"Is this really how everyone in Ashina fights?"
Zack was starting to lose it, just a little.
He thought he'd been acting like a truly despicable ninja in the game.
When he first started playing, he went all out with assassinations, setting fires, and using firecrackers to scare people. It was a seamless flow.
Basically, he did everything he could to skip parts he didn't like.
But now, he had to admit he was beat.
He never in a million years expected that the legendary Sword Saint, Isshin Ashina, would have a move where he whips out a submachine gun.
Seeing the familiar blood-red "Death" on the screen, Zack was left speechless.
"Hesitation is defeat? Who hesitated? I just couldn't react fast enough and my hands were too slow!"
"And you're using a gun? How is that fair? How does that fit with your title as Sword Saint?"
As he charged, Isshin Ashina swept his halberd, then pulled a firearm right out of his pocket and unleashed a burst of shots that blew Zack to smithereens.
And the move was incredibly stealthy.
The battle took place among knee-high white reeds, and Isshin Ashina's outfit, plus that halberd that was bigger than both of them and looked like it wandered over from Monster Hunter to make a cameo.
All these factors combined meant that on your first encounter, Isshin Ashina's trick was super hidden. By the time you noticed it, you wouldn't have time to react.
Now he knew exactly who Genichiro learned his backflip machine gun moves from.
And from what they saw of Isshin Ashina in the trailers, this legendary Sword Saint actually had a pretty dirty fighting style.
Back when he fought the enemy general, he jabbed his sword at his opponent's foot, highlighting his cunning.
Now, Isshin Ashina at his peak had taken this to the absolute extreme.
At this point, Zack also remembered Genichiro's nickname among players, "Scummy-ichiro." Honestly, he couldn't blame the players.
Look at your grandfather, Isshin Ashina. How old is he, and he's still keeping up with the times by using firearms, and his moves are so hidden and swift.
And you, Genichiro Ashina?
No wonder you were adopted and not his biological child.
Even now, Genichiro Ashina is still living in the past, relying on his bow and arrow.
And using primitive weapons like that, he still does backflip rapid-fire shots, as if he's afraid people won't know he's shooting arrows. His moves get more flashy with each one.
Then there's Owl, the mastermind behind it all. Though his brilliance was completely overshadowed by Isshin Ashina, this also became one of the main reasons for Owl's later rebellion.
But putting that aside, look at the unusual methods the elderly Owl used.
Poison, gunpowder, hidden weapons, smoke bombs – he used them all, and his moves were all incredibly concealed.
One wrong step and you could fall into his trap. On the surface, he'd be all smiles, but secretly he'd be pulling out shurikens. In the second phase, the elderly Father Owl could even be so ruthless as to beg his adopted son Wolf for mercy, trying to break Wolf's guard.
And you, Genichiro Ashina?
You were just too busy showing off. Back in the reeds, after I beat you, you surprised attacked.
And after surprising me, you had to show off by saying not to blame you for being sneaky.
When you compare yourself to these old Ashina masters, you're just a kid, Genichiro.
Not only are you miles behind in technology, but you can't even see the dust trails of these Ashina seniors when it comes to tactics. How can you protect Ashina Castle?
No wonder Isshin Ashina had Tomoe teach you the Way of Tomoe but not the Ashina Secret Arts, while he himself took Emma as a disciple and taught her the Ashina Style.
While muttering his complaints, Zack started another round.
First, he beat up Tomoe-style Genichiro, only to be utterly destroyed by his grandfather, Isshin Ashina.
By the time he finally got the Sword Saint to the second phase, his healing gourds were almost gone.
With five shots from the gun and the Dragon Flash using his halberd, Zack died again.
The familiar words, "Hesitation is defeat," echoed in his ears.
"I feel like the hardest part of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is that you can't call for backup," Zack finally expressed his feelings.
This was actually a common sentiment among many players.
When playing Dark Souls or Bloodborne, you could go online.
Discarded items from powerful players were like cheat codes for new players to speedrun through the first playthrough.
And even without a powerful player to guide you, you could grind more Blood Echoes or Souls, or check guides to find some weapons with massive damage for your first playthrough, and utilize certain strategies.
But in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, it's different.
From start to finish, you mostly use the Kusabimaru. Although you learn a bunch of flashy ninjutsu and various prosthetic tools, in actual combat, except for specific enemies, you mostly rely on the Kusabimaru and your healing gourd.
As for Prayer Beads and Combat Memories, these are forms of growth you can only obtain after defeating bosses.
For all these reasons, many players feel that Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is more difficult than Bloodborne or Dark Souls.
There are countless players like Zack who defeat enemies like the Guardian Ape, Father Owl, and the Great Serpent, only to be completely stumped by the Sword Saint.
If the earlier Ashina Genichiro was like a mid-term exam specifically designed to punish players for skipping classes, making them understand that skipping has no future.
However many classes you skipped, that's how many you'll fail.
Then the Sword Saint is the final exam. Everything you've learned will be put to the ultimate test.
Deflecting, dodging, sidestepping, combined with Isshin Ashina's agile attacks, by the later stages, players rely not just on reaction, but more importantly, on muscle memory.
However, despite all the suffering, by the time players reach this point, they've basically adapted to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
The battle against the Sword Saint, while painful, is incredibly exhilarating. Especially when the Sword Saint enters his second phase.
Holding the Ten-Chop Spear halberd in his left hand and the Sword of Immortality in his right, he appears like a demon on the battlefield.
His relentless assault, combined with Isshin Ashina's taunts during the fight, allows players to fully appreciate the charisma of this man.
Although he described Isshin as cunning, Zack could clearly sense Isshin Ashina's obsession with martial arts.
This is a man who is single-mindedly devoted to becoming stronger, pouring all his effort into his blade, fighting without rest.
Death after death, challenge after challenge.
There was no sense of frustration, only a surging fighting spirit.
Becoming more adept at deflecting, recognizing openings, and dodging, the Kusabimaru finally pierced Isshin's body.
Third phase begins!
But as Isshin roared and entered the third phase, Zack blinked.
Because what did he see?
Golden lightning rained down from the sky, striking the white reeds.
Combined with the rousing background music, the atmosphere was absolutely explosive.
But the crucial point is, why are you, Isshin, also using the "free lightning"?
Seriously, like grandfather, like grandson?
Your grandson Genichiro's third phase turned him into "Free-Gives-Lightning Genichiro," and now you've also become "Free-Gives-Lightning Isshin"?
While it's true that the essence of the Ashina Style is that you can learn anything as long as it helps you win, why would you learn Free-Gives-Lightning of all things?
Just think about the massive Divine Dragon. In this game, all the bosses related to the Way of Tomoe's lightning are essentially "free wins"!
(End of chapter)
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