The work of the Go master

"It's alright. The boss's task for you is just to resist as much as possible and not lose too much of your total chips."

"I know, but judging from her performance in this round, it's going to be really hard for her not to lose by a lot." Shizuru Fuchigami shook his head and shrugged.

Yagami Kunikyo remained silent as he watched the outcome of the game.

The results are developing in an undesirable direction.

Kiko Seinoka was the obstacle he considered the most impenetrable, but he was surprised that she was still defeated.

“Is this your daughter, Is this Isshin…” he murmured.

Harushima Shika hummed a victory tune as he hopped out of the game room.

Besides reporters and media carrying cameras and microphones, waiting at the door were her teammates, and... Ke Zhiguang, who was about to take her place on the chessboard.

"See that? That's my strength!" Harushima Shika proudly puffed out his chest.

"Oh, I see it, I see it, Siguo-Siguo-Siguo." Ke Zhiguang clapped politely.

"Hehe, you know I'm powerful... Wait! What's with that tone? It sounds so sarcastic..." Harushima Shika put his hands on his hips.

"Um... well, your hairstyle is messed up." Ke Zhiguang quickly changed the subject.

"Huh? Really? Why is my hair all messed up?" Harushima Shika touched her head, unaware that she had just changed her usual way of thinking.

Hmm... it seems the Hair-Pulling Cult has gained another loyal follower.

"Well done! You truly deserve to be called the strongest woman in the world today!"

"Senior Harushima didn't make a mistake... Hmm, as expected, Senior Harushima is a tournament-type player. The more important the tournament, the more stable his performance."

“Ryuu’er did a great job today, so I’ve decided to keep at least three centimeters away from Mr. Hikaru until next week,” Hoshino said with a smile.

"Three centimeters is too close! At least make it more than twenty centimeters! No, fifty centimeters!" This time, Harushima Kashiwa reacted quickly and didn't fall for the trap.

"See? I knew you wouldn't care that the deadline is only one week. In other words, you're tacitly agreeing that I can break through the three-centimeter barrier next week, right?" Xingjia finally revealed her true colors, using her index finger and thumb to indicate a tiny distance.

With a snap, his fingers came together and crossed... as if they were making a negative distance...

"Ugh! You're so mean!"

Harujima Lu choked up, realizing he had fallen for their trap. He loudly tried to cover it up again in his Sichuan-accented construction site Japanese, so much so that no one realized what the two had just been saying.

Feeling the scene before him, Ke Zhiguang was deeply moved. In the depths of the Pacific Ocean, on a luxurious cruise ship, a celebration was being held like a banquet. There were teammates, fellow Daoists, and many strangers. There were also countless cameras, and even more people celebrating outside the cameras.

Indeed, this is the true way of chess, not some game where you spend all day figuring out how to play against strange things. A single game of chess carries the safety of countless people.

"Then it's my turn." Just as Ke Zhiguang was about to wave his arm and enter the game room—

"Wait a minute!" Shiro suddenly turned around and called out.

"Huh?" Ke Zhiguang stopped in his tracks.

Because of this sudden shout, the whole room fell silent, thinking she was about to announce something important.

As a result, Shireshima Kashima was speechless for a long time.

Honestly, she didn't know why she suddenly called out to the other person. Maybe she wanted to encourage them or something, but she hadn't prepared her words...

Perhaps he wanted to thank the other party, since in the previous game, he had managed to execute a series of brilliant moves by imitating the other party at the most crucial moment.

"Um... well... thank you very much... oh, no..." Under the watchful eyes of those around her, she stammered and stood there trying to find the right words, leaving everyone around her stunned.

"This... Princess Harushima's perplexing behavior isn't over yet?"

"That scared me to death! I thought he was going to confess his feelings."

In a state of tension and embarrassment, Harushima Shika unconsciously clenched her fists—and suddenly realized that she was holding two chess pieces.

Perhaps it was something she had accidentally brought out of the game room, but after sensing the presence of these two pieces, Harushima Shika suddenly had an inspiration.

"Catch!" Harujima Shika threw it, and Koji Hikaru caught it steadily.

"This is... asking me to guess a pair?" This was Ke Zhiguang's first reaction.

In the next round, Saito naturally picked the first stone, and the meaning of those two stones seemed to be an indication that he was guessing a pair.

