I Formed the Strongest Swordsman Group-Chapter 75: Young King, This Is Your Stage!

"What's happening?!"
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
"How many enemies are attacking?!"
"I-I don't know! It's too dark! Can't see clearly!"
"Behind us too! There are people in red haori attacking from behind!"
"Enemies from east and west too!"
"We're surrounded!"
...
The camp had descended into complete chaos.
Hundreds of enemies launching a night assault—this was something beyond everyone's expectations and imagination.
Shouting "Expel the Barbarians"... it was abundantly clear who these attackers were.
Inside the camp, all the guards responsible for protecting Anthony and the others... including Komuro who commanded them, were thrown into panic.
They stood frozen in place, dumbfounded, staring blankly at the "Expel the Barbarians activists" charging at them from all directions.
Hundreds of samurai attacking from every direction... when had they ever witnessed such a scene?
Since the establishment of the Edo Shogunate, while peasant rebellions had frequently occurred in this country, overall it had maintained basic peace.
After nearly 300 years of tranquility... the samurai of this nation had long forgotten what "war" meant, what "blood and fire" truly represented.
Even though Komuro and the others were considered elite among samurai in both status and skill, having never experienced warfare, they couldn't help but freeze and stare blankly when faced with the "red ocean" closing in from all directions.
Komuro, who had been selected as "guard captain," ultimately had some real capability.
He became the first among the guards to regain his composure.
Komuro was naturally prone to sweating, and now, due to anxiety and panic, sweat gushed from all over his body like a fountain, soaking his undergarments.
"Mr. Angoulême! Mr. Angoulême!"
Komuro quickly drew his sword and rushed toward Anthony's tent, which was not far from him.
Despite his extreme mental turmoil, Komuro hadn't forgotten his duty to "protect Anthony and Elodie."
Anthony had been resting in his tent and immediately sprang up from bed in terror upon hearing the sudden gunshot. After hastily throwing on some clothes, he rushed out of the tent.
As he emerged, roaring voices, footsteps, terrified screams... all sorts of sounds converged into waves of noise that surged toward Anthony.
Just as Anthony rushed out, he happened to encounter Komuro who was running to find him.
"Mr. Angoulême!" Komuro shouted, "Quick, escape on horseback! We'll cover your retreat!"
Anthony, who still hadn't fully recovered from the sudden turn of events, looked as pale as his beard and hair.
Only after hearing Komuro's shout did Anthony's "soul" finally return to its proper place.
After regaining his senses, the first words Anthony shouted were—
"Where's Elodie?! Where is Elodie?! (French)"
In his anxious state, Anthony instinctively cried out in his native language.
...
After Suehiro's gunshot startled flocks of birds, cries of "Expel the Barbarians" that grew louder with each shout erupted following the gunshot. The "red ocean" charging from all directions outside the camp... completely shattered the camp's original silence.
The previously extremely calm camp instantly filled with a murderous atmosphere due to these successive unexpected events.
Aoto's group was currently located at the southernmost end of the camp.
And the south... due to terrain and positioning reasons, happened to be the direction from which the Anti-Foreigner Squad members attacked first!
After Suehiro's gunshot signaling the "start of battle" rang out, Saitō, who had been sitting on a large rock like a statue, immediately sprang up and rushed to Aoto's side with a grave expression.
"Divine Punishment! Divine Punishment!"
"Expel the Barbarians—! Expel the Barbarians—! Expel the Barbarians—!"
...
The first group of Anti-Foreigner Squad members who charged into the camp from the south roared as they rushed toward Aoto and the others.
Their Anti-Foreigner Squad followed the most radical Expel the Barbarians policy.
Not only should all barbarians setting foot on their country's soil be killed, but also those who assisted barbarians, worked for barbarians, or spoke well of barbarians were all traitors to their nation and deserved death!
Anthony, who still hadn't fully recovered from the sudden incident, looked as pale as his beard and hair.
Those in the camp who worked for Anthony and served as his guards were also among their targets tonight!
Upon seeing Aoto and Saitō, they naturally assumed both were guards for Anthony and Elodie.
Thus... one after another, blades gleaming with cold light approached Aoto and Saitō without the slightest mercy!
Perhaps because he had already experienced several life-and-death battles, Aoto's mental fortitude had significantly improved compared to when he first transmigrated.
When he first heard the gunshot and the successive cries of "Expel the Barbarians," Aoto had also frozen in shock.
But as the red "ocean" was about to flood into the camp, Aoto's soul timely returned to his body, and he regained control.
