He did not die at the hands of the French and Qi coalition forces, but fell into the hands of the farmers he protected...

Sadness, grievance, anger...these emotions were like rising tides, filling Elodie's heart and making her chest feel congested.

Of course, these negative emotions quickly dissipated, because the tense battle situation left her no time to think too much.

Elodie proved to these people with practical actions that she was not a sheep to be bullied.

She can wield the blade with ease.

She can kill her enemies without blinking an eye.

So far, no one has said anything like "catch her alive" or "keep her alive" or anything like that.

They all showed their true skills and launched a fierce offensive with the simple purpose of "poking her into a hornet's nest"!

In an instant, another bamboo spear stabbed from the slant.

Elodie struggled to twist her body and managed to escape without any danger.

Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!

This time, there is no longer a single bamboo spear, but three bamboo spears stabbing at the same time!

These three bamboo spears stabbed from different directions, blocking all Elodie's dodge space.

Seeing that there was no way to avoid it, Elodie could only grit her teeth, step on her heels, and make a sweeping sweep to deflect all three bamboo spears.

Although the danger was saved, the reaction force transmitted along the blade made his right arm feel unbearably swollen and painful, and he could hardly hold the Yamato Moritai in his palm.

Facing the peasants' attack, she was on the verge of reaching her limit.

At this time, Elodie squinted her eyes and quickly checked the current situation of Kui Shimada not far away.

It didn't matter. When she saw it, her heart instantly sank to the bottom.

Fighting with a living person like Hijikata Toshizo on his back... It is not easy for Shimada Kui to be able to hold on until now without hurting both himself and Hijikata Toshizo.

He dodged left and right awkwardly with his hands and feet, dodging the bamboo spears thrust by the farmers. He wanted to fight back but was unable to do so due to his slow speed. It seemed that he could only parry and had no power to fight back.

There is a time when your physical strength will eventually run out.

If this continues, they will definitely die!

——We have to find a way...!

Elodie was anxious and her mind was running rapidly, looking for a way to break the situation.

At the moment of lightning, rapid footsteps came from far and near in front of her - a farmer put a bamboo gun under his right arm and rushed towards Elodie like a cavalry charge!

The sharp tip of the gun was aimed directly at her chest.

Upon seeing this, Elodie prepared to move her body sideways to avoid this fierce direct thrust.

Her right arm was still swollen and painful, and she was unable to forcefully swing the knife to deflect the opponent's gun tip as she did just now.

However, she was so desperate that the same situation as before suddenly happened - her left foot suddenly became weak due to extreme fatigue, making her stand unsteady.

It was this momentary accident that caused her to miss the best time to dodge.

Looking at the bamboo spear in front of her that was about to pierce her chest... At this moment, a fierce look flashed through her eyes.

She turned her body slightly, hiding her chest and exposing her left shoulder - she was preparing to use her thicker shoulder to receive the blow!

This is the trick Qingdeng taught her.

Once the attack hits the chest and cannot be avoided, the defensive attack will be slightly turned to the side of the body, allowing the shoulders to bear the damage.

The chest is one of the most important parts of the human body, if not the only one. You must protect your chest at all times.

If the chest is injured, no matter how powerful a person is, he will lose most of his combat power or even die on the spot. This is not the case with the shoulder.

First of all, the shoulder is not a vital part of the human body. Even if the shoulder is injured, it will not cause death.

Secondly, the shoulder muscles are easy to exert force. As long as you bend your arms, you can easily tighten the flesh and blood of the shoulders, greatly improving your defense and withstanding the enemy's attack.

Trading injuries for lives...a thrilling and radical approach!

Elodie holds Yamato Mamoru in her right hand tightly, preparing to send the opponent to the west with a backhand blow after the opponent's bamboo spear pierces his left shoulder!

In the blink of an eye, the long shadow of the bamboo gun almost overlapped with Elodie's petite figure.

Such a scene leaves no doubt that in the next second, the tip of the bamboo spear will penetrate deeply into Elodie's left shoulder, splattering countless drops of blood.

