The work of the Go master

"Did you feel anything unusual?"

“No, not at all.” Furuya Ikumi shook her head.

—There's no ghost here! The strangeness is written all over their faces!

"Harushima 9-dan, may the match begin?" the female referee asked, bringing Harushima Shika back to his senses.

"Yes...yes." Shiro nodded.

Just like Ke Zhiguang said, no matter what happens, in the end it's just a game of chess, and winning is all that matters.

“Okay.” Furuya Ikumi nodded firmly.

Logically speaking, as a newcomer, it's natural to feel a bit nervous when facing a top-tier female competitor like the leader of the women's team for the first time.

But at this moment, Furuya Ikumi was unusually calm, her eyes giving the impression of being unfocused and empty.

An inexplicable sense of danger...

It was as if something was controlling her...

"The match begins," the referee announced.

The entire arena fell silent, save for the clattering of pieces as people drew lots to determine who would go first.

Harushima Kashima is playing black in this game.

With a deep breath, I cleared my mind of distractions, and the chess piece struck the upper right corner of the board with a powerful, resounding thud.

Furuya Ikumi also remained calm.

The moment the piece was placed, Harujima felt a chill run down his spine, as if a cold wind had blown across his neck.

She suddenly looked up at her opponent, and froze the next moment.

Behind Furuya Ikumi, there was a shadowy thing floating around, like a wisp of black smoke, but its shape was indeed humanoid.

That humanoid figure... is looking in their direction...

I could feel that scarlet gaze...

—What exactly is this thing...?

Realizing she had overthought things, Harushima patted her cheeks, a classic Japanese gesture used to encourage herself.

Play the game carefully... place your piece.

In the Tokyo afternoon, two large title matches were held in two different locations. The sunlight cast shifting shadows on the horizon, and the colors faded rapidly after two o'clock, as if winter had arrived early and the days were very short.

Dusk has fallen.

The sound of cicadas chirping in summer sounds especially cold.

Several hours passed just like that.

An immense pressure pressed down on the chessboard, making each piece feel as heavy as lead.

Harushima Kashima's fingers fidgeted under the chessboard, her gaze lingering on the line of concentration for a long time, her body involuntarily shifting back and forth in her chair... these were her actions of contemplation.

Although she briefly joined the "hair-pulling cult" during the Dragon Throne battle, she usually sticks to her usual moves.

At this point, 116 moves have been played, and she has 20 minutes remaining while Furuya Ikumi has 6 minutes. The game is surprisingly close.

The intensity of the game was as high as the time it took to finish, making it difficult to determine the winner. The whole board was in a chaotic battle, with ko fights in the corners, gaps in the sides, and attacks in the center. If the players' names were covered up, most people would not doubt that it was Koji Hikaru and Taketo Tsutomu fighting each other, or two other aggressive players who liked to fight each other.

Harushima Shika's playing style leans towards the "sword without edge" approach. His local strength is undoubtedly formidable, but he rarely adopts a do-or-die approach, primarily focusing on gaining advantage through gradual attacks.

"Huh? Has LuLuzi not finished off her opponent yet?"

"The situation seems complicated. This person named Furuya Ikumi is quite strong."

"This game is going so slowly, the time is almost up, and we've only played less than 120 moves."

"Is LuLu Zi going to suffer an upset in the very first game?!"

The setting sun streamed into the game room, casting its light on the chessboard and pieces, and also on Shinobu Harushima's serious, thoughtful face.

powerful......

This opponent is more powerful than anyone could have imagined.

Similar in appearance and with a fighting style, it also possesses localized fighting strength that is no less than its own...

Whenever Shiori Shika calculates a potential threat point, her opponent will immediately place a piece on that point without hesitation, causing Shiori to frown in worry.

Moreover, in terms of bloodlust and belligerence on the chessboard, the opponent seems to have the upper hand... just like the crimson gaze lurking in the shadows behind him.

What would be the consequences of losing to something like this?

Thinking of this, Shiori Shika's back began to feel cold, and cold sweat soaked her back.

"Oh? Eagle Beauty, look! Lulu is wearing a bow-tie style dress today."

"Hmm, I see. The butterfly design actually suits her quite well. So the question is, is this Ke Zhiguang's taste?"

"Never mind, let's take a good look while no one else is around."

"Makes sense."

Listening to the chirping of crickets not far away, a bulging vein appeared on Qingdaolu's forehead, and his fist hardened.

The female referee appeared behind Yingmei and Xiongying, pulled them together, and pinched their temples: "You two beautiful girls, now that the game is over, how about we go out for some Coke and Sprite? Hmm?"

"We're sorry! We were wrong!"

And just like that, the two of them were kicked out.

