'American Iaijutsu'
'True—Ashina Style!'
'wdn/'
In truth,
Isshin felt no shame. On the contrary, he was proud of being able to bring out his trump card at a crucial moment.
Sword Saint, Ashina Style swordsmanship… these things defined by Isshin were all based on the bloody experience he gained from fighting on the battlefield.
In life-or-death combat, taking the enemy's life was the primary objective.
Only by living could one speak of ideals and ambitions.
Without truly embodying the Ashina Style, perhaps Isshin would not be where he was today.
As for the noble and upright heroes, the righteous and honorable… such things likely only existed in novels.
Pure Black understood, but…
This death was truly suffocating. The feeling of having grievances but no way to express them was unbearable.
The Sword Saint was a Sword Saint in the truest sense, mastering all lethal weapons to the point of instantly killing enemies. He was far more versatile than the Sword Saints of traditional understanding, whose swordsmanship reached its peak.
Ashina Isshin was the person who understood combat the best!
But he wasn't weak either. From the starting village all the way to the Divine Realm, Pure Black felt his own journey was not bad, yet why was there such a vast difference when fighting?
Upon reflection, he simply hadn't "cheated" enough.
Pure Black didn't feel it was against the rules for Isshin to use a firearm during combat; he only wished he had that firearm himself.
Even rocket launchers, tanks… getting carried away, those were even less realistic.
The world of Sekiro was primarily focused on cold weapons. As for firearms, it seemed that besides Ashina Isshin, he hadn't seen anyone else use them.
Clearly, only Isshin possessed such an item, making its rarity comparable to the Immortal Blade.
Moreover, the rapid fire of the firearm could be parried with a sword. It was just that the distance was too close and the attack too sudden, leaving no time to react.
Pure Black felt that if he had another chance, he would definitely handle it better.
With his thoughts cleared, Pure Black's previously deflated fighting spirit was rekindled. He had come this far entirely on the strength of an almost fanatical willpower.
"Oooooh—I will continue fighting!"
"I will write the character '正' all over my thighs!"
With a roar, Pure Black, once again facing the grim battlefield, rallied himself.
"The Ashina Style is correct. My previous approach was too noble and upright."
"This is a life-or-death battle. I must win, and I will win by any means necessary!"
Pure Black, like the vast majority of players, treated this game merely as a game. Their skills and movements were generous and pleasing to the eye, preferring direct clashes and head-on duels rather than treating every battle as the last in their lives.
Because they knew that in the game, one could revive after death, there was no need to push oneself to such extremes for victory.
If it were a general mini-boss or regular enemy, it would be manageable. If a direct clash didn't work, one could practice more, memorize patterns, and perhaps overcome it with time.
But clearly, the Sword Saint before him was not among them.
Despite feeling his methods were already quite despicable, having used various props like shuriken, paper umbrellas, grappling hooks, and even whistles, Pure Black was still defeated by the second phase Isshin wielding a ten-monji spear over five meters long, a scythe-spear, and the stray bullets from his firearm.
One word:
Unsurpassable!!
After a long while.
After being repeatedly battered by the full-power Isshin to the point of blurred consciousness, delirium, and even the urge to curse, Pure Black was forced to re-evaluate the difficulty scaling of *Sekiro* and his assessment of the old scoundrel Lu:
This person is mentally ill!
Purely and utterly insane!!!
Believing he had tried every feasible method, even abandoning the traditional noble and upright way of attacking, and acting decisively without a shred of hesitation.
After a hard afternoon of fighting, all he received was the same glaring [FAILURE]!
The Sword Saint's difficulty was so extreme that it felt like he was on a different plane than the player. Was this truly a boss meant for general players to practice on?
Why?
Why did he give his all, yet achieve nothing?
He hadn't felt it before, but today, facing the Sword Saint and making so many changes, grasping the profound secrets of various sword techniques, he was still unable to overcome this mountain.
It felt as though everything he did was in vain, like a clown.
Invisible anger simmered in his heart, and mocking voices echoed in his ears…
Pure Black's mentality was somewhat broken.
The viewers outside the game also sensed the change in Pure Black's emotions, and the bullet comments flooded in with comfort:
'It's not your fault, streamer. The Sword Saint in his prime is just too powerful!'
'How about you take a break, streamer? You've been playing all day, and your reaction time is bound to decrease.'
'Yeah, streamer, don't put too much pressure on yourself. You don't have to defeat the Sword Saint today. The Divine Heir was also blocked for seven days. This is only the second day, no need to rush.'
'Peak Sword Saint. Reaching the second phase is already incredible. Most players are stuck in the first phase and haven't even broken through!'
'As the boss guarding the final level of the game, not having such strength wouldn't be the style of the old scoundrel Lu. Just get used to it.'
'Exactly. The old scoundrel always likes to build up the early game and then deliver a big finish.'
......
The viewers' comfort had some effect. Pure Black suppressed the restless emotions in his heart, and his eyes cleared up considerably.
The invisible burden was lifted, and the taut string in his mind loosened slightly.
"Hoo!!"
Exhaling a breath, Pure Black smiled brightly, "You guys are right. I got tunnel vision just now, wanting too much to succeed at this final step and become the first in the entire internet to clear it. I overextended myself."
Pure Black sincerely faced his inner desires, analyzed his problems, and then turned to sit before the Divine Buddha statue.
"I'm really tired today, fighting and fighting continuously. My stamina is too depleted. I need to rest and replenish my energy."
"I'll stop here for now. I need to seriously review the content I've experienced over these past few days. I'll be back when I'm a king."
......
Meanwhile, on Lu Li's side, he had just defeated the full-power Isshin and exited the game.
Ding dong!
Ding dong!
As soon as he stepped out of the BT-7274 access pod, countless messages bombarded him!
......