The work of the Go master

The adjustments have been completed.

It's time to hit the road.

[Shadow of the Crane] deactivated!

The moment the prop was deactivated, a TV station's car drifted over and stopped right in front of Ke Zhiguang.

"Ke, Ke Zhiguang, 9th Dan! What are you doing here?"

"The competition is about to start, please get in the car quickly, we can postpone the interview!"

Efficiency has been unexpectedly high, and transportation is readily available.

After boarding the car and passing through bustling streets and heavy snow, Ke Zhiguang arrived at the foot of Tokyo Tower in an instant. It shone brightly in the night, and the slowly falling snowflakes resembled volcanic ash filling the sky.

"Ke Zhiguang, 9th Dan, this is the only way we can take you. Please go up alone from here on out. There will be no one else along the way," the staff member said.

"Does that mean... this place has been cleared out?"

"Yes, apart from the necessary security personnel and staff inside Tokyo Tower, there are only Mr. Mishiro and the two of you. There isn't even a referee."

"Understood." Ke Zhiguang nodded.

That sounds really impressive.

A single chess match took up the entire Tokyo landmark building, holding the chessboard high like a torch.

Only a venue of this caliber and of this standard is worthy of this competition.

Ke Zhiguang walked into the Tokyo Tower, his figure disappearing from the camera's view.

Since there were no other tourists or visitors today, the interior of Tokyo Tower was mostly dark, but the outside lights were enough to illuminate the vast and simple space, and footsteps echoed.

It was getting closer and closer. The pressure from above spread down like a torrent, its crimson color, rich and luxurious like fine wine, and its massive, powerful heartbeat caused the entire iron tower to tremble. Only the emperor among dragons possessed this level of intimidation.

Ke Zhiguang stood at the entrance of the sightseeing elevator, feeling that the next shot would pay homage to "The Shining," with tons of ketchup pouring down from above.

However, it did not happen.

Take a deep breath, step into the elevator, and ascend!

150 meters, the grand observation deck!

As the elevator ascended, in addition to the increasing pressure, Ke Zhiguang also saw the beautiful scenery of the entire city, so magnificent it looked like scattered gold. It turned out that when the perspective was widened, the city looked more like gold, rather than the pink color seen up close.

Snowflakes drifted onto the windowpane, turning into spiderweb-like water droplets, and Ke Zhiguang saw his reflection in the glass.

This is actually Koji Koji's first time visiting Tokyo Tower. He hadn't come before because he thought queuing was too much trouble.

I never imagined that on my first visit, I would arrive with the aura of a privileged class, able to reach the top level without hindrance and confront the opponents I should be facing.

With a ding, the elevator arrived at its destination. Ke Zhiguang's sharp gaze immediately vanished as he stepped out into the storm, his folding fan tightly gripped in his hand.

"You've arrived, even more punctual than I expected." A deep, steady voice echoed in the empty exhibition hall.

The capital of Yagami Kingdom is ready.

A pure white suit accentuated his athletic physique.

Spotlights were set up from all sides, focusing the chessboard on the center, while cameras recorded the game.

As he said, it was a match between two people, without even a referee.

"Then, let's begin... our battle, Ke Zhiguang."

Chapter 40. When the background music all disappeared.

Ke Zhiguang took a deep breath.

The snowflakes continued to fall gracefully, separating the silent 150-meter observation deck from the exquisite outside world, making the entire city a backdrop.

It remained peaceful, without the slightest disturbance.

It's like a movie clip without background sound, only the ethereal sound of the north wind.

There's also the sound of my own heartbeat, and the sound of my opponent's heartbeat.

"Time really flies. In the blink of an eye... half a year has passed, and we meet again." Yagami Kunikyo sat in the center of the spotlight, his figure turning into an iron curtain on the ground.

“Yes, speaking of which, I’ve only met you once before, before the Dragon Throne Battle, in your ridiculously large office. At that time, we seemed to be on the same side.” Ke Zhiguang walked forward unhurriedly, pulled out a chair and sat down, feeling the oppressive aura of a king up close.

"I have to thank you for that. You took down Koshikawa Tatsumi. In my original plan, the best-of-three series had to be won 2-0. If Koshikawa Tatsumi had lost even one game, the consequences would have been unimaginable. But you actually managed to win the last game against his lead, which exceeded my expectations," said Yagami Kunikyo.

Ke Zhiguang tried to recall the time and had to admit that it was indeed a close call.

After being defeated by Gatanothor once, all of his buffs disappeared, while Gatanothor also unleashed its second form. The disparity in strength in the third round became instantly huge. If it weren't for [Historical Witness] frantically calling for reinforcements behind him, the outcome would probably have been completely different.

At that moment, Ke Zhiguang suddenly thought of a clue that was difficult to detect...

The demon dragon's ability is to see through the opponent's chess strength.

Ghidorah's ability is to anticipate the strategic direction of its opponents.

Gatanothor's ability is to remove all of the opponent's buffs.

Following this boss progression path, Nidhogg should also possess some kind of ability beyond the norm.

An uneasy premonition began to rise.

Ideally... ideally, you shouldn't lose a single game to the opponent, and try to win 3-0 if possible.

"Let's talk about something. There are still five minutes before the official start of the match," said Yagami Kunikyo.

