Chapter 116: A Showdown of Beast Chess? Shirou Against a God!
The god of death, Thanatos, proposed to Shirou that they engage in a divine game. However, although Thanatos claimed he wanted a fair contest, in truth, Shirou had no obligation to accept such a proposal.
In the past, Shirou was forced to engage in divine games with gods only because there were no better options, and under all kinds of restrictions, he had to choose one-on-one confrontations.
But this time, Shirou wasn't alone in facing the Dark Faction. He had brought the full might of the Loki Familia right to the doorstep of Thanatos's Familia.
With such an overwhelming advantage, even if he didn't agree to Thanatos's one-on-one divine game and simply ordered a full-scale attack, they could easily crush both Thanatos and his Familia.
As for the goals of the Dark Faction or the secrets of the dungeon city Orario, they could extract all that information slowly after thoroughly defeating the enemy.
"Emiya Shirou, it seems you don't intend to play this divine game with me," Thanatos said, having seen through Shirou's thoughts. "In that case, I suppose I'll need to show some sincerity first."
As he spoke, he clapped his hands.
From behind him, the death god's follower, Valetta—whom Shirou had seen before—stepped forward slowly. In her hands, she held none other than a bound and helpless Riveria.
"!!"
Seeing Riveria in such a weakened state, the members of the Loki Familia all showed signs of tension.
Shirou fell silent, then spoke calmly: "So you're threatening me with a hostage to force me into agreeing to your game."
"Heh, I wouldn't call it 'forcing'." Thanatos chuckled. "Whether you agree to my request or not, I won't harm this elven lady. After all, I'm not some evil god who revels in atrocity."
"You say you're not an evil god?"
Shirou clearly didn't buy his words.
Though he had never heard of Thanatos's Familia committing any heinous acts, the fact that Thanatos led the Dark Faction made it hard to believe he was innocent.
As if anticipating Shirou's doubts, Thanatos continued with a smile: "Roughly seven years ago, Orario experienced the famous 'Return of the Gods' incident. At that time, many evil gods were purged by the gods of order, and their Familias were annihilated. Yet I survived and was not eliminated by the order-aligned gods. That alone proves I am not one of those so-called 'evil gods.'"
"That might just mean you were lucky enough to escape."
Shirou clearly didn't trust him.
"That's fair. I understand if you don't believe I'm not an evil god," Thanatos nodded. "But I do want you to understand, Emiya Shirou: I am not the evil entity you imagine.
Until now, I have never committed a crime in the strict sense. Everything I've done was simply to provide a refuge for the followers left behind after the collapse of the Dark Faction and the return of the gods to heaven."
Despite Thanatos's seemingly sincere attitude, Shirou frowned and asked sternly: "If you're not an evil god, then why have you occupied this underground labyrinth? This place is full of corrupted spirit-infused mutant plants. That alone shows you're the one cultivating them."
"The fact that my Familia is here doesn't necessarily mean I'm responsible." Thanatos waved dismissively. "Believe it or not, I can plainly tell you—the corrupted spirit essence has nothing to do with me. I simply provided this location for someone else to use—Enyo."
"Enyo?"
"It seems you don't know the name." Thanatos said calmly. "In truth, he's the only true evil god currently in this dungeon city. His goal is to destroy this city and plunge the world into chaos."
Shirou frowned again.
His instincts told him Thanatos wasn't lying—implying that although Thanatos leads the Dark Faction, it might actually have nothing to do with the corrupt spirit essence.
"In that case, what's your goal?" Shirou questioned him directly. "Why did you gather the remnants of the Dark Faction? What are you planning with them?"
"Hmhm, it really is refreshing talking with someone as clever as you," Thanatos smiled. "Unfortunately, my goal isn't something I can reveal directly. If you want to know, defeat me in the divine game. If you do, not only will I return Riveria to you unharmed, but I'll also tell you everything I know."
Thanatos's step-by-step baiting finally cornered Shirou into a trap—forcing him into a divine game.
