Chapter 299 - 196: The Chessboard in the Box, The Game (Part 2)

Niuniu scanned his surroundings.

Before him lay the ruins of a battlefield, pitted and littered with corpses. Behind him stood a city wall encircled by a moat. It was all so lifelike, virtually indistinguishable from reality, making it hard to believe this was a so-called "chessboard."

There were no Milestone Spirit Candles on the board, which was likely due to the special nature of this instance.

Of course, his attention wasn’t on the environment. Instead, he sidled up to a nearby [Kingdom Soldier] and started poking and prodding it.

The Molten Slag Ash Tier [Kingdom Soldier] remained motionless, its gaze fixed ahead, on high alert. It was completely unfazed by the stinky-looking "lump of crap" before it.

Niuniu even snuck behind it, extending his demonic claws with a wicked chuckle, looking like he was up to no good.

’Wait, what are you doing? That soldier looks like a rough-looking brute. Don’t do anything weird...’

Seeing this, Skyrim’s pupils contracted. He was just about to shout.

But right under his nose, Niuniu struggled to lift the Kingdom Soldier, then flipped it upside down, forcing it into a handstand.

THUD.

After Niuniu let go, the soldier fell to the ground with a smack, then woodenly stood back up, raised its Long Saber, and resumed its guard duty.

"..."

’...Alright, I guess that doesn’t break any rules.’

Skyrim opened his mouth, then closed it, swallowing the words he was about to say.

"How about we dig a hole and bury him to see if he can climb out?" Niuniu suggested to Skyrim, rubbing his chin.

’Burying him alive...’

’...He’s an allied Chess Piece, for crying out loud.’

Skyrim was left speechless.

He had, of course, heard tales of Niuniu’s exploits, but it was clear now that he had still underestimated him.

"I suggest we start setting up. The match might begin any second."

Skyrim said with a sigh.

"Alright." Hearing this, Niuniu smacked his lips, moved to an area up ahead, and began to release his Foul-smelling Feces Qi.

However, he was careful not to cross the boundary between the two factions.

This was because the [Match]—the part that could truly influence the outcome—had not yet officially begun.

And he had already tasted the consequences of crossing the boundary before the [Match] started.

Beneath the towering city walls.

Wa Zai was floating on the surface of the moat, swimming among a school of fish-headed [Water Monster] Chess Pieces.

These [Water Monster] Chess Pieces also looked dull and mindless, possessing no self-awareness. Wa Zai could only chat with Shore.

The situation was much the same for Guagua.

...

The group didn’t get to chat for long.

Because the [Match] had begun.

[The two Giants have begun their game with the Box in the House.]

[After some deliberation, the two Giants have decided to start with a direct confrontation. Both are supremely confident in their arrangements and Chess Pieces.]

[The faction boundaries have disappeared. The war has begun...]

"WOOO—"

"ROAR—"

At almost the same instant, the Demon Faction’s [Commanding Demon] and the Kingdom Faction’s [Flag-Bearing Soldier] both issued their orders.

In an instant, the soldiers on both front lines swarmed forward.

The Kingdom’s heavily armed and armored soldiers roared, while the Demon Faction, teeming with skeletons and zombies, let out terrifying bellows.

...

After the system notifications appeared, messages began popping up one after another in the party channel.

My hamster’s name is Guagua: "Phew, thank goodness it’s not a demon patrol like last time. That was terrifying..."

Crafty Frog: "A direct confrontation? Aren’t we guaranteed to lose? This Kingdom Giant is a truly terrible player..."

My Son Failed, But I’m On Shore: "Agh, just watching is making me antsy! Let me in there already!"

"HAHAHAHAHA! The heavens are on my side!"

Niuniu was ecstatic, roaring with laughter.

"I get to be in a direct confrontation! Good thing I spent so much time setting up!"

"Skyrim, get back."

Hearing Niuniu’s warning, Skyrim didn’t say a word and stood his ground.

Seeing this, Niuniu glanced at his hands, which were covered by the Corpse Shell. Warfire burned upon them.

Then, with a sinister smile, he charged toward the area where he had laid his Foul-smelling Feces Qi.

"Art..."

Niuniu roared, about to set off a massive explosion in the dense cloud of Foul-smelling Feces Qi where the Demons were thickest.

"...is an explo—"

BANG!

But before he could finish his sentence, a massive figure smashed into him, sending him flying. He soared a great distance before landing in the moat with a huge splash.

