——Standing still...are you trying to identify my position?
——Ha! Naive! If my position was so easy to identify, there wouldn’t be so many people who would become my defeated enemies!
Morimaru has fought countless battles in which he drags the enemy into the dark environment that is most beneficial to him, and then decides the outcome.
Morimaru had encountered many opponents like Ogata who suddenly stood still in the darkness at this time.
According to Morimaru's experience - opponents who do this are basically doing it for meditation and to identify Morimaru's location by sound or smell.
And these people were without exception: all failed.
Because of this, Morimaru calls Ogata innocent.
He was quite confident in the method of hiding his aura and the "silent step" that he had practiced hard.
In his mind, he had imagined himself standing in front of Ogata, but Ogata was still unaware of it and was still trying to identify his position.
——This time... we must defeat the enemy with one strike!
Morimaru tightened his grip on the knife held high in the above posture.
The above stance is a powerful and heavy downward slash - this is the sword technique that Morimaru has researched since he became blind and is most suitable for blind people like him.
Because if you swing the knife horizontally, the knife will be easily blocked by various obstacles on your side.
For example, if you swing a knife horizontally in the woods, the knife will be easily blocked by the trees next to you.
But swinging the knife vertically, such as swinging the knife from top to bottom, or swinging the knife from bottom to top, is not easily blocked by obstacles.
When fighting people in the wild, it is almost impossible for anything to block the blade by swinging it vertically.
Only when fighting indoors, swinging the sword vertically may hit the ceiling, wooden beams, etc.
But Morimaru had already checked the ceiling of the cabin before - the height was completely high enough for him to wield the sword to his heart's content.
Compared with swinging the sword from bottom to top, it is naturally easier to exert force by swinging the sword from top to bottom, and it is easier to deliver shockingly powerful cuts.
Therefore, it can be said that Morimaru's seemingly ordinary upper stance and vertical slash contain a lot of wisdom, and are undoubtedly the most suitable sword skills for a blind man like him.
Morimaru used his "silent step" to get closer to Ogata little by little...
…
…
After confirming that his eyes were completely useless now, Obi closed his eyes and tried to listen with his ears to hear Morimaru's location.
But I couldn't hear anything except my own breathing.
After discovering that his ears didn't work, Ogata had no choice but to open his eyes.
——It would be nice if I could know what he relies on to identify his location... Then I can try to interfere with his location identification so that he can't find me.
Since traveling to the Edo period, Ogata has basically been doing the two things of "fighting" and "recuperating" in a continuous cycle.
The extremely rich combat experience not only made Ogata's sword swings more and more powerful, but also gradually gave Ogata a big heart.
If it were other people who were on the battlefield where Ogata was now, and found that the sight and hearing they were accustomed to usually didn't work, they would probably be so panicked that they couldn't even calm down.
But Ogata didn't even have his heart beat much faster, he was calmly thinking about strategies to defeat the enemy.
——As long as my eyes can see it, I can say anything...
If you want to defeat the blind man, the simplest and most direct way is to let Ogata's eyes see.
But there are only two ways to see in such darkness.
The first method is to drag. Keep dragging until Ogata's eyes adapt to the dark.
The second method is to create a light source.
Naturally, Morimaru couldn't just wait for Ogata's eyes to slowly adapt to the darkness.
Ogata dared to conclude that it wouldn't be long before Morimaru, who was eager for a quick victory, would attack.
In this situation where the enemy's position was not even clear, Ogata could not guarantee that he would be able to react in time and block the enemy's attack every time.
Therefore, the most suitable method for Ogata to restore his vision now is to create a light source.
But the difficulty of implementing this method... can be said to be even more difficult than forcing your eyes to adapt to the dark.
After all, Ogata, who had never smoked, did not carry anything with him that could light a fire.
——This is the first time I regret that I can’t smoke...
——Is there anything else around here that can make fire... huh?
After chanting the word "fire" in his heart, Ogata paused.
Then...
Ogata silently sheathed the great freedom.
…
…
Morimaru listened to Ogata's voice all the time, confirming Ogata's position and movements.
After Ogata took the freedom back into its sheath, Morimaru immediately heard the news.
Morimaru frowned when he heard Ogata put away a knife.
——What does he want to do...?
——As a two-sword swordsman, why should you put away one sword?
——Could it be that...are you planning some secret plan...
——Forget it! No matter what he wants to do, what I want to do remains the same!
Morimaru, who silently raised his guard against Ogata to the extreme, continued to lean towards Ogata with an unhurried and silent pace.
The distance between him and Ogata is only 7 steps!
…
…
——Yes...how could I have forgotten it...although the flames caused by this thing can only last for a moment.
——Just use that moment... to decide the outcome!
