Becoming a Shadow in the New World

Seeing his queen's indecisiveness in the face of his offensive, Shiki Sona smiled confidently.

But then he suddenly froze, the smile on his face vanished, and he lowered his head, hiding his eyes in the shadow of his glasses.

"Cangna?"

Shinra Tsubaki noticed her master's sudden change in expression and looked up at Shito Sona with a puzzled expression.

"I am fine."

Faced with Shinra Tsubaki's concern, Shiki Sona simply shook her head slightly, indicating that she was fine and should continue playing chess.

Seeing that Shiki Sona had said that, Tsubaki Shinra treated what had just happened as an accident and refocused her attention on the Go board.

Unlike before, when they started playing again, Sona no longer held back. In just over ten moves, he put Shinra Tsubaki in check.

As the game ended, neither Shiki Sona nor Shinra Tsubaki got up or started another game. Instead, they sat quietly. Clearly, Shinra Tsubaki had sensed something was wrong with her master.

"Not bad, it's making my hands itch. Interested in playing another round with me?"

Suddenly, a dark figure appeared by the window, back to the sunlight, making it impossible to see his face.

"I am deeply honored to be invited by the world-renowned Shadow, but I am very curious as to why Lord Shadow is here."

Unfazed by the sudden sound, Sona touched the glasses on her nose and calmly said with a confident smile.

"Want to know?"

"If it's something I can't say, then forget it."

"It's not that I can't say it, it's just that telling you this makes me feel like I'm at a disadvantage."

"If you beat me, I'll tell you."

Sid shrugged and spoke in a very relaxed and casual tone.

"Then... if I lose, what price will I have to pay?"

"I don't need anything. I just got a little itchy to play chess after watching you guys play. Don't you want to?"

"It's impossible."

"Then let's get started."

Hearing her master's conversation with Sid, Shinra Tsubaki wisely gave up her seat.

"50!"

"?"

After sitting down, Sid said a number.

"You're Bai, you go first."

"It seems you're quite confident, Lord Shadow."

"No, this is my first time playing chess."

Upon hearing this, the confident smile on Shichiko's face froze for a moment, and he could only utter one sentence.

“Lord Shadow, how humorous.”

After saying that, the game officially began.

Twenty rounds ago, Zhi Qu Cang Na remained calm.

After twenty rounds, the composure on Sona's face vanished.

By the thirtieth round, the time it took for Sona to play the game had increased.

In the fortieth round, Zhiqu Cangna's face turned pale.

In Sona's initial plan, there was only one outcome to this game: her victory.

She could tell from Sid's first move that he was telling the truth; it really was his first time playing chess, because his posture was worse than that of a complete beginner who had just learned to play.

Shiki Sona wouldn't claim to be the best chess player in the world, but she also didn't believe that someone who had never played chess before could defeat her.

But the reality on the chessboard was slapping her in the face; her brain was telling her that she could only hold out for a few more moves before being checkmated.

You call this your first time playing chess?

You're a newbie to P.

Looking back now, how could someone who watched her match against Shinra Tsubaki and then invited her to play be a complete novice who had never played Go before?

Shadow's initial casual demeanor was less like that of a newbie and more like he was telling her that he didn't consider her his opponent.

Since they are not opponents, there is no need to worry about the posture when playing chess.

Thinking of this, a hint of helplessness appeared on Zhiqu Cangna's face.

A true powerhouse, this is a real powerhouse, but...

Zhiqu Cangna made another move.

It won't be that easy for me to lose.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

can't read.

Looking at the chessboard in front of him, this was Sid's honest thought. The only thing he knew was that the advantage should be his right now... right?

"Snapped!"

Zhiqu Cangna made her move, picking up a piece he didn't recognize and placing it in a position he didn't know the purpose of.

"the world!"

Time seemed to stand still once again.

In this frozen world, Sid pulled out a mirror.

Sid wasn't lying; not counting the pawn piece Rias gave him, this was indeed his first time playing chess.

But it didn't matter. He believed that with his talent and hard work, he would definitely be able to unleash his protagonist aura and defeat Shinobu Sona.

Divination, begin!

Hmm... has he already checked the checkmate? That's great.

The time stop was lifted, and Sid followed the steps he had just divined to kill Sona.

"I lost."

Knowing that he had lost, Shiki Sona was not too frustrated; instead, he showed a relieved smile.

No, you didn't lose.

"?"

Shido Sona expressed his confusion at what Shido said.

"This is the 45th round. Rounding up, I'd say you've won by half."

Upon hearing this, Shiki Sona's eyes widened in shock. Now, she finally understood what Sid meant by the number he had mentioned earlier. Her condition for victory was not winning, but lasting until the fiftieth round.

So, from the very beginning, she was under his control?

After figuring it out, I felt another surge of anger.

Humiliation, this is humiliation for her.

"Then... I wonder if Lord Shadow could tell me the purpose of my trip, now that I've won halfway?"

Even though she was furious at Sid's words, Shiki Sona suppressed her anger and wanted to know Sid's purpose.

"Because I only won halfway, I can only tell you half of the story. I came here at someone's invitation to watch the so-called 'battle between the strongest.'"

Leaving behind a meaningful smile, Sid vanished in wisps of black mist, leaving only Shido Sona and Shinra Tsubaki sitting quietly to the side.

"Your Highnesses, did you all hear that? Do you intend to cancel Rias's ranking game? Recently, the only thing that fits what Shadow said is the battle between Rias and Raiza."

After Sid left, Zhiqu Cangna took out a necklace, and a projected image was projected from the pendant in the middle of the necklace.

The scene shows three men and one woman. Two of the men are working together to subdue the woman, while the third man is looking at Shiki Sona from the front of the screen.

"Cangna, you know, your sister loses her mind when something happens to her."

Noticing the gaze that Shiki Sona was looking at, the man gave an awkward laugh and offered an explanation.

“I understand, Your Highness Ajeka.”

She nodded, indicating that she understood. After all, no one knew her sister Seraph better than she did.

"Let me go, Sazex! Sona is in danger! I need to get to her right now!"

"Calm down, Seraph. As the leader of the demons, you know what kind of impact your presence in other territories will have. Besides, your sister is fine now."

"Who knows if that shadowy figure left behind any tricks? I can't worry about that now, I just need to..."

Ignoring the sounds coming from behind, Shiki Sona looked at the slightly flamboyant green-haired man behind her with a hesitant expression.

"Really... can't it be canceled? That's Shadow."

Upon hearing Ziqu Cangnara's voice, Beelzebub smiled bitterly in a helpless tone.

"We're already in a bind."