Hikaru no Go: I taught you Go, and you made the Kisei cry?

"I always felt that Black's moves had a kind of going with the flow."

"This boy named Hikaru Shindo has such a calm and steady approach to planning. It's no wonder people say he's very strong."

"In Chinese parlance, are the haters trying to 'subdue the enemy without fighting'?"

"However, it seems that Su Ran is not losing to the black pieces in the slightest when it comes to the struggle for position. This is truly a very difficult game to play."

"Wait...wait, this...this game of chess..."

As they reached the eighteenth hand, someone suddenly cried out.

“I’ve seen this game in a game record! This is the game between Honinbo Shusaku and Go master Inoue Gen’an. The moves are exactly the same up to this point!”

"what?"

"What he said is true. I've also studied this game record before. I've felt it looked familiar for a while now, but I never expected it..."

"I've heard of this game! It was this victory that shocked the Go world at the time!"

Immediately, the entire crowd erupted in discussion!

"Why did they both go through such an old game? And... shouldn't White be trying to change the game? Otherwise, if they just followed the original game, they would definitely lose."

"Who knows? What I'm concerned about is whether they're planning a game without any set rules?"

"I don't know, only they themselves know the truth, right?"

“I remember that game, which was said to be ‘seemingly ordinary at first glance, but one move that amazed everyone’s eyes.’ It was the 127th move, right? That one move turned the tide of the game in an instant.”

"Yes, one hundred and twenty-seven moves, you could call it a divine move."

"They've already used eighteen moves. Isn't that boy named Su Ran planning to change his tactics?"

"Oh, the 'red-faced' situation, I remember now, I've heard of it too." Someone slapped their head as if suddenly realizing something.

"At the beginning, Shusaku was at a disadvantage. Until the 127th move, a doctor who didn't know anything about Go said that Black was bound to win, but no one believed him."

"Then the doctor explained: After the black move, Gen'an's ears turned completely red. This was a natural reaction of the body in a state of panic. It was clear that the black move had hit Gen'an's weak point. Sure enough, in the end, Mr. Shusaku won the game by three points."

"Therefore, this game was later known as the game that made people blush. After the game, Huan'an was also full of sighs and said: This child will surely dominate the world of chess in the future."

"And from then on, Lord Shusaku officially entered the world of Go, and within a few short years he became a household name and a legendary figure."

Recalling this story from the chess world, everyone felt a pang of sadness.

Honinbo Shusaku can be considered a true Go master, having won every single Go tournament in fourteen years with the black pieces, embodying numerous legendary feats.

This boy, whose real name was Torajiro, created a legend!

Only Su Ran knew that the one who created this legend was not Torajiro himself, but the chess master who possessed him and was closest to the God's Move!

Fujiwara no Sai!

"Sai-senpai, more than 130 years later, what are you thinking as you play this game again?"

Su Ran gazed at Hikaru Shindo, her clear and serene eyes seeming to transcend the boundaries of time, reflecting on the grand spectacle of the Go world more than a hundred years ago.

In the quiet chess room.

Two chess players, one old and one young, are using all their skills to fight fiercely.

The surroundings were quiet, except for the "clack-clack-clack" sound of pieces being placed, which echoed throughout the chessboard.

Inoue Gen'an, 8th dan, versus Honinbo Shusaku, 4th dan!

By move 125, Huan'an had already surrounded Shusaku's black pieces with the imposing force of an army besieging the city.

Next.

What path will this seventeen-year-old boy take?

Inoue Gen'an pondered.

At the same time.

In another timeline, Su Ran, after making his 125th move, quietly awaited Sai's reply.

"Indeed, they've been playing exactly as the game was recorded! Are these two kids going to replay that game from back then?"

"It has to be said that even in retrospect, the talent of these two teenagers has been fully displayed... They have each made more than a hundred moves, and so far, they haven't made the slightest mistake... Their memory alone is terrifying!"

"But if we play like this, Black will soon make that decisive move! This young man from China... is he courting death?"

"Su Ran is still a child at heart. He's been far too arrogant... But it's fine, let Hikaru Shindo avenge Xiao Liang and teach him a lesson."

"If nothing unexpected happens, Black should gain the upper hand in the next move, right?"

The crowd was abuzz with discussion, marveling at the two men's exceptional memories while also eager to see the arrogant Su Ran fall to Fujiwara Hikaru's horse.

