Third Round: Battle of Speed
"Third round, Battle of Speed—" The mysterious figure, always hovering in the center of the arena, witnessing everything, announced the rules in a tone devoid of any fluctuation, its skeletal fingers pointing toward the deck outside the cabin, roiling with ominous mist. "Circle this ship once; the first to reach the finish line wins." His words paused, carrying a hint of cruel amusement, "The rules are simple, but don't dream of it being easy. The deck of this 'Wraithcaller' is alive; it will constantly twist, deform, and set traps. Additionally, you may summon your respective companions to assist. This is a test of speed, as well as adaptability and bonds."
Salsa's soul form drifted to the starting line, her toes barely touching the ground. At this moment, her opponent, a ghost clad in a tattered hunter's cloak, had an elusive figure, with even deeper darkness beneath the cloak. In his hand, he gripped a quaintly styled yet emanating ominous chill silver longbow, its body flowing with cold metallic sheen, as if it could freeze souls. He had no facial features, or rather, they were swallowed by the cloak's shadows, with only a focused and icy will emanating clearly.
At that moment, the ghost hunter let out a sharp, piercing whistle. The whistle penetrated the cabin's wooden walls, reaching straight into the overcast sky. Almost instantly, a tearing screech through the air approached from afar! A massive black shadow dove down like lightning, carrying biting cold winds, landing steadily beside the ghost hunter. It was a ghost falcon with a wingspan exceeding three meters! Its form hovered between solid and illusory, feathers in dull iron gray, edges flickering with the phosphorescent glow unique to ghosts. Most intimidating were its sharp, blade-like amber eagle eyes and claws that shimmered with metallic chill, capable of tearing through fine steel. It folded its massive wings, its cold gaze sweeping over Salsa, carrying the arrogance of a sky overlord and the cruelty of a predator.
Facing this aggressive aerial threat, Salsa let out a scornful chuckle, her voice crisp yet carrying the chill unique to the undead: "Heh, think you're the only one who can summon?" She gracefully raised her slender, faintly glowing arm, fingers splayed, palm downward. In an instant, the thick darkness, as substantial as matter, boiled violently! A full ten shadow demon wolves coalesced into being. As soon as the ten shadow wolves appeared, they scattered and regrouped with extreme tactical proficiency, instantly forming a perfect, razor-sharp arrowhead charge formation, encircling Salsa and the shadow demon wolves at the tip. The entire process was silent, yet filled with suffocating pressure; the dense shadow energy caused the temperature in the cabin to plummet, the air permeated with the scent of sulfur and grave soil.
"Begin!"
The figure's icy command rang like a war drum!
"Awooo—!" The shadow demon wolves let out a soul-shaking howl, their four limbs slamming into the ground, splintering the hard deck wood. Salsa's soul form lightly drifted onto the wolf's back like weightless, her legs clamping tight. One person and one wolf transformed into a shadow arrow tearing through the darkness, bursting through the cabin door with a boom, whipping up a cold whirlwind as they lunged toward the ever-changing deck.
Almost simultaneously, the ghost hunter leaped onto the falcon's broad back like a wraith. The falcon's wings beat fiercely, whipping up gales, carrying its rider skyward in an instant, surpassing the shadow demon wolves that had just burst out the door, claiming the lead. Two black shadows—one skimming the ground like a shadow, one soaring through the air like lightning—unfolded a heart-pounding chase on the back of the Wraithcaller, this massive steel behemoth that constantly writhed and deformed.
The ghost ship "Wraithcaller" lived up to its name. It seemed to possess an evil life, using its entire hull to obstruct this race. The flat deck began to twist madly the moment they stepped on it!
"Rumble!" The planks underfoot suddenly heaved upward without warning, instantly forming a three-meter-high thick wooden wall, blocking the shadow demon wolves' charging path. Ghostly faces of agony and wails even emerged on the wall's surface.
"Clang! Clang!" Overhead, rusted massive iron chains, as if manipulated by invisible giant hands, whipped down like frenzied pythons from masts, smokestacks, and the void, weaving into a dangerous chain net, sealing the path ahead and the space above.
The deck ahead suddenly undulated like waves, the hard planks becoming soft like a mire, attempting to swallow the runners.
A massive mast let out a teeth-gritting groan, slowly toppling toward the shadow demon wolves' charging path, like a giant's severed arm.
The shadow demon wolves displayed astonishing agility and feral instinct. Facing the rising wooden wall, they didn't slow at all; instead, under Salsa's low command "Scatter!", their claws dug in fiercely, powerful hind legs exploding with terrifying force, their entire bodies nearly parallel to the deck, forcing through the narrow gap between the wall and deck that seemed almost impossible! Rough wooden splinters scraped their shadow-condensed fur, emitting grating friction sounds.
