The chess ga had reached a point where continuing seed pointless.
Navia held the key to victory, while Lofan had finally bared his true fangs.
Just as all four players believed the ga was about to end, Lofan's next few moves completely revitalized the seemingly hopeless situation.
It was then that they realized Lofan's chess skills utterly dwarfed their own.
If the stalemate persisted, the ga would inevitably end in a draw.
Typically, chess draws are decided by tiebreakers, but Lofan's self-imposed rule stated that a draw would count as his win.
To break this deadlock, Navia would have to sacrifice so of her pieces to secure ultimate victory.
Lyney had barely reached this conclusion when Navia made her move.
After taking that step, Navia's eyes held nothing but the burning desire to win.
Even though she understood the weight of her actions and the sins she would carry as a result, Navia had grown numb.
In the next instant, the chess piece Navia had sacrificed was ruthlessly captured by Lofan.
Navia, who thought her heart had grown numb, found her breath quickening again as she watched. Her eyes grew warm, and a lump ford in her throat.
That was a living being, she thought, sacrificed by my own hand.
Though Navia knew this was the only course of action, the pain in her heart refused to diminish. The other three shared her anguish. While she was the Chess Master, none of them would have fared better in her position.
"I told you," Lofan said, "from the mont you decided to play my ga, you had already lost."
His words only deepened the quartet's inner tornt.
"But you've lost this ga!" Navia declared, slamming her chess piece down to capture Lofan's last Cannon. Her heart felt like it was bleeding.
At that mont, Navia bitterly regretted ever eting Lofan. If she could turn back ti, she would rather lead everyone into a life-or-death battle against the nobles than be deceived and manipulated by him again.
With Navia's decisive move, Lofan's last chance to struggle vanished completely.
Lofan calmly accepted his defeat, even moving his Marshal directly in front of Navia's Chariot.
Without hesitation, Navia used her Chariot to capture Lofan's Marshal, ending the ga.
But while the chess match was over, the real confrontation had only just begun.
"You lost. You promised you wouldn't detonate the explosives beneath the city if you lost."
"Hahahaha!"
Lofan stood up and burst into laughter.
"You're right, Miss Navia."
"I lost."
"You've done well. Your growth far exceeded my expectations. You truly are my most outstanding student."
Hearing Lofan's words, Navia rose to her feet, grinding her teeth. "My greatest regret is misjudging you and becoming your student!"
"Grett, if your goal was to drive as insane as you are, I'm afraid you've failed. Now, hand over the detonator!"
The other three moved to stand beside Navia, their eyes burning with resentnt as they glared at Lofan.
"That's precisely the problem, Miss Navia," Lofan said slowly, producing the detonator. As all four pairs of eyes locked onto the device in his hand, he continued, "Earlier, I tried to teach you not to overlook what lies beyond the chessboard."
"Now, I'm telling you this: never trust a word a madman says!"
With that, under their horrified gazes, Lofan slamd his palm down on the detonator button...
Earlier, despite having received news of the Clockwork ka Army's defeat and knowing that angry officials would soon co demanding answers, Marquis Relf remained surprisingly calm. He even had the leisure to move a rocking chair onto his balcony, sip his wine, and gaze at the distant night sky.
Marquis Relf was already brimming with anticipation, recalling Lofan's parting words about enjoying a spectacular fireworks display.
No matter how devastating the consequences, as long as those wretched commoners were wiped out, he would secure the approval of the powerful figures above.
All the bla would fall squarely on the masked man, leaving Relf with only minor, inconsequential charges. After quietly lying low at ho for a few years, he would once again rise as the formidable Marquis Relf.
If the plan succeeded, this final lifeline would allow him to reclaim his opulent life as a marquis. With so many positions now vacant, even further advancent might be within reach.
The thought sent a surge of excitent through Marquis Relf.
"Unbelievable! Those wretched commoners actually held off the Clockwork ka Legion's assault out there. Too bad for them—they've only sealed their own doom!"
A cold glint flashed in Marquis Relf's eyes as he rembered the rabble who had brought him to this ruin. If not for the masked man's sche, he would have been utterly lost.
"Perhaps I should even thank him for this," he mused.
"It's a pity he'll likely never appear before again," Marquis Relf thought, a smug smile spreading across his face. But as ti passed, the smile gradually faded.
"What's going on? What's that bastard up to? Why hasn't he made his move yet?!" Marquis Relf muttered, growing increasingly impatient as the fireworks he expected failed to materialize.
"Could sothing have gone wrong? Or did that bastard deceive ?"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! That man is powerful and ruthless. There's no way he could fail." Marquis Relf reassured himself.
"He's probably just waiting for the perfect mont. I just need to be patient a little longer."
With these thoughts, he stared intently into the distance, waiting until his eyes ached, but the fireworks remained elusive.
Marquis Relf's anger flared. A mix of humiliation and boundless dread for the future began to fester in his heart.
"Damn that bastard!"
"Make your move, you bastard! Just do it already!"
As if answering his desperate plea, a deafening explosion shattered the air nearby.
Marquis Relf's face lit up with triumphant excitent, his voice trembling with anticipation.
"Yes! He's finally made his move!"
To Marquis Relf's surprise, the explosion sounded much closer than he had anticipated.
Before he could react, the floor began to tremble violently, and he was engulfed in flas.
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