King versus Bishop

The arena's energy was electric.

All eyes locked onto the two figures at the center of the marble battlefield:

Yuuji Serizawa—the untested King.

Leon Vortan—the merciless Bishop.

The referee's voice boomed across the stands:

"Begin!"

Leon moved first.

He darted diagonally, his black rapier flashing, aiming for Yuuji's shoulder.

Yuuji sidestepped exactly one square back—King movement.

Calm. Measured.

Leon sneered.

"Playing by the book? You'll lose, King."

He spun mid-attack, unleashing a wave of slicing magic along a diagonal line.

Yuuji retreated again, moving at the perfect angle to avoid the slash.

The crowd gasped.

From the sidelines, Mira watched intently, fists clenched.

"C'mon, King Boy... don't just dodge forever!"

Ayaka frowned, shifting nervously.

Even Clara narrowed her eyes, reading the battlefield silently.

Leon pressed harder, raining attacks across the board.

Dark energy crackled with every slash.

But no matter how fast he struck—

Yuuji was always one step ahead, gliding exactly along safe lines.

Diagonal shifts.

Short retreats.

Perfect control of space.

Chess movement, applied to battle.

Leon's lips curled in frustration.

He struck with a savage diagonal thrust—

And that's when it happened.

Yuuji stepped forward for the first time.

Not retreating.

Not evading.

Advancing.

He caught Leon's rapier with a diagonal deflection—

redirecting the force cleanly aside.

Leon stumbled slightly, off-balance for a fraction of a second.

In chess terms—

he had overextended his piece.

And Yuuji was ready.

With smooth precision, Yuuji traced a glowing magic circle in the air—

a Bishop-class binding spell, adapted for close combat.

Chains of light snapped around Leon's legs.

Leon's eyes widened.

"A trap?!"

Yuuji smiled faintly.

"You're not the only strategist here."

The crowd erupted in cheers and gasps.

Yuuji made his move.

First strike landed.

Leon gritted his teeth, struggling against the glowing chains binding his legs.

The crowd leaned forward, sensing the tension crackling in the air.

From the sidelines, Mira whooped.

"Yeah! Tie him up, King Boy!"

Ayaka pumped her fist.

Clara simply nodded once, approving.

But Yuuji wasn't celebrating yet.

He knew better.

Leon Vortan wasn't the top Bishop for nothing.

And right on cue—

Leon's lips twisted into a smirk.

"Impressive... for an amateur," he said coldly.

Then, in a blur of black magic, he thrust his rapier into the ground.

A dark glyph exploded from beneath him, shattering the light-chains instantly.

The arena shuddered.

A black mist rose from the broken marble at Leon's feet.

Forbidden Bishop magic.

Banned in official matches...

but Leon clearly didn't care.

From the stands, several instructors stood up sharply, murmuring.

Yuuji tensed.

"This just got serious."

Leon's body blurred, surrounded by shifting afterimages.

His movement wasn't just faster—

It was chaotic.

Unpredictable.

Illegal.

He sliced toward Yuuji with distorted diagonal attacks, his rapier blurring into multiple copies.

Yuuji barely dodged the first strike—

rolled under the second—

but a third, hidden thrust grazed his side.

Blood sprayed across the marble.

Mira gasped, clutching the edge of the railing.

Ayaka roared in anger.

Clara's fists tightened slightly.

Yuuji winced, clutching his side.

The pain was sharp.

Real.

But he smiled.

Because he had expected this.

Leon was powerful—

but predictable in his arrogance.

And Yuuji had set a second trap.

As Leon lunged forward for the finishing blow—

Yuuji snapped his fingers.

The marble tiles under Leon's feet glowed.

Pre-placed Bishop runes.

Invisible until activated.

Leon's eyes widened.

Too late.

A burst of force detonated beneath him, knocking him violently backward.

The crowd exploded in shocked screams.

Yuuji steadied himself, breathing hard, blood dripping down his uniform.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"You're strong, Leon," he said.

"But you forgot one thing..."

He raised two fingers.

"Every board has hidden traps.

And I'm the King."

Leon snarled, magic flaring around him like a storm.

The battle wasn't over.

It was just reaching its climax.

Leon rose slowly from the shattered ground, dust swirling around him.

