Battle Instinct

I was careless.

-- It turns out that Big A is a Faded One; the reason he became Four Knights of Gwyn is actually because of his repeated mastery of combat skills.

The fight had just started.

Lu Xiu knew that she definitely couldn't defeat Artorias in five tries.

Putting everything else aside, if he were to repeat the Lion's Claw exam, Lu Xiu would have no way to deal with him.

Boom!!

Artorias's heavy greatsword, accompanied by a fierce wind, slammed into the spot where Lu Xiu had just rolled, sending shards of stone flying in all directions like bullets.

Before Lu Xiu could fully regain her balance, the tall figure instantly rose and swept across the room.

Seeing this, Lu Xiu could only roll over again, a very extreme side roll.

The broad blade, imbued with the aura of the Abyss, grazed her scalp almost to the side.

Then.

The Wolf Knight began to dance wildly.

Lu Xiu was then chased and hacked at.

After all, the Sekiro arc had been released before, and Artorias is a hidden boss that doesn't affect clearing the game.

Therefore, when Lu Xiu was building the character, she inevitably brought a bit of her own desire for challenge. She not only greatly reduced the time for the Abyss Knight to unleash his ultimate attack, but also shortened the recovery time of his wide-ranging attacks to an extremely abnormal degree.

Furthermore, it added many restrictions to the ability to defend with a shield.

It's impossible to defend against most of Artorias's attacks by simply raising your shield. If you really want to be a turtle, he'll teach you what it means to have your green bar disappear.

This series of actions revealed Artorias to be far more imposing than in the original game, with extremely aggressive attacks, varied moves, and no fixed pattern, making it impossible to find a fixed formula for dodging.

"It seems like we've overdone it----"

Lu Xiu felt the sharp sword wind brush past her nose again, and in the brief interval between breaths, she couldn't help but mutter a curse in her heart.

However, she didn't rush to make adjustments.

Because she was in such a sorry state, it was partly due to the strength of the enemy, but also partly due to her own actions.

She was already used to the Deflect parrying as swords clashed, so suddenly having her roll over wasn't a problem.

But when faced with an attack, her brain always instinctively makes her want to meet the challenge head-on and Deflect.

Although rationally one knows one must roll and dodge, in this high-pressure battle where life and death hang by a thread, it is really difficult to suddenly abandon the instinct to fight with knives that has been ingrained in one's bones.

I've been practicing Sekiro for too long.

Actually, she had gotten used to it for quite some time.

However, the two completely different combat logics of Deflect and rolling are still pulling each other in opposite directions.

Previously, it didn't have such a significant impact when facing ordinary enemies.

After all, Lu Xiu was no longer the clueless player she was when she played Resident Evil. After going through a series of dungeons, her understanding of combat, while not quite perfect, had been completely transformed.

If your combat instincts are still there, you should have no problem handling most situations.

Furthermore, Dark Souls also has Deflect system, but it's completely different from the Deflect in Sekiro.

But it's fine against ordinary enemies—but it's a different story against this Artorias has been completely altered.

Her movements became somewhat sluggish.

This slight stagnation has a very significant impact.

Boom!

Artorias another completely illogical downward slam followed by a wide sweeping attack. A strong wind pressure rushed towards him, and Lu Xiu instinctively raised his greatsword slightly, his muscles tensing as he prepared to receive the blow.

But at the critical moment, reason stopped this suicidal thought. Faced with such an unreasonable attack, the two-handed greatsword could not Deflect. A hard deflection would only result in a block, and then the green bar would disappear instantly, and the person would be sent flying.

She gritted her teeth and could only roll to the side and back to create distance.

Bang-

The Abyss Greatsword slammed into the stone slab almost grazed her, the violent impact mixed with the rubble hitting her, causing her to sway slightly, before sweeping away the sword in quick succession.

Lu Xiu dodged awkwardly, then immediately called for a pause and fell into deep thought.

This can't go on!

It needs some adjustments.

It's good that we haven't encountered any strong opponents.

They encountered a formidable opponent.

Deflect, Neutralize, block, roll.

