CHAPTER 456: CHAPTER 456: IF YOU CAN’T BEAT THEM, JOIN THEM

Yang Yu was using the famous opening strategies once used by AlphaGo.

Throughout the years, Yang Yu still remembered a time when a defeated subordinate came to him excitedly, challenging him to a game of chess.

Thinking the guy was one of his few friends, Yang Yu happily accepted the challenge.

But Yang Yu, who had thought to wipe the floor with him, ended up losing ten times in a row at the outset.

Seeing his smug expression, a flame of anger raged within Yang Yu.

After discovering his friend had studied the AlphaGo chess manual, Yang Yu adopted the principle if you can’t beat them, join them, and started learning AlphaGo’s moves.

Yi Zuo had no idea he was about to face the terrifying machine’s chess path that encapsulated human wisdom; a slight slack, and the game would immediately lean one way.

At that moment, Bai Jin and the others were also undergoing their courage trials in different spaces.

That’s right, the chess pieces in Yang Yu’s hand were simply illusions crafted by Yi Zuo based on Bai Jin and the rest.

On the sixth floor of the Hall of Courage, the enemy you face is actually yourself; the sixth floor provides different illusions and courage trials according to different people.

And the content of the trial was changeable by Yi Zuo.

Originally, Yang Yu’s courage trial would have been to overcome the current version of himself.

But upon inspection, Yi Zuo thought this wouldn’t work; if another him appeared in front of Yang Yu, wouldn’t he realize this was an illusion?

So Yi Zuo changed it to this trial, personally presided over by him.

However, Yi Zuo hadn’t anticipated that Yang Yu’s chess would unfold at such a rapid pace; in a moment of inattention, he found himself pushed into a predicament.

Switching perspectives to the others, the illusions simulated on the sixth floor are nearly real; someone deeply engrossed might never realize they’re in an illusion without being told.

Even more troublesome, each of their courage trials was now dreamingly interconnected with falling through the clouds.

For example, the illusion that Bai Jin encountered.

Bai Jin had just landed and saw Yang Yu battling the guardian of this maze level; the enemy was very strong, with Iyas and Hake each suffering serious injuries, while Yang Yu’s eyes held a determination as if he was ready to meet his end with valor.

Iyas and Hake both came across a Teleportation Array, sending them back to the Elf Forest. Yang Yu, unlucky, ended up in the Elf Queen’s boudoir, chased all over by the Elf Guard.

Lotcar landed in a forest and smelled his cousin, who had caused him to become a traitor. The Yang Yu beside him said, "Within this Underground Maze, there might be something attracting your enemies and the mastermind. If you’ve got grievances, don’t hesitate to settle them when the time comes."

Qing Shi stood alone in the vast desert, finding a note left by Yang Yu that read, "We’ve been thrown into a real desert. We must find the others within a set time. I’m going ahead."

Every scenario was extremely realistic, and given their parachuting experiences, everything logically fit together—no one doubted the authenticity of these scenes.

As for Yang Yu, he did not concern himself with whether he was trapped in an illusion resembling a past experience.

Since the opponent made it clear that simply outplaying him in chess would suffice to pass, what was there to wait for? Better to pin the opponent to the ground and rub his face in it first.

Caught off guard by Yang Yu’s sudden deployment, Yi Zuo tried to calm down and search for a means of turning the tables. He had gradually pushed the trial of courage to the back of his mind, focusing solely on how to wrestle back control from Yang Yu.

Finally, after much contemplation, Yi Zuo came up with a move. Yang Yu’s attack followed closely, with Lotcar, acting as "the knight," showing no mercy as he knocked Yi Zuo’s queen off the board.

Yang Yu’s move plunged Yi Zuo into deep thought once again. The one-sided situation was now beyond Yi Zuo’s control, but he refused to throw in the towel, avoiding exchanging pieces with Yang Yu, forcing Yang Yu into a dilemma.

Even if he forced Yang Yu into a tough decision, what of it? Yang Yu didn’t even blink when capturing pieces.

Seeing that Yi Zuo was taking a long time to make his next move, Yang Yu spoke up:

"This Underground Maze is even more boring than I imagined. It’s said to be a trial, but it simply follows the will of that person, making decisions that fit their wishes, forcing one to make choices they deem courageous."

"Perhaps that really is the case," Yi Zuo lowered his hand that was commanding the pieces. "Honestly, I also cannot fathom what Hero Lox really wanted to do. By the time I saw him again, he had already become an old man."

"By the sound of it, you too seem to have been awakened by the hero long after your death."

"I sacrificed myself to cover my companions’ escape, staying alone to confront the Demon King."

"You sacrificed yourself for your companions? That’s pretty brave. I can see your strength, you were probably able to take on the Demon King mostly because of those Star Eyes, right? Being able to see through the flow of magic power around you and identifying the flaws in magic, shattering it with a single blow."

Yi Zuo was somewhat surprised, "You know of eyes like these?"

"I know someone who also has the same kind of eyes."

Yi Zuo’s interest peaked suddenly, "Really? What kind of person are they?"

"A very wilful, meddling girl," Yang Yu replied. "She’s got a group of reliable companions. You seem quite interested in her..."

Regret was written all over Yi Zuo’s face. "In my time, I was the last one to have such eyes. Before I was captured by the Demon King Army, my wife was only a few months pregnant. I hoped to see the faces of my love and child after the war, but it turned into an eternal separation. Thanks to Lox, my wife and child were able to live safely through the turmoil, and my lineage continued to this era."

Setting such a big FLAG before setting out, it’s not surprising it turned out this way.

However, what Yang Yu cared about wasn’t that point. Since he was going to ask sooner or later, he chose to just come out with it.

"Captured?" Yang Yu found it strange. "Weren’t you supposed to have died valiantly under the Demon King’s fierce attack at that time?"

Yi Zuo didn’t conceal anything, sharing his past with Yang Yu. "I stayed alone to cover the retreat and after a tough battle, I was captured by the Demon King Army. Ironically, instead of being downcast for letting the hero escape, the army celebrated greatly because they had captured me."

"They wanted... your eyes, didn’t they?"

Pointing to his eyes with a scooping gesture, Yi Zuo did not deny it. "The Demon King, with his sharp claws, personally gouged out my eyes, imprisoning me in a lightless dungeon. Eventually, I was turned into a twisted monster, an abomination like a puppet on strings, placed in the hero’s path on his quest to defeat the Demon King. At that time, I desperately begged the hero to kill me and to tell my child that I was a true hero. Only then did I finally find release."