But this was both Thanatos's scheme and Shirou's opportunity. If Shirou could win this divine game, he could reach the very core of the Dark Faction and uncover the entire truth.
"…Fine. I agree to your conditions. I'll play your divine game."
Shirou nodded.
The Loki Familia members were visibly surprised that Shirou agreed so easily, showing complex expressions.
Of course, none objected—rescuing Riveria was the top priority. No one could abandon their comrade.
"What are the conditions and rules of the divine game?" Shirou asked Thanatos directly.
"Let's start with the conditions," Thanatos said. "If you win, I'll return Riveria to you unharmed and unconditionally disclose all the information I possess. If you wish, I can even return to heaven on the spot and dissolve my Familia."
"…And if you win?" Shirou asked, waiting for potentially harsh terms.
But Thanatos surprised everyone. He spoke calmly: "If I win, I simply ask that you not interfere with my future actions. I will still return Riveria to you unharmed—I promise not to hurt her in the slightest."
"What!?"
Everyone—Shirou and the Loki Familia members alike—was stunned. No one expected Thanatos to offer such generous terms, completely devoid of the behavior expected of an "evil god."
"Tell me the content of the divine game."
Shirou stared intently at Thanatos, not lowering his guard. He didn't believe someone like Thanatos would go to such lengths and create such an elaborate stage just to "play house."
Being a proper god of death, Thanatos definitely had deeper motives. He just hadn't revealed them in the terms.
"Heh… Different gods have different authorities, so the games they design naturally follow different rules," Thanatos shrugged. "My divine authority is soul manipulation, so the stage I've prepared also revolves around souls."
"You said 'you all'… wait, what do you mean?"
"Oh right, I forgot to clarify," Thanatos finally showed his fangs. "Although it's a divine game between me and you, Emiya Shirou, the participants aren't just the two of us."
"The rules of the game I've designed are as follows:
Both you and I will each select eight people. Their souls will be extracted and placed onto the board I've created. Each soul will be marked with an animal to represent their rank.
The rankings, based on soul strength, are: Elephant, Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Wolf, Dog, Cat, Mouse.
Different animals offer different stat boosts. You and I, as the 'players,' will move these soul pieces on the board.
When two opposing pieces collide, a battle occurs. The winner destroys the loser's piece by devouring their soul.
If a piece devours another, it levels up: Mouse → Cat → Dog → Wolf → Leopard → Tiger → Lion → Elephant. Once it reaches Elephant, it can't evolve further.
There's a special rule: Each player can set one trap on the board to restrict enemy movement. How the trap is placed is entirely up to the player.
Victory conditions:
If one piece enters the opponent's Beast Lair—similar to a goal in sports—it's a win. If all of one side's pieces are destroyed or trapped and immobilized, the other side also wins."
Thanatos explained the rules of his divine game in one breath.
Upon hearing them, Shirou instantly understood—this was essentially "Beast Chess," a game kids play.
However, Thanatos's version used real souls, and those souls could devour one another to grow stronger.
Because of that, the pieces' actual combat power mattered, unlike the original version where "mouse eats elephant." Here, stronger pieces had a massive advantage.
All of this made it incredibly difficult for the weaker side to win.
After all, Thanatos possessed the divine authority to manipulate souls. In a soul-based game, he would naturally have an enormous advantage.
Even so, Shirou remained composed.
He didn't believe he was guaranteed to lose.
Even with such harsh conditions, victory was still possible.
"So each of us picks our own pieces?" Shirou asked.
"Yes, you're free to choose whoever you want," Thanatos replied. "Just know that the animal assigned will depend on that person's soul strength—but don't worry, I won't cheat on that."
"Despicable, in other words, you're going to cheat elsewhere too, huh?"
"Hehe, Emiya, you really know how to joke." Thanatos diverted the topic awkwardly. "By the way, Emiya, you yourself cannot enter the game as a chess piece. Otherwise, I wouldn't stand a chance."