Facing the descending chain net overhead, Salsa reacted swiftly. Her slender fingers quickly formed a complex shadow seal, her mouth murmuring ancient necromantic incantations: "Shadow Touch, Ethereal Form!" A profound purple-black energy ripple spread from her palm, precisely enveloping the falling iron chains. The chains touched by the shadow energy instantly became blurred and transparent, like ink lines dipped in water; though outlines remained visible, they lost their physical obstruction. The shadow demon wolves passed through the "ethereal" chain net without hindrance! The chains regained solidity only after the pack passed, crashing heavily onto the deck with dull thuds.
However, against the opponent's ghost falcon, it handled these deck traps with ease thanks to its absolute aerial advantage. It merely needed to lightly ascend or perform a nimble roll to easily bypass the upright walls or avoid the falling chains. The undulating deck waves and toppling mast posed no threat to it. It maintained a lead of several meters over the shadow demon wolves, the ghost hunter sitting steadily on the eagle's back, silver bow gripped tight, icy will locked on the pursuers behind, like a merciless overseer.
Salsa crouched low, her soul energy tightly linked to the demon wolf beneath her; she could feel every muscle burst, every claw tip colliding with the deforming deck. Her mind raced at high speed, constantly directing the ten shadow wolves surrounding them. These loyal shadow creatures acted as extensions of her limbs, sometimes dispersing to scout and warn, sometimes converging to charge forward obstacles, tearing fragile wooden barriers with claws and fangs, or clearing a path for Salsa and the main wolf. They were sharp spear tips and flexible shields. Each successful evasion and breakthrough ignited Salsa's fighting spirit further; she fixed her gaze on the flying figure ahead, the shadow energy in her soul depths boiling: "Faster... catch up!"
The intense chase reached the stern area. The space here was relatively open, but the winds were fiercer, mixed with thick sea brine and decay. The massive stern rudder stood like a silent behemoth skeleton. Just as the shadow demon wolves strained to close the gap in a relatively flat area, a sudden change occurred!
The ghost falcon, which had maintained the lead and seemed focused on flight, abruptly dove in a rapid plunge! Its movement was lightning-fast, folded wings making it like a deadly javelin stabbing downward. The target wasn't Salsa herself, but the charging shadow demon wolf beneath her! Those claws shimmering with chill, capable of piercing steel plates, whistled through the air with tearing sharpness, ruthlessly grabbing toward the shadow demon wolf's right eye burning with ghostly green soul fire! This was an extremely insidious ambush, aiming to cripple Salsa's most important mount and combat power.
"Despicable!" Salsa's soul form flickered intensely with light from extreme anger, letting out a sharp rebuke. The attack came too fast and sudden; the shadow demon wolf was in full sprint, unable to change direction or stop instantly. In this critical moment, Salsa's instincts as a necromancer reached their peak! She didn't even need a full incantation; her powerful mental force and absolute control over the undead erupted instantly!
"Wall of the Dead, Manifest!" With her will surging wildly, the deck less than half a meter in front of the shadow demon wolf shattered with a boom! Not the planks breaking, but space itself forcibly torn open in a narrow rift! One, two, three... a full five pale, rigid skeletons, joints still bearing rusted armor remnants, were "squeezed" out from the abyssal hell, instantly forming a fragile yet resolute bone barrier! Their empty eye sockets flickered with faint soul fire, raising battered bone shields and rusted scimitars, fearlessly meeting the deadly eagle claws.
"Crack! Squish—!"
The grating sound of bones shattering and dull tearing rang out simultaneously! The ghost falcon's claws unsurprisingly crushed the front two skeletons' skulls and ribcages, bone shards flying. The third skeleton's bone shield was easily pierced, half its body shredded. But this sacrifice was not in vain! It was this seemingly insignificant yet crucial block that bought the shadow demon wolf those barely perceptible, yet life-or-death fractions of a second!
The shadow demon wolf, relying on beastly instinct and Salsa's mental drive, jerked its massive head sharply to the left just as the claws neared the eyeball! "Screech!" The icy eagle claws grazed past the demon wolf's right ear and neck, taking a few strands of shadow-condensed fur, leaving three shallow gashes on its tough skin that burned with cold energy. The wolf yelped in pain, its sprint inevitably showing a hint of disorder and lag.
It was this momentary lag!
When Salsa's furious gaze shifted from the wounded wolf, past the shattered bone barrier, she saw the ghost falcon using the dive's momentum, its giant wings suddenly spreading, executing a beautiful pull-up, carrying the ghost hunter with his fluttering cloak like a gray lightning bolt, gracefully crossing the makeshift finish line formed by two crossed masts at the stern!
