Zhao Yunxiao finally understood.
Be it the general, the guards, the chariots, the cavalries, the archers, or the soldiers, the same concept applied.
In order for them to obey Zhao Yunxiao's will, Zhao Yunxiao had to first find out exactly who they were without losing himself in the process. Only then would he understand what truly motivated each of their decisions, using that to make them move according to his will.
They might seem to be mere pieces on the board, but all of them had their own stories.
And with each chess piece that he moved, Zhao Yunxiao got to live a completely different life filled with various unique experiences.
Soldier Zhao Two was a farmer who trained all his life in hopes of fighting in battle for the glory of the kingdom, but Soldier Zhao Five had practically been forced into it after his parents sold him off to the army as a baby.
Cavalry Zhao One was a genius who had enjoyed a luxurious life since young, but Cavalry Zhao Two was a veteran who sought revenge for all his comrades who had died in battle.
However, all were equal on the battlefield.
Just because they had different reasons for being here, that did not make Soldier Zhao Two better or more important than Soldier Zhao Five.
In the end, everyone was important.
Everyone had their part to play, and Zhao Yunxiao was the one responsible for making sure their efforts paid off.
Not Zhao Yunxiao the soldier.
Not Zhao Yunxiao the cavalry.
But Zhao Yunxiao the cultivator.
And now that he clearly understood what was driving each of their actions, Zhao Yunxiao could also feel the heavy burden of this responsibility with greater clarity.
There was no such thing as a war without casualties.
Sacrifices had to be made in order for one side to emerge the victor, and sometimes life was not fair when it came to selecting the sacrifice.
It was not always the one who deserved to be sacrificed the most, if there was even such a thing in the first place.
Sometimes, it was about who was at the right place at the right time.
Or perhaps in this case, it was more like being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Zhao Yunxiao could almost see Soldier Zhao Five looking towards him, silently questioning his decision on the next move.
This was just a practice match that Zhao Yunxiao had intended to throw away to test Cha's skills, but was it really right for him to do this?
Everyone was risking their lives for his sake, putting the one thing most important to them on the line just so he could have what he was considering a mere practice game with Cha!
Thinking up to this point, Zhao Yunxiao hesitated.
Could he really betray their trust in him for the sake of potential personal rewards?
His raised hand that had paused in mid air clearly reflected his conflicted inner thoughts.
From across the chessboard, Cha naturally noticed the change in Zhao Yunxiao as well, but chose not to say anything.
It was curious what decision Zhao Yunxiao would make.
In a way, this was an entertaining show for him as well.
Huu-!
Zhao Yunxiao closed his eyes as he continued thinking about what he should be doing next.
In the end, it all boiled down to one question – were they real?
Having personally experienced the detailed reality of their lives, each chess piece definitely felt real to Zhao Yunxiao.
He was even starting to believe that there was a separate world within the Benevolent Wave Chessboard where actual spirits resided, summoned to the battlefield every time someone decided to play on it.
If that was the case, was it fair for these spirits to die just because of his greed?
No, that was not it.
Even if that was the case...
Even if the spirits existed in the Benevolent Wave Chessboard...
Even if he gave up and refused to continue with the game, wouldn't that just mean these spirits will continue to be trapped in the chessboard?
Cha mentioned that he had been here for centuries, so the Benevolent Wave Chessboard had probably existed even before then.
Just how long had these spirits been trapped then?
To someone like Zhao Yunxiao who had always been aiming for the eventual goal of freedom, the mere thought of that sent shudders down his spine.
"Is there a way to release them?" Zhao Yunxiao asked.
"Release who?" Cha raised an eyebrow. "Do you mean the chess pieces?"
Zhao Yunxiao nodded.
"Who knows?" Cha shrugged. "I don't know of any way to do so, but perhaps there really is?"
"This..." Zhao Yunxiao hesitated once more.
"Hahaha, I'm just joking with you!" Cha laughed. "There is nothing to release. What you see is not real. These are just fictitious memories!"
It was entertaining to watch his internal struggles, but Cha did not want Zhao Yunxiao to get too vested either.
Otherwise, what was it supposed to do if Zhao Yunxiao refused to continue with the chess game?
"...Really?" Zhao Yunxiao asked.
"You really like to question your seniors, don't you?" Cha answered impatiently. "Hurry up and make your move already!"
Zhao Yunxiao narrowed his eyes at Cha for a moment before stretching a hand towards the chessboard.
Well, if it was truly as Cha said and these were purely fictitious memories, then he no longer had anything to worry about.
Even if it was lying and these spirits truly existed within the board, it did not seem to be willing to let them go at all. To be trapped in the chessboard for all eternity could perhaps be considered a fate worse than death!
And with that, Zhao Yunxiao made his decision.
The familiar drum beat reverberated across the battlefield.
Soldier Zhao Five looked forward.
Standing before him was a soldier of the Black Kingdom's army – an individual with a build almost identical to that of his own.
And the order was for him to step forward and eliminate this very soldier.
Their builds might be identical, but Soldier Zhao Five was feeling extremely confident.
He knew with utter certainty that as long as he could get close enough, he would have no issues taking out this opponent.
The problem was what came next.
