The thing in Ogata's small black medicine box was the Yashamaru that Shuntaro gave him after the destruction of Shiranui.
Ogata has always carefully kept this pill, carried it with him, and is always ready... to use it as a last resort.
For Ogata, the best fate for the Yashamaru given to him by Shuntaro... is naturally to never find a chance to use it and just rot in the medicine box.
And his expectation... obviously can no longer be realized.
After fighting with Genichi, Toyotomi once again devoured the flesh of Yaobikuni. His strength... was no longer something that could be contended with by just relying on the "state of no self".
Victory or defeat depends on this one move - Ogata held this belief, and at the moment when the wreckage of the thrown ship obscured Toyotomi's vision, he quickly picked up the medicine box that fell from his arms and swallowed the Yashamaru in the box, which he had never taken, whether in the battle against the shogunate army in Ezo or in the decisive battle with Toyotomi's army in Osaka.
Not everyone can eat "Yakshamaru".
Only those whose physical fitness far exceeds that of ordinary people can withstand the strength brought by the "Yaksha Realm".
Ogata was naturally aware of this and had prepared himself mentally for it - but even so, after the Yashamaru was chewed and swallowed, the sudden changes in his body still surprised Ogata.
The heart was beating at an alarming speed and force, as if it was going to break through the flesh and bones in the chest and jump out of the chest.
The rapidly beating heart also causes blood to flow through the blood vessels at an unprecedented speed.
The body temperature is rising...Ogata conservatively estimates that his current temperature is at least 41 degrees.
Using the "Non-Self Realm" and "Yaksha Realm" at the same time... This is the first time for Ogata, and it is very likely to be the last time...
Whether it is the "selflessness state" or the "Yaksha state", it will bring great burden to the user's body.
What will become of me after this battle?
Ogata didn't know.
He doesn't want to know either!
Just as he said just now - he doesn't care what happens in the future!
Boom——!!
Silvery-white lightning flashed across the clouds, giving people the illusion that the clouds were split by lightning.
In the silver-white lightning and blazing fire, one could clearly see that on the wreckage of the ship that was about to sink into the sea, Ogata and Toyotomi were like two giant beasts with high morale, each opening their bloody mouths and biting each other.
The sharp teeth are the swords in the hands of the two men.
The attack of the two was like a storm, like thunder, like raging waves, and like a landslide.
Having entered the "state of no self" and the "state of Yaksha" at the same time, Ogata's strength has increased to a level that can be described as "terrifying".
Facing Ogata's sword, Toyotomi could only focus on defense, protecting only the most important head, and the rest of the body could only be defended as much as possible.
As for Ogata...it's the same.
Even though he now had the blessing of the "Yaksha Realm", he was not completely sure that he could block all of Toyotomi's attacks, so he could only focus on defense like Toyotomi did, giving the most important protection to his head, and "appropriately abandoning" the rest of the body.
So - the duel between the two can truly be said to be unprecedented! There should be no one like it in the future!
Neither of them could completely defend against the other's knife - so both of them were constantly cut and injured.
New wounds continued to appear, and then these new wounds continued to grow flesh threads to repair the wounds...
In the heavy flames, the figures of the two kept crossing each other.
The wreckage of the ship continued to sink into the sea, with less and less space left for standing. Everywhere one could see the two men dodging, shifting, chasing, charging, attacking, defending, colliding, and fighting.
The piercing of the sword tip, the slashing of the sharp blade, the collision of hands and feet, the pursuit of eyes.
Ogata slashed Toyotomi's chest horizontally, and Toyotomi immediately slashed back with the sword.
Toyotomi took advantage of the momentum of his forward charge to knock Ogata to the ground. When he was about to give Ogata, who was pinned under him, a finishing blow, Ogata nimbly slipped out from under Toyotomi and pinned Toyotomi under him.
In order to obtain the best attacking position, Ogata just took a half step back and Toyotomi immediately followed him impatiently.
Before Toyotomi could retract his sword, Daishiten and Daishizai immediately swarmed over from different directions.
Above the boundless sea, in the flames burning the sky, and under the constantly exploding lightning, the two "monsters" were entangled together, constantly colliding, entangling, and rolling.
