The work of the Go master

No one knows where this news came from, who the two players are, or what the game record looks like.

However, considering that the reference point for the current world's castle chess is the Honinbo of the previous world, then Yagami Kunikyo...

I thought that Tatsumi Koshikawa was scary enough as a man who survived the sea.

And now, suddenly, they tell him that the man sitting in front of him, speaking to him with his back to him, survived a nuclear bomb... This...

Ironically, the timeline matches up perfectly. Yagami Kunikyo is 61 years old this year, and he was 19 years old in the year of the nuclear explosion, which was the prime of his life when his chess skills were at their peak.

Does this mean this person played chess against a nuclear bomb and beat it?

If that's the case, then what should I play against to gain the upper hand over the two of them?

"I've heard that someone actually played chess under a nuclear bomb and survived?" Ke Zhiguang asked, pretending not to understand.

"There is indeed someone, and you've already guessed that it's me."

He was exposed with a single sentence.

"I don't deny that, but that's all you know."

"Is this the effect of fortune?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

"That's pretty much it. Do I still need to explain why there were no casualties?" Yagami Kunikyo said.

It basically needs no explanation.

The fact that the cruise ship capsized but no one was injured sounds fantastical, but unfortunately, this world really is a semi-fantasy world.

To put it bluntly, it's probably like Yagami Kunikyo is going to use his seemingly bottomless luck bar to tough it out.

"What would happen if Saito won?" Koji asked after a moment of silence.

"That depends on Tatsumi Koshikawa's personal fate, but in the end, he will definitely have to pay the price for his actions."

"What if I ultimately defeat Koshikawa Tatsumi, or I lose to him?" Ke Zhiguang asked again.

"I don't know, but I hope this doesn't happen, even if you win."

“That’s true, our relationship doesn’t seem to be that good.” Ke Zhiguang shrugged. “Then, going back to what you said at the beginning, you said that I, Saito, and Koshikawa Tatsumi are the same kind of people, so how did I get involved with the two of them? Am I crazy too?”

Yagami Kunikyo turned his gaze over, glanced at Keiji, and then looked away.

“No, I can’t say for sure. Maybe you’ll understand more thoroughly once you meet him on the chessboard in person… about the similarities between you and him.” He took a breath and continued, “Before this Dragon Throne Battle started, I was very worried that Saito wouldn’t join my team because he and I weren’t on the same path, just like I felt that you and I weren’t on the same path, so I gave up the idea of ​​recruiting you.”

Ke Zhiguang didn't quite understand which "back then" the other party was referring to.

Perhaps we should trace back to the beginning of the story, to the time when he defeated Kiyonuma Yuzawa, starting from that game with 47 pieces and the Hundred Eyes Dragon Slayer, when Koji Hikaru first clearly entered the opponent's field of vision.

"Then why did you call me here?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

"I didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted to confirm your resolve and see if I could persuade you to back out, but it seems just as I thought, it was all in vain." Yagami Kunikyo said, shaking his head, and poured himself a glass of red wine.

Even the red wine is displayed, [Imperial Blood Red].

Eternal youth like a vampire

It has a cooling effect that makes you breathe in the cool air.

Perhaps this is one of Yagami Kunikyo's beauty secrets.

The truth is, he turned on his tap and peeked inside to see if there was any "Araki-sensei's Tokyo tap water" or similar information.

He took a sip of his drink and said, "Next, you're going to find Inoue Hoshino as your teammate, right?"

"You even know this?"

Instead of answering the question directly, Yagami Kunikyo continued, "She is indeed a good choice. One of my backup plans was to choose her as the vice commander and then let my junior sister take a normal position, or even the commander. But after thinking about it, I didn't do that. She might not be on my side."

Does she have the ability?

"Like I said, you'll understand once you get to know her and where her value lies. You can also ask her some secrets; she's one of the few people in the chess world who can reveal important secrets."

As he spoke, Yagami Kunikyo moved another cup on the table, refilled it, and then moved it toward Keiji Hikaru.

Ke Zhiguang hesitated for a moment and did not accept the offer.

"No need for alcohol, this will do for me." Ke Zhiguang stood up naturally, picked up another empty glass, and poured some plain water into it.

Do not drink the blood of demons indiscriminately, lest you be bound by a strange pact.

Don't forget, the number -666 on Yagami Kunikyo's body is always alarming.

"That's far too cautious," Yagami Kunikyo muttered to himself.

He handed the cup to Ke Zhiguang, as if making a clinking motion.

Ke Zhiguang symbolically raised his glass, making that gesture from a distance.

So Yagami Kunikyo downed his glass of red wine in one gulp, while Keiji took a few sips.

"That's it, I should be able to go now." Ke Zhiguang put down his cup, got up, and left.

"I'll give you one last piece of advice: you are not strong enough to defeat Tatsuki Koshikawa in your current form."

Ke Zhiguang stopped, unsurprisingly.

Sure enough, this group of people liked to reveal the most important things when others got up after leaving.

"If you think Saito can defeat him and I can't, then Saito can definitely take down my team. So why are you worried about me facing off against Koshikawa Tatsumi?" Ke Zhiguang analyzed clearly.