Soldier Zhao Five shifted his gaze past the enemy soldier, to the individual waiting slightly further away.
There, a cavalry of the Black Kingdom's army awaited, staring down at him from atop a mighty warhorse.
In its hands was a spear longer than the horse itself, pointed straight towards him in a threatening manner.
There might still be some distance between him and the cavalry, but Soldier Zhao Five knew for certain that if he took so much as a single step forward, that spear would surely be coming his way.
The drum beat sounded out once more, and Soldier Zhao Five clenched his fists.
He had never known his parents.
Having grown up in the army since he was a baby, all he had learnt throughout his life was how to kill.
How apt was it that his final order was to do just that?
For his final order to be to do exactly what he had been doing all his life, Soldier Zhao Five had no regrets!
"Die!" Soldier Zhao Five shouted as he charged forward.
On the other side, the soldier from the Black Kingdom's army staggered backwards in fear, seemingly overwhelmed by the fearsome sight of Soldier Zhao Five running at it with his sword raised high.
Against Soldier Zhao Five, this enemy soldier never stood a chance.
Slash-!
Blood spurted out like a fountain as Soldier Zhao Five opened up the enemy soldier's body with a single strike, instantly exposing its skeleton to the air.
This step was easy.
But even while he was still flicking the blood off of his sword, Soldier Zhao Five could already hear the treacherous drum beat of the opposing army.
He knew what was coming.
Soldier Zhao Five turned his attention away from the dead enemy soldier, towards the enemy cavalry from before.
The hooves of the warhorse had started to rise, and the tip of the spearhead glinted under the beautiful sun rays.
As expected, it was coming.
The thumping of hooves on the ground could not sound more intimidating at this moment.
Soldier Zhao Five let out a bitter laugh as he watched the oncoming cavalry. "I guess it's my turn to die?"
It was said that one would feel time slowing to a crawl in the last few moments of their lives.
Indeed, in his last few moments, Soldier Zhao Five was able to perfectly follow the spearhead's trajectory as it pierced through the air, creating a direct path through space as it slowly approached his chest.
He watched as the spearhead easily penetrated his flimsy armour.
This armour was never made to withstand such a strike.
As the spearhead pierced through, the many metal plates attached to his armour burst from their seams and flew in all directions.
Next came the pain.
Bit by bit, the spearhead dug deeper and deeper into his flesh.
Soldier Zhao Five could feel the clear sensation of his skin tearing, his flesh splitting, and his bones breaking... all the way until the spearhead finally punctured his heart and caused it to burst.
Blood flooded the insides of his body, seeking to not only escape from the newly created hole in his chest, but also up his throat and choking him, robbing him of every last bit of air.
Tears welled up in his eyes, though it was unclear if it was due to the pain in his chest, the discomfort from being unable to breathe, or from the regrets that filled his mind.
A man should not cry, they say.
But now that he had already ended up in such a state, surely his colleagues would no longer mock him for doing so... right?
Thud-!
Soldier Zhao Five fell backwards, collapsing onto the sandy ground with his eyes wide open.
The rays from the sun were hot and blinding, but Soldier Zhao Five did not turn away.
No, it was not that he did not.
He could not.
At this point, Soldier Zhao Five no longer had the strength to even close his eyes.
A drop of tear flowed down his cheek and disappeared into the sand beneath.
He did not regret the way that he had led his life.
He did not regret never knowing his parents' faces.
After all this time in the army, he had long come to terms with all that.
If there was something that he truly regretted, it was that he could not do more before falling here.
If only he could do just a little more...
If he had took down just one more enemy...
Perhaps he could at least help to prevent a similar fate from befalling his colleagues?
***
Zhao Yunxiao's eyes slowly opened.
As light filled his vision, a drop of tear escaped the confines of his eyes and rolled down his cheek to fall onto the ground.
His heart was beating extremely fast, and his thoughts were in turmoil.
He instinctively brought his hand up to his chest, only to feel that it was completely fine.
There was no gaping hole in his chest.
There were no broken bones or ruptured organs.
There was not even one bit of injury on his body except for what was left from his spar with Sun Minhao.
But Zhao Yunxiao was still sure that he had died.
Zhao Yunxiao sat there in silence, desperately trying to regulate his breath and calm his thoughts.
It was not an illusion.
Up until just a moment ago, he had truly been living as Soldier Zhao Five.
Be it the feeling of the sandy wind or the touch of the iron sword in his hands, every thought and every sensation that Soldier Zhao Five had experienced felt extremely vivid to him.
And so too was the sensation of death.
Even now, he could not forget the cold feeling of having his body impaled by a spear. That was simply not something that one could just shrug off as though it was nothing!
"Are you done being overly dramatic?" Cha complained impatiently. "How long are you intending to make me wait?"
Zhao Yunxiao: "..."
Come to think of it, didn't the sea serpent also lose a piece just before he did?
Why did it look perfectly fine?
Perhaps spirit beasts did not appreciate life and death the way humans did...
Wait a minute...!
Zhao Yunxiao shuddered as he suddenly thought of something.
This was just the first piece that he had lost!
Did that mean that in order to complete the game, he would have to experience death again and again until the game was over?!