Against the backdrop of the vast sea of stars, black and white squares interlocked.
Countless stars seemed to twinkle all around, then gradually faded into silence.
The chessboard of the world, the stage of the world.
Under the watchful eyes of millions of humans, Cloning held up a sword while the armor on its body made a metallic clashing sound.
It took a step, moving a distance toward the enemy territory.
Facing Su Ming'an's gaze, Eni's eyes gradually became serious.
——He seemed to have quite ridiculously underestimated the opponent's Combat Power.
And by a considerable margin, at that.
"Tower," Eni commanded, "attack the enemy King directly."
The Tower Chess Piece, the only one that could attack the opponent from its position without the need to move.
Eni had also realized the constraints of the rules —— victory could be achieved solely by killing the opposing King.
In other words, he didn't have to deal with this absurdly powerful Cloning. He had already thought several moves ahead with his strategy. If he concerned himself with Cloning, no one would withstand a single blade strike, and his companions would only be dragged to their deaths.
A blue light flashed over Selt's body, the Tower, followed by the appearance of a Magic Wand in his hand.
A deep blue halo gathered at the tip of the wand; Selt extended his hand, the halo suddenly intensified, and a dazzling blue flash flew through the air in a splendid streak.
Su Ming'an watched the light leap before his eyes.
[——HP-120! (Spell Block!)]
His high Spirit of 16 meant the damage from the strike wasn't as high as imagined.
However, Eni's eyes brightened, seeing the reduction in the enemy King's health bar —— Su Ming'an hadn't added any points to Physique; his actual health might be around five hundred, and he had no Bishop Chess Piece to heal. Eni would just need five turns to win.
"Guard, advance," Su Ming'an continued to issue the same command, with the Guard moving only a short distance, still far from the enemy, unable to attack directly.
"——Tower, attack the enemy King!" Eni raised his arm and called out.
The bright blue halo flashed past in an instant.
[——HP-120! (Spell Block!)]
Only 260 health points left.
"Guard, advance," Su Ming'an kept giving orders as if he couldn't see his perilously low health.
Cloning took a step, crossing the boundary line, entering enemy soil.
"Tower, attack the enemy King!"
The blue light shone again in Selt's hand and then hit Su Ming'an without resistance.
This time, the flying blue light shimmered extravagantly, trailing a long tail like a meteor, clearly a critical hit.
Blood spilled from the corners of Su Ming'an's mouth.
[——HP-130! (Spell Block! Critical hit!)]
Critical hits weren't common, but when they occurred, they dealt extra damage, and unfortunately, this strike was a critical hit.
Su Ming'an's health had only 130 points remaining.
With another attack from the opponent, another critical hit would mean a decisive victory.
The digitized health allowed Su Ming'an to approximate the severity of his injuries. Unlike physical attacks, the spell attack wasn't as visceral, keeping his body from being drenched in blood, but he seemed to hear every bone, every vein crying out in pain; he was on the brink of total collapse.
His live stream was in chaos, with those offering support, and fans of Eni's team coming over to spew insults:
[Ming'an, bro, keep it up! No matter the outcome, we support you!]
[The health is only 130 left, it seems like he can only block one or two more hits, and the opponent still has a whole team...]
[No hope left, it's over.]
[And here I thought he was some strong challenger...]
[Enough already! It's a problem with the matchmaking system, why are you taking it out on him?]
[...]
Su Ming'an's gaze moved away from his critically low health bar, and then, those eyes gradually glazed over.
"Guard," he looked at the Cloning, which had nearly reached the enemy Bishop, and commanded, "advance."
The Guard advanced once more, finally reaching the enemy Chess Piece, just waiting for the next turn to attack.
Hubert, dressed in the blue bishop's robe, looked up. Near at hand was the figure of Su Ming'an's Cloning, which had just stopped before him.
In that turn, the opponent was already so close.
On the next turn, the command to attack from Su Ming'an would get Cloning to strike off his head.
A rare trace of nervousness appeared on the usually calm face of Hubert.
