Read ahead on my P@treon...
p@treon.com/MayaMatengele01
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"Aschente!!!"
Before everything began, everyone swore not to disclose or record the contents of this meeting in any form.
The game where the Sirens, Werebeasts, and Immanity wagered their Race Pieces...
Before this game could begin, a series of discussions and communications were indeed necessary.
This meeting was also broadcast on screens across the three races, ensuring that everyone understood what was happening.
A game needs rules, and the rules needed to be discussed and agreed upon by the representatives of the three races. This became the consensus among everyone present.
On the stage set up in the first floor of the Eastern Federation Embassy in Elkia, seated around a round table, the golden-haired, fox-eared Priestess began speaking first:
"The basic rules of the game will not change for all participating players, if we, the Werebeasts win, the other participants will forget everything about the game. Of course, only these memories will disappear, and it won't affect other memories."
"Don't worry, Priestess. We understand this rule well. Similar to the previous game, we can't recall any information... Though it's still a shame." Sora chimed in, glancing at his sister.
Shiro continued, "The memory-erasing rule… is acceptable… wagering Race Pieces… only one winner…"
Shiro's words emphasized that this game would involve wagering their Race Pieces.
Additionally, the phrase "only one winner" meant the winner would become the sole representative of all three races.
Without a doubt, this was a game of immense significance, one that would alter the current state of the world.
Everyone understood that when one person, or one group, became the representative of three races, there were many things they could do.
"Now that we understand the basic rules, let's talk about the details of this game. Ino."
"Yes, Priestess. This game is called Virtual Divine Beast Chess."
Ino stood up from his seat, and screens facing all directions appeared on the table.
The screens displayed many divine beasts made of data... some looked terrifying, while others were cute.
"First, these divine beasts will randomly represent the pieces in chess; King, Queen, Knight, and so on. What's different from regular chess is that the participants will directly command these divine beast pieces in the game."
"I have a question." The first to ask was Plum, sitting next to Haruya, "By 'directly command', you means moving alongside the divine beast pieces?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"But what does 'divine beast pieces' mean? Is it really possible? Is it the use of illusions or magic?"
"As you know, we Werebeasts cannot use magic… but since we've already sworn to the Covenants, I'll tell you. We will use a virtual game as the medium for this match."
"That's complicated… Then, next question... what about the participants? The physical capabilities of Werebeasts, Flügel, Immanity, Dhampir, and Sirens are completely different. Won't that create an unfair advantage?"
Haruya wanted to clarify one thing, he wouldn't let Laila or Mihama participate in the game.
"Don't worry about that. In the game, everyone's physical parameters will be equalized."
'I see, I see…' Haruya understood the Werebeasts' plan...
If everyone's physical parameters were equalized, Jibril, the Flügel, would lose her advantage.
Additionally, these parameters would likely be set high but not excessively so, probably just enough for Izuna to use Blood Break.
"Alright, I have no more questions."
"My turn, my turn!" Laila raised her hand from the water, and Mihama imitated her.
'What is this, a quiz show?' Haruya thought to himself.
Ino, maintaining his composure in front of the Priestess, gestured for Laila to ask her question, "Can I eat that pine nut?"
".…"
She asked a rather silly question.
However, Ino remained calm and nodded in agreement.
Laila picked up the pine nut, peeled it, and brought it to Haruya's mouth, "Here, darling…"
"Thank you, but don't ask irrelevant, stupid questions."
"Understood. I won't ask stupid questions anymore, hehe…"
After feeding the pine nut to Haruya and another to Mihama, Laila happily swished her tail.
"How enviable… Wait, no. Ino, I have a question too." Sora interjected at this point, raising a concern that even Haruya found problematic, "I'm very interested in your virtual game, but before that, how will the three-way chess be set up? Aren't you worried that two sides might team up to eliminate the third before starting a two-player game?"
"Don't worry about that either. To prevent two sides from teaming up, we've added an additional rule: ~No Targeting a Single Opponent~"
"What does that mean?"
"If, for example, Sora-dono's first move is to attack Izuna, his next move must be to attack Nangou-dono until one side is eliminated from the game."
"I see… That does limit cooperation to some extent, but…"
Before Sora could finish, Haruya spoke up, "I know what you're thinking, Sora. If my move is already a check, the next move can't eliminate the opponent, right?"
Ino nodded. Even if it's checkmate, the opponent can't be immediately eliminated...
The only way to win is to force the opponent into a position where they can't escape being checked in the next move. However, this is nearly impossible, or at least extremely difficult.
"Those are the rules. Does anyone else have questions? If not, let's continue."
Facing Ino's counter-question, no one else had any issues.
"Let me summarize. Also, the other rules are the same as regular chess."
After Ino finished, he summarized the rules:
1. The game is a virtual version of [Divine Beast Chess].
2. The chess pieces are replaced by divine beasts.
3. The physical stats of all participants will be equalized.
4. Cooperation is prohibited, and players must follow the rule of [No Targeting a Single Opponent].
5. Cheating is strictly forbidden.
6. As per the Covenant; the Sirens, Werebeasts, and Immanity will wager their race pieces.
The fifth rule was clearly just for show...
"Is the meeting over? Then let's go back and get cozy!"
Haruya, being pestered by Laila and nearly dragged into the water, thought to himself, 'I'd like to continue discussing, though.'
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[Miko ~ Image...]