My Gang of Swordsmen-Chapter 99 - 77: The King Stands at the Frontline!
Saito and Oomura, with their exceptional skills, barely managed to maintain their section of the defense line from falling back.
But the others didn’t have the ability like Saito and Oomura to prevent the line from retreating...
One guard after another was knocked down and died because they were outnumbered.
As the defense lines in other places retreated, Saito and Oomura also had to fall back with them...
The "oval" defensive formation was thus compressed smaller and smaller...
The members of the Anti-foreigner Group were getting closer and closer to Anthony, Elodie, and others who were guarded in the center of the "oval". 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
Anthony and the others could even clearly see those ferocious faces.
The mental defenses of one guard seemed to have completely collapsed.
Facing what seemed to be an endless array of enemies, the guard, whose lips had been trembling slightly, lowered the knife he originally held in front of himself.
"Wait! I..."
He wanted to surrender to the Anti-foreigner Group members in front of him.
He wanted to tell these people dressed in blood-red feathered robes that he was only ordered to protect Anthony and the others, he was not a barbarian, and he wanted to ask these people for a way out.
However... just as he opened his mouth and before he could finish a complete sentence, a member of the Anti-foreigner Group swiftly thrust his knife forward.
The guard who had lowered his knife was completely caught off guard and unable to defend or dodge.
And so... his chest was pierced through.
The guard didn’t even have time to utter a complete plea, as his remaining unsaid words turned into a sound of blood gushing.
After vomiting large amounts of fresh blood, the guard slowly collapsed to the ground, lifeless...
The Anti-foreigner Group had no intention of taking any prisoners or sparing anyone’s life tonight.
Their original plan was to kill all these "national traitors" who worked for the barbarians too!
To keep track of Anthony and the others’ movements, Yamada, who was in charge of front-line command, now stood on a boulder about 20 centimeters high, gazing at the ever-shrinking defensive line of Oomura and the others.
Watching the current battle situation, which was completely dominated by their Anti-foreigner Group, Yamada shouted excitedly and triumphantly in his heart:
We won!
Before the battle started, Yamada was worried that some unexpected situations might arise.
For example: being unable to find Anthony and the other barbarians.
Or: Anthony and the others successfully escaping on horseback, and they couldn’t catch up.
But now it seemed—none of the unexpected situations Yamada worried about before the battle had occurred.
The smoothness of the operation left Yamada with a relieved and easy smile.
And at this moment, the one also showing a relieved smile was Mogami.
Mogami still remained on the high slope.
This high slope, for now, was considered the "Main Array" of their Anti-foreigner Group’s operation tonight.
Below the high slope were 20 members of the Anti-foreigner Group who hadn’t charged into the camp with Yamada—these 20 people were specially left by Mogami in the Main Array, personally led by him, as a "Reserve Team" ready to deal with any unexpected events.
Mogami, with his always good eyesight, scanned the front-line battlefield from this well-positioned high slope, and by the light of the camp’s torches, he could barely see the current situation on the battlefield.
Seeing that Anthony and others had been completely compressed into a cluster, and that their men would probably soon break through Anthony and the others’ thin defensive line, Mogami also showed a contented smile.
Confident that victory was certain, Mogami stuck Wind Cut into the snow beside him, placing his hands on his hips.
Mogami couldn’t help but start imagining.
Imagining the scene of them successfully taking the heads of Anthony and the others, returning victorious.
Imagining their Anti-foreigner Group’s Daimyo becoming famous throughout the country after tonight! From then on, everyone across the nation would know about this group of righteous people, loyal to the country, determined to drive out all barbarians and traitors who worked for them from Japan on behalf of the court and the Shogunate!
The snow... fell even harder.
The sky became even darker than before.
Earlier, there was still a faint moonlight filtering through the gaps in the clouds, spreading lightly like dust over the snowy plain.
But now, the even thicker clouds completely blocked the moonlight.
The night wind, which occasionally blew, somehow ceased just a while ago.
With the wind stopped, the air became "thick".
The freely drifting snowflakes quietly settled in this "thick" air, "lifeless".
Under the dark night, the perpetrators led by Mogami and Yamada smiled smugly.
Saito, Oomura, and others, still fighting desperately, wore grave expressions, struggling to hold their ground.
Some of the guards were on the brink of losing their will to fight, their faces vacant.
The female guard Leroy tightly embraced Elodie in her arms, even though her hands, holding Elodie securely in her embrace, declared her determination to protect her young master to the last moment, but having never witnessed such a grand scene, her eyebrows couldn’t help but reveal stark fear.
Anthony, having exhausted his strength, used his revolver to support Oomura and others, strived to maintain his composure, yet despair flickered constantly in the depths of his eyes...
Some were joyous, some at ease, some still held onto a shred of hope, while some were on the brink of despair...
