Chapter 625: The Beginning of the Brotherhood in Another World and the Elves Learning Dynasty Warriors Style

Yet it was Lucy who delivered him—the woman researcher who had once guided Desmond into the Animus during the events of the first Assassin’s Creed, now revealed to be a secret member of the Assassin Order.

To wage war against the modern Templars, he found himself compelled to step into yet another Animus.

By retracing the memories of another ancestor, Ezio, he sought a path forward, while the Bleeding Effect gradually transformed him into a true Assassin in both name and deed.

The narrative also briefly touched upon how the modern-day Templars had discovered their previous sanctuary, forcing them to relocate to a new refuge.

The Animus 2.0 was an upgraded model developed by Rebecca Crane, an Assassin engineer who had painstakingly assembled this brand-new version at the Brotherhood hideout using partial schematics secretly transmitted by Lucy Stillman, an Assassin spy embedded deep within Abstergo's Rome division.

It resembled a crimson lounge chair, possessing capabilities that were vastly superior to its predecessor.

"Wow! This magical artifact has actually been upgraded again," Thera could not help but exclaim in wonder.

"Rest assured, it is only made to look more realistic, just like the teleportation magic circles crafted by the Duran Workshop. It is certainly not the real thing!" a golden gryphon knight sitting opposite her chuckled, taking a large gulp of the iced black tea to his right.

"I wish I could come here every day to browse the network," Thera spoke with excitement. "I love this setting. To think that a mystical cultivation realm could possess such a complete and thrilling narrative."

She could not help but anticipate what kind of tale this new chronicle would unfold.

Helen elegantly sipped her milk tea and remarked, "Though, I prefer the atmosphere of this establishment."

The layout near the window of the new shop featured pairs of broad, leather sofas arranged side by side. Helen sat right beside her, with the other elves situated behind them. The opposite seats were occupied by the golden gryphon knights. The window-side arrangements were paired off, offering a serene environment, while at that moment, Irina and several other assassins sat at the stone, oval-shaped long table near the counter.

It was a vantage point where the elves could easily glance over whenever they left their seats for the counter.

During moments of leisure, one could casually observe how others played, and even offer a cheer upon witnessing an exceptional maneuver. This was unlike those traditional cultivation realms, where each practitioner was confined to an isolated chamber; without a spell projection, no one would ever know what magnificent battles were fought within.

The plot of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood chronicled the tale of Ezio, who had by then acquired the Piece of Eden and matured into a true Master Assassin.

He had thought the war was over, for Ezio was not an overly ambitious man. Much like Altaïr, he had come to comprehend the true essence of the Assassin’s Creed.

Life was meant to return to tranquility, yet Cesare Borgia, the son of the Pope and a Templar himself, led an army to breach the villa belonging to Ezio and his uncle, Mario. In the midst of protecting the townspeople during the retreat, Uncle Mario met a brutal end, and Ezio barely managed to escape with his life, fleeing toward Rome.

Cesare Borgia did not merely covet the Piece of Eden; he also plotted to overthrow his own father to seize absolute power, proving himself a man who would stop at nothing to achieve his desires. To resist the Templars led by this fiercely ambitious Cesare, the only recourse was to revitalize the Brotherhood.

Meanwhile, within Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, the modern-day storyline had also made significant strides. For instance, their new sanctuary was established within the villa left behind by Mario, and the modern sequence now incorporated virtual training for the protagonist, Desmond.

By this time, the real-world Desmond had already mastered most of the assassin skills possessed by his ancestors, including Eagle Vision and the Leap of Faith.

The virtual training allowed for the practice of numerous combat techniques that could otherwise only be utilized during regular gameplay.

Irina had clearly passed the prologue of the game by now, and before her eyes lay the familiar silver-gray memory matrix. She quickly noticed a variety of choices for combat technique training, such as counter-attacks, proficiency with various weapons, hidden blade assassinations, and execution streaks.

The execution streak was a newly added mechanic, requiring absolute precision and efficiency against any target. Amidst a crowd, every foe had to be dispatched with a flawless, single fatal blow. Any parry, dodge, or deflected strike would result in a failed streak; thus, every minute detail demanded perfection, serving as an extreme test of combat mastery.

In truth, the execution streak existed in the original game, making it relatively simple for Ezio to slaughter an entire city single-handedly. The system recreated this faithfully, though it naturally differed from the original game's timed button presses. This required an ultimate level of control and highly sophisticated technique to achieve such fluid combat without the aid of martial energy or spiritual aura.

Evidently, as a Master Assassin, Ezio was entirely capable of this feat. As for the players...

"Ah—!" Following a sharp scream, Irina found herself lying on the ground, beset by a beating from over a dozen well-equipped Templars.

After completing the first Assassin’s Creed, executing a streak against two or three regular targets during normal play might have been manageable, but to face more than a dozen at once and slay every single one with a lethal blow without a single miss?!

Those well-trained, heavily armored knights were no fools, and with everyone possessing similar strength, no one held an inherent advantage over another.

Even an assassin of Irina's caliber felt her face turn pale upon witnessing such an inhuman training regimen.

"Is this even meant for humans?!"

"Forget it, forget it..." After several attempts, Irina resolved to progress through the story first, wanting to see how this Brotherhood was established and revitalized, hoping she might glean some insight from it.

After all, the assassins of the Morning Light Empire were currently on the brink of total collapse.

She could always return to practice this execution streak later.

"Oh dear!" The elven maiden Thera was clearly unable to endure it either, staring at the desaturated grey screen with tears welling in her eyes.

"Why can't I succeed..."

In truth, she found such combat techniques rather splendid. As an elf, her stealth attempts often failed, leaving her with no choice but to engage in direct combat.

Such battles fully demonstrated the superiority of technique, and if accompanied by the phrase "Do not assassinate, go unvanquished," it would be grand indeed! With her return to the elven forest drawing near, if she could master such superb combat skills before returning to the Silver Moon Forest...

The mere thought filled her with excitement.

Glancing sideways, she discovered that several of her elven teammates were also practicing diligently.

"Ah! I must study hard as well!"

At the thought of what lay ahead upon her return to the Silver Moon Forest, she exerted herself with even greater fervor.

...

Meanwhile, within the grand cathedral of Azure Light City.

"Lord Luther and the masters of the Duran Workshop should be setting out soon, correct?" The red-robed high priest gazed into the distance, remarking placidly, "Soon, the glory of the Gods will advance further, shining upon that quiet and peaceful forest."

"It is high time those isolated elves witness the exceptional craftsmanship of our Judgement Hall!" Ge Sila added with a cold, mocking laugh.