As expected, Thanatos had seen through his identity as the Sword Demon.
That was understandable. If Thanatos could perceive souls, he must have seen from the beginning how strong his soul was, thus understanding his true strength.
Thanatos using a chess game to compete with him was clearly a way to restrict his power.
"I understand. I accept your conditions." "Very well." Thanatos nodded with a smile. "I'll give you some time to prepare. Choose your chess pieces and bring them over. Once the game starts, I will use my power to extract their souls."
.
.
.
After the conversation with Thanatos ended, Shirou immediately went to find the members of the Loki Familia. Of course, the Loki Familia members had overheard everything he discussed with Thanatos earlier.
Although they found the conditions of the god's game proposed by Thanatos harsh, since he promised to return Riveria even if they lost, their mood remained relatively relaxed.
After all, the members of the Loki Familia weren't overly concerned with justice or the fate of the dungeon city—they cared more about the safety of their own companion.
"Since you all know the rules already, I won't waste time. I'll now select the participants for this match from among you," Shirou looked at all the Loki Familia members and read out the names of those chosen. "Ais, Gareth, Tiona, Tione, Bete, Alicia, Anakitty, Lefiya—you will be the chess pieces for this divine chess game and face the Death God Thanatos's Familia."
"Eh?" Everyone present was surprised by Shirou's selection.
They noticed something odd about his choices. First, no one questioned the selection of Ais and Gareth, both Level 6. Tiona, Tione, and Bete, all Level 5, were also not disputed.
Next, Alicia, a Level 4 elven mage, and Anakitty, a Level 4 cat-person swordswoman—those choices also made sense. But the last one, Lefiya, was different.
Lefiya was only Level 3. Besides her, Raul Nord, a Level 4, was also part of the Loki Familia. They couldn't understand why Shirou would choose Lefiya over Raul.
"Shirou, why did you choose me?" Even Lefiya herself didn't understand and couldn't help but ask him.
"Because I think you have greater potential." Shirou quietly said. "Don't underestimate yourself, Lefiya. I told you, you have the potential not inferior to Ais. It's just that you haven't yet tapped into it fully."
"..."
Lefiya hadn't expected Shirou to praise her at such a time. Her face instantly turned red, and she instinctively showed a goofy smile.
Ais, standing beside them, for some reason had a visibly darker expression upon seeing the interaction between the two.
After selecting his combat chess pieces, Shirou soon reunited with Thanatos to officially begin the 'Beast Chess' battle with the god of death.
Thanatos first brought everyone to a corner of the palace. There, a vast open space was laid out, and on the ground, lines outlined a field resembling a chessboard.
But unlike a regular chessboard, this one had hills, rivers, and even forests—it looked like a sliced-off battlefield. "This is the location of the game," Thanatos said. "Next, I will begin the soul ritual."
Thanatos glanced at Shirou and the Loki Familia members he brought. Just as he was about to begin the ritual, Shirou interrupted him.
"What about your chess pieces? Don't I get to see them first?" "Oh, yes, that was my oversight."
Thanatos smiled faintly and clapped his hands. A group of warriors dressed in different styles—seemingly from various Familias—stepped onto the board. Among them were the previously seen Level 6 Valetta and Level 1 Barca.
Surprisingly, Valetta, despite being Level 6, was not assigned the Elephant piece. In fact, she wasn't even the Lion—she was only a Tiger.
According to the rules of Beast Chess, the ranking goes: Elephant > Lion > Tiger.
That meant Valetta, a full Level 6, only got third rank. Shirou quickly scanned Thanatos's pieces and found that the Lion was a black-haired woman wearing a cloak and mask, concealing her appearance.
From her appearance alone, her strength couldn't be gauged.
But since she outranked Valetta, it was clear she had more power—likely the hidden trump card of the dark faction.
This only made Shirou more curious about the identity of Thanatos's Elephant. But after looking around, he noticed Thanatos had only summoned seven chess pieces. The crucial Elephant was absent.
