The work of the Go master

The sun sets and rises again, a cycle of days passes, and the sky soon becomes gloomy and dark once more.

On the afternoon of December 19th, at the observation deck on the top floor of Tokyo Tower, 250 meters high, all the dark clouds seemed to be pressing down on us.

This is the highest level of Tokyo Tower that ordinary people can reach. Going further up, you're likely to be either a member of the elite or an employee.

Picked up by a private car, Ke Zhiguang arrived on time. Amidst a cacophony of camera shutters, he entered the main entrance of Tokyo Tower, took the elevator up, and slowly approached the venue for today's final.

Compared to the 150-meter exhibition hall, the 250-meter exhibition hall is much smaller. If the 150-meter hall is a gladiator stage like the Roman Colosseum, then this 250-meter hall is more like a WWE fighting stage, where the warriors can only engage in a fierce, hand-to-hand combat in this small space.

An expensive chessboard was placed in the center of the room, and although the players had not yet taken their seats, it already exuded a sacred sense of ritual.

Ke Zhiguang walked around the observation deck, taking in the panoramic view of Tokyo.

The neon lights of the night have come on again, shimmering with pink and golden bubbles, creating a dazzling spectacle over Tokyo Bay in the east.

Suddenly, a snowflake fell silently and landed on the glass in front of Ke Zhiguang.

The snow has started falling again, falling quietly, leaving only the desolate sound of the wind.

"It's snowing again!"

"Damn it, why does it always snow right before this stupid competition starts? It's so punctual!"

"Referee, someone is maliciously manipulating the game here... oh no, I mean the weather!"

"This is even more charlatan-like than match-fixing!"

Countless reporters with microphones were complaining in front of their cameras, while a cacophony of voices rose from the building below.

Just as they were spraying water, the hurricane whipped up by the helicopter roared over their heads and landed on the Tokyo Tower helipad.

The two contestants officially entered the venue.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I didn't expect you to arrive so early." Yagami Kunikyo stepped into the game room and walked towards the chessboard.

Although he lost the first game, it did not affect his momentum or pressure at all. The moment he sat down on the chessboard, the entire iron tower seemed to sink a little.

"Since you're here, let's get started. I don't have much to say anyway." Ke Zhiguang then moved his chair and sat down, leaning back comfortably in the back seat.

This second showdown at the pinnacle of the chess world seems destined to unfold in this uneventful manner.

The tone has been like this for the past few days. The background music seems to have been cut off, and everything is like white noise. Usually, when there is no background music in a movie for a long time, the audience should be careful. You never know what earth-shattering event is going to happen next.

Of course, the characters in the film should be even more careful. Based on historical experience, when the background music starts again, it is often accompanied by the blood of an important character flying into the sky, at which point the desolate and tragic symphony will fly out from all directions.

“I’ve learned a little about your past,” Ke Zhiguang said, looking directly at the other person.

"Is this the reward I get after defeating me?" Yagami Kunikyo asked unhurriedly, as if he had similar experiences of getting items dropped.

“Yes, the fact that you brought this up so calmly clearly indicates that there is a quantum mechanics... ugh, a god behind you.” Ke Zhiguang’s expression became more composed.

Before this, there had been doubts about whether the capital of the Night God Kingdom was also favored by the gods, but just now, the doubts were instantly resolved.

"That's right, so what exactly do you want to ask?" Yagami Kunikyo's brows furrowed slightly.

"It's nothing, just confirming. Based on my experience, once I defeat you, all your secrets will be exposed to me. I can then focus on the game of chess. After all... for you and me, there's nothing simpler than chess, right?"

As these words were spoken, the hostility in the air intensified, the intense heat scorched the outside, and the snowflakes clinging to the outside of the observation deck vaporized rapidly.

The mystery of immortality, the mystery of fate, and all sorts of other inexplicable things will be revealed the moment the other falls!

After a moment of hostile staring, Yagami Kunikyo shrugged and laughed, a laugh that was both arrogant and self-deprecating.

