Why was Hammer King so confident? This was not just confidence in the strength of his new body; it was also rooted in the experience gained from the style of the Miracle City Secret Realm. The previous secret realm, Doomsday Frenzy, was a hack-and-slash game where ordinary small monsters posed no threat unless they appeared in groups.
Ashina Country did not have weapons like automatic rifles, but it did have super-strong bodies honed through years of hard training. What was there to fear from ordinary soldier grunts?
"Everyone, watch my performance!" Hammer King pushed open the door of Moonwatch Tower.
Not far away stood two Ashina Soldiers on guard. They sported ugly topknot hairstyles, each with a katana tucked into their waist. When they saw Hammer King swaggering out, they were immediately startled.
"Bastard!"
"Who are you?"
Hammer King drew his sword handsomely, his figure darting out like a leopard. The powerful strength surging from his extraordinary physique created the illusion that he was invincible and unmatched in the world.
In the Tidal Secret Realm, even with an ordinary human body, he could rely on a fire axe to take down ferocious zombies! How could he possibly regard mere soldiers as threats now?
"Small fry have no right to talk nonsense! Die!"
The muscle memory of a seasoned warrior kicked in. Every slash he unleashed was precise and powerful. Even if he swung wildly without technique, it was enough to unleash a storm-like offensive!
This strike used his full power! Even against a Charger Zombie, he was confident he could decapitate it with one swing! Charger Zombies were formidable monsters in the Raging Tide; their tough hide and flesh posed a great threat, usually requiring ten to twenty shots to kill, so his current strength was impressive.
However, what unfolded next was beyond everyone's expectations.
The two Ashina Soldiers immediately reacted, pulling back from each other to form a pincer while adopting defensive stances at the first moment.
If one observed closely, they would notice the difference in their stances. The soldier targeted by Hammer King's attack held his sword in an upper stance, the tip pointing straight up, ready to face the enemy head-on. The other soldier held his sword horizontally at his chest in a middle stance, the blade level with his gaze, his legs in a standard Seigan stance, his front leg slightly bent and poised for action.
Clang!
A crisp sound rang out as the first Ashina Soldier let out a shout and parried with a downward cut. As the two blades clashed, sparks flew, and Hammer King's attack was blocked.
"What?!" Hammer King was startled. Before he could process what was happening, the other soldier's geta crushed the gravel under his feet. He charged in with a roar like a bloodthirsty beast, unleashing a standard cross cut. The swinging blade came down with a whistling sound.
"Not good!"
Relying on his powerful physique and honed reflexes, Hammer King subconsciously performed a block that exceeded ordinary human limits.
Clang!
The two blades clashed again. Sparks illuminated the fierce and ruthless gaze of the soldier. The strength of an ordinary Ashina Soldier was certainly less than that of Hammer King, but he used the recoil to spin around and slash again, unleashing another precise and vicious reverse cut aimed at Hammer King's right rib.
This slash was very tricky. It was no longer possible to completely evade it. Hammer King felt a sharp pain in his ribs, and his body struggled to maintain balance.
The other soldier adjusted his stance, holding his sword with both hands at his right shoulder, his right elbow raised high. Maintaining this grip, he rapidly approached with a sliding step.
The slash from this move pushed strength and speed to the extreme. The Kusabimaru in Hammer King's hand was completely deflected, losing its ability to block or resist.
"Kill!"
Another slash came down, the cold edge cutting through the night with surgical precision. In an instant, blood gushed, the world spun, and before Hammer King lost consciousness, he seemed to see a large, crimson character for "Death"!
The entire battle took less than five seconds from start to finish! The two Ashina Soldiers not only displayed the adaptability of seasoned veterans, but their Eastern Ying swordsmanship was solid, and their cooperation was incredibly coordinated!
After Hammer King exited the secret realm, he silently lit a cigarette and fell into self-reflection. "Who am I, where am I, what am I doing? Am I not the protagonist? How could I lose to a mere soldier... This makes no sense at all!"
The other Adventurers began to gloat.
Lone Wolf laughed, "Hahaha, you looked good for less than three seconds, killed by a small soldier!"
