The work of the Go master

A line of life and death severed the players' camps, raising a battle flag of relentless struggle between them.

On the battlefield, chess pieces, buffeted by a strong wind, slammed down from a great height! Sparks flew across the chessboard!

In the metaphysical world, the pitch-black flames are thrown into the sky, and all the symbolic spirits and black serpents strive for the highest point, vying for the laurel wreath hanging at the top of the tree branches.

With a twitch at the corner of his eye, Harushima Kashiya swiftly placed a piece and turned to press the timer.

This time, it was the person sitting opposite her who started twitching their eyes, and even their mouth started twitching uncontrollably.

The chess player sitting opposite her shakily reached out and pressed the timer, indicating that he had conceded defeat.

The moment the timer reset to zero, the dragon-shaped breath descended from the sky, engulfing the black snake completely.

"Harushima Shika 9-dan won this game and advanced to the next round."

Harujima Shika exhaled softly, slowly drawing the folding fan from her bosom, tracing an arc in the air as if making a nimble slash.

Well, she didn't know what the point of doing this was. Anyway, Ke Zhiguang did it every day, so she just copied him.

"With a bamboo sword forged to the eighth dan, and one hundred and three moves, I swiftly defeated Totsuka Yasunobu, a sixth dan!"

"Xuan Yuzhi reached the 8th dan level, defeated Akiyama Yukihira in the middle game with 193 moves, and successfully advanced!"

"The Chess Academy team is unstoppable!"

The "Go Academy Group" refers to the Go players who are currently in the Go Academy training camp, while the other group is called the "Oshiro Go Group."

Just as good news was pouring in, a new development struck the news headquarters.

"On the other hand, the situation here at the Oshiro Go School is not to be underestimated. Takezawa Yuuka has defeated her opponents within 120 moves in several consecutive games. In addition, there are Kai Tofu, Katagiri Michihiro, and others. Their killing power on the board is also not to be underestimated."

"Wait a minute! Who are these people? They all seem to be a bunch of second-tier players. And what's that Takezawa Yuuka? Isn't she a streamer? She could go on a killing spree right there?"

"Well... considering Inoue Hoshino's inspiring story of overcoming adversity, I think the current situation is somewhat understandable..."

On the other side, far from the center of the battlefield, Ke Zhiguang waited quietly in front of the screen, adjusting his state, ready to start the next match at any moment.

Recently, he has been keeping a low profile, spending all his time mastering game matchmaking. He eats his meals at the convenience store downstairs, occasionally stopping at the bakery on the right for a better meal, as if he has completely isolated himself from the world.

Logically, after a period of time, he should have appeared very depressed, but he didn't.

Whenever he woke up, the trash and snack bags on the coffee table would be emptied, the entire living room would be spotless, and clean sheets and clothes would always be hanging on the balcony, as if a skillful head maid was taking care of everything behind the scenes.

Incidentally, she also seems to be in charge of shaving and similar jobs; during this time, Ke Zhiguang's stubble hasn't grown at all.

The thought of her sneaking over with a razor and shaving my face while I'm asleep is so intriguing.

In a match, consciousness disconnects and reconnects, blood boils and cools, and the racetrack of thought gradually slows down.

Ke Zhiguang slightly opened his eyes, peering through his fingers at the results on the screen as if watching a horror movie—

(6/10)

Another victory.

Zero continued to clap lightly: "Well done, another successful step forward. In more palatable terms, we can already see the horizon of hope."

"This... does this 'popular' mean the 'horizon' that you can see but never reach'?" Ke Zhiguang accurately quoted a Soviet joke.

"That depends on how you see it."

After the game ended, Ke Zhiguang did not rush to continue matching, but went to the balcony to relax a bit.

Stepping through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the temperature dropped several degrees, making Tokyo colder than ever before.

He looked towards the horizon and saw a snowstorm brewing in the distance.

A very ominous premonition.

"Alright, break time is over, you can go back to work now."

"To be honest, I've only rested for less than ten seconds."

What I mean is... you don't have much time left.

The ice and snow are quietly approaching.

The battle continues into a new day, and the city's skies grow heavier with each passing day.

The referees patrolled the field with grim expressions; everyone noticed that something was amiss.

In the match between the Go Academy group and the Imperial City Go group, no matter which side wins, the winner will suddenly lower their head and slump their shoulders, as if they have entered a coma. After a while, they will get up and find a secluded place to lie down again.

In more serious cases, patients are directly admitted to the infirmary. While it's one or two such incidents, the large-scale occurrences we've seen recently are unprecedented.

Shusaku calmly leaned over the chessboard, feeling a bit of pressure.

As time progresses and the competition deepens, the pressure from the other side of the chessboard continues to increase, like sinking deeper and deeper into the sea. Ultimately, only whale-level creatures are qualified to stand on the deep-water stage.

After some thought, he flipped a chess piece that he had been playing with for a long time and slammed it down, hitting the opponent's weak point.

The black serpent spread its wings and swooped down with the force of cutting through the sea, strangling its opponent in one blow!

"The winner of this round is Katagiri Michihiro, who advances to the next round." The referee paused for a moment before realizing the result.

Piantongbo is the name of this body, but that's all just details.

Watching Shusaku's departing figure, the judges fell silent for a moment.

"Hey, don't you guys think his recent playing style has become really retro?"

"Yes, especially the old standard opening move of guarding the corner with a small point, it's exactly the same as the legendary ancient Go master, Shusaku."

Hearing such boasting, Xiu Ce lowered his gaze and revealed a knowing "I've got it" expression.