They bared their fangs and bit each other's vitals. Their boiling blood turned into gorgeous blood flowers, spraying towards the sea and the sky.
At this moment, one could clearly see the two of them entangled together, fighting back and forth, with their feet sliding and swords flashing.
The next moment, someone's figure suddenly disappeared from the fire or lightning, and after a moment, he suddenly appeared from another direction and bit the other person.
In the next moment, the two of them retreated at the same time in tacit understanding, putting some distance between each other, but soon they collided again and started biting each other again.
The two of them were like two waves colliding head-on.
Sometimes "the east wind prevails over the west wind", and one wave suddenly advances with great strides and suppresses the other in one breath.
Sometimes the two sides return to a balance, with neither giving in to the other and neither able to overthrow the other.
Sometimes they would separate into two sides and no longer collide, allowing the battlefield to finally enter a rare period of tranquility. However, the tranquility did not last long before the battlefield fell into noise again.
The noise of the battlefield was so fierce that the lightning flashing in the clouds seemed pale in comparison.
Light and shadow, slashing and stabbing, attack and defense, advance and retreat... In this unprecedented battlefield, everything is changing rapidly.
Offense and defense are constantly transforming, and the battlefield situation is constantly changing.
But there are a few things that have not changed since the death battle began.
No matter how fierce the battle was, Toyotomi always had a crazy smile on his face.
No matter how fierce the battle was, Ogata's face always had a solemn expression without a trace of smile.
No matter how fierce the battle was, neither of them gave in or showed weakness!
Buzz——!!
The atmosphere vibrated, Dashitian and Jiguang Gushi attacked at the same time, and then almost at the same time, they hit each other's targets in the chest.
The two people who were hit by the opponent's knife at the same time failed to successfully withstand the huge force carried by the opponent's knife. They staggered back several steps and then both fell to the ground.
Crash! Crash!
Waves hit the wreckage one after another.
The wreckage beneath the two men...compared to when the fight first started, nearly half of it has sunk into the sea.
As they were getting closer to the sea, the sound of the waves was getting closer to them.
At this time, quite a few waves had even hit the deck.
"Hahaha...hahahaha..." Toyotomi, who had fallen and then lay on the ground, laughed softly and slowly sat up. "When I decided to rebuild the Toyotomi Empire...I thought that 'overthrowing the Edo Shogunate' would be the most difficult and at the same time the most interesting challenge in my life."
“Looking back now… it was such a fallacy.”
By this time, Toyotomi had sat up completely, staring straight at Ogata with his eyes shining with excitement.
"The 'Belianthus' that has appeared before my Toyotomi clan once again...is much more difficult to deal with than the Edo Shogunate!"
"Toyotomi world, Toyotomi world..." Ogata and Toyotomi leaned their swords on the ground at the same time and slowly stood up. "Just for the so-called Toyotomi world, you have caused so many horrific disasters... Do you really want to ride on top of the people and be the master of the world?"
"Everyone in the world? Ha, Ogata Ittosai... you seem to have some misunderstanding about me."
"I'm not burning myself out just to become some great talent!"
"I just... simply want to overthrow the Edo Shogunate and revive Toyotomi!"
Toyotomi opened his eyes wide and pulled the corners of his mouth up to the extreme, his smile was terrifying and horrifying.
"This country has become... boring since the establishment of the Edo Shogunate two hundred years ago!"
"Everyone's identity is restricted. Samurai are samurai from generation to generation, and civilians are civilians from generation to generation ."
“It not only limits everyone’s identity, but also limits the work that everyone can do in their lifetime.”
"Low-level warriors can only work in low-level official positions since they are born. Unless something unexpected happens, they will never see the hope of promotion in their lifetime."
"Under the control of the Edo shogunate, everyone lived a lifeless life following a routine."
"It's really... boring!"
"So, I made up my mind! I want to overthrow the Edo Shogunate! I want to change everything in this country!"
"I want to...return this country to the chaotic Warring States period of 200 years ago!"
Toyotomi laughed wildly, opened his hands to the sky and embraced the sky.
"Now that things have come to this, I might as well tell you all about my plan!"
