That day, the King created a move called [Detached Castling], only to have Komugi counter it, thus learning it was a dead end.
Originally, this was when his interest in Gungi was at its peak, and he had no interest in anything outside the board. But he quietly listened to Komugi's account.
That [Detached Castling] move was first created by Komugi ten years ago, named [Kokoriko]. It had caused quite a stir at the time.
The move was created by Komugi, but also personally 'killed' by her.
In a major tournament, Komugi's opponent used [Kokoriko], and it was then that Komugi thought of a way to break it, subsequently winning the match decisively.
From that moment on, [Kokoriko] disappeared from official matches and books.
However, the King seemed to be walking a path Komugi had once traveled, recreating [Kokoriko] without any prior knowledge of it.
It's just that Komugi had encountered Gungi much earlier than before, so this move could only be called [Kokoriko], not the name the King gave it, [Detached Castling].
This was the principle of first come, first served.
Through this game, the King gained a clear understanding of human talent. Simultaneously, he realized the gap between himself and Komugi.
There were many kinds of strength.
After witnessing Komugi's strength on the board, the King wanted to surpass her. That urgent desire to win led the King to do something childish today.
He proposed a wager to Komugi: if she lost, she had to give him her left arm.
However, he vastly underestimated Komugi's resolve on the Gungi board.
In Komugi's world, she knew nothing but Gungi.
Losing at Gungi was equivalent to becoming worthless.
With this perspective, the moment Komugi became a professional player, she resolved that if she ever lost at Gungi, she would end her own life.
"Not betting an arm, but betting what I always bet... my life..."
When Komugi said those words, her demeanor was just as usual, without any noticeable fluctuation.
At that moment, something shifted in the King's thinking, and he realized his actions had been overly childish.
So, as an apology, he tore off his own left arm right in front of Komugi.
That action coincided with the moment Pitou and Selina were conversing.
Pitou, through her En, sensed the King's action. Therefore, she rushed to the throne room immediately.
She didn't know why the King had self-harmed, but her ability could heal injuries. So she had to get to the King's side as fast as possible to treat him.
And so, Selina was left abandoned on the vast plaza of the palace, standing alone in the rain.
Third Floor, the Throne Room.
The thick arm was casually discarded to the side. The Gungi board was stained with blue blood.
The King's left shoulder was crudely bandaged with a white cloth, but blood still seeped through, dripping continuously onto the floor.
On the other side of the board, Komugi's face, like the board itself, was spattered with quite a bit of blood.
"Continue the game."
After severing his own arm, the King's expression remained unchanged.
Komugi couldn't see, but from the conversation, she learned the King had torn off his own arm. She was stunned, so when she heard the King's request, she didn't respond.
"Your Majesty, you need treatment immediately." Pouf was internally shaken. Had he not seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed the King would be influenced by a woman to do such a thing.
The King ignored Pouf's words, looking calmly at Komugi on the other side of the board. "Continue the game. Don't make me say it a second time."
"Your Majesty!"
Pouf cried out urgently.
Before his words even finished, the King's tail struck him across the face, sending him flying back to smash through a wall.
Pouf immediately got up from the rubble, using a resolute tone. "This subordinate will go call Pitou. With your stamina, you can receive treatment while playing. This is the greatest concession this subordinate can make."
"If you won't even agree to this, then please kill this subordinate with your own hands."
Hearing this, the King looked coldly at Pouf. "Fine. Come here. I'll give you a quick death."
Pouf silently walked towards the King. He had made his resolve. If he couldn't persuade the King to accept treatment, he would atone with his death.
As Pouf approached, the King withdrew his gaze and looked at Komugi, seemingly unwilling to waste any time that could be spent playing Gungi. "Your move."
"No!"
Komugi roughly understood the situation and said firmly, "If Lord Supreme Commander doesn't accept treatment, I won't play!"
The King's eyes narrowed. He directed the needle-tip of his tail to press against Komugi's neck. "Play."
Komugi seemed to realize something, her body trembling, tears even seeping from the corners of her eyes.
Despite her fear, she stubbornly said, "I won't. If you want to kill me, take my life through Gungi!"
"You..."
Seeing Komugi's stance of defiance unto death, the King gritted his teeth. He understood that unless he agreed to treatment, Komugi would absolutely refuse to continue playing with him.
He abruptly turned his head towards Pouf. "Go call Pitou."
"Yes!"
Pouf's heart surged with joy, but before leaving, he cast an extremely complex look at Komugi.
'This woman...'
When Pouf left the throne room, he ran into Pitou, who was rushing over.
He quickly explained the situation to Pitou. Afterwards, Pitou entered the game room, activated her [Doctor Blythe] ability, and began treating the King.
Her entire focus was on treating the King, plus the King, while being treated, still concentrated his mind on the board. Consequently, Pitou had no chance to mention the matter of the Queen's last wish.
In a sense, ever since the King's birth, the Queen had had no relation to them.
Pouf stood outside the door, silently watching Komugi playing. Then, after saying something to Youpi guarding the door, he headed outside.
Because Pitou's treatment required consuming a large amount of Aura, she couldn't use En for vigilance during the treatment period. So this task fell to Pouf.
However, compared to Pitou's En, the range Pouf could deploy wasn't large.
He went outside the palace, spread his wings, and flew to the top of the tower.
Standing there silently, he glanced at the lessening rain.
A struggle arose within Pouf. He believed Komugi's existence was extremely dangerous, perhaps capable of influencing the King...
Occupied with these thoughts, he completely disregarded Selina standing alone in the distance.
…
Peijing City.
"The En... it's gone."
Law raised an eyebrow, 'Was it because the En had been used for too long and needed a rest, or because...?'
Based solely on the disappearance of the En and vague details, nothing certain could be determined.
Since Pouf's En wasn't as extensive as Pitou's, it couldn't be seen from Peijing City.
'The rain was lessening now. Plus, one of the Royal Guards had possibly consumed a significant amount of Aura. So this might be the best time to attack.'
After conveying this discovery to the [Hide-and-Seek], the conclusion was to slowly approach the palace first.
Taking the time required into account, by the time they reached the palace, the rain might have completely stopped.
Of course, there was also the possibility the lessening rain might intensify again. However, this was indeed an opportunity.
And so, the Chimera Ant Extermination Team emerged from the Hide-and-Seek's space and advanced towards the palace.
They were unaware that within the palace, the King had, for some reason, torn off his own left arm.
This was equivalent to, when laying out the board, placing a [Shinobi] into the dead end of the left wing… specifically, the moves between the gaps.
Thus, if they fell behind in the clash, suffering a strong attack on the left wing, they might plummet into the abyss.
And the only piece that could revitalize the left wing would have to be that undetectable [Samurai] piece.
Dark clouds rolled in the sky above. No one knew when this rain would stop.