Chapter 994

"My god! Unbelievable! The situation has already presented a one-sided crushing posture!"

"And, I've noticed another even more astonishing fact!"

"Honda's thinking time has accumulated to over twenty minutes! While Natsume's time used... dear viewers, please look clearly at Natsume's time used! Up to now, he has only used... less than a minute!"

"In less than a minute, he has already crushed a professional 4-dan shogi player on the board!"

"What kind of concept is this? This means Natsume is either playing with 'intuition' or 'absolute prediction'!"

"Or... his shogi sense and calculation depth are likely far beyond any of our previous estimates!"

"Whichever it is, it has already proven his talent!"

Nanjo Maimai covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes filled with immense shock, and continued:

"Now that you mention it... I suddenly realize with a shudder that Natsume seems to have maintained this 'second-play' rhythm since he first entered our field of vision, no matter who the opponent is."

"Before, it could perhaps be explained as the opponents not being strong, but today, facing a professional powerhouse like Honda Takashi, he is still like this..."

"This is no longer a simple question of shogi strength; this is a manifestation of absolute control and confidence over the game! Natsume is using his unique 'speed' to forge an inescapable time cage for his opponent!"

"I'm afraid... we have all severely underestimated him!"

The whole arena was in an uproar, the sound wave almost flipping the roof of the arena.

No one expected that this match, which was thought to have little suspense before the start, would evolve into such a one-sided crushing, and the crusher was actually that boy who wasn't favored.

The game continued, and Honda Takashi's situation became increasingly desperate.

He futilely mobilized the few remaining pieces, only to find that every seemingly possible path had already been calculated and blocked by the opponent.

The defeat was set; it was only a matter of time.

By now, intense regret was biting at his heart like a poisonous snake.

If he had known... why provoke Private Tsukikage in the first place, why mock that female player, and even more, why, after Morimoto's defeat, covet that prize money and the embarrassed look the other party might show, putting himself in such a situation?

Now, it was all too late.

My prize money... the prize money I worked so hard to win!

Just as he was in complete despair, clearly seeing that Natsume Chikage could directly "checkmate" his King in the next move—

Natsume Chikage made his move.

But the target was not his King.

Instead, he began to methodically capture the other pieces on the board that still had the ability to move.

When the two commentators saw this, they were both incredulous, and then extremely excited.

"Natsume actually didn't choose to end the game directly, but is performing a 'shaving the head' act?"

"It seems he has been annoyed by the mockery from the Private Tenhao player and intends to crush the other party again in an extremely humiliating way!"

"This is truly hard to believe; this rare scene actually happened on the arena again, and it was even Natsume using it on the Private Tenhao player? It seems Natsume really dislikes Honda and the others!"

And when the audience saw it, there was no uproar.

"Hahaha, this Private Tenhao's mockery backfired!"

"Brilliant, it was worth the ticket price even if I died!"

"Natsume did well! Facing this kind of mockery, this is how it should be treated!"

Subsequently.

A "Pawn."

A "Lance."

The "Silver General" was captured after struggling.

The most valuable "Rook" and "Bishop," after several pointless maneuvers, were also driven into a dead end and captured one by one, disappearing from the board.

"Shaving the head"...

This term, which he had once used to mock Morimoto Yuuki, now turned into the coldest nightmare, instantly piercing through all his psychological defenses.

He wants to "shave my head"!

Just like he did to Morimoto!

No, this is even crueler, because I am Honda Takashi!

Extreme fear and shame completely engulfed him.

He could feel the burning sensation brought by the focus of the entire arena, and could imagine how public opinion after the match would nail him to the pillar of shame, becoming the eternal laughingstock of "a professional player shaved by a non-ranked person."

His face was as pale as paper, without a trace of blood, his body trembling violently uncontrollably, his teeth chattering.

Sweat mixed with the flush of humiliation, running wild on his face, looking extremely wretched.

No... absolutely not... I absolutely cannot let him succeed! Even if I surrender!

When Natsume Chikage expressionlessly captured the last threatening "Gold General" on his board, and only the lonely King and two or three useless "Pawns" remained on the board...

Honda Takashi's psychological defense, along with the last bit of his pride as a professional player, was completely crushed.

Collapse, in just a single thought.

Anger, despair, and a sense of powerlessness intertwined; he used his last bit of strength, that sweat-stained, trembling hand not reaching for a piece, but with a venting-like determination, suddenly sweeping toward the center of the board—

"Bang!"

The "King" symbolizing royal power was knocked over by his own hand, rolling on the clean board, emitting a lonely soft sound.

Honda Takashi's eyes were splitting, squeezing a hoarse low roar from his throat:

"Want to humiliate me? Don't even think about it!!"

"I'd rather surrender than let you win so refreshingly!!"

Natsume Chikage finally looked up, looking at him calmly, his voice not loud, but clearly audible:

"Is that so?"

"However, being able to see your expression right now... I am already very satisfied."

"You...!" Honda Takashi was struck by lightning, his face turning from white to green, his lips trembling, gritting his teeth.

He wanted to retort, wanted to rage, but found that all words were pale and powerless in the face of the other party's calm gaze and the reality of the crushing defeat.

In the end, he could only slump dejectedly, as if his spine had been pulled out, completely limp in the high-backed chair, his eyes staring hollowly at the glaring lights above, his chest heaving violently, yet unable to inhale a single breath of fresh air.

Referee Kishida Minesuke walked up with a solemn expression.

He took a complex look at Honda Takashi, who was limp like mud and seemed to have aged a lot in an instant, his gaze finally falling on Natsume Chikage, who remained as calm as water, his breathing not even disordered.

The boy's calmness, against the backdrop of this moment, appeared so deep and unfathomable, even... awe-inspiring.

His gaze swept across the board.

Honda's position was a desolation after "Jade Shatter," with all main forces lost, only a lonely King remaining.

Natsume's position was orderly, the blade sharp, the killing intent not yet dissipated.

On the chess clock, that set of numbers with an extreme contrast was coldly displayed: Natsume Chikage—2 minutes 07 seconds; Honda Takashi—58 minutes 12 seconds (almost exhausting one hour).

Kishida Minesuke closed his eyes and took a deep breath, suppressing the surging waves in his heart.

When he opened his eyes, he had regained the majesty of a referee.

With a clear, solemn, and even a tone with a hint of unprecedented awe, he announced loudly:

"Sixth round, A-zone first match, the game is over."

"The winner—"

"Natsume Chikage!"

The announcement fell.

A moment of silence.

Immediately following—

"BOOM!!!"

The sound wave like a mountain collapse and tsunami, applause, exclamations, and admiration swept and drowned the entire arena with the momentum of a landslide!

Victory and defeat were decided, a legend emerged.

Commentary desk.

Inoue Miyabi and Nanjo Maimai were stunned for a full three seconds.

On the monitor in front of them, Natsume Chikage's "2 minutes 7 seconds" time used formed an absurdly glaring contrast with Honda Takashi's almost exhausted hour.

On the board, one side was strong with troops and horses, with nearly half the pieces remaining, while the other side had almost only a lonely King left, which interpreted the word "crushing" to the fullest.

Inoue Miyabi took a sharp breath, as if he had just surfaced from the water, his voice trembling slightly due to extreme shock and excitement, even breaking:

"Won... he won?! Natsume Chikage won! And he won in such a... a way that almost destroyed the opponent's mind!"

He waved his arms excitedly, pointing to the data screen.