"After completely eliminating the Tokugawa clan headed by the Edo Shogunate, I will not become the ruler of the country - I will immediately lead the entire Toyotomi clan into seclusion behind the scenes."
"The throne of the only man in the world is vacant - guess what's going to happen?"
"The three hundred feudal lords headed by Satsuma and Choshu, and the ambitious people lurking in various places, will swarm up! For the only seat of the world, the struggle for hegemony will begin!"
"As I hide behind the scenes, I secretly control the strength and relationships of various forces, so that this chaotic world can last as long as possible!"
"The throne of the world! I don't want that kind of thing! What does the survival and revival of Toyotomi have to do with me?!"
"The so-called 'Reviving Toyotomi' is nothing more than a banner that I can use to win over my subordinates and claim the righteous cause of overthrowing Tokugawa!"
“Hahahahaha…! The country has returned to the chaotic Warring States period of two hundred years ago when the princes fought each other… Isn’t it ten thousand times more interesting than this boring world now? Just imagining the scene of this country entering the Warring States period for the second time makes me so excited that I just want to laugh!”
Looking at Toyotomi who was laughing arrogantly towards the sky, Ogata narrowed his eyes slightly and quietly held the two swords in front of him.
"...You are indeed an unreasonable lunatic."
"Thank you for the compliment." Toyotomi slowly stopped laughing and, like Ogata, he held the knife in front of him again. "Ogata Ittosai, do you know why I am smiling and so happy now?"
The madness in Toyotomi's smile spread to his eyes.
His eyes, filled with madness, met Ogata's flaming pupils.
"As long as I defeat you and Kinoshita Genichi, no one will be able to stop me from overthrowing the Edo Shogunate!"
"Will 'Taikoku Paulownia' defeat 'Gigenhua' again and complete its great cause unstoppable; or will 'Taikoku Paulownia' be shot down by 'Gigenhua' and burn to ashes in this sea of ​​fire - it all depends on today!"
Toyotomi rushed towards Ogata like the wind.
The two monsters collided into one again.
Just as Toyotomi said - as long as Ogata and Kinoshita Genichi died here, no one would be able to stop him anymore.
How could the already weak Edo Shogunate be a match for Toyotomi, who held the powerful weapon of "immortality"?
If Ogata had failed to stop Toyotomi and his arrogant ambitions at this moment, Toyotomi would have been able to march east to Edo as originally planned, launching the "Edo Battle" and turning Edo into a hell full of monsters... Then, Toyotomi would have been able to follow his plan and lead the country back to the chaotic Warring States period bit by bit...
This life-and-death battle between the two...is no longer simply a fight between these two individuals.
It is also a decisive battle that determines the future of this country!
The boundless sea and the blazing shipwreck are the grand stage for this decisive battle that will determine the future of the country!
The dark clouds covering the city, the rain pouring down like the Milky Way, and the lightning striking like an eagle's thunder are its magnificent background.
The wind, clouds, rain, and thunder were all spectators of this decisive battle. They overlooked this decisive battle, overlooking Ogata and Toyotomi.
And these two people did not disappoint the spectators.
Toyotomi, with a wild smile on his face, vowed to realize his grand wish.
Ogata looked serious and tried his best to stop this ridiculous ambition.
The blade swung swiftly, cutting through the rain curtain.
The sound of the blade cutting through the air made the strong wind passing by the two of them feel ashamed.
The flashing light of the sword concealed the lightning of the exploding thunder.
The momentum of the swinging blade seemed to be able to break the entire cloud layer!
This duel, in which no one wants to lose and no one can lose, is thrilling yet difficult to watch, blood-boiling yet brutally cruel.
Both of them turned into bloody men, but neither of them put down their knives or stopped attacking.
The two men slashed at each other at the same time, then both staggered back a few steps and fell to the ground.
"Cough... cough cough cough--!" Ogata felt strong air currents rushing around in his chest and abdomen. He opened his mouth and let out a "wow" as he spat out a large amount of blood.
After vomiting a large amount of blood, Ogata suddenly felt waves of dizziness attacking his brain.
This intense dizziness almost made Ogata unable to maintain the "Origin Breathing".