"That's pretty much it. I've given you the winning code!" Harushima Shika replied smoothly, as if it were a prepared line, instantly dispelling any awkwardness.

Hmm... these lines were definitely made up on the spot.

"Understood, guess even." Ke Zhiguang nodded.

He then waved his arms and walked into the game room.

The moment I stepped inside, the door closed behind me, and my teammates' gazes disappeared behind me.

It felt like stepping into a gladiatorial arena with no way out.

Saito was already ready on the other side of the chessboard, dressed in a gray-brown trench coat like a detective and a red scarf that looked old.

This is probably the lucky charm that Saito once mentioned, the one his wife wove for him.

According to seniority, I should call her "Master's Wife".

However, there was no display similar to "[Teacher's Wife's Last Ripple]" on it.

Perhaps its positive benefits have already been exhausted.

Ke Zhiguang straightened his tie before moving his chair and sitting down.

The pressure was already building before the game even started; closing your eyes, you could almost hear the surging waves outside the ship.

Strangely enough, the weather was supposed to be fine along the planned route, but recently the weather has been particularly unusual, with dark, gloomy clouds always looming in the sky and waves and winds constantly on the verge of attack.

Like waiting for the opening of a grand banquet, a single note can ignite the entire chain of events.

However, the timing for its detonation is not now, but rather in the decisive battle a few days later.

Ke Zhiguang looked up at the gloomy sky outside the window, feeling as if there was a hole there, absorbing the essence of the entire Dragon Throne Battle, the essence of which came from every exciting game.

In other words, this game is also within its absorption range.

This bureau will become part of the final powder keg.

Before and after the chessboard, the master and apprentice waited quietly with their eyes closed, fully aware of everything.

Enough talk, let's duel!

"The Dragon Throne Battle, the sixth round of the finals, to determine who will be qualified to challenge the current Dragon Throne, shall now begin," the referee announced.

The current time is 3:30 PM.

Backup time for both sides: two hours.

Countdown time: three times per minute.

Saito reached out and grabbed the Go piece, pressing it onto the board like a trump card!

Without hesitation, Ke Zhiguang swiftly struck out the two white stones that Qingdaolu had just given him!

Guess if it's even!

The answer is revealed—it really is a pair!

It's rare for me to guess right.

In this game, Saito plays white, and Shinobu plays black.

The highly anticipated duel between master and apprentice begins! A monstrous wave surges beneath the ship's hull!

As the first chess piece was placed, the pitch-black night descended, and a sea of ​​cherry blossoms surged forth.

After an unknown number of months, the magnificent and beautiful Inari fox reappeared before Ke Zhiguang's eyes, its four long tails spreading out behind it like a mural.

The buff effects of both sides also confronted each other in the form of auras!

Kezhiguang's side—

【Butterfly Queen's Blessing】

【The Test of the Emperor's Pond】

Perfect form + competitive spirit!

Saito's side—

【The power of Royal City Chess! 】

This is?

A dreamlike stream of light, as if rejuvenating, swept across the fox god, making the fox, whom they hadn't seen for several months, look much younger, and its fur shone with a new luster.

The powers of the Imperial City Chess... you can understand them just by the name.

No wonder, even though Yagami Kunikyo is already 60 years old, he still has an overly youthful face.

But when you look at Saito across from you now, you'll find that his appearance has also changed.

It was a face that looked to be in his early twenties, almost too handsome.

Is this what you mean by "dreaming of returning to the peak era"?

Thinking about it this way, it was quite an interesting game. Not only did he defeat his teacher in a major competition, but he also defeated his teacher at the peak of his career.

But just as he was about to make his move, Ke Zhiguang noticed something unusual.

On the golden crown of the Eternal Dragon Throne, the effect of "Immunity to All Diseases"... has disappeared.

Before, it was just dim, but now it's completely gone, as if it's been deleted.

On the fox god's chest, in the area resembling his heart, there was an unusual black mark, like ink, though it wasn't very noticeable.

this......

Ke Zhiguang was stunned for a moment, then his gaze met that of the Fox God.

The Fox God nodded, confirming Ke Zhiguang's suspicions.

But the fox god's expression showed no sign of weakness, remaining as proud and holy as a warrior.

It probably means "This operation will proceed as normal".

Ke Zhiguang nodded, took a deep breath, and cleared his mind of distractions.

If I remember correctly, the Dragon Throne title seems to have healing effects, right?

Then it's decided!