The Cloning holding the greatsword, seemingly just a student, now appeared especially terrifying before his eyes.
Hubert had no sword; he couldn't block the opponent's attack. Once Su Ming'an issued the attack command, he was bound to die.
"Tower, attack…" Eni's lips moved slightly, then met Su Ming'an's calm gaze.
Su Ming'an's health was clearly just that low, 130 points, and one more critical hit from the Tower would mean real death.
But… it was not a given that the Tower's next hit would be a critical one.
If he couldn't kill him, the other side would order the complete beheading of Bishop Hubert.
Eni, who had initially been excited, now hesitated.
He lifted his eyelids, locking eyes with the tranquil Su Ming'an.
The opponent's face was expressionless, but that clear gaze, as if immersed in the game, told him:
——I bet, your next hit won't be a critical one.
Eni frowned, feeling a strange sense of fear welling up inside him.
Fighting through that eerie dread that felt oppressively heavy, he issued the command: "Bishop—retreat!"
The moment he gave the command, he knew he had lost in this gamble.
…He didn't dare bet Hubert's life against the life of the opposing King.
If the other side still wanted to force him back with this tactic, rather than letting companions like the Support Types Hubert and Qiao Liya face it, it would be better if he, with the highest Combat Power, took the lead, at least to keep the team intact.
The opponent truly was a madman, he thought.
"——Guard, advance."
Su Ming'an continued speaking. Since the Bishop had already retreated, the Guard would need to keep advancing to reach attack range.
The Cloning, clad in armor, made a clanging sound, and in the next step, it moved to the side of Queen Qiao Liya.
Eni immediately called out: "Queen—retreat!"
Qiao Liya took a few steps back, her back soaked with cold sweat.
In the moment when the Cloning moved in front of her, she felt as if she had seen Death itself drawing near.
"Guard." Su Ming'an paused for a beat, then his eyes lit up slightly: "...advance."
The Cloning took a step forward.
The next person it approached was the blue King, Eni.
Around Eni, flames began to swirl faintly, igniting into a flame veil that wrapped around him with ease.
He watched the Cloning getting closer, his eyes fixed on the sharp blade that reflected his own image.
…Now it was his turn, and Su Ming'an was waiting for him to issue a command.
If he ordered the Tower to attack, he would be faced with the same situation as before—he also was not sure if he could fend off the opponent's attack that could exceed a thousand.
The live chat, which had been predicting Su Ming'an's downfall, began to change:
[I feel like… I see a glimmer of hope for a comeback?]
[Impossible, Eni will definitely block this hit!!]
[Your Highness Eni, don't back down! Show the Dragon Country kid some color!]
[——Go Su Ming'an!!]
[Ahhh if only Lv Shu was here, maybe there would be a real chance…]
After glimpsing a small ray of hope, that overwhelming desire to survive, as if being pulled from a mire, was too apparent.
The audience seemed to see a turning point.
Eni looked at the sword so close to him, and to be honest, he wasn't sure he could block the hit from Su Ming'an's Cloning.
But this was also what he had hoped to see.
Instead of having Qiao Liya and the others face a Dragon Country student and be killed by his sword, it was better if he faced it himself.
As long as the next hit from the Tower was a critical hit, he would win.
Even if it wasn't, he could still find a way to survive the next attack from the Cloning.
Eni was proud, and also sufficiently calm.
This was his advantageous position, it always had been.
…Nearly a world of viewers' eyes were fixed here. And as the battle unfolded, more and more people entered the live stream, with forums even broadcasting it in real time.
…The gaze and weight that congregated here were so heavy, that his own steps to retreat had become sluggish.
Eni raised his head, meeting the opponent's gaze.
The opponent was still betting—every move made over the blade's edge.
The opponent was just betting on the Tower not dealing a critical hit, risking his life completely, leaving no margin for error.
…This Dragon Country student really was like a madman.
Eni looked at the blue glow in the Tower Selt's hand, and then gave the command:
"——Tower, attack the enemy King!"