He quickly bit the tip of his tongue, and his mind regained some clarity.
“ Hahahahahaha…” Toyotomi laughed softly and slowly stood up while holding onto the deck, “Your body… seems to be unable to hold on…”
"Using that breathing method and Yashamaru at the same time ... it really is very harmful to your body..."
"Do you want to stop that breathing method? This will be bad for your body..."
Before he could finish his words, Toyotomi's face suddenly changed, his eyes widened, his mouth opened, and he vomited a large amount of blood with a "wow" sound.
The amount of blood he vomited was much more than that of Ogata, and the color was also very strange, red with purple.
“Heh…” Ogata roughly wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his left hand. “The one who can’t hold on… is you? You’ve eaten so many pieces of the flesh of the Eight Hundred Bhikkhunis… don’t die suddenly before the outcome is decided…!”
“Hehehaha… That’s… no need for you to worry about it…!” Toyotomi supported himself on the ground with his hands and stood up again in one breath.
At the same time, Ogata placed his sword on the ground and stood up again.
This life-and-death battle has turned into an extremely strange situation.
Because both of them had the "immortal power" in their bodies, neither of them had injuries that looked particularly serious.
But both of them looked exhausted now.
Also becoming "broken" were the knives in their hands.
The knives in their hands were truly horrific.
The blade became as bumpy as a saw, and if any of the knives in the hands of the two men suddenly broke, it would not surprise anyone.
Although they were both exhausted, the gleam in their eyes had not diminished in the slightest.
Ogata and Toyotomi, who were almost out of strength, walked towards each other with slightly staggering steps.
Both of them have used all the tricks they can and have reached their limits.
Be it dodging or defending, they were no longer able to do it.
As for those exquisite sword skills, it was even more impossible to use them again.
So - the two of them who only had the strength left to swing their swords... could only return to the most primitive sword fight.
Ogata slashed at Toyotomi's neck, but Toyotomi turned his head and only let Ogata slash his shoulder. Then he struck Ogata vertically and hit him hard with the sword.
Ogata was not willing to be outdone, and immediately launched a counterattack, slashing Toyotomi with another blow.
After being forced back two steps by Ogata's powerful blow, Toyotomi immediately rushed back and struck back with another blow...
If you strike with your sword, I will strike back immediately.
The two of them continued to attack alternately.
As their strength and condition declined, their sword power gradually weakened.
But even so, they still wielded their knives without giving in.
Buzz——!!
Once again, the two of them slashed at each other at the same time.
The two were repelled by each other again, staggered back a few steps, and fell back onto the deck.
Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash!
Most of the shipwreck beneath the two men had already sunk into the sea.
Ogata, who was lying on the ground, could vaguely feel some sea water coming onto the deck.
"Ogata Ittosai...you...are there any way to stand up again?"
Ogata heard the evil demon in front of him ask him this.
He did not answer.
He just silently placed his sword on the ground again and stood up again.
"Ha... you are really... tenacious..." Toyotomi coughed hard a few times and vomited a handful of purple-red blood. "At first... I just thought you wanted to settle the score with me... who almost killed you... so you followed Kinoshita Genichi and the others to chase me..."
"Now it seems... that's not entirely true..."
"If you just came to me for revenge or to vent your disgust... it seems unlikely that you would have such a look..."
"I don't quite understand you... Why do you keep standing up like this?"
Ogata...still didn't say a word to Toyotomi who was asking him questions. He just continued to cough up blood while staggering to stand up again.
"Hahahaha..." Toyotomi, who had made himself look foolish, chuckled a few times and stood up right after Ogata, "The wreckage under us... is almost completely sinking into the sea..."
"You and I...our bodies...have reached our limits..."
"In my opinion... you and I can only make one more move..."
Toyotomi took a deep breath, clenched Yoshimitsu Bones with both hands, and raised Yoshimitsu Bones above his head.
" Come on! Ogata Ittosai! The final showdown!"
Ogata, who was already struggling to stand, took a deep breath, then sheathed the Great Freedom in his left hand, held the Great Release Heaven with both hands, and assumed a lower stance: "If... this strike... succeeds in making you fall to the ground... then I win! Otherwise... then I lose!"
