognized the "Yaksha Realm" that Enma had painstakingly researched to counter Genichi's "Selfless Realm".
"Ogata Ittosai, did you take one of the Flame Demon's heart bloods when you attacked Shiranui?"
"Where did my Yashamaru come from - there is no need for you to know, and I don't want to waste time explaining it to you slowly." Ogata leaned his swords on the ground and slowly stood up.
If Toyotomi's current appearance is "like a ghost or god", then Ogata at this moment is no less than him.
The skin of the body turned dark red due to entering the "Yaksha Realm", and emitted a steam-like gas. Combined with the figure slowly standing up with the sword in hand, he looked like a Shura from hell.
"Hmm..." As soon as he stood up, a trace of pain appeared between Ogata's brows and his eyes closed involuntarily.
Looking at Ogata, who had entered the "Yaksha Realm" while continuing to maintain the breathing rhythm of "Source Breathing", Toyotomi's face... did not show any negative emotions such as regret or disgust.
On his face... a strange look of joy slowly emerged.
"Ogata Ittosai, I didn't expect you still have such a killer move."
"But—is this okay?"
"From what I know, the 'Yaksha Realm' will put a huge burden on the user's body."
"And your breathing method that can be used to enhance your strength...it can't be without any cost of use."
"Using your breathing method and Yashamaru at the same time...Aren't you worried that even if you succeed in defeating me, you will leave irreversible damage to your body?"
Ogata's breathing was quite heavy at this time.
“Hoo…Hoo…Hoo…Hoo…Hoo…”
Ogata, whose breathing was disordered, slowly opened his eyes which had just been closed in pain.
"I don't care about what happens in the future!"
Boom——!
Thunder flashes and lightning explodes.
The lightning that shattered above their heads illuminated the crazy smile on Toyotomi's face and Ogata's eyes that seemed to have flames burning in them.
“Ha, hehe, hahahahaha… looks like there’s no need to say more.”
"Very good! That's how it should be!"
"You and I have both put everything into it and used every trick we can... Only in this way can the second decisive battle between Flower and Leaf be more exciting!"
"Okay, then... let's continue to fight to the death!"
Toyotomi, whose crazy smile had barely faded from his face, raised his left hand and grabbed the fabric on the right shoulder of his haori.
Hiss!
Toyotomi tore off the haori embroidered with the family crest of "Taikoku Paulownia Leaf" and threw it into the heavy rain and into the clouds with lightning!
"The ninth head of the Toyotomi clan."
"Toyotomi Nobuhide!"
Ogata saw this and also raised his left hand. His thumb and index finger were still tightly clenched on the Daijizai, and the other three fingers were hooked on the equally tattered piece of clothing on his body, but the item embroidered on it was a feather fabric with the "Boongen" family crest.
With a pull, a tug, and a swing, the "Platygodendron" also flew towards the sky with the strong wind!
Crash, crash, crash—!
The rain suddenly became heavy, and the thunder in the clouds also began to violently strike!
The silvery-white lightning illuminated the faces of the two people, and also illuminated the "Balticum flowers" and "Taikoku Paulownia leaves" that were dancing in the wind and fluttering in the distance!
"Ronin."
"Ogata Yisei!"
The next moment, the sword roared on behalf of the men!
The two rushed towards each other, and the swords that tore through the rain collided in the air! There was a sharp clang!
The shining sword light seemed to cut through the sky filled with dark clouds!
There is a raging fire on the sea surface and surging water beneath the sea surface.
Fire and water.
Raging flames and raging waves.
Platycodon flowers and Paulownia leaves.
Light and dark!