Natalie immediately descended the stairs. Beneath the platform was a vast library lined with shelves of ancient texts. In the center stood the frail but resolute boy emperor.
The Wolf knelt and said, "I have come to see you, my lord."
"Well, I knew you'd come to save me!" Lord Kuro's face lit up with joy when he saw Wolf. But in the next breath, his expression dimmed as he lowered his head in worry.
"…Wolf, my blood… the Dragon's Heritage makes you unable to die, doesn't it?"
"Yes." Wolf's voice was calm and steady.
"As I thought…" Kuro sighed softly. "The Dragon's Heritage twists the natural order of life. As long as it exists, it will always draw dangerous eyes toward us. I've thought it through, running is useless. What we must do is sever it completely. The Dragon's Heritage… this false immortality must disappear from the world. Wolf, will you help me?"
"Of course." Wolf answered without hesitation. His master's will was his only command.
Kuro's eyes brightened, his tone almost joyous. "Good! But I don't yet know how. You should go and ask Lord Isshin. He rests in the watchtower beside Ashina Castle." He pointed the way with a slender finger.
Wolf nodded. "Understood."
Natalie, watching the cutscene, muttered, "So that's the next mission, severing immortality, huh? But honestly, with such a busted ability, endless resurrection, why would the Imperial Heir want to cut it off?"
The chat erupted.
"True, if it were me, I'd never give it up!"
"Immortality's OP, but the story is kinda tragic…"
"Kuro's just built different, I guess."
Ignoring the barrage, Natalie made Wolf leap from the balcony and head in the direction Kuro had pointed. Soon she arrived at the watchtower. Scaling the wall silently, she peered inside.
Through the window, an old man sat cross-legged on a mat. His frame was frail, his hair completely white. He wore a thin robe, his body withered like a dry branch. A long scar cut across his left eye, leaving it blind.
Natalie's jaw dropped. "Wait… this shriveled old man is supposed to be Sword Saint Ashina Isshin?! The Sword Saint from the title?!"
The chat exploded:
"Bro's been nerfed by time itself."
"The years don't spare anyone. From invincible swordsman… to grandpa with back pain."
"Still, he's probably got hidden boss energy. Watch out!"
Before Natalie could complain further, the old man spoke from within, his voice low but steady.
"Wolf, since you've come this far, why not enter and speak face to face?"
Natalie laughed. "Sure enough, just like in the movies, real masters can sense you spying in seconds." She guided Wolf through the door, triggering the dialogue.
"In the name of my lord, I wish to ask you some questions," Wolf said humbly.
Isshin chuckled warmly, though his voice carried the weight of age. "Of course. After all, thanks to you, my wayward grandson Genichiro was stopped. Ask freely."
Wolf bowed slightly. "What is the key to severing immortality?"
Isshin's eyes sharpened. "Severing the undying? You'll need two things: the Mortal Blade… and the Dragon's Tears."
"The Mortal Blade? Dragon's Tears?"
"Yes. The Mortal Blade has the power to slay the undying, beings who would otherwise never perish. That includes you, bound by the Dragon's Heritage… the monks of Senpou Temple with their centipede parasites… and even Genichiro, who drank the waters of Rejuvenation."
Wolf asked again, "Where is the Mortal Blade now?"
"There are two in existence. One is said to rest within Senpou Temple. As for the other… even this old man does not know." Isshin sighed. "If you intend to go to Senpou, head west of Ashina Castle. But be warned, the monks there have abandoned their humanity in their mad pursuit of eternal life. They've forsaken compassion and reason alike, much like my grandson."
Wolf's expression did not change, but he pressed further. "And the Dragon's Tears?"
Isshin's gaze drifted toward the mountains. His voice grew solemn. "That… is a long tale. It is said a divine dragon once crossed from the western lands and came to rest atop the peaks of Ashina. This dragon granted the power of immortality. It was called the Everblossom Dragon. Worshippers built the Fountainhead Palace in its honor, what some call the 'Divine Realm.'
"The Dragon's Heritage, the centipede parasites of Senpou, and the waters of Rejuvenation, all their powers stem from the Everblossom Dragon. But the latter two are corrupt imitations, riddled with flaws. Only the Dragon's Heritage is pure, closest to the dragon itself. So, if you truly wish to sever immortality… you will need the Dragon's Tears, the very essence of the Everblossom Dragon."
