Chapter 572 Tonight, Your Opponent is Me
As Zhang Heng observed the whereabouts of Shinsaku Takasugi on the roof, Okita Soki didn’t have a long time to rest because the remaining of the samurai from the tea house were going after them. Okita Soki’s back was against the wall, and he only had seconds to catch his breath. With determination, he turned around and engaged the samurai again. The Tachi in his hand howled in the air, orchestrating another brutal baptism of blood.
Zhang Heng jumped down from the roof, swiftly slashed to the left and right, and killed two enemies in one breath. Having managed to help Okita Soki clear the enemy wave, he told him what he saw earlier.
“What should we do, shall we separate to go after them?” Okita Soki asked.
“No, I already know which team Shinsaku Takasugi is in!”
The fact that Zhang Heng was far away from, and it was night, there was no way to get a clear look at them. No matter what happened, Kirino Toshiaki, the bodyguard, would definitely not leave Shinsaku Takasugi’s side. Besides, he was taller than most people, making him easy to spot in a group. That was how Zhang Heng found out the whereabouts of Shinsaku Takasugi.
“Great, let’s rush over!” Okita Soki’s eyes were irritated by sweat, and it seemed something was stuck in his throat as well. He looked uncomfortable, and he coughed twice. On a night engulfed with blood and flames, Okita Soki did not notice the taste of blood in his mouth.
…
Shinsaku Takasugi had to admit that he underestimated the Shinsengumi this time. It wasn’t just their mighty combat power-the most important thing was that he misunderstood Zhang Heng’s identity, thinking he was a secret agent of Shinsengumi. Otherwise, it was hard to explain where he learned martial arts. And why did the Shinsengumi aid him the moment the samurai in the tea house attacked?
Gabriel was also on the escape team. Although he exchanged clothes with a samurai from the Choshu Domain, the samurai’s haori looked funny on him, especially how it didn’t seem to fit him at all. Gabriel could only put the haori on his body instead of wearing it. Running and panting, he wiped the sweat off his brow, looking very, very helpless. He was the one that hired Zhang Heng as a translator. His original translator fell ill, and he had to stay in Osaka. It was an emergency, Logically speaking, the Shinsengumi couldn’t have planted someone by his side in advance. Besides, Gabriel was cautious. Before hiring Zhang Heng, he’d been observing him for some time, and after seeing Zhang Heng talking with other Western businessmen about work, he finally hired him as his translator. Initially, he just wanted Zhang Heng as an expandable tool. He did not expect him to cause such disastrous consequences. In short, whether Shinsaku Takasugi or Gabriel, both now believed that Zhang Heng was a member of the Shinsengumi or at least a shogunate member. Even in their wildest dreams, they would never have thought Zhang Heng was here tonight for a katana.
Shinsaku Takasugi was first to flee because of his special status. When Okita Soki told his enemies about his intention to come here, he was already to flee the tea house whether the Shinsengumi’s reinforcements would come here. Unfortunately, his health would pose a big problem. When he first entered the tea house and chatted with Gabriel, he seemed fine. Now, he could not hide it anymore. After running for a few steps, he started to pant.
However, Shinsaku Takasugi refused the offer of help from others. He gritted his teeth and insisted on continuing to run. After running for a while, he tripped and fell to the ground. His arms and palms were bleeding. And he was embarrassed by it. No one thought that the legendary commander who fought against the shogunate would become weak after a year.
Everyone who witnessed this scene could not help but think that this was the end of a legendary hero. Kirino Toshiaki had a rare look of worry on his face. He then said to the Choshu Domain’s warrior next to him, “Go and look for a litter.”
Gion was a famous place for entertainment in Kyoto. It was very lively every night. Usually, there would be many influential individuals who came to this place, meaning it wasn’t that difficult to look for a litter. In order to confuse their enemies, they decided to divide the troops into two groups. That was why Shinsaku Takasugi chose not to leave in a litter.
But now, his physical strength had reached its limit. It was pointless keeping his whereabouts a secret anymore. At their current speed, their enemy had enough time to kill another team and catch up with them afterward.
But at this time, some of them were still feeling hopeful and said, “Maybe both of them have been killed by our people?”
Kirino Toshiaki looked back in the direction of Ukichi, shook his head, and said, “If those two are dead, someone will put out the fire immediately.”
But the reality was that the fire in the tea house was getting bigger and bigger, and it even alarmed the building next door. The two samurai drew their katana and forced a man who came here to have fun and drink to get out of his litter. And then, they worked together to put Shinsaku Takasugi in.
“Get out of here quickly!” Kirino Toshiaki told the bearer.
His tall figure and his temperament made the bearers absolutely compliant to him. They lifted the litter obediently and moved in the direction that he commanded. Kirino Toshiaki was about to follow the litter, but he stopped moving after a few seconds when he turned around and saw the young man on the other side of the street. The latter looked terrible. There were several wounds on his arms and calves. The haori on his body was soaked in blood and stuck to his chest. However, his eyes seemed to burn with determination.
“Keep up with our lord. Let me take care of the threat here.” Kirino Toshiaki said in a deep voice to the rest of the people around him.
Several samurai warriors, including Takeuchi looked at each other. They did not say anything, running immediately to catch up with Takasugi’s litter. Although Kirino Toshiaki stood alone in the middle of the street, he acted as if he had thousands of soldiers standing behind him. He then raised his head and said, “Okita Soki?” “Hmph!” Okita replied and drew out the katana from his waist. He killed so many enemies tonight that even his scabbard was covered in blood. The blood dripped down from the tip of the katana to the ground. His face was also stained with bloodthirst.
“No matter who you are, you will die tonight if you stand in my way!”
“Then it depends on whether you are good enough to kill me,” replied Kirino Toshiaki indifferently when he heard the words, his right hand slowly reaching out to his waist to draw his Juzumaru.
Just then, a voice came from the roof in front of him, “You are my opponent tonight.”
Zhang Heng turned to face Okita Soki. “Go after Shinsaku Takasugi, and leave him to me. If you do that, we can consider the plan we discussed as complete.”