Ke Zhiguang was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected this rigid guy to have other expressions.

"Ke Zhiguang, have you developed some blind spots in your thinking?" Yagami Kunijyo said.

"A blind spot in thinking?" Ke Zhiguang's nerves twitched slightly.

"Yes, it's a blind spot in thinking, a very presumptuous blind spot in thinking. But that's normal, after all, I was once deeply trapped in this blind spot myself." Yagami Kunikyo's voice still retained a hint of laughter.

Ke Zhiguang calmly began to think, quickly reviewing his memories, as well as the series of conversations and actions that had just taken.

Indeed, there is a certain inconsistency.

However, he couldn't explain it clearly in a short time. It was like a noisy note stuck in a normal piece of music. No matter how carefully he listened, he couldn't tell what instrument was playing it.

After a brief pause, he continued, "When...when did you get the idea that if I defeat you, you won't drop any items?"

this......

Upon hearing these words, Ke Zhiguang's thoughts faltered, and his pupils twitched.

A blind spot in thinking... A perfect blind spot in thinking, just like that 3-3 move that no one has discovered for thousands of years, the fact that he himself can reveal items is indeed a blind spot in his thinking.

It must be admitted that, subconsciously, he still has a bit of a protagonist mentality, believing that the protagonist should be born with certain privileges.

However, setting aside this slight sense of superiority and considering things objectively, he is merely a member of this worldview and is inevitably bound by the same rules.

He himself did indeed carry a certain prop.

So what exactly is it?

Curiosity, curiosity, and a host of other complex psychological factors all came to mind.

However, he was more sweating profusely. His intuition told him that this thing should not be exposed, otherwise something bad would happen.

“Do you remember when you came to my office last time? I told you that you seemed to be able to see strange things,” Yagami Kunikyo said.

Yes, this detail does exist...

At the time, Ke Zhiguang was in the daily task state of the God's Move series and could see the points on each person. Later, he learned that the evaluation criteria for this series of scores were Chess Way Value, Bond Value, and Resonance Value, which were three very mysterious values.

At that time, the score displayed on Yagami Kunikyo was...

"-666, because you would also display such a value in my eyes... That's right, I also received a similar ability under the guidance of a god." Yagami Kunikyo raised his finger and pointed at Koji Hikaru, as if pointing at a mirror.

"Do you remember when the rank certificate was awarded? I went to award it to you in person just to see you and confirm your rank. When I saw the number -666, I suddenly realized that you and I would never be on the same path. We are destined to have a final battle."

Ke Zhiguang quickly recovered from his brief shock: "Then, you can also see the item inventory that I can drop."

“That’s right, exactly.” As Yagami Kunikyo nodded, the sky outside the window officially turned dark, and something enormous was approaching from within the black clouds.

Ke Zhiguang gasped.

This is truly unexpected; I never imagined that this setting would one day become a foreshadowing.

"Your ability comes from the Eye of the Demon Dragon, which you gained after defeating Kiyonuma Ryousawa. It allows you to see the strength of others in the game. However, with the assistance of the gods, it gained an additional function: the ability to see the rewards for defeating the opponent... Is that right?" Yagami Kunikyo touched his eyes, as if it were a prelude to some kind of eye technique... but it was more likely just a prelude to showing off.

“That’s right. The strength of the players is divided by color. The experienced players in the chess hall are all white, and it’s easy to tell what kind of items they carry. If they are slightly stronger, it’s not obvious… By the way, you are black, or black with fire in it. You are the strongest and most mysterious person I have ever seen.” Ke Zhiguang said calmly.

If you put it that way, then everything becomes clear.

Although with the current difference in strength, Yagami Kunikyo obviously couldn't see the items that Koji Hikaru could carry, and could only see a string of question marks, back then... back then at the ranking ceremony, when the two first met, with the difference in strength at that time, Yagami Kunikyo could definitely see everything clearly.

"Enough with the pre-match chit-chat." Yagami Kunikyo suddenly reached into the Go box and held a handful of Go pieces in his hand.

