After a brief exchange, Lofan, having activated the Chess Master talent, had roughly gauged Navia's skill level. He began deliberately leaving openings in his strategy.
These openings weren't ant for Navia's benefit, but for the three figures behind her.
As expected, Lyney's eyes lit up at Lofan's move. However, Navia failed to play the move Lyney had anticipated before the ti limit expired, leaving him deeply disappointed.
Had Navia seen through Lofan's feint, she would have gained at least a knight.
As the ga progressed, Lyney found Lofan increasingly inscrutable. Lofan's earlier moves had seed random, yet could it be that his skill far surpassed theirs, rendering his true strategy invisible?
Just as Lyney was pondering this, Lofan deliberately revealed another opening. This ti, Lyney couldn't resist speaking up.
"Cannon to E5, Miss Navia!" Lyney announced.
Navia was startled by his suggestion, but she quickly began to consider his strategy, her eyes growing brighter with understanding.
Following Lyney's plan, Navia made several crucial moves, successfully capturing one of Lofan's knights.
This small advantage boosted the group's confidence. They truly had a chance to win, and a good one at that!
Unbeknownst to them, Lofan's face beneath his mask remained relaxed and composed.
In the next exchange, Lofan lost two more pieces than Navia, and his defenses were breached, allowing the opposing forces to infiltrate his ho territory.
Throughout the ga, Charlotte and Lynette had each offered advice once, while Lyney had spoken twice.
Through their stalling tactics and practical experience, the quartet's understanding of chess had deepened significantly. Yet to Lofan, their strategies remained as transparent as a child's.
"While capitalizing on montum is admirable, it could also be your undoing," Lofan remarked to Navia, his tone betraying no hint of his worsening position. He then moved a chariot.
When Navia saw Lofan's move, her eyes lit up with excitent.
Another glaring blunder, practically handing her the victory on a silver platter! If not for their prearranged stalling tactic, she would have devoured it without hesitation.
Lyney initially shared her excitent, but recalling Lofan's earlier warning, he suppressed his restless instincts and began to analyze the board.
After about twenty seconds, Lyney jolted. It was a trap!
"It's a trap, Navia!"
Lyney used his final opportunity to speak. His warning successfully prompted Navia to re-examine the board. Though she still couldn't pinpoint the danger, she trusted her teammate, ignoring the tempting bait and making a different move.
Lyney hadn't noticed the cold sweat beading on his forehead. If Navia had fallen for the trap, they would have been checkmated in just four moves, losing the ga. Tens of thousands of lives, including their own, would be reduced to ash in a catastrophic explosion.
The imnse pressure left Lyney feeling as if he had narrowly escaped death, followed by suffocating rage.
Lofan's previous move had already demonstrated his vastly superior skill. But what about the earlier ones? Had he been deliberately toying with them?
"Indeed, this is much more entertaining," Lofan said cheerfully, before moving another piece.
Another trap!
Lyney's back was instantly drenched in cold sweat. This ti, he wouldn't even have the chance to speak.
Having witnessed Lofan's previous move, Navia had already sensed sothing was amiss. Instead of celebrating the opportunity to capture another of Lofan's pieces, she focused intently on the board.
"Miss Navia, this is another trap," a familiar voice startled Lyney. He looked up to see Lynette standing beside him. She nodded reassuringly, trying to calm him.
Though Lynette couldn't decipher the specifics of Lofan's trap, she sensed Lyney's growing panic.
Regaining his composure, Lyney returned Lynette's reassuring glance before turning back to Lofan, who was staring directly at him. He finally understood Lofan's ga: he wanted to savor the terror on their faces.
"You'll regret not taking us seriously from the start!"
Lyney conveyed his ssage to Lofan with a look, and Lofan returned a contemptuous gaze.
Just then, Navia finally moved, narrowly avoiding the trap Lofan had laid.
In the subsequent moves, Navia played with far greater caution. She had no ntal bandwidth left for speculation; her entire focus was now fixed on the chessboard.
anwhile, Lynette used her final opportunity to speak, and Charlotte had only one remaining. Yet the ga remained deadlocked.
Navia's increasingly conservative play prevented her from capitalizing on her overwhelming advantage. Instead, Lofan exploited this, capturing her "Chariot" piece without losing any of his own.
When Navia saw her "Chariot" removed from the board, her expression faltered.
Though she still held the upper hand, she could no longer see a clear path to victory.
If this continued, she might lose.
Lose?
The weight of tens of thousands of innocent lives hanging in the balance suffocated Navia. It was this very pressure that exposed her vulnerability. Even when a piece was practically offered to her, she hesitated, unable to decipher the intricate trap Lofan had set, and the opportunity was lost.
Navia's heart pounded in her chest. She couldn't help but question herself: What am I doing?
Hadn't the word "weakness" been erased from her vocabulary the mont her father died?
Those behind her must be bitterly disappointed. She had wasted three precious opportunities to speak, only to have a crucial piece captured.
Against an opponent like this, any further hesitation would doom her to certain defeat.
So...
"Miss Navia, don't fear failure. Trust your instincts and act! We'll be right here with you!"
Charlotte used her final opportunity to speak. Knowing her own skills paled in comparison to Navia's, she chose to reignite Navia's courage. With Charlotte's words ringing in her ears, Navia moved her "Elephant" across the board to capture the "Cannon"—the very piece that had devoured her "Chariot" earlier.
Now, Lofan's key pieces were reduced to a single "Cannon" and "Chariot," while Navia had only lost her "Chariot" and a "Knight." By all accounts, Lofan's chances of victory had dwindled to near zero.
Navia took a deep breath. I must win!
Suddenly, Navia's body convulsed violently, her mind going completely blank.
Before her very eyes, Lofan had unhesitatingly pushed his last Chariot piece directly under the barrel of her Cannon.
"This ti," Lofan said, gazing intently at Navia, his eyes seeming to pierce her very soul, "I'll give you five minutes to think."
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