All sorts of fighting instincts started clashing.

Let's put aside Deflect for now—first, perfect your spatial control and physical reflexes.

Ultimately, Dark Souls is all about rolling.

Furthermore, although the players she's currently matched with in Prison Rock are all humanoid characters wielding weapons, she can't just focus on the present. What if the enemies she's matched with later aren't humanoids and don't use weapons at all?

There will always be attacks that cannot be countered Deflect parrying or Neutralize by hand.

We'll be completely lost then.

Practice!

Lu Xiu took a deep breath and made up her mind.

From this moment on, practice rolling!

She lifted the pause, then, shouldering her two-handed greatsword, cleared her mind of all distractions and stared at the Abyss Abysswalker, who stood hunched over like a wild beast amidst the swirling dust.

With another shrill roar, a violent Abyss aura erupted from Artorias's body.

He exploded with anger.

Then, he dragged his giant sword, leaving a blinding trail of sparks on the ground, and appeared in front of Lu Xiu in the blink of an eye, delivering a slashing strike.

Lu Xiu forcefully suppressed the muscle memory that wanted to raise her sword and fight head-on, and suddenly ducked to the right, narrowly rolling past the edge of the upward slash.

However, the heavy two-handed greatsword became a hindrance at this moment.

Even though Lu Xiu had seized the opportunity perfectly, the large sword, which was as big as a door panel, inevitably dragged down her center of gravity in this kind of rolling movement that required agility and quick transitions.

As she rolled to her feet, the inertia of the heavy weapon inevitably caused a slight pause in her movements.

Artorias's attack intervals were adjusted to the shortest possible time. The instant his upward slash missed, he immediately twisted his waist, and his heavy greatsword swept across.

There's no escaping it now.

As soon as Lu Xiu had this thought, she was swept away.

He was then killed by a follow-up leaping strike.

The role-playing mode has been broken.

"Call----"

Lu Xiu bent over, supporting herself on her knees, and took a few breaths.

no.

Heavy weapons like two-handed greatswords are not well-suited for rolling.

Moreover, every swing and change of move of heavy weapons is accompanied by a huge wind-up and recovery time.

Under Artorias, dog-like attacks, the cumbersome nature of her two-handed greatsword left her no time to mount an effective counterattack after a single extreme roll. Instead, the weapon's immense inertia exposed fatal weaknesses.

Furthermore, a two-handed greatsword is not suitable for her.

This is okay for fighting regular bosses.

But fighting off such a rabid dog is really too much of a stretch.

A lightweight weapon that can combine close-quarters control with agile evasion would be more suitable for her.

Moreover, given her somewhat awkward fighting style at this moment, she might not be able to successfully unleash high-level rolling skills.

We need to get a lighter, more agile weapon.

Thinking of this...

Lu Xiu immediately ran through the weapons in Dark Souls in her mind, and then quickly selected a weapon, a sharp blade with a beautiful curve - the Painting Guardian Curved Sword.

Although this weapon is a bit short and requires close-range combat, it can be said to be the king of maximum damage output for agile builds, making it the most suitable weapon for combat rhythms that involve dancing on the edge of a blade.

Thinking of this...

Lu Xiu immediately summoned the System Panel, intending to switch her weapon to the Painting Guardian Curved Sword.

But just before the replacement.

She suddenly stopped moving.

You cannot directly select a weapon after verifying that you have passed the level.

Since the decision has been made to train for extreme reflexes, using the heaviest two-handed greatsword to forcibly confront the berserk Artorias before obtaining the curved sword is undoubtedly the best form of weight training.

As long as she can wield this heavy sword and skillfully roll through the Abyss Knights' Hard Rain of attacks, even finding her rhythm, her melee combat skills will definitely experience a qualitative leap after switching to the light curved blade. She will also be able to handle other weapons with ease.

What's so special about rolling around with a light weapon?

Rolling around with heavy weapons is the real skill!

"----never mind."

Lu Xiu withdrew her fair fingers, took a deep breath, and immediately entered role-playing mode again.