After putting the Tai Zi Zai back into its sheath, Ogata thrust his free left hand into his arms and took out his flint-haired short musket - Mei Ran.
Ogata raised the muzzle of Umeizen's gun and pointed it at the ceiling above his head.
boom!
Although Umeizen can only hit a single shot, it is extremely powerful.
Precisely because of its huge power, the moment the bullet comes out of the barrel, the fire from the muzzle is the largest and most dazzling.
The fire that bloomed from the muzzle was fleeting.
But at this moment, the firelight illuminated Ogata's face.
At the same time, it also illuminated... Although the one in front of Ogata was blurry, it could still be barely recognized as a human-shaped "shadow".
--over there!
There was no time to slowly take Mei Ran into his arms. Ogata let go of his left hand and let Mei Ran fall freely. He held the Dai Shi Tian tightly with both hands and assumed the posture of "lower right section". His body was like a suddenly released
Tighten the spring and "bounce" towards Morimaru!
Sakakihara's Ittōryu, Yunjin·Dragon Tail!
——Oops! This guy actually has a blunderbuss on him!
Morimaru's expression changed drastically, and his entire face became completely drained of color.
He had already heard Ogata running quickly towards him.
Realizing that he had no escape, Morimaru gritted his teeth and decided to confront Ogata head-on.
Morimaru's sword struck him lengthwise.
Ogata's sword slashed horizontally.
The two of them passed by each other——
…
…
Although he is blind, Morimaru still occasionally behaves in the same manner as before when he was not blind.
Just like now - even though I can't see anything, I still lower my head subconsciously and look at my belly.
His belly was cut.
Ogata concluded that Morimaru was not wearing chainmail. After all, no matter how powerful a person was, he could not make any sound while wearing a clattering chainmail.
But for the sake of safety, Ogata still added the power of luck to the sword just now.
Use a slashing attack blessed by luck to cut down a person who is not wearing any armor - the result can be imagined.
As he passed by Morimaru, Ogata slid down from his right armpit, where he was holding a knife, to his back.
The moment he passed by Morimaru, Ogata slashed his Daishakuten into Morimaru's belly. While sliding behind Morimaru, the blade of the blade slashed into Morimaru's belly and out from the waist.
Like cutting a piece of paper, Ogata easily cut off most of Morimaru's waist, leaving only a little bit of skin and flesh connecting Morimaru's upper and lower bodies.
And Morimaru's sword was one step slower than Ogata's sword.
Ogata had already struck Morimaru, but Morimaru's sword was still in the air.
At this time, Morimaru was subconsciously "looking" at his waist and abdomen, which was only connected with skin and flesh. He was surprised to find that he couldn't feel any pain.
He could only feel the strength draining from his body at a rapid speed. In just one or two breaths, he no longer had the strength to hold the knife or stand.
Unable to stand up again, his knees weakened and he fell to the ground.
For some reason... the memories from 25 years ago appeared in Morimaru's mind one by one...
"Ah...he..."
…
…
Morimaru was originally a feudal lord of the Ichinoseki Domain whose status was not low.
As a young man, he was appreciated for his superb swordsmanship and was promoted by the feudal lord to be his personal surname.
Not everyone is qualified to be the domain lord's nickname. Morimaru, who is lucky enough to be the domain lord's nickname, has a bright future.
Morimaru has always been proud of his ability to serve the feudal lord. He has always performed his job meticulously and served his duties conscientiously.
At the age of 16, Morimaru successfully married a beautiful wife named Ahe.
A smooth career, a promising future, a loving wife at home, and a harmonious family - all Morimaru has is enough to envy others!
But all this happiness came to an abrupt end when Morimaru was 17 years old.
One day when Morimaru was 17 years old, he and the other nicknames of the feudal lord accompanied the feudal lord on a hunting trip.
But on the way to the hunting ground, they were attacked.
What attacked them was a peasant rebel army.
This peasant rebel army, determined to revolt because they hated the excessive taxes and heavy labor, ambush the feudal lord on his way out for hunting and tried to attack and kill the lord.
Facing the rebel forces pouring out from all directions, Morimaru and the rest of his companions fought desperately to escort the feudal lord to break out.
Morimaru's eyes were lost in this tragic breakout battle - after he suppressed an insurgent on the ground, the insurgent who was not afraid of death suddenly raised his right hand, stretched out his index and middle fingers to poke
Morimaru's eyes.
If Morimaru was in his prime, avoiding such an attack would be an easy matter.
But at that time, Morimaru was already tired from fighting hard, so he could not escape the sneak attack.
His eyes were stabbed hard, and blood flowed from his eyes, covering his entire face...
With the fierce fighting of Morimaru and others, they successfully escorted the feudal lord out of the siege. After returning to the city, Morimaru was immediately carried for treatment.
