Su Ming'an looked at him and did not respond.
Eni's expression grew even darker.
He seemed to want to smirk, but instead, he drew a cool breath. The blood, under the rules of the World Chessboard, gradually stopped, ensuring he would not die from loss of blood, but the pain was still there. He even felt as if the left half of his body no longer belonged to him.
Under his opponent's fearless gaze, he issued the command, "King... retreat."
After issuing the command to himself, he felt his footsteps could move. The next moment, he quickly retreated several steps, stopping only when he was restricted by the distance.
"Guard, advance," Su Ming'an issued a command that was no different from before.
"King... retreat," Eni gritted his teeth and, watching the sword blade approach him again, issued the humiliating command.
Su Ming'an was thinking about a problem.
If Yuanyuan, as his teammate, died on the chessboard, would it affect the evaluation of this crucial mission?
If she died, and the mission evaluation was not perfect... then this game would have been played in vain.
"Guard, advance."
He sought to find a breakthrough.
Both sides gradually reached a stalemate.
One because he did not dare to stop approaching, fearing tower attacks; the other because he could not afford to take another hit and did not dare to stop escaping.
Everyone fell silent, seeing the profound significance under this seemingly jesting, funny situation.
Before this, they had never imagined that an unknown preliminary list player could push the uncrowned king, Eni, to such a state.
Su Ming'an lifted his eyelids.
Everyone was looking at him.
Yuanyuan sat quietly on the side, watching him all the while, holding the sword, her posture unchanged.
"Ming'an," she suddenly spoke, "I respect all your decisions."
Su Ming'an's eyes shifted to her face.
"You cannot stop here until fifteen days have passed," Yuanyuan said. "Let the guard halt, let the tower attack me, kill me, sacrifice me, slay the enemy king, you should smoothly proceed—until a Perfect Pass."
"—You are the Number One Player." Yuanyuan's words seemed to lift a burden from her, expressing such a sentiment.
Her eyes, shimmering with light, fixated on Su Ming'an, locking in profound emotions and weight:
"You must keep going... you cannot stop here."
At the instant her words left her lips, the audience erupted.
Excited, understanding, disbelieving, screaming—all manner of speech, endless words, collided in this moment as thoughts from across the World jumbled together, making this instant unbelievably lively.
Su Ming'an was thinking.
—Yuanyuan also qualified for a Perfect Pass to the last, to become a human of the Lighthouse.
She was smart, skilled in swordsmanship, and most importantly—she shared his interests, and the wishes she'd entrust at the end would not deviate.
As Su Ming'an pondered, suddenly, in the center of the black and white chessboard, a snow-white rabbit appeared.
"Oh my—what has drawn all the spectators here—!" The rabbit boss exclaimed with exaggerated shouts, glancing down as if just noticing, and yelled, "Oh—It turns out our dear Number One Player is engaged in a life-and-death match with someone, no wonder, no wonder... Both competitors are indeed remarkable!"
It chuckled merrily, its limbs twisting into bizarre shapes.
And at the moment its words fell, everyone finally confirmed the incredible truth in their hearts
—This small-looking student from Dragon Country, who appeared to be armless, was truly that mysterious top rank person who delivered the opening speech.
They initially had an unreal feeling, but upon seeing Eni, Number One's opponent—covered with dried blood and chased to a dire state, that possibility gradually solidified.
...No wonder.
No wonder Eni was driven to this state.
Su Ming'an raised his head; he did not understand the significance of the rabbit boss's appearance now.
"So excited, so excited—" the rabbit boss laughed enthusiastically: "The current Number One Player, and the uncrowned king desperately trying to pull him from the throne... only one will survive this, and the loser will lose everything... power, fame, honor, even... companions."
It laughed wildly, its laughter akin to the long whistle of a train or the caw of crows in the woods, sending chills down everyone's spine:
"—Indeed, so it is!" It nodded in apparent agreement: "Such an exciting match should have been a clash of top intellect and strength. How come... it has reached this awkward situation? Such a stalemate... really does not look good."
Eni's and Su Ming'an's gazes, tightly focused on it.
"—So, when the situation is in a stalemate and can no longer continue, the hidden rules of the World Chessboard appear!"
Su Ming'an heard a "ding dong" sound by his ear.
[Displaying the hidden rules of the World Chessboard.]
[When the situation reaches a stalemate, any surviving chess piece may choose to sacrifice itself, directly attack the opposing king, or directly block the opponent's attack!]