Next.

They were once again confronted by a knight wailing in agony.

"Ah---- I really shouldn't be greedy with my attacks when rolling with heavy weapons; I got a little too hasty."

"My spatial distance control is still a bit lacking. I shouldn't have rolled to the left in that situation, and I rolled too far. A wide spin creates blind spots, and I also need to control my stamina bar—I still need to practice."

"----To find the optimal solution by the smallest margin based solely on intuition is truly inhuman! The feeling of pushing your nerves to their limits... ah, my brain is trembling."

"Damn, you've got a wolf leap, huh? I'll unleash a Lion's Claw! Anyone can do that!"

"Ah---- I forgot that jumping ability is limited in this dungeon."

1

"No way, this can be detected?!"

"I don't believe you! Let's try again!"

In the circular arena, Lu Xiu's voice began to ring out continuously.

But most of the time—she remained silent.

Inside the venue.

Only Artorias's agonizing howls, the dull thud of his greatsword scraping the ground, the clang of his armor striking the stone slabs, and the suppressed groan at the moment of his death.

Lu Xiu experienced both pain and pleasure in the dungeon, relentlessly pushing herself to her limits.

Meanwhile, the players in the cross- Prison Rock Cross-Realm Arena were also suffering.

However, all they experienced was pure suffering, with absolutely no joy.

By the fourth day, both sides had done their tests. Although Lu Xiu's recapture operation slightly disrupted Prison Rock's formation, Lu Xiu did not launch another recapture operation yesterday, and Prison Rock realized what was happening.

--

The other side knows that the guardian has been changed!

I'm too scared to fight anymore!

The Chosen Player of Prison Rock immediately adjusted his strategy and refocused on the regular arena.

At this point, the situation in the arena gradually stabilized.

However, no one in Prison Rock dares to choose an SS-level dungeon as their arena anymore.

Even S-rank dungeons, they would absolutely not touch them unless they had absolutely no other choice.

----Because I really suffered a lot.

Even with the current all-attribute bonuses in Nine Provinces, choosing those A-level dungeons would still give you a 60/40 chance of winning. But if you choose Lu Xiu's dungeon as your arena setting, it's basically an 80/20 chance.

There's really no way to choose!

This is still a regular player.

The ultimate arena for top-tier Chosen Player compete, and the impact is even greater if the Lu Xiu dungeon is chosen.

For example, those who chose Gallagher and others from Sekiro on the first day were truly disgusted and made me want to vomit.

However, the choice of instance for the Cross-Realm Arena is not decided unilaterally.

Prison Rock wanted to escape, but the players of Nine Provinces naturally wouldn't let him have his way.

Players in Nine Provinces generally ban those lower-tier alternative dungeons.

If it can be banned, then we absolutely won't keep it!

This forces players in Prison Rock to sometimes reluctantly and reluctantly enter the Lu Xiu dungeons, which they consider nightmares.

In this situation, the shift in the tide of battle becomes readily apparent.

Players in Nine Provinces were already familiar with Lu Xiu's dungeons, knowing the layout of each map and the characteristics of every elite monster. Furthermore, Lu Xiu's consecutive defeat of nine guardians granted all players in Nine Provinces a 9% boost to all attributes, along with an unstoppable aura.

I don't even know how to type it. JPG.

certainly.

These are the ordinary players.

The top players in Prison Rock weren't pushovers either—they also began exploring and understanding Lu Xiu's dungeon.

Although they would be hunted down and killed during this time, they clearly knew that this couldn't continue.

Furthermore, once familiar with Lu Xiu's copy, the Architect of Prison Rock can also imitate it.

Overall

It's worth it.

Holding this in mind.

They began to grit their teeth and venture into Baker Estate, into the Mount Massive Asylum, and wrestle with the IMC's infantry.

After all, they were top-tier players. Although they couldn't become as skilled as the players from Nine Provinces in a short time, they managed to avoid being completely outmaneuvered and managed to stabilize the situation.

As for the Sifu and Sekiro, they simply didn't choose them.