In the end, thanks to the doctors' diligent treatment, Morimaru saved his life.
The only drawback is... the price paid is a bit heavier.
Morimaru's two eyeballs had been poked out. In order to avoid infection, the doctor could only dig out his two punctured eyes.
Since then, Morimaru has become completely blind.
What Morimaru is most proud of is his swordsmanship.
Losing his eyes meant that he would no longer be able to use swordsmanship. One can imagine how much of a blow this had to Morimaru.
Morimaru once wanted to commit suicide in pain.
But fortunately - the feudal lord was kind enough and allowed Morimaru to "retire" early, and his salary was paid as usual.
The kindness of the feudal lord was like Morimaru's life-saving straw. It made Morimaru feel that his sacrifice was worth it and that he was right to save the feudal lord in the first place.
But it's a pity...the feudal lord's kindness quickly disappeared...
In the year after Morimaru went blind, a serious grain failure occurred in the Ichinoseki Domain.
The Ichinoseki domain was originally a small domain with a weak foundation.
This sudden grain harvest brought the Ichinoseki Domain's finances to the brink of collapse.
In order to survive this crisis, the Ichinoseki clan made preparations from two aspects: "increasing revenue" and "reducing expenditure".
First, we borrowed money and food from the giant businessmen in Osaka to "open source".
Then find any reason to stop the salary of some unimportant feudal officials in the domain. Those who cannot stop the salary will have their salary reduced by half.
Morimaru was one of the feudal lords whose salary was suspended...
Morimaru, who is blind and has no other special skills except swordsmanship, naturally has no ability to work or make money.
The suspension of salary means that their family's only source of income is gone.
Morimaru and his wife immediately fell into the dilemma of having nothing to do...
Morimaru also tried to make some money-making livelihood.
But what can the blind Morimaru do?
Three months after his salary was suspended, Morimaru's family no longer had any money left and nothing that could be sold.
The talented man who originally had a bright future and was envied by everyone, has become so depressed that he can't even afford to eat after just over a year has passed...
The blow to Morimaru was far more than that...
After Morimaru became a pauper whose salary was suspended, his beautiful wife Ahe also gradually changed his mind.
Until Morimaru was really reduced to a predicament where he didn't even have enough money for tomorrow's meal, Ah He couldn't bear this poor life anymore and left Morimaru.
Ah He did not return to her parents' home.
Instead, she turned into the arms of others - into the arms of a fat-bellied businessman in the domain, and became the businessman's concubine.
It was not until his wife left him that Morimaru realized that the businessman had fallen in love with his wife for a long time.
Immediately after his salary was suspended, the businessman frequently came to seduce Morimaru's wife like a fishy cat.
The astonishing wealth of the businessman was too tempting for Ahe, who was living a poor life, so in the end - Ahe abandoned Morimaru.
His career was completely destroyed, he became a useless person, and his wife abandoned him. That period was the darkest time in Morimaru's life.
During those days, Morimaru kept asking himself "why".
Ask yourself why you ended up in this situation. Ask yourself if you did something wrong.
After being puzzled, what came to Morimaru's heart... was anger.
He hated the businessman who took his wife away, and hated his wife who only wanted to share wealth with him but was unwilling to share hardships with him.
This hatred turned into Morimaru's motivation for revenge.
He wants revenge.
He wants to develop "blind swordsmanship" to take revenge!
Morimaru sold his ancestral home, where his family had lived for generations, in exchange for enough money to last him a long time.
Then he lived alone in the mountains and practiced "blind swordsmanship" hard in the mountains. Every long period of time, he would go down the mountain and use the money from selling his ancestral home to buy some food necessary for survival.
In order to practice the ability of "identifying location by listening to sounds", he stood in the woods and waved his knife desperately.
Listen to the sound of falling leaves, and then chop them with a knife.
The huge power burst out from resentment completely stimulated Morimaru's swordsmanship talent.
In just three years, Morimaru developed a powerful ear that could clearly hear the sound of falling leaves, and developed the "blind swordsmanship".
On the day when the "Blind Sword" was completed, Morimaru took his sword and stormed into the home of the businessman who stole his wife...
Morimaru killed everyone in that family.
The merchant, the merchant's servant, and...his wife.
Even though this happened 25 years ago, Morimaru still remembers the heart-rending cry and begging for mercy from Ahe the moment before he swung his sword at him.
Morimaru originally thought that after killing the businessman and the wife who abandoned him, he would feel very happy.
But the strange thing is... After bloodbathing the businessman's home, Morimaru didn't feel happy at all...
There is a feeling...that I have mistaken the target of my revenge...
And Morimaru didn't know why he felt this way.