“Hahahahaha…” Toyotomi grinned, “That’s exactly what I want!”
No other words are needed.
There was no energy left to put on any unnecessary posture to accumulate strength.
As if the two had agreed in advance, as soon as Toyotomi's laughter died down, Ogata and Toyotomi stomped their hind legs on the ground at the same time!
The two of them lowered their center of gravity and rushed towards each other like flying swallows gliding close to the ground!
The two of them flew past the distance of several steps.
The two men's arm spans were similar, and their blade lengths were almost the same. They entered each other's attack range almost at the same time, and then chopped out with their swords at the same time!
Two sword lights appeared.
Ogata and Toyotomi passed each other.
At the moment when the two people crossed each other... a huge blood line appeared on their chests at the same time, and clouds of blood mist spurted out along the huge crack.
Both of their knives were aimed at each other's heads.
However, the two men, who had already lost their strength, not only did they not have the energy to dodge, they also did not have the ability to keep their knives steady, so they only hit each other in the chest.
The two people who passed each other wanted to stand firm, but after trying hard, they ended up vomiting blood and fell to the ground.
“Cough… cough cough cough cough…!”
Ogata couldn't stop coughing, and every time he opened his mouth, a gorgeous flower of blood spurted out of his mouth.
My chest... no, there was no place in my body that didn't hurt.
At this time, Ogata was no longer able to maintain the "Original Breathing" and could only helplessly release the "State of No Self".
As soon as the "selfless state" was lifted, an extremely intense sleepiness enveloped Ogata's whole body, almost making him faint. He bit the tip of his tongue hard in time, even at the cost of breaking it, and finally managed to stay awake.
If possible, Ogata really wanted to fall asleep like this.
But the current battle situation... made Ogata dare not even blink.
—Damn it…didn’t I…cut off his head…!
The head was not hit - what does this mean to Toyotomi, who possesses the "immortal power"... and who has already relied on devouring the flesh of Yaobikuni twice to enhance the "immortal power" in his body during the battles with Genichi and him... Ogata is well aware of this...
Therefore, even though his body was in great pain, Ogata could only continue to endure his fatigue and quickly turned his head to look at the place where Toyotomi had just fallen.
As soon as I glanced over——
“Humph… hum ha ha ha…”
The scene that Ogata least wanted to see and the sound that he least wanted to hear now appeared in Ogata's eyes and entered his ears as soon as his sight swept over Toyotomi.
Toyotomi laughed softly as he slowly raised his body from the seawater-soaked deck...
"Ogata Ittosai... are you... still able to stand up...?" he asked.
Although Ogata had anticipated this scene when he failed to chop off Toyotomi's head with the previous blow, his pupils still shrank uncontrollably after actually witnessing Toyotomi standing up again.
Looking at Ogata, who was still lying on the ground, staring at him with eyes full of surprise and shock, Toyotomi's shoulders trembled slightly because of his fake smile.
"It seems... I won..."
Toyotomi picked up the knife and stood up slowly.
"The winner...has been decided..."
Toyotomi dragged his sword and walked towards Ogata with a limp.
But just after he took two steps, Toyotomi's expression suddenly changed, and then he coughed violently and bent over.
Another handful of red and purple blood vomited out from Toyotomi's mouth.
After successfully digesting the "immortal power", he devoured the flesh and skin of eight hundred nuns - although this could greatly increase the "immortal power" in the body, it would also put a huge burden on the body.
When fighting with Genichi, Toyotomi had already devoured the flesh of Yaobikuni once in order to counter Genichi who had entered the "transparent state".
Afterwards, in order to have the ability to fight against Ogata, he tore off large pieces of flesh from Yaobikuni's head and ate them.
Having eaten the flesh of eight hundred nuns twice...Toyotomi now felt as if there were flames burning all over his body, and his internal organs seemed to be upside down and misplaced.
But even so - Toyotomi still smiled nonchalantly with a smile full of madness.
He casually wiped his lips, then stood up and walked towards Ogata with a knife in hand.
Watching Toyotomi approaching, and the blade in his hand getting closer and closer, Ogata - slowly closed his eyes...
My eyelids sank little by little.
