Chapter 478

Just at this moment!

On TV, the voices of the two commentators suddenly rose at the same time, filled with unbelievable astonishment!

Inoue Masazo's voice even sounded a bit off-key:

"Wait! No! The situation seems a bit wrong!"

Nanjo Maiko also exclaimed immediately after, her speaking speed extremely fast:

"Exactly! The development of the game... why is it different from what was expected?!"

"Player Xia not only didn't fall into a disadvantage, but instead... instead, he has already established a quite obvious situational advantage without anyone noticing?!"

"This... how did this happen?!"

Once these words were spoken.

Xia Xia Muchun, who was just picking up her teacup, suddenly stopped, narrowing her eyes slightly.

And Xia Xia Muqihui on the side, the schadenfreude on his face also instantly solidified, turning into bewilderment.

No—just now you two said Xia Xia Xia Mujun was afraid he would lose, how come now you say he has a big advantage?

What happened?

Time goes back a little earlier.

Morimoto Yūki held the first move, his fingertips picking up the "Bishop," starting with a swift "Side Pawn Picker" opening.

This is a popular layout with a great sense of speed in modern shogi, aiming to quickly seize the center and pressure the second-move side.

When he placed the piece, his wrist exerted force, and the piece knocked a crisp and loud "clack" on the nutmeg board, full of momentum.

When he looked up at Xia Xia Xia Mujun, his chin was slightly raised, his eyes carrying the superiority of a Second Dan of the Promotion Association who was about to knock on the door of a professional shogi player.

Xia Xia Xia Mujun's gaze only stayed on the new formation for a moment.

Almost at the same time the "click" of Morimoto Yūki pressing the game clock sounded, his right hand had already swept past like a dragonfly touching water.

A "Rook" jumped out nimbly, landing on the most solid defensive position on his side—the starting point of the "Yagura" prototype.

"Tap."

The sound of the piece landing was light and steady, forming a sharp contrast with the opponent's ostentation.

The speed was so fast that it was as if this fast attack, which was quite provocative, was just one of the thousands of conventional openings he had already practiced.

Morimoto Yūki's nostrils flared imperceptibly.

Just felt it was bluffing.

He sneered in his heart.

"Yagura"?

Old-fashioned, thick, but too clumsy, just right for me to tear apart with a fast attack.

He quickly set up the "Sparrow Stab" formation, his pieces leaning forward, the offensive was fierce, which was a typical modern young player style, pursuing a quick decision.

Xia Xia Xia Mujun's response was already completed at the same instant Morimoto's game clock returned to its position.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Eight moves into the opening, alternating in a flash.

The "Yagura" formation built by Xia Xia Xia Mujun looked slow and clumsy, but in every seemingly passive response, it accurately neutralized the edge of Morimoto's fast attack.

Every move he made landed on the most solid, most "standard" position in modern theory.

No strange moves, no variations, but it made those small means Morimoto tried to provoke local friction and create complex situations feel like punching cotton, with nowhere to exert force.

The sneer at the corner of Morimoto Yūki's mouth gradually solidified.

The force with which he pressed the game clock was heavier each time.

The game entered the middle-early stage, and Morimoto, according to the tactical manual he was familiar with, suddenly pushed a "Silver General" deep into the enemy formation, intending to create chaos and lure the opponent into making a mistake.

This is a typical probing move of the modern chaotic playing style.

Xia Xia Xia Mujun didn't even raise his eyelids an extra bit.

The moment Morimoto's fingers left the piece, his "Gold General" had already landed.

Not to fight with it, but a subtle "Long Cover."

This move didn't directly attack the advancing "Silver General," but like an invisible wall, it instantly cut off its connection with the main force in the rear, while also subtly threatening the "Rook" channel on the other side of Morimoto that had not yet fully unfolded.

The ease on Morimoto Yūki's face completely disappeared.

He stared at this "Long Cover," his fingers subconsciously gripping his knees.

The timing and position of this "Long Cover" are too good... Why can this Xia Xia Xia Mujun not have a single mistake from the opening until now?

Wasn't he supposed to have a lot of mistakes and a lot of piece losses when he played against Tanabe Yuto, Asahina Akizuki, and others?

Why is the game today so meticulous?

No.

Could it be that my condition has worsened?

It must be like this!

No, I can't be arrogant anymore; I must think that because of this, my mind is unstable, leading to mistakes.

But even if Morimoto Yūki intended to get serious.

It was already a bit too late.

Before long.

The three counterattack routes he envisioned seemed pale and powerless.

Attack, the path was blocked; retreat, it was equivalent to giving away the first-move advantage.

On the timer, his countdown broke two minutes for the first time.

In the end, he chose the safest but also the most loss-making connection, barely keeping the "Silver General," but the first-move rhythm was lost.

When he pressed the game clock, the veins on the back of his hand were visible.

And Xia Xia Xia Mujun's response was almost seamlessly connected.

The piece landed on the other side of the board, a seemingly plain "Pawn" advance.

This "Pawn," however, was like a precise nail, nailing down the possibility of Morimoto trying to find a breakthrough from the flank, and opening a potential channel for his own "Rook" to reach the enemy's belly.

This piece seemed to land in Morimoto Yūki's heart.

His body shook slightly.

His pupils shrank.

He suddenly realized that the sense of space on the board was being wantonly kneaded by the opponent's invisible palm.

His own pieces were clearly equal in number, but they were like falling into a quagmire, their movements sluggish, and it was difficult for them to echo each other.

And the opponent's formation, that seemingly clumsy "Yagura," was now as solid as a mountain, and like a giant pincer slowly closing, exerting pressure from both wings gently but firmly.

The cold sweat on his temples finally gathered into beads and slid down.

Before pressing the game clock, he thought for a full five minutes.

When he placed the piece, the sound of the piece contacting the board was already dull.

Xia Xia Xia Mujun was still like a precise machine.

The observation was almost completed instantly, then taking the piece, placing the piece, all in one go.

The rhythm was constant, the expression was waveless.

As the game entered the middle stage, Morimoto Yūki was forced into a desperate situation.

He gritted his teeth, determined to take a risk.

He mobilized his precious "Bishop," throwing it into the deepest part of the enemy formation, attempting to create a complex "strangle" situation.

This is a chaotic tactic he had studied deeply, and he had used it to reverse the situation many times.

Xia Xia Xia Mujun's gaze stayed on that "Bishop" deep in the belly for an extra half-second for the first time.

Then... placed a piece again!

Not mobilizing heavy pieces to surround and annihilate, nor panicking to defend.

But a light "Knight Jump."

This "Knight Jump" was in an extremely subtle position.

It wasn't very aggressive, but like a poisonous thorn, it happened to hit the "tendon" of the connection between Morimoto's "Bishop" and the rear, making it fall into a "suspended" state, unable to advance or retreat.

At the same time, this "Knight" also subtly threatened the "Gold General" on another fragile defensive line of Morimoto.

"Hiss..."