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

"Now I believe that this kid named Hikaru Shindo does indeed have the skill to defeat Akira. Often, it takes him many moves before I can understand why he played the way he did before."

"There is a kind of steady and subtle playing style... Is this kind of skillful and unassuming way of playing chess really something that only a sixth grader can do?"

"Speaking of which, that young man from China seems to be even more terrifying. I don't know if you've noticed, but counting his first game against Xiao Liang last week, he's already switched to three different playing styles. The first time it was all-out and aggressive, the second time it was meticulous and calculating, and this time, it inexplicably gives off a feeling of overwhelming dominance, yet also extreme subtlety..."

"This is terrifying! If it weren't for Meijin Touya, I'm afraid no one in the future Go world would be able to stop these two!"

"But why is this kid named Su Ran completely ignoring Hikaru Shindo's attacks?"

"No, it's not that we ignored it, but rather... we cleverly resolved it."

"This is no longer a game I can understand... It took many moves before I suddenly realized and understood. They are definitely all at a high professional level."

"No wonder these two kids were able to beat Ryo, they're really two freaks!"

The people gathered around the chess table had different thoughts and were all expressing their feelings.

As the game became more complex, they spoke less and less.

He watched the game without speaking.

They tried their best not to disturb the black and white players playing the game, and even if they had any questions, they would simply cover their mouths with their hands and whisper in the ear of someone nearby.

In a Go competition, even this little bit of discussion is not allowed.

They thought that Akira Touya was already outrageously strong, but they never expected that there would be two other children who were just as strong!

Akira Touya stared intently at the game, remaining silent, his mind completely absorbed in this brilliant match.

"That was amazing! Even among the games I've watched my father play, I've rarely seen one this exciting!"

“Hikaru Shindo and Su Ran, every move they make is exquisite, and they are meticulous about every single piece, refusing to give an inch.”

"So strong! You far surpass me! Hikaru Shindo, is this your true strength?"

"They, too, are pursuing that higher realm...that is..."

"The level of divine skill!!!"

……

During the game, Hikaru Shindo stared blankly as Su Ran made his move.

Su Ran's eyes were fixed on the chessboard, a strange look in her dark pupils.

Su Ran gently reached into the chess box, just like picking a flower, and gently plucked a white piece.

Then, the chess piece is held between the index and middle fingers, the wrist is raised high, and the hand descends from a great height, gently dropping it into the crisscrossing chessboard.

It made a crisp sound, like water droplets falling into a jade plate.

Hey.

Each chess piece placed seems to give birth to a dazzling star in an endless galaxy.

"So...so powerful. Every move he makes lands precisely on the most intensely shining point in the entire universe..."

Hikaru Shindo was lost in thought.

The game has now reached move 196, and it's Black's turn to make a move.

Sai looked at the complex chessboard in front of him, his heart filled with emotion, and gently closed his eyes.

"I... never thought that after so many years, I... could feel the vibrant life force of the chess pieces again."

"This young man named Su Ran, you have truly given me many surprises. It feels as if I have returned to more than a hundred years ago, to that quiet teahouse, where Inoue Gen'an and I sat on the ground and played a wonderful game of chess."

"The metallic sound of chess pieces falling onto the chessboard still moves me after a thousand years..."

"I have to give you a lot of credit. Even Inoue Gen'an, back then, never put such heavy pressure on me..."

"You are definitely not an ordinary child."

“If we continue like this, I won’t be able to win. The game is too stable right now, and I have a six-and-a-half-point deficit.”

"A stronger, more powerful shot?"

……

"Well then, you must be eager to see it too, young man named Su Ran... All the members are in place, and the moment of the final battle is finally approaching!"

"This is the 192nd move. If my next move is an 8/12 thrust, how will you respond?"

"Like you, Su Ranjun, I am also waiting for your reply."

Sai spoke softly.

"Xiao Guang, eighth column, twelfth row, stab."

Hikaru Shindo remained silent, staring blankly at the Go board, then reached into the Go box and picked up a black piece.

“Touya Akira can find starlight, and Su Ran can find it too… Every move they make is precisely placed on the brightest, most dazzling spot.”

"With each move, it seemed as if a myriad of rays of light leaped from the chessboard; at that moment, the entire universe shone brightly because of them..."

Sai was puzzled that Hikaru Shindo was hesitant to make a move, so he repeated, "Hikaru, what's wrong? Eighth column, fourteenth row, thrust."

Hikaru Shindo ignored him, as if possessed.

"I...I also want to be like them, to light up my own star..."

"That beam of light rose from the darkness and illuminated the entire Milky Way."

"Actually, I can do it too, right?"

"Just...find that brightest star, and then gently touch it?"

"That's right, I can too!"

Almost uncontrollably, Hikaru Shindo picked up a Go stone, the black one between his index and middle fingers, emitting a faint glow.

"I... also want to light up my own starlight!"

Hikaru Shindo slammed the piece down!

Ninth column, thirteenth row!

……

Thirty-eight. I was born from the brink of death; this is the hand of God!

Hey!

The chess piece lands on the chessboard, producing a crisp sound wave, like ripples spreading from the place of the piece!

Hikaru Shindo's hand remained firmly pressed on the piece even after it had been placed!

My fingers are trembling slightly!

"Xiao Guang..."

Sai unconsciously tightened his grip on the folding fan, his pupils dilated, and his mouth slightly agape as he stared in shock at the scene before him.

Ninth column, thirteenth row!

As the black piece fell, the entire room fell silent, and everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

"The ninth column, the thirteenth row? ...It's broken?"

Akira Touya stood beside the Go board, staring in shock at the move.

Given Hikaru Shindo's previous playing style, the safest move would have been to attack diagonally from the center.

But at this moment.

He recklessly chose to cut off the white pieces from the left flank, which not only failed to cut off the white pieces' strength, but also...

Instead, their central army was completely surrounded by the white pieces!

This move...

No matter how you look at it, it's a completely mediocre move!

What is going on?

Akira Touya looked at Hikaru Shindo with great confusion.

And this moment.

Like Akira Touya, Su Ran also hesitated.

"Was this move... made by Sai?"

Once this move was made, all the simulated scenarios previously constructed in the mind collapsed.

He had envisioned countless ways to deal with Sai, and for each one, he had found a corresponding solution in the previous simulation scenarios.

however.

The Go simulator failed to anticipate that at the 196th move, the game was about to enter its endgame.

The opponent, a consistently strong player, surprisingly made a terrible move that sealed his fate.

At this moment, even the Heavenly Demon Great Transformation was thrown into brief chaos.

I have absolutely no idea.

What move should be made next?

Hikaru Shindo himself stared in disbelief at the scene before him. After a long while, he trembled and slowly withdrew his right hand.

“Sai…”

Hikaru Shindo looked at his right hand, still shaken. His right hand was trembling violently, as if it had lost all its strength.

"I'm sorry, I..."

Hikaru Shindo wanted to say something, but when the words reached his lips, he had no idea how to explain them.

By observing the reactions of the surrounding Go players and Akira Touya, he had already guessed that he must have made a very bad move.

He didn't want to trick Sai, but that starlight just now was just too dazzling.

He really... really couldn't suppress the impulse in his heart.

But things don't seem to be going as I imagined.