"Sogo!"
"It's Hijikata-fungus. Don't worry, I'm very calm right now..." A group of men lay on the ground, vomiting blood without end, their bodies curled into balls, their limbs twisted at strange angles. But sharp-eyed Toshiro Hijikata saw that the real reason they kept vomiting blood and curling up was their broken spines...
After recognizing the newcomer, young Sogo forcibly suppressed his ragged breathing and said calmly, "I'm almost done dealing with this trash!" It probably would have sounded more convincing if he hadn't been covered in dust and shoeprints.
As the two exchanged words, the men surrounding him suddenly glanced at one another before charging at young Sogo in unison. "Die, demon!"
Young Sogo had revealed a slight opening while answering and forcing himself to act cool. Just as an iron bar was about to smash into his head, Toshiro Hijikata hurriedly threw the wooden sword in his hand. "Are you an idiot? You dared to get distracted in a fight? What happened to your so-called calmness..."
The attacker wielding the iron bar was briefly blocked by the flying wooden sword, and young Sogo narrowly avoided disaster. Without drawing attention to it, he added a bit of force to the sword. In the next instant, it pierced straight through the man's heart.
"Who do you think distracted me during a fight? Ugh! Since Hijikata-fungus is so worked up today, I'll let this one slide..."
"Worked up?" Toshiro Hijikata, who had rushed over in a hurry, was puzzled.
"I was only planning to cripple this trash, but Hijikata-fungus drew blood the moment he attacked. He died."
"Stop joking around. How could a wooden sword from the dojo possibly..."
"Hijikata-fungus, who ever said a wooden sword couldn't kill someone? His heart was pierced. There's no saving him!"
Looking at the lifeless