"As expected, even at this level of competition, the necessary procedures still cannot be skipped... Let's chat, but I can't think of any suitable topics for the moment," Ke Zhiguang said.

Yagami Kunikyo's gaze seemed to be scrutinizing Keiji.

"You're not from this world, are you?" Yagami Kunikyo's pupils narrowed slightly, like a hunter raising a gun.

Ke Zhiguang paused for a moment.

He only briefly mentioned to Yixin that he was a time traveler, since Yixin was a fellow traveler and would accept it quickly. As it turned out, Yixin didn't really care.

After thinking for a long time, Ke Zhiguang nodded: "Yes, how did you know?"

However, as soon as the question was asked, Ke Zhiguang shook his head.

Given the extent of their charlatanry, there's probably nothing they don't know.

"So here's the question: are you from this world?" Ke Zhiguang also narrowed his gaze.

That's the question he really wanted to ask.

“Yes, I am a person of this world, unlike you and Harujima Isshin.” Yagami Kunikyo nodded, his voice calm, but his words carried extraordinary power.

“Then I also have something to say. This world is beautiful, it’s the ideal world in the hearts of chess players. In order to protect this world, I have no choice but to trouble you, as a native, to get lost.” Ke Zhiguang raised his aura a bit.

At 7:30, the match began, and at the same time, the entire Tokyo Tower shone with a new brilliance. The black and white colors unique to Go seemed to announce to everyone that the match was underway.

A handful of chess pieces were taken from Yagami Kunikyo's hand and pressed onto the chessboard.

"Is the pre-match chat over just like that?"

"This match is a best-of-five series, so we'll have plenty of opportunities to talk."

"Then... let's begin."

The north wind suddenly intensified, and the sound of the chess pieces being rubbed together during the game of guessing who would go first was drowned out by the wind and snow.

“Then… I will play black.” Yagami Kunikyo picked up the black chess piece from the chess box, which resembled black and gold dragon scales.

A thick, black flame ignited on the chess piece, a sight that was truly shocking.

Like Koshikawa Tatsumi, Koji Mitsuko also couldn't find any game records related to Yagami Kunikyo. Not only were there no past game records, but even the game records of key matches had disappeared. No one else noticed anything unusual, which was obviously due to the effect of psychological suggestion.

This man perfectly erased all his past game records.

Zero's response to this was... Be careful of the opponent's undefeated black strategy, endgame machine, and zombie deck.

The phrase "unbeatable with black" is a meme about the ancient Go master Shusaku, but his claim of never losing with black is largely exaggerated.

Because Go at that time did not give komi, the black stones that went first had a natural advantage. Rather than saying that he was invincible as black, it would be more accurate to say that he was invincible even when given a handicap. Many people could do that.

As for Yagami Kyo's Undefeated Black, it is clearly the real Undefeated Black, just like the color of that black dragon.

The endgame machine is easy to understand. It's like perfectly meshed gears. When it gets to the second half of the game, the void that is difficult for ordinary people to analyze and calculate is as precise as numbers in its eyes. Every number represents the percentage of victory or defeat.

"Zombie flow" is a rather intriguing term, originating from the slang of the chess world in the past. It refers to dead pieces suddenly becoming alive, like zombies lifting the coffin lid and coming back to life.

However, this skill is only mastered by a few people because it is too difficult and requires users to have unparalleled calculation ability and a strange and unorthodox sense of the game.

Thinking about it this way, it really does fit Yagami Kunikyo's style—the ability to transcend life and death.

When endgame skills are combined with this style of play, the resulting power is a dreamlike exponential increase. Even without looking at his game records, one can appreciate his dominance on the board.

Like a tyrant, and like the Grim Reaper!

"By the way, I should remind you... In every game from now on, I will play black, and you will play white."

"This is really..." Ke Zhiguang shrugged, unsure how to respond.

It's kind of like a cheating declaration.

However, this result was exactly what he wanted.

Unlike the Dragon Throne Battle where they fought for white stones against Koshikawa Tatsumi, this game was played with both sides displaying their strongest positions.

Yagami Kunikyo extended a finger, and burning black chess pieces fell from the sky—

Flames spread outwards from the chessboard, reaching the corners of the table and even extending outwards, igniting the four walls outside the exhibition hall. It seemed as if the entire Tokyo Tower had been burned down, exposing a panoramic view of the surrounding area for thousands of meters!

“This is…” Ke Zhiguang looked down at his feet; the environment had changed.

I've already arrived at the Tree of Go from Tokyo... No, that's not quite right. It should be said that the world of the Tree of Go has perfectly blended with this city, creating a world where magic and reality are intertwined.

Giant trees surround Tokyo Tower, as if a thousand years have passed. Their roots weave through the streets, and their leaves and branches support the rivers and skyscrapers. Pedestrians seem oblivious to this, still enjoying the hustle and bustle of the night, while snowflakes pour down from the sky.

Just then, decaying wings descended, and Nidhogg reigned supreme as an emperor!

The storm swept over Ke Zhiguang's head, and for several seconds, all the light above him was swallowed up.

Nidhogg seemed to roam both above the underworld and above the city; at least from this moment on, the underworld and the real world were completely connected.

"Is this... the deeper world?" Ke Zhiguang tried to ask.

"You can understand it this way; it allows you to better see how fortune affects the real world," said Yagami Kunikyo.