The victory was decided.
The ghost falcon circled to slow down, emitting a victorious screech. The ghost hunter stood steadily on the eagle's back, the shadows under his cloak seeming to cast an icy glance.
Salsa's shadow demon wolf carried its master across the finish, but ultimately half a step late. The ten shadow wolves silently gathered around the injured lead wolf and their master, their ghostly green eyes warily staring at the victor in the air, low growls of threat rumbling in their throats.
The mysterious figure appeared again, its icy voice pronouncing the result: "Third round, ghost side wins."
Salsa's soul form drifted down from the wolf's back, her brows tightly furrowed. The shadow energy in her soul depths fluctuated violently with unwillingness, forming faint black arcs around her. She looked at the despicable yet victorious opponent in the air, at his cold silver bow, and the fierce falcon circling.
After a moment of silence, she forcibly suppressed the surging anger and frustration, restoring her soul's light to calm. She lifted her head, addressing the ghost hunter in the air clearly, with a hint of undetectable coldness, nodding: "Your methods aren't honorable, but... results are results. You're formidable."
Her voice wasn't loud, yet it clearly spread across the deck, acknowledging defeat while pointing out the opponent's vile tactics. This speed contest was settled, but the true contest might just be beginning.
Fourth Round: Challenge of Wisdom
The mysterious figure continued: "Follow me now, to the site of the fourth match."
Along the way, the mysterious figure silently led them through the ghost ship's interior, corridors filled with eerie dark stains. Those stains seemed like despair and seawater solidified over centuries.
Finally, they were brought to a core cabin starkly different from the ship's other dilapidated areas. The space was abnormally vast, yet ruled by deeper dead silence and a sense of temporal stagnation. Dust emitting faint cold glow floated in the air, like frozen star scraps. At the cabin's center, a massive crystal chessboard hung silently. The deep blue crystal material was covered in web-like cracks, from whose depths seeped strands of ominous dark red glow, like solidified blood vessels. Countless ancient, intricate magical runes were etched upon it, emanating a mix of cyan-green and pallid light, flickering like will-o'-the-wisps in this dead silence, "breathing." Dozens of elemental chess pieces condensed from pure magic hovered within: "Water Droplets" rippling with cold deep blue, "Flames" pulsing with eerie pale flame cores, "Vines" entwined with intertwined vitality and decay in cyan-green, "Boulders" steady yet tinged with tombstone gray, "Sharp Metals" flickering with metallic cold light while edges twisted and blurred. The magic fluctuations from the entire chessboard were not just elemental forces but mixed with the ghost ship's accumulated endless resentment and ripples of temporal disorder, making observers' souls tremble.
"This is the 'Elemental Chessboard,'" the mysterious figure's voice squeezed out like from the ship's decayed keel depths, carrying hollow echoes, his withered fingers pointing to the opposite side of the chessboard. The air twisted violently, scattered cold glow dust gathered and churned, accompanied by low murmurs like drowning groans, a "Ghost Chess Player" formed from semi-transparent, undulating ghostly blue and pallid energy gradually materialized. It had no clear face, only eyes as two clusters of malicious pale soul fire, locked dead on Yuyuer. "Your opponent, the lingering echo of this ship's sunken will. The goal: unlock five elemental magic locks." With the words, the runes of the chessboard's five key weak points—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth locks—suddenly lit up, their glow piercing the dark red in the cracks, appearing demonic and dangerous. The Metal lock was sharp as if it could cut souls, the Wood lock like entangling ancient forests exuding vitality and shadows, the Water lock like abyssal eyes, the Fire lock leaping with ghost fire, the Earth lock steady as a coffin. "Move the pieces to activate the chains. Remember, elemental laws: mutual generation enhances, mutual conquest reverses. One wrong step," the voice suddenly sharp like rusted metal scraping, "triggers not just rune traps, but this ghost ship's accumulated curses and temporal chaos! Lightly, pieces are devoured by resentment; severely... your existence will be assimilated by this sea of the dead!"
Yuyuer took a deep breath of the cold, decayed air. The blue sapphire at his staff's tip struggled to bloom with deep sea blue, countering the surrounding chill. He stepped forward, runes underfoot flickering uncertainly. His gaze pierced the swaying ghost fire, focused on the flowing traces of ancient runes. Here, the elemental mutual generation and conquest (Metal conquers Wood, Wood conquers Earth, Earth conquers Water, Water conquers Fire, Fire conquers Metal; Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, Earth generates Metal) were not just energy rules but intertwined with the ghost ship's obsessions and the fragile balance of space. The order to unlock the five locks must be precise.
"Begin!" The mysterious figure's voice tolled like a funeral bell.
