Chapter 553 - 182: Mukiwa Arrives! Swordsman and Female Ninja Team Up!

Chapter 553: Chapter 182: Mukiwa Arrives! Swordsman and Female Ninja Team Up!

When following Aoto to the settlement, Chiba Sonako could barely take small steps.

But now, she couldn’t even move her left leg forward.

If she wanted to move, she could only hop on her right leg, dragging her left leg like a hanging ornament.

Attempting to support Aoto in the intense and dangerous battle that far surpassed the one that blocked her pursuers earlier with such a body... would absolutely just hinder Aoto.

—If only I had a bow and arrow...

Chiba Sonako sipped her red lips in frustration.

Her father, Chiba Dingji, placed a lot of importance on the education of his children, so Chiba Sonako received an unimaginably high level of education from a young age.

Not only was she proficient in skills like koto, chess, calligraphy, painting, sewing, flower arranging, and tea ceremony, which aristocratic young ladies should know, she was also skilled in various martial arts.

Small Tachi Technique and Glaive Technique were just her two most proficient martial arts.

Apart from Small Tachi Technique and Glaive Technique, Chiba Sonako also practiced archery, equestrianism, and jujutsu...

Although her level in archery could not be considered very high, she could ensure a hit rate of seventy to eighty percent within ten meters.

Using ranged weapons to provide support—this was the only effective method Chiba Sonako could think of now, with her current body, to support Aoto.

But in the streets of the settlement, it’s unlikely that there would conveniently appear a yumi bow and a sufficient number of arrows...

Speaking of bows and arrows... there were indeed some on the ground on the distant battlefield.

The archer whom Aoto recently cut down was lying on the ground, breathless, with a quiver full of arrows still hung at his waist, and the yumi bow in his hand had fallen not far from his corpse, yet to be trampled.

But dragging an injured leg towards the fierce battlefield where both sides had bloodshot eyes, to pick up the fallen bow and the quiver from the corpse... accomplishing such a difficult task seemed like a pipe dream.

Just as Chiba Sonako continued to anxiously think about what she could do at the moment—

"... Excuse me, are you Miss Chiba Sonako?"

An unfamiliar pleasant female voice came from behind her.

This unfamiliar female voice caused Chiba Sonako to turn around with a surprised expression.

A cute girl stood behind her, wearing a bright red yukata, her adorable little feet without socks stepped into a pair of red strap flat wooden sandals.

...

...

"Ha... ha... ha... ha... ha..."

The rapidly pounding heartbeat within his chest, deafeningly loud, made Aoto’s ears slightly numb.

The sound of the heartbeat and rapid breathing formed a thick "sound barrier," making all other surrounding sounds blur.

His clothes were soaked with sweat and blood splattered from his enemies, clinging heavily to Aoto’s skin.

Fighting against 67 samurai simultaneously... at the start of the battle, Aoto’s "Lone Brave" was already fully awakened.

The "Gathering Spirit" was also in a "full open state."

With his entire mind and body focused on the battle before him, Aoto’s concentration reached an extremely terrifying level.

He couldn’t see or hear anything unrelated to the current battlefield he was in.

That’s why he hadn’t noticed Elodie and the others escaping from Bright’s mansion.

With the adrenal surge brought on by "Lone Brave" and the heightened concentration by "Gathering Spirit," Aoto didn’t even feel the pain from the wounds on his body.

When the enemy’s blade struck him, he barely felt it—this was why he remained unfazed after being attacked earlier.

When riding Daikon to the settlement, Aoto got a bit of rest on Daikon’s ox back—although the rest wasn’t long, it was better than nothing.

Thanks to the "Strong Muscle" trait, which naturally made his muscles not easily tire, Aoto’s limbs weren’t too exhausted and still retained quite a bit of strength.

However, his breathing could hardly keep up with his physical exertion; Aoto now had to slightly open his mouth, using both mouth and nose to meet his body’s oxygen needs.

Aoto used the majority of his stamina to evade the encirclement by Shinno and others, looking for opportunities to counterattack.

When Aoto battled 12 samurai solo to rescue Sonako, he also avoided the encirclement by these 12.

Evasion from 67 enemies’ encirclement compared to 12... the former was several times more difficult than the latter.

Hence, the former left Aoto far fewer chances to counterattack than the latter.

From the start of the battle to now, excluding the injured, Aoto had only slain 15 enemies, less than a quarter of the total enemy group.

However... although the number of people Aoto had killed was less than a quarter of the total, those still alive showed signs of wavering.

Especially Shinno.

At this moment, Shinno’s eyes were wide open, as if his eyeballs were about to fall out, his face filled with shock.

In his plans... this should have been a battle won quickly and easily.

Sixty-seven against one... it shouldn’t be like this...

It shouldn’t be like this!

Almost a quarter have already died, yet the opponent is still standing strong!

The reality far exceeding his expectations instinctively triggered resistance in Shinno’s heart.

His gaze wavered with the storm in his heart... Moments later, Shinno gritted his teeth and reached for his left waist, gripping the hilt of his sword.