"You have a higher chance of defeating Saito because it only takes one game, while the final is a best-of-three series, which is not the same as a regular single game."

That makes sense, because in a best-of-three format, there are more uncontrollable and strange factors that can affect the outcome.

No one can explain what factors are at play. Some people are born to be runners-up, while others never lose once they reach the final of a best-of-three series. The only way to stop such a person from winning the championship is to defeat them in the semifinals and force them into third place.

"Only a true master of victory and defeat could defeat Tatsumi Koshikawa in a best-of-three match, because he was also a powerful master of victory and defeat."

I see. Saito is indeed very deserving of the title of "master of victory and defeat."

As the eternal Dragon Throne, having won countless best-of-three matches, he became a great master of victory through trials of blood and fire, and of course, he also needed the tempering of time.

As for whether I am a great master of winning and losing, who knows?

"Then, according to your opinion, Mr. Yu Chengqi, what conditions do I still need to become a master of victory and defeat?" Ke Zhiguang asked in a flat voice.

"You need to be in a desperate situation. You can't defeat Koshikawa Tatsumi if you don't put yourself in a desperate situation. He's that kind of person. He likes the feeling of being in a desperate situation. You can only defeat him if you are in a desperate situation as well."

"That sounds reasonable... Well then, I'll take my leave."

As the elevator descended, the pressure hovering overhead finally left me.

I finally understand what Kiyonuma Yuzawa meant when he said this person has a very strong symbolic spirit.

It really is a dragon king that sits atop the castle tower...

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Shrouded in a Grand Theme

The elevator reached the bottom floor, and after passing through the lobby, I came out onto the street, breathing in the fresh air of the living world.

The sheer volume of information was overwhelming.

-666 Demon Points

The man who survived the nuclear explosion.

And the most crucial information: the tsunami and the chess game.

Sure enough, this broken game is evolving towards high-level martial arts. If this trend continues, the next chess tournament will probably have to be held in a nuclear power plant, the kind where the loser blows it up.

As for the desperate situation and the master of victory and defeat mentioned by Yagami Kunikyo at the end, these are not within the scope of Ke Zhiguang's thinking for the time being. These are things that can only be explored slowly in the game.

There are still many minor mysteries that are hard to recall at the moment.

In short, a sense of grand, fateful theme suddenly welled up within me, and the clear blue sky and calm sea seemed like the calm before a storm.

Ke Zhiguang glanced back at the tall buildings behind him.

This office building, located in the heart of the bustling port area, was originally intended for commercial use in the financial sector. However, an entire floor of it has been turned into a residence by Ye Shen Guojing. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows is a private open-air courtyard with a pool, and the overwhelming aura of power is so intense that it's hard to keep one's eyes open.

I always felt that there was a dragon's tail covered in scales hanging down from the roof, but passersby couldn't see it.

Regardless, I hope that when the economic bubble bursts, we'll see news of this place being forced to sell at a low price, which would show that Yagami Kokyo has been badly ripped off.

"Mr. Ke, it looks like you've run into another headache?" Shi Quan's figure emerged from behind a nearby telephone pole.

This...this is truly the standard way a stalker makes their entrance, always popping out from under the tatami mats or behind telephone poles in these eerie places.

"You know about my conversation with Yagami Kunikyo?" Ke Zhiguang didn't quite believe it.

He no longer cared about Shi Quan's identity or anything like that. Anyway... he could just treat him as a companion, right?

“No, not really, but I can roughly guess what he said to you, like… well, actually I can’t guess either. Tell me, what was his reason for summoning you?” Shi Quan admitted.

After a conversation, he basically understood the whole situation.

"A game where you could lose at any moment is, in a way, really exciting."

Although this statement is unethical, it does have some truth to it.

"Hot-blooded as I may be, what I'm most worried about right now is that Ye Shen Guojing is trying to trick us. If we really fail and he runs away, we'll be left to face the tsunami head-on," Ke Zhiguang said.

If this is really going to happen, it would be best to withdraw from the competition and run away now.

No, it's simpler to just physically kill Tatsumi Koshikawa.

"In that case, probably not. Guojing is a man of his word. If he says he'll use his luck to withstand the tsunami, then he really will go all out." Shi Quan nodded with a smile.

"Kokyo?" Ke Zhiguang was surprised. Was this person so close to Yagami Kokyo?

"Ah, no, no, no, I meant Mr. Mishiro. He is an excellent Go player. Even if he really has a conflict with you, he will only choose to resolve it on the Go board, not with such petty tricks... Besides, that ship will carry the essence of the entire Go world. If it were to sink like this, the Go world would be finished. Mishiro will not let the ship sink."

Shi Quan looked up at the high buildings and said that perhaps he was looking at the high and mighty capital of the Night God Kingdom.

Even if the other side of the scales is his own personal safety?

Shi Quan nodded: "That's right. And even if Yu Chengqi is hit head-on by the tsunami, he might not die. Since he won't die, he has the possibility of starting over."

That makes sense. People who survive an atomic bomb might actually be just as resilient as those who survive a tsunami.

"Have you decided on your last teammate yet?" Shi Quan asked again.

"It's decided, Inoue Seiya will marry. What are your thoughts?"

"That's right, that's what I think too."