Book 6: Chapter 49:2: Rules of Magic Chess, Part 2
âSomething feels off. Thereâs an odd sensation, like Iâve forgotten something important or missed some rules.â Waver pondered, apparently more insightful than the previous Masters. He was engrossed in thought, trying to pinpoint the problem.
âDiarmuid, capture the opponentâs pawn.â
âUnderstood.â Diarmuid obeyed his Masterâs command, moving diagonally, his spear pointed directly at Luo Li.
However, as Diarmuid stepped onto the square belonging to Luo Li, he suddenly felt space change.
The Holy Grail pulled Diarmuid and Luo Li into a virtual combat space that resembled the original chessboardâs terrain but was considerably larger and contained only Luo Li and Diarmuid.
Diarmuid sensed the spatial alteration and remained vigilant, never forgetting his objective.
After ascertaining that they were the sole occupants of this space, he assumed an attack posture, wielding his twin spears.
âAlthough I donât understand why weâve been drawn into this peculiar space, even if youâre a Master and a young girl, as long as youâve stepped into the Holy Grail War, I wonât show mercy,â Diarmuid declared. He paid no heed to Luo Liâs reaction and charged forward with a powerful momentum.
Simultaneously, a large screen appeared above the field, displaying the space where Luo Li and Diarmuid were.
âI understand now; this is magic chess. Ruler mentioned that the rules arenât exactly the same as regular chess. In reality, soldiers wouldnât willingly let themselves be captured by enemy soldiers without resistance.â
Waver comprehended the difference upon seeing this scene. He recalled that Ruler had already warned them that this was magic chess, which naturally deviated from the standard rules; otherwise, there would be no need for Masters and Servants to participate.
ââ¦So, magic chess is like this. Ruler didnât fully brief us on the rules, which led to a slight initial mistake. Nevertheless, itâs not a big concern; the opponentâs mistake is greater,â acknowledged Kayneth, a prodigy from the Clock Tower, understanding that he had overlooked something. However, he wasnât worried.
âAlthough both sides are slated for battle, our side has a Servant, while the opponent is just a Master and appears young. If combat ensues, it might favor our side,â Tohsaka Tokiomi added, growing more confident in their victory under the current circumstances.
Both sides have seven Servants. Furthermore, our side has Gilgamesh, our trump card. As long as Gilgamesh, the king, remains alive, our side wonât lose.
Coincidentally, the black side shared this sentiment regarding their king.
Among our seven Masters, only Ryuunosuke is an ordinary person. The rest have ties to the Magecraft world.
Although I donât know the identities of the three figures cloaked in black, judging by their stature, they probably arenât adults. We need to be cautious but currently hold a high chance of victory.
(Luo Liâs three clones were all cloaked in black.)
Kayneth had great confidence in his Servant Diarmuid, and Diarmuid made a bold move, pushing for a kill.
Luo Li, taken out.
When Diarmuid was merely one meter away from Luo Li, she didnât move at all, appearing stunned to outsiders.
Then, just as Diarmuidâs red spear was about to make contact with Luo Liâs chest, she vanished. Subsequently, Diarmuidâs head flew into the air, leaving everyone perplexed about how Diarmuid met his end.
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Back in reality, Chen Heng had just watched up to this point when Satou Kazuma patted him, pulling him out of the replay.
âBig Brother, lunch is over. Want to learn some skills now?â
âHuh? Lunch is over already? Alright, letâs learn some skills,â Chen Heng responded after returning to his senses, accepting Satou Kazumaâs suggestion.
I can watch the replay any time, but I should learn skills while it is early.
Chen Heng couldnât stay in this world for too long; time was limited, so he needed to complete his tasks quickly.
Thanks to defeating over 20 Giant Toads, âeliminatingâ the One-Punch Bear, and killing some monsters while traveling, Chen Hengâs adventurer level had risen by three consecutive levels.
Although his level was still not very high, he had accumulated enough points to learn some simple skills.
While Chen Heng was immersed in the livestream, everyone finished their lunch. Now sated with food and drink, Satou Kazuma led the three from his party and Chen Heng to the streets.
To teach a skill to others, the other party had to witness it. The restaurant wasnât suitable for demonstrating skills, unless they were entertainment skills like Aquaâs party tricks, for example, her Natureâs Beauty, and so on.
[TL Note: Natureâs Beauty: A skill that makes two fans appear on both hands and a pot of soil appear on top of your head. Spouts of water will emerge from each fan while a flower grows in the pot and ejects blossoms once fully grown.]
Unfortunately, Satou Kazumaâs skills didnât have an entertainment element, and displaying them in a restaurant could lead to a brawl.
Satou Kazuma brought Chen Heng out for a very good reasonâChen Heng needed to witness the skills firsthand to learn them. Now, what about the other three? Well, Satou Kazuma had different plans for these three.
âBig Brother Chen Heng, whatâs the first skill youâd like to learn?â Satou Kazuma asked, standing confidently in the middle of the bustling street.
As the defense against the mobile fortress had just recently ended, most of the adventurers had gone to the restaurants and bars to celebrate, so there were few people on the streets.
Chen Hengâs eyes gleamed with excitement as he replied, âIâd like to learn Steal.â
Satou Kazuma grinned in tacit agreement. âIf thatâs what youâre itching for, letâs start with Steal.â
Chen Heng had a curious question, though. âIsnât Steal a skill you use on people? Are you going to steal from me?â
âNo, no, no, Big Brother Chen Heng. You just stay right there and watch. This time, my target is Darkness,â Satou Kazuma said, shaking his head and pointing to Darkness, who was observing eagerly from the side.
What a joke! Satou Kazuma did not want to die. What if he used Steal on Chen Heng? Putting aside whether it would succeed or not, what if he stole something rather strange and Chen Heng wanted to silence him?
Now, Darkness was an entirely different story. You see, this masochist had no qualms about any of this.
In essence, this was Satou Kazumaâs motive for bringing this bunch along. To be more diplomatic, you could say he brought some extra hands. In simpler terms, he had enlisted three tools.