"How on earth am I supposed to beat this R quick-draw guy!?"
Seeing the word "died" flash on the screen, Zack felt like he was about to completely lose it.
He'd managed to get through some of the earlier bosses by using clever tricks.
For example, he'd stealthily assassinated the minor enemies before facing the Red Golem and the Great Shinobi, then tried to deal with them using oil and a flamethrower.
He'd also used firecrackers to cleverly defeat Genichiro and the Great Serpent.
But after finally making it into the castle keep, dodging those dart-throwing ninjas from the rafters and pushing through numerous obstacles to reach the top floor,
Zack encountered the most difficult enemy he'd faced so far.
It was a samurai from the Ashina style.
His quick-draw sword art left Zack's scalp tingling.
It wasn't a situation like facing the Hunter of Hunters or the big, fat bandit three years ago where he had the advantage of numbers.
Nor was it as imposing as Genichiro.
It was just him, a blade, and a series of quick-draw strikes in a small room that made his scalp tingle.
The enemy's attack power was incredibly high; even when Zack blocked, one combo was usually enough to drain his posture bar completely.
And he was relentless with his offense. Plus, the limited space in the attic made it easy for the enemy to get close.
His attack pattern was quite simple.
It was just a series of quick-draw slashes, but the speed was unbelievable.
Sometimes, if he got lucky and blocked the first hit, he couldn't react in time for the second.
After dying about ten times and finally entering the second phase,
Zack discovered that the enemy's attack power and speed had actually increased even further.
It left his scalp tingling.
Actually, it wasn't just Zack.
Most players who had chosen to "skip class" rather than defeat bosses through sheer skill were struggling immensely.
The title "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice" was truly living up to its name.
But as the saying goes, if you skip classes, you'll fail exams.
Previously, players had easily dominated bosses like Genichiro, the Red Golem, and Shaman of Purity by taking shortcuts.
But when it came to this quick-draw boss, despite it being a true one-on-one duel, many people suffered greatly due to their shaky foundations.
A similar situation occurred in the Hirata Estate three years prior.
Many players who had just entered the Hirata Estate and hadn't reached Lady Butterfly through genuine skill were also thoroughly schooled.
Although Lady Butterfly had a relatively easy strategy, the dodge-and-strike method.
In the second phase, as long as you maintained your health, you could completely ignore the light orbs, as they only dealt damage and didn't interrupt attacks.
But the key point was that this "skipping class" method was impossible for novice Sekiro players to discover quickly.
As a result, players who had been debating online whether "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice" was difficult or not suddenly found themselves in agreement as they reached these points in the game.
Boss Lucas was indeed still the familiar Boss Lucas!
"Ahhhhhhh!" Zack let out a heart-wrenching scream as he looked at the Quick-Draw Master before him, his posture bar only a sliver away from being broken.
He was so close to defeating him!
What's the most painful thing in Soulslike games?
Losing your souls?
Getting killed by a trap?
No!
The truly painful thing is when success is within reach, only to be cruelly snatched away.
You see the bonfire Sculptor's Idol, and then you get killed by a minor enemy.
You've beaten the boss down to a sliver of health, barely needing one more touch to win, but then the boss kills you with a counterattack.
The despair from this kind of pain is a devastating blow.
It can even cause a change in mindset for a resolute player.
This is exactly how Zack felt. He could usually beat the first phase of the Quick-Draw Master without even using his first resurrection.
But now, he felt like he was back to the very beginning of his playthrough; his mind was in chaos.
"Ben, where are you at?" After reviving at the Sculptor's Idol again, Zack decided to take a moment to collect himself and contacted Ben to find out his progress.
When you're suffering, you need to find someone who understands.
"I'm still in the Hirata Estate. Three years ago, the Wolf's adoptive father's head is about to be smashed in by everyone. And the mastermind seems to be a boss called Lady Butterfly. She's incredibly strong, and her scissors have killed me like fifty to sixty times already." Ben replied with a frustrated tone.
