"Flame master on 12-4, attack the swordsman on 8-6. Flame spear—magical attack, fire element."
"Hmph…"
Deep within the Great Orcus Labyrinth, in Oscar Orcus' personal chamber, Hajime Nagumo cracked a triumphant smile while the boy seated across from him narrowed his eyes, tapping a finger against his chin. His voice was smooth, confident, with just a hint of challenge. The boy was none other than Renji—a fellow otherworlder and the only person capable of giving Hajime a run for his money when it came to strategy games.
The two of them lounged across from one another on plush sofas, a transparent table between them. Upon the square metallic board that rested there, 64 animated pieces moved with eerie autonomy. This was no ordinary game of chess. The board spanned 256 squares and incorporated terrain—mountains, rivers, forests, plains—and each piece could learn skills, elemental magic, and even evolve. They were playing an elaborate magical war simulation left behind by the ancient Liberators.
The flame master launched a searing projectile, slamming into Renji's swordsman. The piece clutched its chest and cried out theatrically—"I-I regret nothing!"—before collapsing dramatically. Renji rolled his eyes as one of his mages hustled across the board to carry off the body, yelling, "One day we'll have our vengeance!"
"Still can't skip the cutscenes?" Hajime muttered, shaking his head.
"I tried," Renji replied with a sigh, "but apparently even the pause menu is enchanted. The Liberators must've had way too much time on their hands."
What had started as a strategic duel had rapidly turned into a chaotic fantasy soap opera.
Moments later, Renji's knight launched forward and skewered Hajime's flame master with practiced flair. The shattered piece groaned before regenerating and sauntering off the board with a cheerful "Nice stab!"
Hajime winced—not from the loss, but from the static shock that buzzed across his fingers.
Pain Trace.
It was a punishing mechanic in this "Liberators' Game." Each player registered their mana beforehand, and each time they lost a piece, they'd get zapped.
"Assassin to 13-9," Hajime called. "Attack the enemy crusader. Slash, skill, increased critical."
"Tch."
Renji flinched as his crusader's head tumbled off with an exaggerated gasp. His queen cried out, "My knight! My brave, beautiful knight!"
His king glared. "Brave what now? Explain."
Thus began a ridiculous unraveling of royal scandal. The queen's affair. The king's illegitimate son. The enemy queen being the mother. The court magician in a secret affair with Hajime's court magician. The pieces shouted accusations, declared forbidden love, and sword-dueled out their betrayals in glorious drama.
Renji pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is supposed to be a game. Not House of Cards: Arcana Edition."
"Hey, you're the one who left your knight exposed."
Renji narrowed his eyes and smirked. "You noticed?"
"You meant to do that?"
"I also turned on a few custom settings," Renji added. "Found some options in the user manual. Pain Trace, intensity maxed. And… it probes for your weakest nerve points. How's your... lower half doing?"
Hajime stiffened as another shock zapped him somewhere decidedly inconvenient.
"You evil bastard. You read the manual?"
"All 500 pages," Renji replied, smug. "I was bored. And motivated."
With a shiver of dread, Hajime realized this game had become psychological warfare. Renji's strategic sacrifices were all distractions—he was aiming to make Hajime lose focus by triggering his reflexes in unfortunate places.
"I don't have time for this." Hajime slammed a hand down. "Earth master to 16-7! Line attack, 16-8 to 16-10. Rock slide, magical, advanced!"
Rocks crashed through Renji's formation. The shock sent Renji sprawling against the backrest of the sofa, twitching from the jolt, eyes watering slightly.
"Oof… You're really bringing out the big guns now," Renji breathed, wiping sweat from his temple.
"You made it personal."
The battle intensified. Hajime made bold plays, pushing his army into dangerous zones, while Renji countered with calculated tricks and dirty tactics. Finally, Hajime saw his chance.
"Queen to 14-5! Ruler's Blessing! Full unit coordination strike!"
With a flurry of magical bursts and sword strikes, Hajime's pieces overwhelmed Renji's court. The illegitimate prince fell. The enemy king was slain. The enemy queen, in her last breath, declared love for Hajime's queen. Both were skewered in a tragic lovers' end.
Finally, the board fell silent.
Hajime's silent king raised his sword in victory and, with the swagger of a stage actor, declared, "Victory is ours! All hail me!"
Hajime exhaled and leaned back, massaging his temples. "Finally. No matching outfits. No pain shocks. No enchanted musical numbers. Just victory."
Renji scoffed, arms crossed and clearly unimpressed. "Yeah, yeah, gloat while you can. I was playing the long game anyway."
"You were losing the short game, the mid game, and the endgame."
Renji jabbed a thumb at the manual. "Next time, I'm enabling Sudden Dragon Invasion mode. Good luck prepping for that."
"I will throw the entire board off a cliff if a single dragon shows up."
Renji grinned, leaning forward like a coiled spring. "By the way… deal's a deal. You are wearing the outfit."
Hajime froze. "...What outfit?"
"The one I sewed myself. Got it enchanted too. Matching colors. Glittery embroidery. Has a hood with bunny ears."
"You're bluffing."
"I'm not. It's already waiting in your room."
Hajime stood up and slowly backed away. "You're insane."
Renji stood too, cracking his knuckles with a devilish grin. "And undefeated in outfit-related wagers."
Hajime muttered as he walked off, "Next time I'm bringing a taser."
Behind him, Renji called out, "You'll match with the queen piece! It's canon now!"
And so, Hajime won the game—but lost his dignity.
Again.
Because no matter how many games they played, Renji always won the post-game.