My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 374 - 143: Another Instant Kill! [Talent Fusion]! [Explosive Update 10,000 Words]_3

Ha? "Three Heroes"... Is this it?

Afterwards, Aoto impatiently watched the matches of the other two, Tsuzaki and Niizuma, who were part of the "Three Heroes".

If Aoto were to politely evaluate the strength of the "Three Heroes"... it would be that when he fights them, "Lone Brave" wouldn’t even be triggered.

To put it bluntly, he could completely overpower them.

Having seen the strength of the "Three Heroes" firsthand, Aoto finally understood—he was played by Zhouzhu!

"Hohoho..." After Aoto confronted him, Zhouzhu rubbed his chin, slowly turned his head, and gave Aoto a dry laugh as if his lie had been uncovered, "Mr. Tachibana... we don’t call this ’lying’."

"We call this a ’benevolent deception’."

Zhouzhu succinctly explained to Aoto why he, along with Kondo, Hijikata, and Chokata, told Aoto this "benevolent deception".

Simply put, it was to prevent Aoto from becoming arrogant.

Living under the same roof as Aoto, they knew after the "Foreign Language Research Institute battle" that with Aoto’s current strength, in this newcomer-focused competition, he’s essentially unstoppable.

They worried that if they told Aoto this fact, he would become arrogant and complacent, neglecting daily practice and not take the competition seriously.

Thus, Zhouzhu contacted Chokata and the others, and together they used the "Aoto is completely unaware of the strength of new entrants from other sword dojos in Edo" information gap to deceive Aoto, making him believe there were equally strong opponents in the competition, motivating him to prepare earnestly.

After hearing Zhouzhu’s explanation, Aoto couldn’t help but twitch his mouth and then sighed with a strange expression.

"Mr. Tachibana." Sitting beside Zhouzhu, Kondo probably thought Aoto was dissatisfied with Zhouzhu’s "benevolent deception", so he smiled apologetically at Aoto, "Sorry, we’ve been deceiving you all along."

Kondo was about to say more, but Aoto waved him off first, interrupting him: "It’s fine, I understand your intentions, and I don’t blame you."

Aoto wasn’t angry about Zhouzhu and the others’ intentions; he understood them.

Knowing the truth, that there wasn’t anyone in the competition who could match his strength, Aoto felt a bit... disappointed.

He had hoped to face some formidable opponents in this competition and truly experience the various styles...

At this moment, Aoto suddenly heard an unfamiliar magnetic young male voice beside him:

"Excuse me—are you available right now?"

Upon hearing this unfamiliar voice, Aoto was momentarily stunned, then quickly turned to see—a young man with a gentle smile walking towards him at a leisurely pace.

"Eisuke?" Kondo raised an eyebrow in surprise.

The young man approaching Aoto was Chiba Eijiro.

"What’s up?" Aoto blinked in confusion at Chiba Eijiro, "Something you want?"

As he questioned the suddenly appearing Chiba Eijiro who asked if he was available, Aoto also assessed this man reputed to be the "strongest."

When the Chiba family finally appeared at the venue and joined Shiwei Hall, Aoto hadn’t had a chance to speak with Chiba Eijiro or properly observe his appearance before being seated for the competition due to Matsudaira Yoshihiko’s arrival.

It’s undeniable—the genes of the Chiba family are indeed strong.

Children of Chiba Shusaku and Chiba Dingji not only inherited an exceptional swordsmanship talent but also all got a good appearance.

Aoto couldn’t help but wonder if Chiba Shusaku and Chiba Dingji have a talent for "easily passing on excellent genes to their descendants."

Perhaps due to his fair skin, the already 27-year-old Chiba Eijiro looked like he was only 23 or 24.

He had a medium build, delicate features, and fortunately hadn’t shaved his head into a Tsukushi haircut, sparing his good looks from the unsightly hairstyle.

His gentle smile made Chiba Eijiro seem extremely friendly and easy-going.

Chiba Eijiro’s gentlemanly and approachable appearance... rather than an unparalleled Great Sword Hero crowned as "Edo’s Strongest", he looked more like a well-learned scholar.

"It’s nothing major." Chiba Eijiro smiled slightly upon reaching Aoto, "Just wanted to say your match earlier was very impressive."

"The timing, angle, and target of your strike were all perfectly impeccable."

"A truly beautiful strike."

"Thank you..." Aoto was slightly taken aback by Chiba Eijiro’s praise.

"Did you calculate that strike meticulously before executing it?" Chiba Eijiro inquired at this point, "Or was it more spontaneous?"

"Uh... I wasn’t really thinking about all those convoluted things." Aoto shrugged, "I was just planning a probing attack."

"Unexpectedly, my probing attack ended the match directly..."