In this game, gathering information before taking action is essential...
Staring at the semi-transparent, wide-area chessboard floating before him, Haruya first confirmed the information they currently had.
"Judging by the emblem and color on the side of the Divine Beast, we've been assigned the blue team. And this massive Divine Beast beside us is our King..."
"That makes sense. The color and emblem indicate that, so we're currently at the center of the rear of our formation, right?" Plum ventured a guessed.
Haruya agreed, "Correct. It seems that in 'Virtual Chess', we don't need to charge to the front lines or scout the situation."
The Dhampir nodded...
Since they were in a virtual world, even standing under the sunlight didn't feel real.
Plum looked up at the sun, stuck out his tongue, and said, "Making faces at the sun(virtual) feels amazing. If I did this with the actual sun, my tongue would've been burned to a crisp..."
"Enough nonsense. From what we can see on the chessboard, we can't track the enemy's movements..." Haruya noted.
"It's different from regular chess, Haru-kun. Without knowing the enemy's position, making the first move could be a foolish decision."
"In that case, we'll have to wait and act cautiously. Also, this…" Haruya pointed to the triangular zone on the chessboard in front of him.
This virtual chessboard needed some explanation. It consisted of a central equilateral triangle and three square chessboards, suggesting that the three-way battle would unfold in the central triangle.
Additionally, aside from the central shared zone and their own chessboard, the other players' boards were covered in a fog of war.
"To gain an advantage, we'll have to attack them here." said Haruya.
"The grid in this equilateral triangle is strange. It's different from a regular chessboard, so don't get careless, Haru-kun." Plum warned.
That was true. The grid in the equilateral triangle was densely packed.
A dense grid meant more squares, which reduced the likelihood of closing the distance quickly. At the same time, it increased the risk of being ambushed.
"But the first few moves should be safe. After all, we're so far apart."
"Don't forget, Plum..." Haruya dismissed Plum's comment and turned his gaze to the massive Divine Beast beside him.
The King, represented by the Divine Beast, stood motionless, staring at the land ahead.
Haruya continued, "For these Divine Beasts, what we consider a great distance might only be a small step for them."
Through the chessboard, they could see the movement range of the Divine Beast pieces. It would only take a few steps for them to reach the triangular zone.
Moreover, the Rook-type Divine Beasts could move unlimited distances horizontally or vertically.
In regular chess, the battle usually begins after two moves. This game was likely no different.
Judging by the movement range of the Divine Beasts and the size of the chessboard, the terrain was merely a distraction.
To seize a favorable position, Haruya decided to move his pawn two steps forward on the first move for his turn.
~Since the pieces are not black and white, the order of play will be red, yellow, and blue~
After Ino added this rule, it wasn't long before Haruya's turn came.
Haruya was blue, the last to move. Sora and Shiro, along with Izuna and the others, had already started the game.
"Haru-kun, do you think this game is as simple as it seems? I mean, do you think it's just replacing the pieces with Divine Beasts and adding an extra player?"
"Of course not. This game is definitely advantageous for the Werebeasts."
Without wasting any more time, Haruya ordered the pawn on the far left to move two steps forward.
In an instant, the ground shook, and with a monstrous roar, Haruya's Divine Beast piece began to move.
To get a better view of what was happening, Haruya climbed onto the back of the King Divine Beast, since it had a lot of fur…
"Haru-kun, you're really fearless!"
Plum didn't dare get close to the Divine Beast, so Haruya stood on its back on his own and looked into the distance.
Through the mist-covered forest, Haruya's Pawn Divine Beast charged across the land.
Trees were uprooted, the ground cracked, and it soon reached the designated position.
According to the virtual chessboard, the Divine Beast was now close to the equilateral triangle zone.
"Plum, do you think these Divine Beasts will really obey our every command?"
Not only Plum, but the Divine Beast under Haruya's feet also reacted. It shook its body and began to stroll leisurely…
"...."
".…"
Haruya gripped the Divine Beast's fur as he moved on its back. Even though he hadn't given any commands, it was moving on its own? Within its allowed range, at least…
"Haru-kun!! Wait for me!"
"Do you think I can make it stop?"
"Then let's do this…" Plum picked up a rock and tossed it in front of the King Divine Beast.
*ROAR!!!!*
Like a dog chasing a ball, the King charged after the rock, carrying Haruya along.
"Whoa!!!"
This was Haruya's first time riding such a dangerous 'roller coaster'.
The fierce wind roared past his ears as the King caught up to the rock, scooped it up with its mouth, and placed it in front of Plum.
"Good job, Cory!"
"Who's Cory?"
Plum pointed at the King and said, "I just named him. What do you think, Haru-kun?"
"More importantly, I think we should head to the front lines."
"No problem." With that, Plum threw the rock again.
Jumping off the King's back, Haruya and Plum ran toward the front lines.
Haruya noticed that his physical capabilities were slightly superior to those of an ordinary human, which aligned with his earlier assumption, 'Maintained at the minimum level required to use 'Blood Break.''
It took them a few minutes to reach the spot where the Pawn Divine Beast had arrived in just a few seconds. In the distance, Haruya saw faint shadows.
Hiding in the forest, the 'sun' above grew increasingly scorching, and the mist that obscured their vision gradually dissipated.
Then they saw it... not far away, there were two more Divine Beasts.
A winged tiger-like Divine Beast with yellow markings, that was Sora and Shiro's piece.
How did Haruya know? The reason was simple. On the other side, sitting atop a monster covered in iron-like scales, was the Eastern Federation's sole representative, the Shrine Priestess (Miko), and Ambassador Izuna.
Their pieces were red, so it was clear that Sora and Shiro owned the yellow pieces.
Why were they, as players of the chess game, moving to the front lines?
Did that mean the players weren't affected by in-game combat?
If so, entering the game world was unnecessary.
Just as Haruya was thinking this, Plum suddenly tackled him to the ground.
"Plum–" Before Haruya could finish, an explosion rang out.
The fox-eared Shrine Priestess had commanded her Divine Beast to attack.
From a distance, it charged forward. According to the rules of normal chess, it should only move to a nearby position and shouldn't be able to attack them yet.
However…
The Divine Beast in the distance spewed flames from its mouth.
The intense flames engulfed the forest, and Haruya's Pawn Divine Beast roared in the fire.
*Boom!*
The intense burning caused the Divine Beast to collapse, barely alive.
Haruya stood up, breathing heavily, and looked around at the charred forest.
"What the hell is this game?!"