But at this moment of light, a strong man with a strong physique flew out of the thorn and burst into Elodie's field of vision!

Also breaking into his field of vision were two shining sword lights!

The sharp blade flashed twice in mid-air.

For the first time, the bamboo spear that was about to pierce Elodie's shoulder flew away.

The second time he sliced ​​off the gunman's head.

His movements are neat and his sword skills are superb... You can tell at a glance that he is a master of swordsmanship!

Then, before Elodie could recover from the sudden change, she heard a familiar voice:

"I remember you, you are Mr. Ju's apprentice, right? Long time no see."

Elodie stared blankly at this strong man who suddenly came to block the attack for her and killed her opponent.

Soon, she remembered the other person's identity and whispered his name.

"Chiba...Jutaro...?"

This strong man who appeared just in time turned out to be Chiba Jutaro, the master of the Little Chiba Sword Hall and Aoto's uncle.

Chiba Jutaro smiled slightly:

"I'm glad you still know me."

Almost at the same moment, not far away, Shimada Kui also received timely rescue from an unexpected person.

Two farmers approached Shimada Kui with their guns drawn, and launched a pincer attack with horns.

At this time, Shimada Kui was at the end of his rope, barely able to stand, and unable to dodge any further.

At the moment when he was about to be stabbed by the bamboo spear, two figures rushed to him from the left and right sides to block the opponent's attack for him!

They each shot out a sword beam, one person responsible for one, and chopped the two incoming bamboo spears into pieces.

Both of them are young men in their prime. One is older, holding a long and short sword in his hand; the other is younger, holding a sword.

Looking at these two young men and their sword skills, Shimada Kui opened his eyes wide and his face was full of disbelief.

As a swordsman who has been practicing swordsmanship since childhood, he could tell at a glance: the swordsmanship of these two young men was much better than his own! They could be called the skills of swordsmen!

Seeing the sudden appearance of these two young swordsmen, the peasants retreated in panic and distanced themselves.

"You, who are you?!"

someone screamed.

The young man holding the two swords replied:

"Xuanbukan Normal School, the second generation head of the Beichen Ittoryu clan, Chiba Doisaburo."

The younger young man replied:

"Genbukan Shihan Dai, Chiba Tamon Shiro."

Chiba of the Genbukan... This title enjoys a reputation of being unique among the people in Kanto!

Sure enough, upon hearing that these two men came from the famous swordsman family, the faces of the farmers at the scene changed and they retreated hurriedly, as if their lives would be in danger as long as they got close to these two men!

At this time, Elodie and Chiba Jutaro both came forward and joined Shimada Kui and others.

With the sudden appearance of the three Chiba, the fierce battle came to an abrupt end.

The farmers retreated one after another, gathered together, and stared at Elodie and others opposite with fear.

The two sides faced off with a distance of 6 or 7 meters.

The shock to the farmers is not over yet.

Suddenly, a clear male voice sounded from the depths of the woods behind Elodie and others:

"Finally caught up."

The farmers raised their sights.

Elodie and Shimada Kui turned their heads.

Looking at him one after another, he saw a young man walking at a leisurely pace, walking out of the shadows of the woods, revealing his face and figure.

With delicate facial features, a slender figure, and a blue-sheathed sword on his waist... At first glance, he exudes an oppressive aura!

Shimada Kui didn't know this person.

Elodie vaguely felt that this person looked familiar, as if she had seen him before, but she couldn't remember who he was.

In comparison, the reactions of the farmers opposite them after seeing this man's appearance were much more intense.

Some people's faces have lost all color.

Some people were so stunned that their jaws seemed to be about to drop to the ground.

Some people are less courageous, their legs are fighting, and they are unsteady on their feet.

In the midst of this astonishment, someone tremblingly recited this person's name:

"'The Strongest in Edo' Chiba Eijiro...!"

Chiba Eijiro smiled:

"'The Strongest in Edo'...this title no longer belongs to me."
To be continued...