His black armor cracked slightly where Yuuji's hidden rune had detonated, but his eyes burned fiercer than ever.

"Enough games," Leon growled, his voice low and dangerous.

Dark energy exploded from him, a black storm swirling around the battlefield.

The arena's marble cracked and trembled under the pressure.

Students in the stands shielded their eyes.

Even the referees hesitated, their protective spells ready.

At the sidelines, Mira's eyes widened.

"He's going all out..."

Ayaka punched her palm, grinning.

"Finally! A real fight!"

Clara narrowed her gaze, calculating.

Leon raised his rapier high.

"You forced me to take you seriously, King without a House."

The black mist condensed around his blade, forming jagged, vibrating energy.

He pointed it at Yuuji.

"Now fall."

Leon vanished.

Not fast.

Instantaneous.

Yuuji reacted purely on instinct.

He shifted sideways—

a King's move—

but even then, Leon's afterimage blurred past him like a phantom.

A searing cut appeared on Yuuji's shoulder—shallow, but bloody.

The crowd gasped.

Yuuji gritted his teeth, stumbling slightly.

"Too fast..." he thought grimly.

"He's breaking the movement logic.

It's not chess anymore.

It's raw chaos."

Leon circled him like a shark, black arcs slicing through the air.

Each missed attack left a burn on the ground.

Yuuji dodged, deflected, sidestepped—but he was slowing.

His body was burning.

His mind was racing.

But not panicking.

Never panic.

In chess, sometimes you had to sacrifice pieces to turn the flow.

Yuuji inhaled deeply.

"Alright... time to gamble."

He stopped retreating.

He stood firm.

Leon lunged—

direct, brutal, unstoppable.

Exactly as Yuuji had hoped.

Yuuji raised his hand.

A shimmering golden shield appeared—King-class defense magic—just strong enough to catch Leon's rapier for half a second.

Not to block.

To stall.

In that frozen heartbeat—

Yuuji kicked forward, smashing his heel into the side of Leon's knee.

Leon grunted, faltering.

Yuuji pivoted—

grabbed Leon's arm—

and threw him over his shoulder in a perfect judo move.

The entire arena screamed.

Leon crashed heavily onto the marble, the impact cracking the floor beneath him.

Yuuji staggered back, panting hard.

Blood dripped from his wounds, but his eyes burned bright.

"Chess is about control," he whispered.

"Not brute strength."

Leon slowly pushed himself up, coughing, hatred flashing across his face.

The match was reaching its final moves.

One mistake now...

And it was over.

Leon rose shakily, his armor cracked, his breath ragged.

Across the battlefield, Yuuji stood firm despite his wounds, blood dripping from his side and shoulder, his King emblem shining defiantly.

The crowd was dead silent.

No cheering.

No booing.

Just raw, electric tension.

Everyone knew—

this was the final move.

Leon wiped blood from his mouth and glared at Yuuji.

"I will not lose... to a nobody!"

He raised his rapier again, black energy flaring wildly around him.

Yuuji narrowed his eyes.

"You already lost the moment you let anger control you."

Leon roared and charged, black magic screaming off his blade like a raging storm.

This was no precise, strategic strike.

This was pure rage.

Wild.

Unfocused.

Desperate.

Yuuji moved.

Not backward.

Forward.

He closed the gap between them in an instant.

Leon's rapier lashed out, aiming for Yuuji's throat.

Yuuji pivoted, let the blade graze past his ear—

then stepped inside Leon's guard.

With one clean, decisive motion—

he drove his palm into Leon's chest, unleashing a pulse of golden energy.

Leon froze.

The magic overloaded his body, short-circuiting the dark spells surrounding him.

His rapier dropped from his hand.

He crumpled to his knees.

The referee raised her hand high:

"Victory! Yuuji Serizawa, House of Checkmate!"

The arena exploded into deafening cheers.

Students screamed.

Instructors clapped, some in disbelief.

Mira leapt into the air, whooping.

Ayaka roared in triumph.

Even Clara allowed herself a small, satisfied smile.

Yuuji stood there, breathing hard, sweat and blood soaking his uniform.

He looked up at the sky.

"First checkmate," he whispered.

But he knew.

This was just the opening.

The real game had only just begun.