Chapter 700: Severing Immortality (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

The malice of the maps, the malice of the mobs, and the still-difficult BOSS battles all made players suffer greatly.

Especially as the story progressed and new areas were unlocked, players only then realized that Genichiro Ashina was truly just an introductory teacher.

Why must Ashina fall if Isshin Ashina is sick? Because the outside world is simply too dangerous!

Leaving aside the Shichimen Warrior and Headless lurking in the water and underground tunnels, just the regular mobs alone were enough to give players a hard time.

Inside Senpou Temple, the weapon masters truly embodied the BOSS-level existence of janitor monks.

The Dual-wielding White Ape, the Purple-clad Shinobi of the Lone Shadow, and the enormous Taro Troop – these guys, though not true major BOSSes, would typically give players an immense amount of trouble on their first encounter.

Beyond that were all sorts of maps designed to disorient players.

Getting lost is an indispensable part of the Souls-like games experience. In Dark Souls, you'd get lost in Farron Keep; in the prequel, you'd be bewildered in Blighttown; and in Bloodborne, there was the Forbidden Woods to stump you.

And in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, it was no different. The map players universally considered the most annoying was the Hidden Forest.

Its winding terrain, combined with the pervasive Miasma, could easily keep players wandering for half an hour or even an hour. And they also had to face attacks from illusions and the Headless – it was truly full of malice.

As for maps that wouldn't necessarily get players lost, they weren't much better. Especially once players collected the Mortal Blade, Fragrant Water Lily, and Shelter Stone, these essential items, and made their way to Fountainhead Palace.

It was at this point that the game's true malice slowly began to unfold.

Because here, players would discover that any ordinary mob was comparable to Genichiro Ashina.

Why so? Floating Passage, Genichiro Ashina's signature skill, was used by every single Okami Warrior here.

When faced with two or three Okami Warriors flanking them, that fast and fierce Floating Passage combo left countless players dumbfounded.

And the 'strongest' BOSS, Mist Noble, which they had defeated earlier in the Hidden Forest, was now countless in number here. Though seemingly weak, they possessed a very powerful ability: to drain stamina. Once too much stamina was drained, Wolf would instantly become incredibly frail, his health bar reduced to a tiny sliver, unable to run, unable to block, and attacking slowly. If there were enemies nearby, death was practically guaranteed.

At the same time, players would also encounter a bull similar to the one in Ashina Castle, but it had transformed from a Blazing Bull into a Sakura Bull.

As for diving underwater, that was even more extreme. Finally, Tomoe's Lightning, Genichiro Way of Tomoe's proud ultimate technique, was a skill even dogs knew here. If not dealt with in advance, players would experience the joy of underwater lightning strikes.

Especially in VR mode, in addition to being struck by lightning, players would encounter another colossal creature like the Great Serpent: the Fathead fish. In the first-person underwater view, many players were so scared they wet themselves, effectively turning it into a horror game.

Despite this, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice's popularity continued to climb steadily. Its popularity on live streaming platforms was explosive. Countless streamers were tormented to death, and players watched with great relish.

Furthermore, unlike previous Souls games, where watching streamers suffer initially seemed very interesting, especially with cameras on (their 'pain mask' expressions were particularly amusing), it would eventually become quite boring after a while because most of the time was spent traversing. Also, previous Souls games were basically turn-based, even Bloodborne, which encouraged offense.

But Sekiro was different. The sword clashing and parrying in the game greatly increased its visual appeal. Driven by the popularity of streamers and the game itself, many people tried it out with curiosity, even though they were tormented. However, unlike Dark Souls and Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice's 'Iron Clashing' combat style, which leans more towards the joy of action-oriented combat, made many players feel somewhat addicted. This was a different experience from Dark Souls and Bloodborne, and the sense of defeat from death was even lower in Sekiro.

After several days of intense fighting, most of the first batch of players who purchased Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and who also had a relatively good talent for this type of game, had already reached the final part of the story. Zhang Yi was naturally among them.

He had explored almost every map in the game.

He retrieved the Bundled Jizo Statue from Mibu Village, fought the Guardian Ape in Bodhisattva Valley for the Fragrant Water Lily, killed Great Shinobi Owl at the top of Ashina Castle, and returned to Hirata Estate three years prior to uncover the full truth.

That truth was: his seemingly dependable foster father was the real mastermind!

Three years ago, Hirata Estate was suddenly raided by bandits, its guard forces dissolved, and the mansion engulfed in flames. Wolf, as Kuro's shinobi, went to Hirata Estate to rescue him. Upon entering, Wolf found his foster father wounded.

The foster father told Wolf that Lady Butterfly had betrayed the Ashina family, attempting to gain Kuro's Immortal Power, and instructed Wolf to rescue the Young Lord and eliminate Lady Butterfly.

When Wolf arrived at the underground Buddha hall and saw Kuro under an illusion, he mistakenly believed his foster father's words to be true. But this was just a trap; Owl's real goal was to stage a rescue act, making Kuro sign the Dragon's Heritage contract with him. Even in the worst-case scenario, Kuro would sign the contract with Wolf.

Owl believed that as Wolf's foster father, Wolf would surely not betray him. However, his plan clearly only succeeded halfway. At the top of Ashina Castle, Wolf had two choices: obey Great Shinobi Owl's command, or choose to protect Kuro.

Without any hesitation, Zhang Yi chose to defy his foster father. It must be said, compared to the Divine Dragon, which seemed formidable but was weak in combat, Owl was definitely the strongest BOSS he had experienced since Genichiro.

His firecracker strategy completely blew Zhang Yi away. After completing everything, watching Ashina Castle burn fiercely, Zhang Yi made his way to Ashina Reservoir.

Now, for the final showdown.

The white reeds.

A familiar scene.

Just like when Wolf first escaped from the underground tunnel with Kuro.

Looking at Genichiro Way of Tomoe before him, Zhang Yi felt a mix of emotions. Although many players online jokingly called Genichiro 'Scumichiro,' meaning he only tormented players when they were unfamiliar with the game, they later realized he was inferior once they became proficient.

Some players even started new save files, wondering if defeating Genichiro at the beginning would lead to an immediate ending. However, they found that if they defeated Genichiro, he would sneak attack and cut off Wolf's arm, and as he left, he'd drop a line: "Don't blame me for being despicable."

This led to countless players complaining: "You sneak attacked, and you tell me not to blame you for being despicable!"

Initially, Zhang Yi also called Genichiro 'Scumichiro.' However, as the game progressed, Zhang Yi's opinion slowly changed. In the game, he could clearly feel what Genichiro's true intentions were. He always wanted to protect Ashina, even if it meant using any means necessary.

He was a person difficult to entirely hate, and this also applied to the traitorous foster father, Owl, whose personal charm as an antagonist was also palpable. You could feel his appreciation and care for Wolf, but for his ambition, Owl could abandon everything.

And then there was Kuro. If Genichiro sought Immortal Power for Ashina's future, then Kuro wished to sever immortality for the future of the Ashina people. Senpou Temple, which had researched Immortal Power but had gone astray, Mibu Village, which had become like hell due to the Kyoto Water, the neither-human-nor-ghost beings of Fountainhead Palace, the unseen yet omnipresent story of Tomoe and Takeru, the undying swordsman acting as a sparring partner in the dilapidated temple... everything seen and heard along the way solidified a belief in countless players.

That immortality was by no means a miracle, but a terrifying curse. Severing immortality became the shared belief of all players. And now, it was finally time to put an end to it all.

(End of Chapter) <>