Chapter 429 – Intermission (Top Go Player Passing By)
The Go guidance matches at the Daimyo’s residence have now concluded.
Though I was exasperated by the Daimyo’s lack of improvement in Go and my own lack of teaching ability, I maintained a cheerful demeanor throughout.
Clearly, the Daimyo wasn’t interested in improving his Go skills, but rather just wanted to bask in the status that came with having me, the Japone Kingdom Go Tournament champion, as his instructor—a privilege only the wealthy could afford.
Getting entangled in such trivial obligations was painful, yet professionally, I couldn’t refuse.
Although Go is the national sport of Japone, professional players can only make a living from it with the support of many sponsors, including Daimyos.
I am already considered a successful professional Go player and have no financial shortcomings. But now, as a representative of all Go players, and above all for the sake of the children aspiring to follow the path of a professional, I cannot afford to ruin everything.
That said, Japone is currently in a state of great upheaval.
The political and economic instability caused by the king’s misrule naturally affects us as well.
Many Daimyos, concerned only with preserving their own positions, show no sign of rebellion against the king. They remain complacent, inviting me to their homes for Go guidance games, just like today.
My anxiety about the sustainability of this situation never ends.
“Fuh…… Mikado-sensei…… how are you faring now?”
In a fleeting moment, my thoughts turn to my Go teacher, Mikado-sensei, who was recently disciplined by the kingdom.
He also serves as the Chairman of the Go Association, a mentor who raised me since childhood, and a father figure.
I heard he was imprisoned, but his whereabouts remain unknown.
Petitions were submitted by all Go players and many citizens, but they were rejected.
Even if we tried to openly rebel, the fear of being crushed by force, and our position as Go players under the Go Association, which is under the nation’s umbrella, meant we lacked the courage to take forceful action.
How is he doing now?
What will he think of me now, with no pride whatsoever, fawning over the wealthy?
――Huh? Me, the world’s strongest Go player? Ah… Well, perhaps that might be true in the “present” world……
Though he no longer participates in professional tournaments, even my current skill cannot match his.
But he did say……
―― However, the strongest in history…… well, it is not this one…… there were “two” others who I can say with certainty were stronger than me.
――i, is that so?
――Hmm. In other words, the game of Go is profound… and boundless. If you aim to make your living in this path, pursue it to its deepest depths. Do so, then perhaps you may draw a little closer to the Goddess’ hand, or the Demon King’s hand….
Though he was always aloof and elusive, he never told lies.
From that moment on, my never-ending journey of Go began.
Under his tutelage and through competitions around the country, I steadily improved my skills, and before I knew it, I was winning national championships.
Being number one in the Japone Kingdom also meant being the strongest in the world, save for Mikado-sensei.
Wealth, fame, and people flocked to me.
However, the price was becoming bound by things beyond studying and playing Go matches.
All I wanted was to pursue the path of Go purely……
“How did things come to this…… Hmm?”
Oh no. I was lost in thought. I almost collided with someone.
But, was there something going on here?
A large crowd had gathered, but they stood silently, staring intently at something with solemn expressions.
Was there some kind of event today? No, it’s too quiet.
Or was it the Tax Enforcement Unit, like the other day? No, it doesn’t seem like that.
“Excuse me, what…… Hmm? That’s Makushita-kun.”
Makushita-kun, one of my students at the Go lessons I run as a side job.
Although he is not a professional Go player because his main occupation is a Samurai Warrior, he has considerable talent, having won amateur tournaments for his age group.
So why play Go in the middle of the street in full view of such a crowd?
And what’s with this atmosphere?
Not that I’m conceited, but even though I’m here—a top professional Go player, no less—no one notices me. Everyone is completely focused on the game.
Who is his opponent? I’ve never seen him before. And he’s not Japonese. Still a child? Perhaps a foreigner?
However, I don’t understand why he is playing against Makushita-kun on the main street, but what is the reason for this intense seriousness all around them?
What kind of game is this…… Huh!?
“Huh!? Na, na…… ni?”
Peering at the board, I trembled.
Makushita-kun was playing white, and the boy black.
On the board, the boy’s black stones were winning.
However, rather than being surprised by which side was winning, or that Makushita-kun was losing to a foreign boy, I was simply left breathless by the patterns unfolding between the white and black stones.
“Guh, ugh…….”
“…… Ah, here then.”
“Nguugh!?”
With a certain level of skill, even mid-game, one could gauge both players’ strength from the pattern of stones and the moves emanating from it.
Makushita-kun was desperately trying to disrupt his opponent’s territory, attacking with overwhelming force to gain ground… but he couldn’t quite make the shift.
Just one step away from victory, yet unable to take it. The same battle situation played out on all four sides of the board.
It’s not because Makushita-kun’s attack is lacking.
Any player at this competitive level of Go in Japone could understand why Makushita-kun couldn’t advance.
It all came down to the enemy stone placed in that exquisite position. The Tengen.
That center stone dominates the entire board, and Black’s stones have built a formation that fully exploits its power.
If he ignores that and pushes in, any stone invading that territory will be captured.
However, how did he build such a magnificent formation from any position……
“Ah, aah… I, I can’t believe…”
“Gu, urgh!?”
