Although Ichin hadn't mentioned it aloud, the parry mechanic was written clearly in the instructions.

After blocking two of the Lothric Knight's attacks and realizing that just defending wouldn't work, Aoba thought about trying a parry.

"Maybe… parrying could work?"

With that thought, Aoba released her guard while backing away and pressed the LT button for the shield parry. Her character swung the shield forward.

Eriri said excitedly, "If normal slashes don't work, then yeah, try parrying! Aoba, go for it!"

By now, Aoba had built up a good bit of confidence. She nodded and stared intently at the approaching Lothric Knight.

Soon, the knight reached her, raised his longsword, and brought it down.

Aoba pressed the parry button right then.

Her shield swung... but she was still struck. Her character staggered, then was hit two more times in a follow-up combo, leaving her with almost no health.

"Wha—?! Why did I fail?!"

Aoba panicked, rapidly pressing the roll button to dodge away and widen the distance.

"Let me drink—DON'T HIT ME!!"

She barely managed to start drinking from her Estus Flask when the knight closed the gap and struck again, finishing her off with ease.

YOU DIED

"Ugh, I'm dead…"

Aoba put down the controller in frustration and scratched her head. "This guy's so tough! I got too anxious. And parrying... it's way harder than I thought. Umiko-san, your turn."

"Alright, I'm up."

Umiko swapped places with Aoba and picked up the controller, a small smile on her face.

Back when Ichin had talked about Titanfall, she'd heard a bit about other game designs. At the time, she hadn't been that interested. But after watching the previous three play through this devilishly tricky test, she had to admit—this maliciously crafted game intrigued her.

With the three others as reference, Umiko obviously didn't trip up on the early enemies. She quickly made her way to the plaza where the three dogs waited.

She blocked and countered with ease, defeating the trio effortlessly, and now she stood face-to-face with the Lothric Knight who had just defeated Aoba.

Recalling Aoba's failed parry, Umiko didn't even try. She opted to play it safe.

Keeping her distance, she began circling the knight. "Ichin, you sure this guy's just a regular enemy?"

"Yup, just a basic mob," Ichin replied with a grin. "Actually, I've got several knight variants in the design—like ones with tower shields and spears. If I put a spear knight here, it'd be way harder. But yeah, this one's still a normal enemy. Hmm~ I guess I'll give you all a hint since it doesn't seem like you'll reach the end otherwise: try getting behind him. The backstab system is implemented. Light attack from behind and you'll get it."

"Backstab, huh?"

Umiko repeated the word, then confidently advanced toward the Lothric Knight with her shield up and began sidestepping around him in circles.

Since this was an early design, the knight's reaction and movement speed weren't too fast. After just a few circles, she managed to get behind him.

Locking on, she pressed the RB button.

The Lothric Knight was instantly staggered, and Umiko's character drove the sword into his back, knocking him to the ground, then pulling it out in a clean motion.

His health dropped significantly.

This might work!

Umiko didn't hesitate. As the knight got back up, she rushed in with a three-hit combo and finally took him down.

Cheers erupted from Aoba and Eriri.

"Nice!! We finally beat him!"

Eriri, still catching her breath from the excitement, shot Ichin a glare. "There was a backstab mechanic all along? Why didn't you say so earlier?!"

Ichin raised his hands innocently. "Telling you would be cheating! It's more satisfying to figure it out yourself. Besides, this is all the content I made, so better to savor it. Anyway, Umiko, head on up—there's just one last enemy. But this one isn't a regular mob. He's an elite."

"An elite enemy, huh? Sounds fun."

Nodding, Umiko moved her character up the spiral staircase and soon reached the tower's summit.

There was no barrier at the top—just an open platform. And standing there was a lone enemy wielding an uchigatana, dressed in tattered rags.

This was none other than the Uchigatana Guy—the optional miniboss outside Firelink Shrine in Dark Souls 3.

Many first-time Dark Souls 3 players, even if they managed to beat Iudex Gundyr, often got wrecked by this guy.

As soon as he noticed the player, Uchigatana Guy sheathed his sword at his waist and slowly approached in a draw-sword stance.

"Whoa! A katana? Is he going for a quick-draw strike?"

Umiko was surprised by his appearance. She'd expected a heavy-armored boss, not some half-naked ronin. But since Ichin said this was an elite enemy, she remained cautious.

Shield up, she crept closer, noticing that the katana guy wasn't attacking. He just held his pose.

Umiko wasn't one to hesitate. Seeing the enemy idle, she muttered, "If you won't make a move, then I will."

She initiated an attack.

Just before her longsword could connect, Uchigatana Guy sprang into action. With lightning speed, he parried her strike and knocked her into a stagger state.

"Eh?!"

While she was stunned, he rammed his katana straight into her—nearly draining her entire health bar in one blow.

"He can parry too?!"

Umiko shouted in shock, quickly rolling away to escape his next attack.

Ichin laughed with glee. "Hahaha, who said only shields can parry? Of course weapons can parry too!"

Umiko's face turned grim. The battlefield had no railings—one wrong step and she'd fall. And she had no doubt Ichin included fall damage.

"Tch... No choice. If I can't beat him, I'll run!"

Without hesitation, Umiko broke lock-on, turned tail, and ran back down the stairs—planning to lure the enemy to a better battleground below.

*

Author's Note:

Enjoying the story? 👀 Read 25+ chapters ahead with 2 daily updates on 👉 Patreon.com/RedX43 ❤️🔥