Just as Shirou was about to ask about the Elephant, a massive figure emerged from the shadows of the board.
It was a bizarre creature: a lower body of a giant bull combined with a disproportionately small upper body of a woman.
The contrast between the feminine form and the bull's body was strikingly jarring. At the same time, the overwhelming aura radiating from this creature made even Shirou feel immense pressure, his pupils aching from the intensity.
"W-What is that!?" If even Shirou reacted this way, the Loki Familia members fared worse. Upon seeing this human-bull hybrid, they all felt short of breath, their hearts pounding—like they were witnessing a Monster Rex appear.
"H-Hey! Can something like that really count as a chess piece?!" Bete shouted angrily at Thanatos.
Thanatos calmly responded, "This is the true trump card of our dark faction—the Heavenly Bull. It was a final gift from Enyo and naturally counts as part of our faction. So yes, it qualifies as a chess piece."
The Loki Familia members were all outraged by Thanatos's shameless wordplay. But Shirou didn't seem bothered.
Because he sensed the same kind of fairy energy from the Heavenly Bull that he had from Revis and the mutated plant before—it was a corrupted fairy entity.
Shirou had encountered such beings many times already and had grown familiar with them. He looked calmly at Thanatos and said, "So that thing is your Elephant, right?"
"That's correct." "Alright, then go ahead and soul-transform my chess pieces."
"Oh?"
Thanatos frowned slightly at Shirou's calm demeanor.
He hadn't expected someone to react so indifferently after witnessing the Heavenly Bull's terrifying presence. He couldn't understand where Shirou's confidence came from. Still, he didn't delay and began transforming the Loki Familia members into soul forms.
The final result:
[Elephant] Ace [Lion] Gareth [Tiger] Tiona [Leopard] Tione [Wolf] Bete [Dog] Alicia [Cat] Annakitty [Mouse] Lefiya
Most of the Loki Familia members had no objections to this lineup.
Only Bete was disgruntled. He hadn't expected to be ranked lowest among the Level 5s, beneath Tiona and Tione, which dealt a heavy blow to his pride.
"Now then, let's move on to trap placement," Thanatos said with a smile as he looked at Shirou. "Traps can be set anywhere on the battlefield. They're triggered when a piece steps on their location. Placement is up to the chess master, and the content of the traps is completely unrestricted—feel free to be creative."
"There really are no restrictions?" "Of course. To ensure fairness, I'll leave the area while you set them. You can even be completely alone on the field."
"Then let's do that."
Shirou wasn't about to be polite at a time like this.
Since Thanatos brought out a cheat-level monster like the Heavenly Bull, if Shirou didn't design his traps carefully, the Loki Familia would likely stand no chance.
So both sides followed the rules to place their traps and set their pieces on the board. Shirou and Thanatos each took positions atop high platforms, overlooking the entire battlefield.
Of note: Riveria, held hostage, was also placed nearby and forced to watch the match while bound and restricted.
Due to the vast size of the board, the two sides started far apart. But the massive size of the Heavenly Bull meant it could still be seen clearly from a distance.
"Then, I'll allow you the first move, Emiya." Thanatos stood gracefully on his platform and generously offered the first turn to Shirou.
Shirou didn't mind and said quietly, "Elephant, move forward."
Hearing Shirou's command, Ais—who was assigned as the Elephant—froze slightly, then looked up in surprise and asked, "Move forward? There's no specific number of steps?"
"Just try moving." Shirou responded with a look as if he had already seen through the rules.
Ais followed his instructions in confusion and found herself able to move nearly ten squares in one go before some invisible pressure forced her to stop.
"This is..."
Seeing Ais move so far in one turn, everyone was stunned. No one had expected such a distance.
Shirou, on the other hand, seemed unsurprised and said, "As I thought, this chessboard simulates a real battlefield. So the pieces' movements depend entirely on their own attributes. Since Ais is Level 6, her agility is high—hence, she could move 10 steps in one go."
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