—"Expel the Barbarians faction" members... when did such a large-scale "Expel the Barbarians" group appear around Edo...
—This numbers... they came prepared.
—East, west, south, north... at least six directions have numerous footsteps... they surrounded this place from six directions...
Hundreds of "Expel the Barbarians activists" attacking them... Aoto didn't believe he held such "status" in the eyes of the "radical Expel the Barbarians faction" that required such large-scale forces to besiege him.
Since he wasn't the target... then who the main target was had become quite obvious.
Aoto turned his head and glanced at Elodie who was now standing beside him.
Elodie's reaction... was quite calm.
Because she had been frightened into stupor.
Her face pale, her red lips slightly parted, her dazed eyes seemed to have lost focus, looking both into the distance and at what was nearby.
The maid LeRoy who always attended to her was in a similar state—frozen in place by the sudden attack, seemingly not knowing how to move her hands and feet.
At that moment! Two very tall figures were the first to charge into the southern part of the camp. They moved like crab pincers, left and right, "grabbing" toward Aoto's group!
Facing these two tall attackers coming at them, Aoto swept his gaze from left to right across both men.
His right hand followed the movement of his eyes, simultaneously drawing his worn sword horizontally from left to right.
Saitō, who had been closely guarding Aoto's left side, also drew his sword at the same time.
In an instant, the two tall men had reached Aoto and Saitō, raising their swords ready to close their "pincers."
Saitō moved.
Using his height and long reach to his advantage, he launched a lightning-fast assault. Before one man's sword could completely descend, Saitō struck first, shattering his throat and disabling one "claw" of these pincers. Then he turned his blade to block the other man's swinging sword.
With his sword blocked... his defenses completely opened.
Aoto seized this opportunity, quickly lowered his center of gravity, swung his blade horizontally, and sliced open this man's abdomen, working with Saitō to disable the other "claw" of the pincers.
"Fall back!"
Aoto aimed his sword at the ground and swung forcefully, shaking off the remaining blood while turning to shout at Elodie and LeRoy who were close by:
"Regroup with Komuro and the others!"
Aoto hadn't interacted much with LeRoy before, so he didn't know if this maid understood Japanese.
But whether she understood Japanese or not, she had ears.
Hearing Aoto's shout, LeRoy finally awoke as if from a dream.
LeRoy's lips and cheeks remained frighteningly pale from terror, but she quickly fulfilled a maid's proper duty—she swiftly embraced Elodie, then holding Elodie, ran toward the rear, toward the camp center where most guards were gathered.
After sending Elodie and LeRoy away, Aoto raised his head, preparing to tell Saitō to retreat with him to the camp center to regroup with Komuro and the others.
But at that moment, Aoto's body suddenly jolted.
Immediately after, Aoto quickly turned his head to look at Saitō: "Saitō! Three enemies approaching from right rear!"
Hearing Aoto's shout, Saitō—who had been focusing on the massive force about to charge into the camp—paused in surprise, then hurriedly looked toward his right rear. Indeed, three enemies had somehow crept up to his left rear.
The place was simply too noisy at that moment; deafening shouts, footsteps, and various sounds had dulled Saitō's senses, preventing him from immediately detecting these three enemies at his left rear.
These three had originally intended to sneak attack Aoto and Saitō from behind.
Now realizing they'd been discovered, they quickly "withdrew," stepping back rapidly.
"...Thanks." Saitō turned his head and quietly thanked Aoto for spotting the enemies early.
But unexpectedly—when his gaze turned to Aoto, Saitō was astonished to see: Aoto was raising his left hand, tightly covering his eyes.
"Hey!" Startled by this sight, Saitō's expression immediately darkened, "Are your eyes injured?"
"...I'm fine." Aoto slowly lowered his hand covering his eyes, his expression bewildered.
He blinked several times forcefully.
"Somehow... my vision... has been strange since just now..."
"...Vision?" Saitō frowned in confusion.
...
At this moment—
In a small grove not far from the camp—
This small grove served as Suehiro and the others' temporary camp.
Their luggage was stored in this grove.
The Nio statue that Suehiro worshipped twice daily was respectfully placed on a flat large rock.
Falling snowflakes had already wrapped the Nio statue in a pure white garment.
Suddenly, a swift wind blew.
The strong gust scattered snowflakes that hadn't yet landed, blowing away the white garment from the Nio statue.
Crack...
The moment the wind rose, a faint cracking sound, soft as a mosquito's hum, echoed.
Witnessed by wind and snow, this Nio statue that overlooked the mortal world developed a fine crack on its head!