“Haa, haa, haa… What’s up with that kid……?”
At that moment, among the spectators, some elderly men turned pale and collapsed.
I recognized those faces.
Although they weren’t professionals, they were top-class players who ranked highly in amateur tournaments.
“Th, that boy…… Tengen was his opening move…… a, at that point, did he envision this form at that time?”
“U, unbelievable, it, it cannot be a fluke…… wh, what in the world…… who is that kid!”
What!? Tengen as the opening move!?
In that instant, I truly understood why those elders had collapsed.
Despite his personality and attitude, Makushita-kun was not only strong in Go, but also in meticulously crafting strategy and deep reading.
Even from outside the board, top-tier players could see the panoramic “landscape” of strategy he envisioned.
That’s precisely why it’s terrifying.
Because they, and I, all shared the same thought, “If I were in the same position, I would play exactly where Makushita-kun did,” and yet, this was the result.
“Oh, h, hey!”
“Ah! At this juncture, the first move of Tengen… is becoming a monstrously perfect…….”
“No way! For this sort of utilization?!”
“U, ugh… I, I’m gonna be sick!”
“A c, cold chill…… I’m scared… Ah, hi, hii!”
“Uh, ueeeeeeeeen, Okaa-san, Okaa-saaaaan!”
A moment later, the spectators around them seemed to realize what had happened too. And finally, every face turned pale.
Some vomited, some trembled with fear, and several children began crying.
For instance, if they were simply overwhelmed without even getting a chance to attack, it would just mean “the opponent is strong”. They might be surprised, but they wouldn’t lose their nerve.
However, it would be a different story if, after meticulously planning and preparing every possible strategy, they realized the moment they launched their attack that all their plans were actually being manipulated from the start—dancing on the palm of their opponent’s hand—so that none could succeed.
It wasn’t that I had meticulously planned it. I had been guided to play exactly that way.
Unless there’s a power gap so vast you can’t even glimpse the heavens, where you give your all yet nothing works, where everything plays out exactly as the opponent intended, such a thing is impossible.
And he pulled this off against Makushita-kun, who, though an amateur, was one of the top players in the country.
“W, who is he… that boy!?”
It was neither a beautiful game nor a passionate, fierce exchange of blows.
It was the Devil’s way of playing—mocking humanity’s entire arsenal from on high, coolly crushing each piece one by one.
Every step humanity took with all its accumulated might and wisdom had actually been guided by the devil from the start……
“Guh, kuh, n, not yet! I haven’t lost yet!
Makushita-kun stepped forward here.
With courage, he charged into the opponent’s territory, attempting to forge the step he had been unable to take until now.
“Right here!”
“Yes! That’s the only way!”
“Ah! He hasn’t lost yet! Not yet!”
That’s right. That’s the right answer. There’s no other way. To find a way out, stepping forward is the only option left.
“That’s right! Fight, Makushita-kun! Don’t lose to the devil! I—”
I’m not the only one.
“””””We’re with you!!!”””””
Every Go player gathered here was inspired by Makushita-kun’s move, his brave step. They resonated with it, committing their very souls to that one play alongside him.
Heh, how ironic.
He is my student, yet he now stands with the tyrannical king, viewed as an enemy by many of us citizens.
Indeed, even our teacher, Mikado-sensei, was captured and imprisoned by them.
However, in this moment, as fellow Japonese, as fellow humans, the people responded to his courage.
The king, politics, past ties—none of that mattered.
It was to make a statement.
To defend the soul and dignity of Japone, and humanity’s right to survive.
However……
“…… Hmm, next is here.”
“Eh? … fah?! FAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!?”
“””””EEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHH!!!????”””””
Wh, what……
“Gu, GUWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH…?!”
“Ah, it burns! Guh, kuh, gah!?”
“I, i, it’s glittering… w-whaaa!?”
He was cut down!
The brave step taken!
There was no other choice but to take the step! The only way for humanity to survive was to move forward!
And once you take the step, there’s no turning back.
The warriors stepped forward with unwavering resolve, only to be effortlessly cut down by the boy!
“Gugh!?”
“Ga, gaha?!”
“I, impossible…… gaku.”
“UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!?”
A hand so sharp and merciless it made them feel they’d been cut not on the board, but on their own bodies.
In one blow, he severed the step that everyone had taken together in their hearts —projecting their own souls onto stone, vowing to stand against the devil alongside Makushita-kun.
Those watching collapsed one after another, screaming.
“Ah, ahh… ah… ah……”
It was over. Makushita-kun’s side…… white…… all of humanity… had already perished.
The boy’s move was a complete Tsumi.
That single move wasn’t just about the outcome of that one territory.
That single move rippled out across every territory on the board, across the entire world, becoming the move that brought about annihilation.
The Devil’s hand mocking the courage of humanity.
The extinction of humanity.
The end of the world.
This was the birth of a world completely shrouded in darkness.
In a world where not even a sliver of light could reach, something like hope――――
“…… Hey, Slayer. What exactly are we being shown here? I don’t know the rules of Go, so I don’t really get what’s happening….”
“W, well…… for now, I guess… Japone people really have intense reactions when it comes to Go, huh… even Brother flinched a little while making a move……”
Sads Translates 