The female referee also came over and, with the warm concern of an older aunt, draped her suit jacket over Harushima Deer.

Harushima Kashima calmed down a bit.

Although these two are idiots, their occasional attempts to act cute and raise one's blood pressure can indeed have a calming effect.

Moreover, after draping a suit jacket over his shoulders, Harushima Shika suddenly felt that it suited him much better.

Although today is a competition, it is only the first round of the Rising Star Cup, so she did not bring out her family heirloom quilt.

After all, who uses a powerful move to fight weak monsters?

Okay, actually, the main problem is that the heirloom cotton quilt is too hot to wear, especially on this hot day...

I'll just have to make do with this suit jacket for now...

The final long deliberation began, and she used up her remaining twenty minutes in one go, slamming a powerful, decisive move onto the chessboard.

Like a dragon striking from the sky, every piece on the chessboard trembled.

Final result——

On move 196, this move did not land on the board, but rather slipped into the box as if its force was unstable.

Furuya Ikumi's entire arm also hung down.

"White resigns in the middle game. Harushima 9-dan wins this game," the female referee announced.

Harushima Shika wiped the sweat from his brow with a sigh of relief, having won the game without any major setbacks.

I've made up my mind. I don't care how hot it is tomorrow. I have to put on my battle gear. If it's this intense every day, who can stand it?

But—damn it! Wouldn't this make it seem like the coat is actually my true form?!

"Congratulations, Long'er, you've won this round and avoided a disastrous defeat." Xingjia walked over, clapping her hands.

"Hey, you've come at the right time. Come and help me check if this person is normal." Harushima Shika pulled Hoshino over.

Just as they were about to question Furuya Ikumi, she suddenly collapsed onto the chessboard, sending several chess pieces flying.

The referee was startled and immediately went to find medical personnel.

As a professional Go tournament venue, it is natural to have medical staff on hand. It's not uncommon for players to have nosebleeds or collapse due to low blood sugar during a game. To prevent some players from acting impulsively after losing a game, there are even psychologists available.

"This..." Harushima Shika was stunned. "You can play chess and make someone unconscious?"

If Ke Zhiguang were there and heard these words, he would definitely chuckle a few times. Isn't this the norm in the industry?

"Let me see." Xingjia leaned over, turned the other person over, and opened their eyes to carefully observe the state of their pupils, looking very professional.

“No problem, but…” Xingjia sniffed the other person’s face closely.

"However, her aura is definitely not right; it's as if she's being possessed by something."

Faced with this conclusion reached through smell, Harushima Shika was speechless for a moment: "You were so professional just now, but it turns out you were just doing things with your nose?"

"Don't forget, my family worships the dog god."

Harujima Deer's face darkened; she hadn't expected that this explanation would work.

Not long after, the infirmary staff dragged Furuya Ikumi away.

On the other side, Ke Zhiguang also finished his battle for the day, winning a round with ease, and came to the New Star Battle to meet up with Qingdao Lu.

Recently, it's been match days, so I haven't had time to cook and have to rely on the restaurant for all my meals.

At the dinner table, Ke Zhiguang learned about this matter.

"Occupy?" Ke Zhiguang's chopsticks stopped in mid-air.

“Yes, something strange has possessed Furuya Ikumi and is using her as a medium to play Go,” Hoshino said.

This description gave Ke Zhiguang a sense of déjà vu.

Like the ghost in the Peach Blossom Inn incident, Sugimoto Sadakyu's soul would appear every night and control the innkeeper's body to play chess at the chess academy.

“I know you’ve experienced something similar, Mr. Hikaru, but this time it’s completely different,” Hoshino said.

The deer on the daisy table and the starry sky, who were also at the table, were immediately reminded of the incident that Keiji had experienced. Their first reaction was to connect this incident to the one at Peach Blossom Studio.

“This time, although Ryuu defeated Furuya Ikumi and what was behind her, Furuya Ikumi is still possessed by something and has not left her body,” Hoshiga said. “And have you forgotten that the reason why the students of Peach Blossom Abode were controlled was because they did not have rank certificates, while Furuya Ikumi was a newly entered second rank and had the protection of [Immunity to Demons].

Ke Zhiguang pondered before answering, "In other words, this time the soul is far more evil and powerful than the last one."

The fog continued to thicken, and it did not clear up with this victory of Shireshima Deer.

A mysterious soul, a night when playing chess is forbidden, an increasingly dark twilight, the capital of the Night God Kingdom lurking in the shadows, and several other dangers.

There are also various tasks on my side, the strange point 33, and the title of Dream Paradise.

Countless clues weave and intersect within this urban labyrinth, and the deeper one delves, the more unsettling and uneasy one becomes.