Guess first, let's begin!

“As you said, nothing is simpler than chess. Once you defeat your opponent, all the secrets will come to light, including what I’ve seen in you.” Yagami Kunikyo straightened his back, and a shadow like that of an iron terracotta warrior loomed over his face.

The dark clouds accelerated their churning, and the colossal object within them drew ever closer, crashing through layer after layer of illusory barriers and invading this reality!

“You’re right, then… let’s begin!” Ke Zhiguang seemed to understand something as well, and swiftly drew his hand toward the chess box.

The game of guessing who goes first happened in an instant, and the answer was already known to both sides.

Yagami Kuniyo holds black, while Kei holds light and white.

The background music finally started playing.

Like a thousand drums beating in unison, the trampling of iron hooves came step by step, finally turning into a battle cry amidst a mournful screech!

The first piece is placed—

The roar of the black dragon echoed across the sky, hundreds of meters high!

As the distant clouds parted, Nidhogg arrived on the battlefield precisely at the moment the chess piece of the Night God Kingdom was placed. The strong wind it stirred up shattered the glass of the observation deck, and the whole world began to disintegrate and then begin to be rebuilt.

The stitching between the chess-playing tree and the real world was completed in an instant. The intertwined roots and branches of the tree lifted the Tokyo Tower to the top, looking down at everything below.

He saw that several flames were flashing below the tree realm, indicating that their epic battle was not the only one taking place.

Not long ago, a series of other supporting battles also began.

In the center of the chess academy, everyone put their hands together, making a gesture as if they were about to launch a full-scale attack.

"Hey! Why don't some of you guys shout some slogans? Aren't you embarrassed just posing like this?"

"No, even if we were to shout something, what would we say? We can't just shout 'The capital of Yagami must be destroyed,' can we?"

"this......"

As usual, everyone was in high spirits.

Xingjia patted Qingdaolu: "Hey, what are you thinking about? You seem distracted."

Among the crowd, Harujima Deer had been lost in thought, and it was only when Hoshigami patted her that she came back to her senses.

"Next, I'm going to fight my dad. I feel... well, it's nothing." Shinobu Harishima shook her head, pulling her thoughts back.

She clenched her fists and breathed softly, as if talking to herself: "This day will always come..."

Then she resorted to her family's traditional Japanese self-encouragement method—patting her cheeks.

"Shout out our slogan—the capital of Yagami must be destroyed!" Shika Harujima roared at the top of her lungs, her usual hungry dragon howl echoing through the air.

This was a slogan that Ke Zhiguang casually came up with when the chess academy training alliance was formed that day, and it was surprisingly catchy.

Amidst the venting of nonsensical slogans, the group walked out of the chess academy's gates in droves, where they were greeted by a special car to take them to the competition venue, and the sound of camera shutters flashing like a sea of ​​stars.

This prompted the ancient chess players on the side to also get moving.

For the entire afternoon, they meditated in front of an empty chessboard, closing their eyes to recall their studies and training over the past period, even though it looked like a group of people playing a game in their mental world.

"We should get going." Xiu Ce was the first to open his eyes.

"There are more than twenty matches in this round, which is quite exaggerated, and they are all finals. However, some matches are best-of-three, while others are single-elimination matches, which means that the date when we finish our mission may not be the same... Please take care, everyone. It is very likely that this will be the last time we meet." Dao Ce also stood up and spoke.

A cartload of strong red wine and champagne was wheeled in, for a final farewell.

Logically speaking, drinking alcohol before engaging in mental work is absurd, but this batch of alcohol was prepared by the Kingdom of Night God, so there shouldn't be any problem.

The aroma of wine quickly filled the air, and the night snow began to fall outside the glass. Many people stood by the window, gazing at the street scene with fascination, filled with a deep sense of reluctance to part with this dreamlike era.

“I’m starting to understand why Lord Kokukyo wants immortality,” Shusaku said wistfully.

"Why?" Dosaku asked.