Until now, Morimaru doesn't know why he felt like "the wrong person to take revenge on" when he killed his wife and the businessman... This question has been bothering Morimaru, and Morimaru has been unable to find it.
to the answer to this question.
After bloodbathing the businessman's home, Morimaru began his long escape with the mentality of "live one more day if you can".
It wasn't until I was taken in by "that adult" that I finally lived a fairly stable life...
Morimaru felt very strange now... When his life was about to end, he actually thought of his wife who had caused him great pain.
He remembered that he had cut his wife in half - cutting in from the right shoulder, cutting out from the left side of the abdomen, and cutting her in half diagonally.
The way he looks now... is quite similar to the way his wife looked when she died... both bodies were cut in half...
——It turns out... your body won't feel pain when it is so seriously injured...
Morimaru gradually felt like sleeping...
Just when he was about to fall asleep, Morimaru summoned up the last bit of energy and said in his heart——
——Ahe... did you feel any pain when you were killed by me...?
…
…
[Ding! Use Sakakibara Itto-ryu·Dragon Tail to defeat the enemy]
[Acquire 350 personal experience points, 300 experience points for the swordsmanship "Sakakibara Itto-style", and 50 experience points for the "Iga-style forbidden art"]
[Current personal level: LV40 (1780/6400)]
[Sakakihara Itto-ryu level: 14th Dan (245/14000)
[Iga-ryu Forbidden Technique: Stage 2 (340/400)]
[Ding! When the experience points are full, the level of Sakakibara's Itto-ryu will be increased by 1 level, and 2 skill points will be obtained]
[Remaining skill points: 5 points]
——Has Sakakibara's Itto-ryu been upgraded... There are more skill points...
Ogata swung his sword downwards, and after throwing the blood attached to the sword on the wall next to him, he turned to look at Morimaru who had fallen to the ground behind him.
His eyes had now adapted to the darkness a little, and he could barely see Morimaru's lifeless body that had fallen to the ground.
——Okay... let's go find that Yitong Chougoro... huh?
Ogata frowned slightly and turned to look deep into the corridor where Morimaru had just appeared.
As soon as he turned his eyes away, he saw a light of fire reappearing from the darkness deep in the corridor.
This firelight was emitted from an oil lamp.
And the person holding this oil lamp——is Miyabe.
Miyabe walked slowly towards Ogata with one hand behind his back and an oil lamp in the other.
"Did Morimaru... also fail..." Miyabe sighed softly, "I didn't expect that even Morimaru couldn't catch you..."
"Capture me?" Ogata raised his eyebrows, keenly catching the word in Miyabe's words that he was extremely concerned about, "Who are you? You are not the same as the pirates like Yitong, right?"
What did you mean by capturing me just now?"
Ogata asked Miyabe a series of questions in one breath.
"As you said, Master Yitong and I are indeed not on the same team." Miyabe smiled, "We are considered allies of Master Yitong, and we are currently traveling to a certain place on Master Yitong's boat.
"
"As for why I captured you..."
A meaningful smile slowly appeared on Miyabe's face.
"There's no other special reason."
"I just want to find out - your true face under this human skin mask, and why you have this human skin mask that we sold to Kunieda Junroku."
After hearing the term "human skin mask" from Miyabe's mouth, Ogata's pupils shrank uncontrollably.
At this moment - Ogata suddenly felt that his face... no, he felt that the human skin mask on his face suddenly appeared strange.
Just like hair touching a flame, Ogata suddenly felt that the human skin mask on his face was beginning to curl and "wither" from the base of his right ear.
"It's great to have this potion with you to maintain your human skin mask."
Miyabe looked sideways at a corner not far from Ogata.
"This medicine is really magical."
"Mixed with water, you can prepare a nutrient solution that can maintain human skin masks."
"But if the potion is used alone...just the gas it emits will cause great damage to the human skin mask."
"When the gas emitted touches the human skin mask, it will react chemically with a certain material in the human skin mask. Long-term exposure to this gas will cause the human skin mask to 'wither'."
"Morimaru's sacrifice was worth it - he succeeded in delaying the moment when your human skin mask withered."
"I also made a lot of sacrifices - in order to be able to see your face under the mask, my human skin mask was also scrapped."
While maintaining a meaningful smile, Miyabe tilted his head to let Ogata look at the left side of his face.
Miyabe's handsome face that makes people unable to take their eyes away is also "withering" at a speed visible to the naked eye...
*******
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"The most suitable sword technique for blind people is 'vertical swing'" in this chapter was learned from a Japanese master of sword and halberd novels, but I forgot which novel it was, it seems to be "Swordsman's Life and Death Fight"
, I think this theory is very correct. If you don’t believe it, you can try it with a broom: when fighting people in the wild, is it easier to hit obstacles by slashing vertically, or is it easier to hit obstacles by slashing horizontally)