Chapter 787

And... crushing?

How is this possible?

In his prediction, Natsume Chikage facing Morimoto, even if he could win, would inevitably be after a bitter struggle, and might even lose.

Crushing...

He quickly pondered various possibilities.

Was Morimoto in extremely poor condition?

Or did he underestimate the enemy and make a fatal mistake?

Or did Natsume-kun perform extraordinarily well?

Without witnessing the match with his own eyes, he could not make an accurate judgment.

But regardless, the result was right before his eyes.

Natsume Chikage won.

And he seemed to have won quite easily.

This realization, far from making Suzuki Takayuki feel frustrated or vigilant, instead...

A surge of uncontrollable ecstasy and fiery fighting spirit suddenly erupted from the bottom of his heart!

Deep in his eyes, an astonishing light ignited.

This is how it should be!

This is the best!!

If Natsume Chikage had lost in the first battle, his plan would have completely fallen through.

And now, Natsume Chikage won and entered the second battle.

This means... the probability of the two of them meeting in the second battle will become extremely high!

As long as they meet...

Suzuki Takayuki could almost not suppress the upward curve of his mouth.

In his heart, Natsume Chikage's strength limit could absolutely not surpass him, a quasi-professional third-dan.

As long as they meet, he will win!

And as long as he wins against Natsume Chikage, he can implement that plan—using victory as a bargaining chip to force Natsume Chikage to fulfill the "promise" and date Xiaoyue.

Thinking of Xiaoyue's appearance of secretly crying after being rejected before, Suzuki Takayuki's heart felt like it was being pinched.

He liked Xiaoyue too much.

Liked her so much that... even if the person standing beside her in the end wasn't himself, even if imagining that scene would make his heart ache like a knife...

But as long as she could be happy, as long as she would no longer shed tears.

He was willing to be that pusher, or even... the sacrifice.

Must win.

For Xiaoyue's smile.

This belief, like molten lava, boiled and burned in his chest.

Not long after,

Asahina Xiaoyue gave a light cry and pointed to the screen.

Her master had regretfully lost to the professional fifth-dan Ishida Kazuo.

A trace of regret flashed across her face, and she quickly stood up to signal Tianbian Youren and Suzuki Takayuki.

"Takayuki, Youren, I'm going to see Master."

Tianbian Youren and Suzuki Takayuki naturally followed, accompanying Asahina Xiaoyue to offer comfort.

Natsume Chikage finally obtained a moment of solitude and peace.

He leaned back slightly, closed his eyes, and rested for a while.

However,

this peace did not last long.

A soft little hand quietly tugged at his sleeve again.

Furukawa Caixu had approached again without him knowing, her little face upturned, her eyes sparkling, and she began to chatter, asking about various details of the chess game just now, pestering him to explain like she was acting spoiled.

Natsume Chikage opened his eyes with some helplessness.

Looking at Furukawa Caixu's exceptionally excited and dependent appearance, a subtle sense of weirdness flashed through his heart.

This child...

seems to be more clingy than before?

But he thought again, perhaps it was a child's nature, happy after winning the match, plus she regarded him as the "big brother" and "teacher" she admired.

So he felt relieved, patiently answering her questions that were full of childlike innocence yet hit the nail on the head.

The time for rest passed quietly in an atmosphere of either noise or whispers.

Finally,

the atmosphere in the venue condensed again.

The second battle was about to begin.

On the huge screen, the figure of host Sawada Rika appeared again.

She was still radiant, with exquisite makeup, dressed in a proper suit.

On her face was an impeccable professional smile.

"After the fierce battle of the eight contestants in the first round..."

Her voice spread throughout the venue through the speakers, clear and infectious.

"The four warriors who advanced to the second battle have all been born!"

She waved her arm.

The big screen behind her switched accordingly.

Four photos appeared side by side.

The dark horse who had no rank but had already won five consecutive games—Natsume Chikage.

The supernova who was only seventeen years old and had already reached the third-dan of the Promotion Association—Suzuki Takayuki.

The steady and experienced professional fifth-dan powerhouse—Ishida Kazuo.

The equally battle-hardened professional fourth-dan strong player—Yidong Haoyi.

Sawada Rika restrained her smile, her expression becoming solemn and serious.

"These four contestants, after layers of screening, stepping over countless opponents, have finally stood on this stage at this moment!"

"The competition has entered a truly white-hot stage!"

"And the qualification to finally advance to the sixth round will be produced from only these four people!"

Her tone carried a cruel beauty.

"Although it is incomparably cruel, this precisely confirms the iron law of the competitive world—only the strongest can stand until the end!"

"As the saying goes, one general's success is built on ten thousand bones! In this intellectual war of shogi that advocates absolute strength, this is vividly reflected!"

Her gaze swept over the four people on the screen, as if talking to them.

"No matter how glorious your past record is, no matter how many powerful enemies you have defeated..."

"As long as you cannot win this second battle, all glory will come to an abrupt end at this moment!"

"What's more..."

She changed the subject, pointing out the cruelest part of the double-header.

"All the contestants have just experienced a high-intensity mental battle, consuming a huge amount of energy."

"In a state of physical and mental exhaustion, immediately throwing oneself into another decisive battle of the same level, or even more critical..."

"This in itself is the ultimate test of a chess player's comprehensive strength!"

Her voice suddenly rose, full of encouragement.

"But! Only by crossing this most difficult test can one glimpse the scenery of the sixth round and even higher peaks! Only then can one obtain the right to compete with stronger players and vie for the final glory!"

"Now—"

She took a deep breath, her arms raised high.

"The fifth round, 'Hell Double-Header', final round—"

"The matchup draw, now begins!" ===== CHAPTER 788 =====