Battle Memory: Divine Dragon
Memories of battling rare strong opponents, engraved in the heart.
Through sitting with the Demon Buddha… slightly…
Obtained: Divine Dragon's Tear
Tears shed from the Divine Dragon.
Only the Immortal Blade can complete the 'Tear Offering'.
The Divine Dragon's body is immortal and eternal.
The tears it sheds can also maintain their form eternally, never drying.
If the Dragon Heir Prince drinks these dragon tears,
Perhaps immortality can be severed.
"I should be able to return and report now."
"The Divine Dragon boss... how to put it... Although it's not very strong itself, the spectacle is truly grand, and the music is top-notch, majestic. Fighting it is incredibly satisfying."
"Especially after successfully parrying each lightning strike and then hitting the Divine Dragon, the sense of accomplishment is so full, filling me with confidence in my own strength."
Chun Hei tried to defend the Old Thief, saying that apart from the exaggerated portrayal of power, the Divine Dragon had nothing to do with being strong.
This was partly due to the player's continuous growth, but ultimately, the Divine Dragon was simply not that strong.
It gave him the illusion of, 'After going through so much hardship, I only defeated something like this,' and it didn't even feel as oppressive as the Foster Father.
However,
Chun Hei thought to himself, perhaps this was the intended setting. Maybe the situation would change upon returning to Ashina, and he might even get to fight the Elder Sword Saint.
No sooner said than done.
With itchy fingers, Chun Hei, after obtaining the Dragon Tears, did not linger in the Divine Realm and returned directly to Ashina.
Upon arriving at the old man's attic, Chun Hei was dumbfounded.
The Ashina Castle Sword Saint, clad in white, lay still in front of the main hall, frozen in the posture of charging out of a room. In his hand was the five-foot long sword that had tormented players relentlessly in the Shura ending.
Clearly,
The enemy forces had reached the city gates, and the old man had prepared to fight, but his breath gave out, and he passed away.
Beside him, Emma knelt beside Isshin's corpse, her expression filled with sorrow.
"Elder Isshin..."
Wolf asked blankly, "What happened?"
"Lord Isshin..." Emma replied in a low, sorrowful voice, "...passed away from illness."
No one could have imagined that the Sword Saint Isshin on another path would depart in such a manner.
Chun Hei felt a pang of regret, and at the same time, he gained a new understanding of the Sword Saint's second phase in the other storyline, where he tried to draw something but failed and coughed up blood:
The Sword Saint was indeed in his twilight years; the battle in the Shura ending was merely his final resurgence.
Sigh!
He sighed heavily in his heart. It was truly a pity not to have a grand battle with Isshin in Sekiro.
Fortunately, the Foster Father compensated for this deficiency.
One could only say that each ending had its trade-offs. The Shura path allowed one to fight the Sword Saint, who was barely clinging to life, until the heavens and earth darkened, but it prevented a confrontation with the Foster Father.
Because after defeating the Sword Saint, Wolf had completely fallen into Shura, and the confident Foster Father was ended by the Wolf consumed by the resentment fire.
"Is that so..."
Wolf's voice pulled Chun Hei's thoughts back. Emma in the scene replied, "And this event must have been noticed. The Interior Ministry's army immediately seized this opportunity to attack the castle."
It had to be said, Isshin's deterrence was truly immense.
As long as he was alive, even if he was merely breathing his last, the Interior Ministry forces dared not easily invade the city.
They only dared to attack after confirming the Sword Saint's death.
The might of the Sword Saint was evident.
"Your Highness..."
Wolf wanted to say something more, but Emma interrupted, "Please accept this..."
It was a key to a passage. Chun Hei was very familiar with this key; it was the one from the beginning that led to the underground passage to the Reeds.
This indicated that the Prince had already made his way outside the city, and Wolf's mission now was to catch up to the Prince as soon as possible.
"In the moats of the water cisterns on the side of the Moonview Tower... please proceed to the passage at the end... His Highness should have escaped the city through that passage and is waiting for you in the Susceptible Plains."
Emma said quietly, "As per Lord Isshin's command, the Great Serpent warriors have placed the signal bonfire on the rooftop. Please follow the Great Serpent's bonfire to catch up to His Highness."
"You..."
Wolf reached out, wanting to say something, but finally lowered his hand powerlessly and turned to head outside the city.
The blank space here is truly brilliant.
The viewers all said it was good!
"I don't care anymore, I'm shipping them first!"
"That half-extended hand has ignited my gossip heart, awsl..."
"Finally, I know what the Sword Saint is weak against!"
"Weak against what?"
"Weak against thresholds!"
"Heh, speaking of which, it's quite reasonable."
"Are you guys all doing stand-up comedy?"
"Isshin is dead? Who is the final boss?"
"It's impossible for it to end so casually, could it be the Sculptor!"
...
"To be honest, I think the Sculptor is also possible, after all, there have been foreshadowing all along."
Chun Hei nodded, largely agreeing with the viewers' speculation.
He decided to go to the Sculptor's residence first before searching for the Prince.
Although the current situation was extremely urgent, players knew that the protagonist would not advance the plot unless the circumstances were right.
Even if the Prince was captured, it would be the player-driven Wolf witnessing the Prince's capture after arriving beside him.
This was also part of the storyline.
Dilapidated Temple.
As dilapidated and broken as ever, the immortal warrior had once pleaded with Chun Hei to end him with the Immortal Blade.
This person, who had coincidentally gained immortality, felt no meaning in eternal life and was instead filled with emptiness.
Compared to the perverted nobles in the Fountainhead Palace who were obsessed with immortality, Chun Hei found this contrast deeply ironic.
Back then,
He didn't understand the meaning of immortality to the people of this world. He simply felt that such a vibrant life, which had committed no offense and had even helped him, was not something he could bear to let die.
Returning to the warrior once more, Chun Hei's state of mind had changed. He had seen through the meaning of immortality; it was inherently a curse, and for the immortal warrior, being utterly slain by the Immortal Blade was a release.
This time, Chun Hei did not hesitate. He agreed to the warrior's request.
"Thank you greatly."
The immortal warrior said calmly, "With your skill, I can also depart without pain, right?"
"Yes, leave it to me," Chun Hei nodded.
"I must also thank Lord Sculptor," the warrior slowly knelt and found a comfortable posture for his death, "Finally, I can die. The regret of not being able to accompany my lord to the Yellow Springs... finally..."
"Are you certain your resolve has not changed?" Chun Hei asked one last time.
"That's right... I wish to die by your blade," the warrior's expression was resolute, his attitude firm.
"Understood."
"Come, strike!"
Chun Hei pursed his lips, gripped the Immortal Blade, and gently walked before the warrior. Facing the exposed weakness in his chest, he calmly thrust.
*Chik chik!!*
He pulled out the centipede from the warrior's body and then stabbed the centipede's body again with the Immortal Blade.
*Chik chik chik!!!*
"...Farewell." Before his body turned to ash, the warrior bid his final farewell.
Chun Hei stood quietly beside the spot where the warrior had vanished, his expression unreadable, but his heart filled with sorrow.
"Glory in death, shame in life!"
(Adapted from: "On the day of our apprenticeship, there is glory in death, and shame in life" -- *The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Chapter Four: On Commanders*)