Chapter 684 - 684: Has Boss Lucas Changed His Ways?

The scorching sun hung in the sky, mirroring the castle below.

Then, the scene abruptly changed to a massive, furious bull smashing through a house, letting out a thunderous roar.

A flaming wooden stake was lodged in the bull's head. Startled by the fire, the bull charged like a runaway tank, blindly crashing through everything.

The fiery bull continued its rampage, leaving a trail of flames in its wake.

Before the fiery bull stood a man, like a wandering samurai.

'Wolf'

The man's name, or rather, his codename, appeared on the screen.

Facing the charging bull, Wolf stood perfectly still. But just as the burning bull's head was about to reach him.

Bang!

A dull thud echoed. Wolf vanished from in front of the fiery bull as if he'd dematerialized, leaving only falling crow feathers behind.

The next second, the gleam of a cold blade reflected the fire.

Squelch!

Blood and flames erupted.

The sharp blade in Wolf's hand relentlessly slashed at the fiery bull's body.

Instantly, the scene shifted to a riverbed in a deep valley.

A giant ape with white fur guarded a stone cave. A massive katana pierced its neck, and a long gash marked its left cheek.

These were fatal wounds, yet the giant ape in front of them was still full of life.

Suddenly, the giant ape seemed to sense something, and it sprang up, turning to look.

Wolf, holding his long sword, used his grappling hook to swing from the bare trees in the puddles at the bottom of the valley, steadily approaching the enormous ape.

What followed was a rapid montage of clips.

Wolf ran up castle steps, lurked on roof beams, and flipped and leaped through sheer cliff faces, his metallic prosthetic arm throwing a grappling hook toward his target.

He plummeted from rooftops, his sharp blade piercing vital points of his enemies, drawing a spray of crimson.

In the ruined battlefield outside the city, Genichiro, astride his horse, commanded his halberd with imposing might.

Scarlet maple leaves fell onto a wooden bridge. The monk's steel blade clashed with Wolf's sword, sending sparks flying, then he vanished into an illusion.

In the burning basement of Hirata Estate, Madam Butterfly moved like a phantom through the flames, her scissors attacking Wolf like a storm, but unable to break through his perfect defense.

High above the clouds, the ancient Divine Dragon, dreamlike and ethereal, wielded a sacred sword, exuding overwhelming pressure. Accompanied by wind and thunder, enormous sword energy tore through the mist.

Finally, the scene cut to Ashina, consumed by raging fires, the ground littered with blood and corpses.

'Even if I'm defeated, I will fight to my last breath to save my master.'

'If you were my shinobi...'

The camera turned to a man lying in a pool of blood.

One hand tightly gripped a sword, the other was not flesh and blood but a metallic prosthetic arm.

'I once... saw... Ashina.'

The screen slowly faded to black.

A desolate dirge began to play.

The once blazing Ashina Castle was now covered in thick, white snow.

Streetlights twinkled in the darkness.

But the next moment, the sounds of fighting, clashing weapons, and explosions shattered the silent snowy night.

The camera in the video slowly panned into the distance, and the flag of Ashina appeared on screen—'To die with honor on the day of one's choosing is a way of the warrior. This is a choice that is made in a warrior's lifetime. For each man who chooses this, the reward is a clean death.'

'In the end, I was still powerless!'

Under the silent moon, amidst the snowy reeds, a samurai with a long sword and a bow on his back slowly raised his blade.

'However... the Dragon's Heritage can allow the country to survive. Only then can the long night break into dawn.'

He slowly brought the long sword to his own neck.

A muffled groan.

Blood spurted from the wound.

In that instant, the gushing blood suddenly stopped. A withered hand emerged, tightly gripping the sword in the samurai's hand.

'This is my pathetic grandson's... final wish.'

As the withered hand grasped the sword, the samurai's body slumped down. Under the moonlight, an elderly swordsman clad in armor stood there.

'I must pull Ashina... back from the underworld!'

'So, Wolf... I will kill you.'

'Go, Wolf!'

The elderly samurai slowly turned, looking at the protagonist known as Wolf.

At the same time, his name appeared next to the samurai: Isshin Ashina.

As the video reached this point, countless players watching instantly became excited.

'OHHHHHHHHH!'

'Holy shit, that's so damn cool!'

'Just as expected, it's the Nebula Games style as always!'

'Obviously, does that even need saying? Although Boss Lucas always pulls some stunts that make us suffer mentally and physically in the game, honestly, Boss Lucas never lies. What he says can always be achieved, it's just that sometimes it's not what we expect.'

'This is amazing! It's the perfect combination of violence and elegance!'

'Has Lucas the old rascal changed his ways!? This is truly spectacular!'

Countless players became instantly excited because the game's UI interface appeared on the screen.

However, as the battle began, this UI interface faded away.

But almost all players had received the implied message.

That is, this promotional video is entirely gameplay footage.

And this battle that was happening was also a real boss battle that players would be able to engage in within the game.

This made all the players incredibly excited.

After all, while purely promotional CG can be exciting, it's difficult to judge what the actual game will be like.

Even though veteran players knew that Nebula Games' biggest characteristic was never to lie in their trailers.

But sometimes, trailers at the time of a game's release would still be questioned by players.

However, Nebula Games' current promotional video directly told players to stop guessing.

The quality of the game will be just like what you see in this video. Just watch carefully.

This alone made the players unable to contain their excitement.

And the content of this video looked incredibly satisfying.

The sparks flying from the close-quarters combat made it feel like a thrilling sword-fighting action game!

Watching the video, countless players couldn't help but feel one overwhelming thought.

And in the video, Isshin Ashina and Wolf clashed like lightning and fire.

The sharp movements, the sparks from clashing swords, and the metallic sounds were like a symphony.

The fiery swordplay, a blend of violence and beauty.

It stirred the hearts of countless players, making them eager to play this game immediately.

Some players, who were already prone to fantasy, had already replaced the Wolf in the game with themselves in their minds.

How satisfying would it be to fight this way!

After several rounds of clashing, Isshin's blade pierced Wolf's body.

With a thud, Wolf fell to the ground.

The swordsman flicked the blood from his blade and retreated a few steps.

And at this moment, a red tassel fluttered down.

Just like the giant dragon that stood atop the huge cherry blossom tree in the clouds before.

The power of the Dragon's Heritage, resurrection from death.

As red light emanated from Wolf's body, the downed Wolf stood up once more.

After rising, Wolf drew his sword again to face the enemy.

In the white, snowy reed bed, Isshin Ashina

Clang!

Instantly, sparks flew and a metallic chime rang out.

As the close-quarters swordplay continued, the camera in the video zoomed in, focusing on a close-up of Wolf and Isshin Ashina.

At the same time, the game's name appeared on the screen.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

(End of chapter)

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