Because this is something that cannot be adapted to in a short time, and even the Architect of Prison Rock cannot learn it.

Even the chief Architect of Prison Rock Helag, was on the verge of collapse when faced with the S-rated dungeon, Lu Xiu.

The gap is too big.

However, this only applies to top-tier players.

Ordinary players in Prison Rock don't have the strength to explore and understand Lu Xiu's dungeon during the arena phase.

These past few days.

Nine Provinces still holds a significant advantage.

Especially for players at the lower and middle levels, they made a fortune!

For top-tier players, the skill and item rewards from the Lu Xiu dungeon are merely icing on the cake.

But for lower- to mid-level players, that's a god-tier skill!

Even without choosing the Lu Xiu Lu Xiu, they can still win more than they lose based on the rewards it provides.

Just like Du Shu and others.

The forums on Nine Provinces are changing every day, and the players' emotions are getting higher and higher.

Because it was so awesome!

You can get a considerable amount of Survival Points every day, as well as extra rewards such as skills, items, and equipment.

It was under these circumstances that it came about.

The Nine Provinces players, who had mostly focused on defense, began launching large-scale attacks on various locations, heading towards the Prison Rock area.

This attack left the players of Nine Provinces stunned.

This time they are on the offensive, so they can only choose the dungeon near Prison Rock.

In the Prison Rock area, many dungeon ratings are also displayed as SS.

The players in Prison Rock knew that this was a rating forcibly increased by the system during the arena. After experiencing Lu Xiu's dungeon, they already knew the difference.

But players in Nine Provinces don't know that.

They didn't dare to choose at first.

But there are always times when you have to choose, and when a bunch of people were chosen, something outrageous was discovered.

The Prison Rock instance was far too easy compared to Lu Xiu's instances! So easy that they even doubted whether they were imagining things!

These Nine Provinces players are used to the deadly sword fights in Sekiro, where a single misstep can lead to total defeat; they're used to the high-speed mobility in Titanfall; and they're used to dodging monstrous monsters unarmed in Outlast.

Bringing their combat instincts honed in the Lu Xiu instance, they entered the Prison Rock instance, fully prepared to be tormented. However, they found that the monsters in the instance were, to put it bluntly, child's play!

Those seemingly intimidating enemies are actually full of flaws in their eyes—they can outmaneuver the bosses in the dungeon like dogs with just the most basic dodging skills!

It's like someone who dances in a gravity chamber every day wearing shackles, and then one day all the restraints are suddenly removed.

It was placed in a normal gravity environment.

That sense of lightness, that feeling of overwhelming and omniscient attack, gave all the Nine Provinces players who participated in the counterattack a strong sense of unreality.

"That's it? This is the SS-rated dungeon in Prison Rock?"

"No, how can this be considered worthy of comparison? Although the damage is extremely high, doesn't the enemy even have a second-stage counter-attack?"

Even a fast or slow blade?

"I thought it would be much harder, but the moment that monster raised its hand, I knew what it was going to do. My body moved instinctively, but it just stayed in place—wouldn't Lu Xiu have chased after it like a mad dog?"

"The mechanics are interesting—but the dungeon enemies are no good. Those Prison Rock players tried to use their familiarity with the dungeon to kite me, but I wiped them out along with the monsters."

"I think Lu Xiu has completely ruined me----"

On the Nine Provinces Forum, posts about the Prison Rock instance sprang up like mushrooms after rain, and every word was filled with shock.

They originally thought the Cross-Realm Arena would be an extremely brutal, meat grinder-like bloodbath.

But on the first day, the players from Prison Rock were thoroughly defeated by Lu Xiu's SS-rated dungeon.

They believed that when they attacked, even if the dungeon built by the Prison Rock Architect wasn't as monstrous as Lu Xiu's, it would still be something special.

Now, upon selecting, I discovered there was nothing at all.

Slowly.

The players in Nine Provinces realized what was happening.

----Only after leaving Lu Xiu's instance did I suddenly realize that it wasn't raining outside at all!

She's the only one who's weird!

Oh shit.

I've been scammed!!!