In the game, the participants were all planning their next moves, staring at the semi-transparent chessboard floating in mid-air.
First, Virtual Divine Beast Chess had already deviated from the scope of traditional chess. Rather than focusing on logical moves, the key to victory lay in utilizing the unique characteristics of the Divine Beasts.
Second, before taking any action, it was essential to anticipate the next moves of the other two opponents. This would help avoid falling into their traps.
As long as these two rules were followed, they could at least avoid falling into a significant disadvantage.
"Currently, we've only lost one Pawn. Team red (the Werebeasts) has suffered no losses and they still have two Pawns on the front lines. As for Sora and Shiro, they have one Pawn deployed on the front lines, and their second move seems to involve moving a piece from the rear, which we can't see right now... Plum, are you feeling better now?"
"Yes, thanks to Haru-kun's treatment."
"I had to run for several minutes straight…" And at top speed, no less, circling around like an idiot in front of the audience from the three races.
But thanks to that, Haruya was now drenched in sweat, just like in the real world. Such a realistic virtual simulation was rare.
Taking off his drenched shirt and handing it to Plum, the scene quickly became inappropriate for younger viewers.
Haruya signaled Ino to censor the scene, and soon a series of *BIBIBI* sounds echoed as mysterious blurry patterns appeared around Plum…
"Ahhh, Why just the shirt, Haru-kun... Give me your whole body, your arms, your armpits, your… pfft~!"
"Shut up." Haruya punched Plum in the stomach, causing him to let out a cry and collapse to the ground.
"Hey! Wake up! Plum, I was just playing! I didn't hit you that hard, did I?!"
...
Outside the game, the Immanity spectators laughed at Haruya's attack on his companion, while the nearby Sirens stuck out their tongues at the Immanity in disapproval.
Watching the tense atmosphere in the venue, which was on the verge of erupting into a real interracial battle, Hatsuse Ino raised his microphone and signaled for the audience to quiet down...
...Otherwise, everyone would have their memories wiped and be kicked out of the venue.
Seeing the venue finally quiet down again, Ino watched the actions of the three factions through the venue's large LCD screen and whispered to Izuna and the Shrine Priestess, ensuring only they could hear.
Haruya's actions, Sora and Shiro's actions, and the current layout of the game.
¬¬ I see, they've all become more cautious now? But Ino, what did you mean by that earlier? ¬¬
~It's exactly as it sounds, Miko-sama. Sora-dono and Shiro-dono have moved their King to the front lines~
Hearing this, the Shrine Priestess frowned slightly. Her golden eyes seemed to see something, and then she smiled:
¬¬ No need to worry. Our methods are foolproof. ¬¬
~Understood~
¬¬ What about the other fool? The Immanity who became the Sirens' representative, what's he doing? ¬¬
~I'm not sure. Right now, he's just running around in the forest…~
¬¬ Got it. Izuna, let's get started too. Prepare for the next move. ¬¬
Beside the Shrine Priestess, Izuna, who was sitting on another Divine Beast, nodded.
¬¬ Understood Miko-sama, desu…¬¬
...
Meanwhile, Haruya was running around the forest, seemingly searching for something. He crouched down, picked up a handful of dirt, sniffed it, and then tossed it aside. He then climbed a tree to pick some fruit.
"The reproduction is incredibly realistic. It's almost no different from the real world…"
Haruya was doing this because he remembered Plum's earlier interaction with their King Divine Beast piece.
These Divine Beast pieces also had self-awareness.
So…
At this moment, it was Haruya's turn to make his third move.
Thus, Haruya moved one of his strongest pieces, the Queen, sending it to the front lines to fight. At the same time, he instructed Plum to search for something Haruya needed.
"Huh? Haru-kun, you're not joking, are you?"
"Once you find it, come to the front lines and meet me. Then, we'll end this game…" With that, Haruya ran forward.
His remaining stamina was enough to get him to the front lines.
When he arrived, the situation on the battlefield had changed dramatically. In the most dangerous part of the triangular chessboard zone, eight pieces were facing off.
Sora and Shiro and the Shrine Priestess each had three pieces, while Haruya only had two.
Then, the Shrine Priestess made her fourth move, launching a second attack on Haruya's side, "Move, the Queen!"
Following the Shrine Priestess's will, the piece moved toward Haruya's side.
'Is she trying to throw the game?!'
The Werebeasts' Queen had moved into a position where Haruya could capture it with his next move.
No, even so, the Warbeasts' representative, the golden-haired, fox-eared Shrine Priestess, wore a relaxed expression.
Faced with the Divine Beast at close range, the bear-like Divine Beast beside Haruya let out a roar. Without the command to attack, it began to attack to protect its territory.
This iron-clad bear was team Blue's Queen, and the black light from its mouth shot toward the Werebeasts' Queen like a laser.
At that moment…
"I knew it! Damn it!" Haruya cried out.
The Shrine Priestess, who had been sitting on the Divine Beast, jumped down, and her body immediately began to change.
...It was Blood Break.
Her physical abilities weren't as strong as before, but they were enough to support the use of Blood Break.
Her entire body transformed, and her power defied the laws of physics, the Shrine Priestess's golden eyes and fur turned red, as if a dye-filled balloon had exploded.
As the blood scattered, the Shrine Priestess's sensory world almost came to a standstill.
Her nerves surged, and her senses became extremely sharp... her five senses, her sixth sense, and even her magical perception reached their limits.
With a *bang*, her expanded perception from Blood Break reached a point where it threatened to destroy her very self.
Her senses, forcibly pushed beyond their physical limits, captured every movement within a radius of 500 meters.
It was as if a barrier had been erected.
The space within a 500-meter radius became the Shrine Priestess's world. Every object within it, from a single leaf to a grain of sand, was captured in her perception. She could even count their numbers with perfect accuracy.
Her gaze fell on Haruya's Queen's attack, and she smirked.
With a swift motion of her right hand, she slashed through the empty air. Working in tandem with the power of the Divine Beast behind her, the attack from Haruya's Queen vanished into thin air.
The overwhelming power of their combined forces made the air around them tense.
The shockwave from the violent explosion caused Haruya's clothes to flutter wildly in the wind.
The tip of her foot touched the ground…
*Boom!*
Then the ground cracked, and the fox-eared Shrine Priestess landed on the ground, raising her fan and looking at Haruya, who wasn't far away.
She exhaled… "Let's have some fun, Immanity boy."