The scene in front of me gradually became blurry as my eyelids drooped...
——Is this the end...?
——I no longer have the strength... to stand up and fight again...
——I’m so tired…
——I have already used up all my strength... I am no longer able to fight...
——Just let me...
—Close your eyes…
——Take a rest…
Ogata's eyelids had almost completely drooped.
There is only one last gap left.
However... just as this last crack was about to close -
…
(I don’t quite understand you… Why do you keep standing up like this?)
…
For no reason - the question that Toyotomi had just asked him suddenly echoed in his mind.
——Why... do I have to stand up again and again like this...?
——Why did I... fight Toyotomi so desperately...?
——It was to… settle accounts with this guy who almost killed me and Atsumi, and to eliminate this great threat that may harm us again in the future…
——And…and…
——And…what else…?
…
(To put it simply, it means making Edo the same as Choujima)
…
Genzheng's introduction to the "Edo Battle" flashed through Ogata's mind.
…
(Ogata… wuwu… Lord Ogata really… wuwu… really appeared in front of me!)
…
Ueyoshi's face gradually appeared before Ogata's eyes...
…
(master!)
…
His cheap apprentice, who was still working in Edo, Kondo Uchisuke's face appeared in front of Ogata's eyes right after Urobuchi's...
Familiar faces, including Ueoka and Kondo, that Ogata met in Edo appeared before his eyes one after another.
…
(I want to...return this country to the chaotic Warring States period 200 years ago!)
…
The words that Toyotomi had just shouted while laughing and making one's teeth shiver echoed in Ogata's ears...
This time, it’s not Ueo, Kondo and other Haruka’s friends in Edo.
A-Ming, A-Tsuku, the people in the gourd house, Isshiki Hana...
Familiar faces flashed before Ogata's eyes one by one like turning pages of a book.
After these faces flashed by, the scene changed - these familiar faces no longer appeared in front of Ogata's eyes.
The things that appeared before Ogata's eyes...became every scene and every scene he saw during his journey.
The rural dirt road of Hirose Domain...
Hundreds of people and their faces on the streets of Kyoto during the Gion Festival...
The bustling streets of Edo were built with the efforts of the whole nation...
The public security in the Northeast is chaotic, but I have also met and experienced many good people and good deeds there...
Covered with snow all year round, the dreamy and beautiful Ezo...
…
…
…
…
Ogata's eyelids, which were just a hair's breadth away from closing completely, froze.
“Hmm…!”
A low cry of pain escaped from Ogata's lips.
Then - Ogata suddenly raised his hands, supported the deck below him, and lifted his body off the deck little by little!
As Ogata stood up again on the deck, his eyes, which were almost closed, slowly opened.
Seeing Ogata still able to stand up, Toyotomi's expression changed slightly involuntarily.
"...You can actually stand up?"
"Ha...if it's possible...I really want to...sleep like this for a long time..."
"But... I really can't do it..."
"Although it is ridiculous for me, a murderer who has killed countless people, to talk about 'saving people'..."
"Although... the life and death of most people in this world... seems to have nothing to do with me..."
"But... it's really impossible..."
"I really can't help but watch a lunatic like you do whatever you want!"
After the roar, Ogata's tall body once again stood between heaven and earth. He suddenly raised his head and pierced Toyotomi with his fully opened eyes!
Under the eyelids, there are pupils with "flames" that have not yet extinguished!
…
(It seems... I don't need to say anything more to you like I did last night...)
(In this way... I can finally become one with you completely...)
…
--Um?
Hearing the two voices that suddenly sounded in his mind, Ogata's expression was uncontrollably stunned.
This voice...he is so familiar with it.
It was exactly the voice of "Ogata Yoshisei" that I heard in Osaka last night!
Before Ogata could recover from the shock of hearing the voice of "Ogata Issey" again, an even more intense look of astonishment appeared on Ogata's cheeks.
The moment the voice of "Ogata Issey" fell, the world in Ogata's eyes changed!
Every gust of wind, every drop of rain... everything within the field of vision, their shapes, their movement trajectories, all become so clear!
The world...became clear!
【bite!】
A system sound that I had never heard before exploded in my mind.
[The host merges with the world! ]