"...You okay?"

Wa Zai quickly helped him up, then discreetly washed his hands.

"Fuck!"

Niuniu scrambled to his feet, glaring furiously toward the center of the battlefield.

[The Monster Giant has deployed a "Giant Beast"]

Right where he had placed his Foul-smelling Feces Qi, a large, Scorching Charcoal Tier Demon called the [City-Destroying Giant Bone] had appeared.

This large Demon was a type of "Giant Beast." It was made entirely of white bone, with one particularly conspicuous arm that resembled a colossal Heavy Hammer. Using it to besiege a city would undoubtedly be incredibly effective.

And that was indeed this Chess Piece’s primary purpose.

At this moment, however, it wasn’t rushing to attack the city. Instead, it was using its immense size to wantonly Trample and crush the Kingdom Faction’s Chess Pieces on the battlefield.

The outmatched Kingdom Chess Pieces were instantly suppressed, and the situation looked grim.

"Dammit, the enemy sent out a Giant Beast right away. Using a siege unit to kill players—can’t they play fair?"

Niuniu was incredibly frustrated. If his explosion had gone off properly, the Demon Faction would have suffered a devastating blow.

But he had been interrupted at the crucial moment, and it was now impossible to set up the same explosive zone again.

It was depressing him to no end.

"They sent out a Giant Beast, so you should send one out too! How could you not think of that? No wonder you can’t even win when you cheat! You’re a terrible player!"

Niuniu cursed under his breath.

The Kingdom Giant was a cheater, alright, but he was also genuinely terrible at the game.

And sure enough, in just a short while, more than half of the Kingdom Chess Pieces were lost, but the Kingdom Giant clearly hadn’t anticipated this.

Their Giant Beasts were still snoozing in the back lines.

Meanwhile, Skyrim, seeing how bad things were, had already charged forward to engage. However, this [City-Destroying Giant Bone] was no easy opponent, and he could only manage to keep it tied down.

My Son Failed, But I’m On Shore: "This is bad. The front line is about to be wiped out."

My hamster’s name is Guagua: "I would’ve come out to help if I’d known."

Crafty Frog: "It’s fine. If I transform in the moat, I should be able to hold on."

It seemed the group had clearly given up hope for the front line.

But just then, a new message appeared.

With it came a great "rift" Tearing open the sky, and an increasingly noticeable stiffness spreading through everyone’s bodies.

[The Box in the House was opened, and the Giant’s gaze fell into it.]

[Seeing the heavy losses suffered by the Kingdom Faction, the Kingdom Giant grew furious.]

[After investigating the battlefield, the Kingdom Giant spotted a fleeing Chess Piece. Enraged, it decided this deserter Chess Piece no longer needed to exist.]

[The Kingdom Giant crushed said Chess Piece]

[DEAD]

"...The fuck!"

This so-called "fleeing" Chess Piece was, of course, Niuniu, who hadn’t had time to get back to the battlefield.

Seeing the Giant pick him up and crush him to pieces, followed by that familiar word appearing before his eyes, his blood pressure skyrocketed. He went ballistic on the spot.

???

’Fleeing?’

’Didn’t I get knocked into the fucking moat because the enemy’s Giant Beast suddenly showed up?’

’It’s one thing not to help, but you’re gonna call me a deserter?’

"You motherf***er, fuck**, **!"

"You dumbass piece of shit, if you’d just sent out the siege Giant Beast, we would’ve fucking won already! You’re the one who sucks, and you’re blaming me? Go fuck your**! Kingdom Giant? More like King-dumb F***ing...!"

Niuniu was livid. He launched into an encrypted broadcast with a very high "mom" content, systematically cursing every last member of the Giant’s possibly nonexistent family tree...

"I can’t take it, I’m dying of laughter, holy shit." Shore, who was watching from the outside, was laughing so hard his stomach hurt.

The others couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

However, while the Kingdom Giant may have been blind, it didn’t want to lose.

[The direct confrontation has ended. The remaining Chess Pieces have been returned to their original positions.]

[The furious Kingdom Giant and the happy Monster Giant have closed the chessboard once more.]

[But before leaving, the Kingdom Giant, seemingly while the Monster Giant wasn’t looking, left something at the highest point of the city wall...]

[This might be of some help to the Chess Pieces.]

[However, the Chess Pieces had better act fast, because a new round of the match is about to begin...]