"So, to obtain the Dragon's Tears, I must first reach the Fountainhead Palace?" Wolf asked.
"That's right." Isshin nodded. "As for how to reach it… this old man does not know. But perhaps Lord Kuro can search Ashina Castle's archives. There may be ancient texts that hold some clues."
"…Understood."
Wolf left Isshin's chamber. Natalie, watching, suddenly realized the direction of the next quest. The chat instantly boiled over:
"Hold up, did he just say dragon?!"
"No way, are we actually going to fight a dragon in this game?!"
"Not impossible. We already had a giant white snake god, adding a dragon makes total sense!"
"Knowing New Worlds's lore twists… it's probably true. Damn, this story's getting deeper and deeper."
The viewers wasn't just surprised, they were hyped. Everyone was praying that the game would eventually let them battle a true dragon.
Natalie guided Wolf back to Ashina Castle, where he relayed Isshin's words to Kuro.
"So that's how it is…" Kuro nodded gravely. "Then I'll begin searching through the ancient records here for clues about the Fountainhead Palace. Wolf, as for you, the Mortal Blade at Senpou Temple must be retrieved. Please… be careful."
Wolf bowed. "I understand."
Natalie clapped her hands. "Alright, team! Next target: Senpou Temple!"
According to Isshin's hint, Senpou Temple was located on Mt. Kongo, west of Ashina Castle. The only way there was to pass through a mountain village.
Moving stealthily along rooftops as always, Natalie soon reached Ashina's western gate.
There were only four guards posted there. Natalie's eyes gleamed. "Perfect. Let's test out the [Bloodsmoke Ninjutsu]!"
She crept up behind one soldier, and with a swift strike, plunged her blade into his heart. As blood gushed forth, she wrenched her sword free, the spray transformed into a thick crimson mist that swallowed the area.
"Cough! What the hell is this smoke?!"
"Damn it, I can't see a thing!"
The remaining guards coughed and stumbled in confusion, blind within the haze. But Wolf's vision cut through the blood smoke perfectly.
Moving like a shadow, he struck down two more soldiers before the fog even thinned. The last guard barely had time to draw his blade before Natalie made Wolf finish him with a clean execution.
"Hoo… this skill is actually broken!" Natalie exclaimed. "Even if I'm surrounded, I can just drop the smoke and wipe everyone out!"
The chat laughed.
"Bloodsmoke = Sekiro's smoke bomb DLC."
"Except it's made of BLOOD. New World, you mad geniuses."
"Shame it has a cooldown… if not, Natalie would literally solo Ashina Castle in one go!"
Once the bodies were cleared, Wolf grappled over the wall and slipped out the west gate.
By now, the sky had grown heavy with rain. Whether it was because of Genichiro's thunder powers or not, no one could say, but the air was dark and oppressive. The muddy mountain path stretched on, slick beneath Wolf's sandals, each step splashing cold rain onto his legs.
For once, walking down the lonely village road, Natalie actually felt a strange sense of solitude creep in.
Before long, the shapes of wooden huts and thatched roofs appeared through the mist—an outlying village of Ashina.
But something was wrong.
The rice fields on both sides were barren and unkempt. The houses ahead showed no signs of life, no cooking smoke from chimneys, no barking dogs, no clucking chickens. Only the endless patter of rain.
Natalie frowned. Wolf stepped into the village. Not a single person was in sight.
"Wait, what's going on here? Where are the villagers?" Natalie muttered.
"Looks abandoned."
"Either they ran… or they're all dead."
"Yeah, no way a place this quiet is normal."
Just as the chat speculated, a rustle broke the silence.
From the shadows of the collapsing huts, figures slowly emerged, villagers, gaunt and half naked, their skin yellow and thin, men and women, even children.
The once-dead village suddenly came alive with movement. Their eyes fixed on Wolf with eerie brightness as they shuffled forward.
"Ah, such an honored guest has come to our village!" one man croaked. "Yes, yes, a rare visitor indeed!" another chimed in. "We must welcome our guest properly!"
Natalie froze. "…What the hell?!"
The chat erupted in confusion.
"Bro, what is THIS?!"
"Weren't we just saying the place was abandoned?!"
"Why are they acting like cultists??"
"This is sus. Super sus."
1506 Words.