He had also encountered his most formidable enemy, Lady Butterfly. He didn't have much trouble with the first phase, but in the second phase, he found her a bit shameless.
Because she could create illusions, and at that point, he had to run. But the crucial part was that Lady Butterfly's posture bar recovered incredibly fast.
If he ran, all the posture damage he had dealt would be wasted. Furthermore, the summoned orbs in the second phase, while they didn't interrupt attacks, dealt damage and couldn't be blocked.
Several times, he had died with very low health from those orbs.
"Don't you dare spoil it for me! I'm about to fight Ashina Genichiro. Genichiro and the Fire Bull weren't that tough, but this Quick-Draw Master in the castle keep is just too damn brutal. And I'm telling you, Ashina is on the verge of extinction. They're researching something called 'Vessel of Immortality' that can bring people back to life like the Divine Dragon's Blessing, but it has side effects. And it seems Emma knows Ashina Genichiro too!" Zack also decided to spill some spoilers.
"Enough about that, I feel like after beating this Lady Butterfly, there won't be much more story in the Hirata Estate," Ben responded.
He felt like he had explored most of the map scenes in the Hirata Estate from three years ago.
And Lady Butterfly had already reached the basement, he couldn't imagine there being another basement after this.
"Then it's likely quite difficult for you to catch up to my progress," Zack said with a chuckle.
"That's not necessarily true," Ben said, smacking his lips. He felt his skills were already perfected.
If he had to fight the bosses he encountered before again, he wouldn't dare say he could do it without taking damage or dying, but he definitely wouldn't be stumped.
"Heh!" Zack expressed his disbelief.
There were so many story locations on his end, Zack thought.
Not to mention Ashina Castle. When he first arrived on the bridge, he had encountered an old lady who mentioned Senpo Temple.
Besides that, in the promotional trailers, there were descriptions of small villages similar to Blighttown in Dark Souls, and scenes in the clouds that he hadn't seen yet.
Under these circumstances, how could Ben possibly catch up to him!
After a brief chat, Zack continued his battle with the Quick-Draw Master before him.
With his previous experience and having adjusted his mindset, Zack didn't take long this time and quickly defeated the Quick-Draw Master.
The main reason was that he discovered some small tricks. Simply attacking the Quick-Draw Master made it quite difficult.
Because when he was attacking, the enemy would likely unleash a double slash.
But if he focused solely on parrying and perfectly deflected the Quick-Draw Master, the enemy's posture bar would increase dramatically.
He repeatedly used the "shimmy" technique. Although he failed several times in between, on his last attempt, he got lucky and managed two consecutive perfect parries, allowing him to finally defeat the Quick-Draw Master.
Zack, relieved, smugly picked up all the glowing items on the ground. At the same time, he saw a scroll on the wall containing techniques.
"Lightning Reversal? What does that mean? Jump up, catch lightning, and send it back without landing?"
Looking at the scroll before him and the information written on it, Zack scratched his head.
It didn't seem like a skill book, as he couldn't pick it up, nor was there a prompt to learn it.
After pondering it, he didn't fully understand, but it wasn't crucial.
In terms of the story, it seemed to indicate he was at the top floor of the castle keep and would likely face Genichiro next.
At this point, Zack was still very confident. If he could overcome the difficult Quick-Draw Master, what was there to fear?
He had been elevated!
My Broken Arm Revenge Will Be Settled Today!
And judging by the promotional trailers, Ashina Genichiro didn't seem that strong, and he was the boss from the opening story death scene.
As everyone knows, bosses from story death scenes in Soulslike games are usually weaklings. Some bosses look imposing and have high status, but they are pushovers in combat.
For example, King Vendrick in Dark Souls and Amygdala in Bloodborne who pulls the player into the Hunter's Dream; when you actually fight them, they're all just putting on a show.
This Genichiro before him was probably just an appetizer; only Isshin Ashina would be a real challenge.
(End of chapter)
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