And this moment.

Of all the onlookers, only Akira Touya remained silent, staring blankly at the Go board before him:

"No, White isn't without options! This is only the 125th move, and the delicate entanglement between the two sides continues!"

“I remember my father once reviewed this game. In fact, looking at the overall course of the game, before the 127th move, this game was clearly just an ordinary match where no player could advance.”

"The move that truly elevates this game to the status of a masterpiece will have to wait two more moves... Until then, White still has a great deal of room to maneuver!"

"If Su Ranjun changes her tactics now, she still has a chance!"

Just as Akira Touya was thinking, Sai lightly gripped his folding fan in his right hand, his brows furrowed.

"Young man from the Tang Dynasty, are you deliberately trying to make me replicate that move from back then, so you can defeat me?"

"Or perhaps..."

"You had already planned a change of tactics before this?"

“One hundred and thirty years ago, on move 125, I deliberately created a weakness to lure Senior Huan’an into making a move that would break through the elephant’s eye. Then, I took advantage of the situation to cut off his four stones in the center, and thus the entire game changed dramatically.”

"Now, should I resort to the same old trick? And what kind of mysterious way do you... have hidden away to break this?"

After giving Su Ran a deep look, Sai rushed into Fujimitsu's room with a mixture of curiosity and anticipation on his face:

"Xiao Guang, move number 126, column 17, row 5."

Hey!

Hikaru Shindo counted the positions indicated by Sai and steadily placed the black stones on the board.

Move 126, Black —

Seventeenth column, fifth row, charge!

"It really landed here!"

"Indeed, at this point in the game, Black doesn't need to change his moves at all. He can simply continue playing according to the game record and make White's four stones in the center a sitting duck."

"Next move, White should probably try to capture the bishop's eye, right? Even knowing it's a dead end, it seems like that's the only way... At least, this way they'll only lose by two points at most..."

As Hikaru Shindo made his move, a suppressed gasp erupted throughout the entire Go room.

Everyone felt a bit regretful, as White really didn't have a better way out. If White had just made a move that would have secured the final victory in the game, it would have been a sure thing.

From now on, no matter how much White struggles, it will only be a slow death.

And just as everyone was discussing it.

In Su Ran's mind, the long-lost system voice quietly sounded again:

[Ding! Detected that the host has successfully introduced this game into the 'Ear-Red Brilliant Move'. The Go simulator is starting up...]

They've arrived!

Su Ran smiled inwardly, as if she had known this would be the outcome all along.

That's right.

He painstakingly planned everything in order to trigger the system's high-level rewards.

After this period of research, he has vaguely discovered that the more difficult the chess pattern, the higher the reward given by the system.

Now, he has led the game to a point where even Inoue Genju, an 8-dan player, couldn't handle it back then.

presumably.

The system's rewards will also be exceptionally generous.

[Latest mission updated: Make an exceptional move in the next game and ultimately remain undefeated!]

[Mission Rewards: One use of the SSS-level gold skill 'Heavenly Demon Transformation', Go Talent +5, Go Comprehension +500, Simulation Score +500]

Without any hesitation, Su Ran immediately accepted the task and began to construct a simulated environment in her mind.

And this time...

In order to complete the mission, he spared no expense, setting the Heavenly Demon Transformation as the default skill and activating the simulation.

Anyway, once the mission is completed, he will get the right to use the Heavenly Demon Transformation again. He has already gotten this very familiar way of getting something for free twice from Sai.

It has to be said that having such a formidable opponent as Sai is truly his good fortune.

soon.

Su Ran then practiced the simulation again and again in the environment.

at last.

When he opened his eyes again, a chilling glint flashed in them, startling everyone present!

"Come on, Sai, let me use the Heavenly Demon Transformation to challenge your legendary feat of defeating Inoue Gen'an a hundred years ago!"

"This game of chess was the catalyst for your rise to power a hundred years ago, allowing you to single-handedly create a legend that dominated the entire Edo period..."

"But today, with the Great Transformation of the Heavenly Demon, can this legend be broken?"

"Sai, I, Su Ran... have arrived!"

Hey.

As the cold glint in Su Ran's eyes subsided, a delicate white chess piece quietly landed on the chessboard.

Ninth column, thirteenth row, stand up!

next moment.

The room fell silent!