The terrace was bathed in the soft light of morning, yet the air still carried the heaviness of the night. Golden-blue squares on the terrace floor glowed steadily, but in some places their pulses were slightly uneven as if Ryu’s system had not fully recovered from the overload. Ryu stood calmly in the center, his breathing slightly heavy and his glove reacting with sharp but irregular bright pulses.Lyra spun her daggers on the parapet and spoke sharply.“King… your glove is still reacting irregularly. Your system should rest after the overload.”Kael held his shield firmly and spoke in a serious and grim tone.“Ryu, your strain is clearly visible. Your trust is our shield, but if you collapse the whole board will become unstable.”Elira came from the healer tents, her voice soft, warm, and gently worried.“Ryu… you are impossible, but you are human. The pressure on your system is increasing.”Ryu looked calmly with steel tone at the bright squares on the terrace.“The board is only

The terrace was at evening, and the air carried a noticeable heaviness. Golden-blue squares on the terrace floor glowed steadily, but in some places their pulses became sharply uneven, as if the countdown had launched a new and dangerous move. Ryu stood calmly at the center of the terrace, but his glove reacted in rapid and strained bright pulses. Steel determination shone in his eyes, yet his breathing was still heavy. Lyra spun her daggers on the parapet and spoke sharply. “King… the pulses of your glove are becoming unstable. It seems the countdown is executing another major move.” Kael held his shield firmly, tone serious and grim. “Ryu, this is not a silent crack… it looks like a direct attack. It may be trying to control multiple pieces at once.” Elira appeared from the healer tents, soft and warm, voice gently worried. “Ryu… you are impossible, but your system is already under strain. If it targets multiple pieces simultaneously, your overload will increase further

The terrace night air had grown even heavier. Golden-blue squares on the terrace floor glowed steadily, but their rhythm abruptly disturbed—a critical square’s pulse turned black and uneven. Ryu stood calmly at the center of the terrace, his glove reacting with violent bright pulses.Lyra spun her daggers on the parapet and spoke sharply.“King! Your glove pulse is warning you—this is Sir Arden’s square collapsing!”Kael spoke urgently through the communicator in a serious and grim tone.“Ryu, Arden is officially corrupting. If he becomes a fully black square, multiple trust system links will be cut.”Elira arrived from the healer tents, her soft warm tone gently worried.“Ryu… you are impossible, but your system is already under strain. If you manually hold his square, your overload will increase.”Ryu looked calmly at the terrace’s bright squares in a steel tone.“The board is only won when pieces choose their faith. Arden has made his choice… but I will not break his square.”---A

The night air on the terrace felt even colder and more suffocating. Golden-blue squares on the terrace floor glowed steadily, but a large portion of them had now turned into black patches as if the countdown had finally gained control. Ryu was on his knees at the center of the terrace, his glove reacting in dim and flickering pulses—his system still in a shutdown state. Lyra tightly held her daggers along the parapet and shouted sharply. “King… you have to rise! The countdown is capturing the board’s squares!” Kael spoke through the communicator in a grim but urgent tone. “Ryu, you are impossible, but your collapse is the countdown’s greatest chance. The board is now operating under its rules.” Elira knelt beside Ryu at the center of the terrace and spoke in a soft warm worried tone. “Ryu… you are impossible, but you need to recover now. Without you, the pieces will start fighting among themselves.” Ryu lifted a faint steel gaze, but his breathing was heavy and his body w

The night air on the terrace now felt warm and intense like a battlefield. The golden-blue squares and black squares were clearly divided against each other, as if the entire board had turned into a real battleground. Ryu stood at the center of the terrace calm but visibly weak, his glove still reacting in irregular pulses, but steel determination had returned to his eyes.Lyra held her daggers tightly on the parapet and spoke sharply.“King… the board has become a real battlefield. The pieces are physically fighting against each other.”Kael spoke through the communicator with a serious and grim tone.“Ryu, your system is already under strain. If your focus breaks, the golden squares could turn black.”Elira ran from the healer tents onto the terrace, her soft warm tone gently worried.“Ryu… you are impossible, but your pressure is increasing. Your system cannot handle this much load.”Ryu looked calmly and steel-like at the bright squares.“The board is only won when pieces choose t