"So you're Xiu Ce, huh?" A haughty voice came from right in front of him, causing him to look up in surprise.

Bamboo sword forging stood defiantly in his way.

"Is this an attempt to start the war prematurely?" Shusaku returned the same look.

"No, I'm just here to admire the splendor of the ancients and, incidentally, to see what kind of guy is going to be defeated by me." Bamboo Blade Forging sizing up his opponent with a brow furrowed, making no attempt to hide his provocation.

Veins bulged on Xiu Ce's forehead, and sparks flew between the two, causing onlookers to feel a static shock for no apparent reason.

With winter approaching, static electricity is indeed a common problem.

After exchanging friendly glances, the two brushed past each other, leaving each other with an infuriating impression.

As the competition progresses, the influence of fortune is subtly altering the world's environment, with many winter plants withering away as if their lives have been taken away by death.

Power outages and traffic accidents occur frequently in this city, but these minor incidents are not enough to alarm the city's residents.

Similarly, since the start of the competition, the stock market has been rising continuously, people's desires have been increasing, the city at night is more dazzling and bright than ever before, and the bubbles have turned from gold to color.

In the central district, amidst the bustling high-rises, Yagami Kyo gazes at the city's current scenery.

Besides the beauty, he also saw the flames of war, the flames of war that he himself had ignited and fueled.

The butler came up behind him and reported, "The main members of Ke Zhiguang's team are all advancing smoothly and their momentum is very strong. Our ancient chess masters are doing similarly. We expect to meet smoothly in the finals. However, we have the advantage in mid-level players. If all goes well, we can win more than sixteen out of twenty matches."

Seeing that Yagami Kunikyo hadn't responded for a while, the butler assumed he was lost in thought and tentatively asked, "Mr. Kunikyo?"

“I’m listening,” said Yagami Kunikyo. “I’m just thinking, what a beautiful era this is. Players can clash across time, there’s endless wealth, and mysterious fortune-telling effects. If there is a creator in this world, it must have been created with Go at its center.”

He added, "However... this is ultimately just a utopia, a utopia destined to perish. What is happening now is both the final celebration and the final resistance."

The butler instinctively replied, "Only one person can live forever in this utopia."

“Yes, there is only one person.” Yagami Kunikyo nodded firmly, then turned around resolutely. “Let’s release the final information about the Castle Chess Tournament to the media and push the flames to their highest point.”

"clear."

In a hotel in Shinjuku, the second Women's Cup has already reached its later stages.

Protected by the quilt, Harushima Deer was in an extremely high state, her upper body swaying unconsciously, her pupils contracting repeatedly.

Her opponent in this round is Fuchigami Shizuru.

After all, it's a serious competition, and it's impossible to face the ancient group every round. Occasionally, there will be internal battles.

It has to be said that sometimes internal battles are more motivating and exciting, and it's no wonder that some teams are born to be kings of internal battles.

Time slowly ticked by on the chessboard, and just as Harushima Kashiwa was about to make his move, Fuchigami Shizuru pressed the bell to resign first.

"Fine, I lost. You got me again, little princess," Shizuru Fuchigami replied with a yawn, showing no remorse for admitting defeat.

"No, you clearly still have a chance to win, why would you resign so quickly? Besides, I haven't even played yet," Harushima Shika said, somewhat puzzled.

Normally, even if you choose to concede, you have to wait until the opponent's piece is placed before you concede, and Shiorishima hadn't even made her move yet.

"Mainly considering the gap in strength between you and me, I felt that even if I continued to resist, I would still lose, and I would lose badly, so I simply surrendered first."

Harushima Shika sighed: "I've had this feeling before, I always felt that you give up too easily, not only in Go, but in other areas as well."

Shizuru Fuchigami was taken aback: "Really?"

“Although I don’t know, I feel like it does.” Harushima Shika looked at the other person with a lecturing attitude.

Yuan Shang Jing Liu's gaze lingered on the scenery outside the window for a long time before finally turning away: "Then I'll trouble you, little princess, to set an example of never giving up for me."

"Hey! Why are you passing the buck to me again?! I'm seriously pointing out your problems!"

"Anyway, please take good care of yourself in the upcoming matches. We're all watching you from behind." Shizuru Fuchigami looked sincerely at Shika Harushima.

Looking at the back view, it's a rather evocative description.

Finally, the day came when she had the chance to show her back to others.

Incidentally, if Ke Zhiguang were present, upon hearing the phrase "back view," he would most likely have quipped that Shizuru Harushima's reputation was truly cemented...

As I walked out of the arena, an electronic screen in the distance was displaying information about Yucheng Chess.

To be honest, this is quite an unpredictable competition. Not only are the participants only allowed to choose one-on-one matches, but the competition is also less than ten days away, and the location hasn't even been announced yet.

"Tokyo Tower, the location of this Oshiro Go Tournament, is the highest point in Tokyo and even in all of Japan. I hope it is worthy of this great match."

The moment the news was announced, it sent another powerful wave of excitement through the public, stimulating a new round of discussion.

For the first time in history, a Go tournament is to be held at the top of Japan. If it is to surpass the Tokyo Tower in both symbolic significance and actual height, then the tournament venue will probably have to be built next to Mount Fuji.

Ke Zhiguang also received the news on time. Just before the news was announced, he had a mental suggestion that told him to turn on the TV.

"Tokyo Tower..."

"Isn't it a great place? It gives you a feeling of being in control of the world. Only a place this high up can be worthy of the title 'Final Battle'," Zero said.

Ke Zhiguang smacked his lips.