Hammer King retorted, "If you think you can do better, go ahead."
"If I go, I go!" Lone Wolf tossed his head and walked toward the secret realm crystal.
Pig King chimed in, "Er Gouzi, go for it! Don't lose face for us again!"
Lone Wolf said confidently, "Absolutely!"
A moment later, Lone Wolf became a defeated dog, exiting the secret realm in a sorry state. Although he was mentally prepared, he only managed to last a few more rounds against the two soldiers, yielding results no better than Hammer King's.
Everyone was dumbfounded. If Hammer King had been careless, how could Lone Wolf's failure be explained?
"That's not right. Are these two small soldiers really that powerful?"
"If you're weak, practice more! Stand firm when hit; let me try!"
The sound of clashing blades echoed from the crystal again. The sekiro controlled by Pig King fought one against two for ten rounds, finally exhausting his strength and revealing an opening, getting stabbed through the heart by a blade and falling to the ground dead.
"Old Pig, you can't do it either!"
"Damn, these two guys are too good at fighting. If you don't believe it, go in and try!"
"Try it then!"
"Little Chicken, be careful. These two guys are definitely experts!"
"Damn, where's the Lord? I want to protest! Is this secret realm something normal people can challenge? These aren't just small soldiers; they could easily be generals!"
In less than half an hour, the Hammer Pig Chicken Dog Team were all defeated. Who else was challenging Ashina Country at this moment besides them? At least dozens of Adventurers were challenging simultaneously. The entire hall echoed with clanging sounds like blacksmithing, accompanied by endless sighs and wails from the Adventurers, all brutally defeated.
Meanwhile, inside the Lord's Mansion, Jack brewed himself a cup of tea, enjoying the sight of the Adventurers being brutally defeated. If these guys challenged the Ten Kingdoms Chronicle Ashina Chapter with the mindset of challenging "Doomsday Frenzy," they could just wait to be beaten back!
Sekiro and Left 4 Dead were two completely different styles. Sekiro's strength after years of training was definitely not weak. If he were at his peak, he would have at least Tier 2 cultivation and a strength of two to three stars.
In the future, with the prosthetic arm transplantation and learning various new skills, his overall strength could reach an even higher level. However, at the very beginning, Sekiro was particularly weak and had lost most of his memories. Currently, he could only display Tier 1, four to five star performance. Not to mention the BOSS Genichiro Ashina, even ordinary soldiers posed a considerable threat.
After all, even the most ordinary Ashina Soldier was a veteran samurai who had survived countless battles, completely different from the mindless zombies in Doomsday Frenzy!
As for Genichiro Ashina? He was the plot-kill BOSS of the Ashina Chapter prologue. Of course, for the Adventurers' experience, Jack would not create forced plot-kill scenarios; he would only find ways to make the Adventurers lose convincingly.
Currently, Genichiro Ashina possessed Tier 2, five-star combat power. The chances of Adventurers winning against him were slim. Although it wasn't impossible for a top-tier hardcore expert to eventually win by a fluke move or two after much grueling practice, they could not avoid the plot kill.
On one hand, Genichiro Ashina did not appear alone; he also brought several capable subordinates who could complete the plot kill through surprise attacks, just like in the original Sekiro. On the other hand, Jack had also made preparations. Even if the Adventurers trained relentlessly, miraculously managed to take down a few subordinates, and simultaneously defeated Genichiro Ashina—though the possibility of that was minimal, close to zero—even if that one-in-a-million chance actually happened, Genichiro Ashina would enter his second phase, the Tomoe style Weiming Genichiro state, thus possessing Tier 3 strength, a power that was absolutely impossible to contend with in the prologue.
The final outcome was bound to be unchangeable. Sekiro would inevitably be defeated and lose an arm. This both advanced the plot and made the plot kill seem less abrupt.
Overall, the Ten Kingdoms Chronicle Ashina Chapter had an extremely high difficulty level, but once they truly got into the rhythm, Adventurers would feel its unique gameplay charm and rich content, becoming unable to extricate themselves. Jack was very much looking forward to it. He wondered how far the Adventurers could go!
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