Yuyuer's staff swiftly tapped. A hovering "Water Droplet" piece was drawn by blue magic threads, slicing through the chill, steadily embedding into the northwest corner's "Water Lock" core rune. "Ding—ling..." An ethereal, echoing light sound, like a droplet falling into the abyss. The Water lock rune laboriously lit with blue light, piercing the dark red cracks like a lone lamp in murky seawater, a cool aura briefly dispelling the decay. The Water system rune veins flickered accordingly.
Opposite, the ghost chess player's soul fire surged! A "Ghost Fire" piece, pale with ghostly green, was grabbed invisibly, dragging wailing afterimages, slamming harshly into the chessboard's central cracked "Resentment Furnace" weak point! "Boom!" Pale flames erupted, igniting negative emotion runes, twisted painful howls rising, sulfur and charred corpse scents permeating! The flames attempted to interfere with Water energy, even more trying to invoke the ghost ship's curse, lighting the "Fire Lock" and polluting the whole board!
"Careful!" Zhamisi's scales bristled, sensing the malice in the flames. Kayla growled low, her thunder claws' frost runes self-illuminating. Rex's electronic eyes flashed rapidly, warning of declining spatial stability.
Yuyuer's eyes sharpened, his staff almost simultaneously with the ghost fire's burst drawing toward another piece—the "Raging Waves" embodying ocean fury! The staff's blue sapphire blazed brilliantly, invoking phantom raging seas outside the ship. "Raging Waves" carried deafening tsunami roars, not crashing at the "Ghost Fire," but like a dragon's tail swipe, fiercely striking the tar-like negative energy link between "Ghost Fire" and "Resentment Furnace"!
"Crack—!!!" Intense clash! Violent pure seawater force collided fiercely with the filthy, venomous resentment fire! Foul gray-white steam rose, the negative energy link severed and purified! "Raging Waves'" residual power continued, carrying purified water vapor and shockwaves like a siege ram, booming into the "Wood Lock" rune vicinity! Water generates Wood! Mutual generation force was forcefully guided in the purification aftermath!
"Buzz—splash..." A muffled yet vitality-bursting hum overpowered the steam and howls! The "Wood Lock" rune suddenly erupted with dense cyan-blue radiance! In the light, countless tiny wailing soul phantoms were entwined and dispersed by cyan-blue vine phantoms! Growth and entanglement rune lines on the chessboard madly spread and intertwined, emitting rustling like unfolding branches, the entire chessboard's energy flow accelerating suddenly, the dark red cracks suppressed by this bursting vitality, their glow dimming! One strike purified the filth, lighting the Wood lock!
"Brilliant!" TISK growled low, his warhammer stamping the ground, sparking flames. Arya gripped her bow tight, feeling the tenacious vitality from the Wood element.
The ghost chess player's soul fire raged. It mobilized a heavy "Sunken Wreck" piece (corrupted Earth element), compressed from countless decayed ship planks, carrying grating wood-cracking sounds, harshly pressing onto a key weak point in front of the "Earth Lock." Decay and despair auras permeated, like an anchor trying to drag energy into sinking, even more stubbornly blocking the sharp path to the "Metal Lock."
The game entered a perilous middlegame. Sweat beaded on Yuyuer's forehead, his staff's blue light resilient. He didn't forcefully attack the cursed "Sunken Wreck," instead cleverly guiding a "Bone-Devouring Vine" piece (Wood element) filled with erosion and absorption power. "Bone-Devouring Vine" didn't clash head-on but like countless agile vipers, madly clung, entwined, and rooted along the decayed, stagnant energy weak points around "Sunken Wreck"! Wood conquers Earth! Especially erosive Wood! Where the vines reached, the stagnant black qi from "Sunken Wreck" was continuously absorbed and decomposed, its mud-like energy link to the "Earth Lock" torn and blocked by tough roots! Simultaneously, these vines greedily "sucked" energy near the "Metal Lock" area, attempting to weaken the haze there.
The ghost chess player detected it, immediately mobilizing a "Dead Dust" piece (Earth element) composed of bone dust and resentment, attempting to bury the vines and pollute their vitality. At the same time, it drove a "Cursed Metal" piece (Metal element) with twisted edges and rust spots, like a venomous sting shooting toward the vine cluster, intending to sever!
Yuyuer's staff had already anticipated! As "Dead Dust" was just resentment-bound and moved, he drew with his staff, extracting a strong, plundering vitality Wood energy from the "Wood Lock" area previously stirred by "Raging Waves," instantly infusing it into a ready "Thorny Thunderstorm" piece (destructive fusion of Wood and lightning)! "Thorny Thunderstorm" erupted with lightning-wreathed sharp thorn phantoms, not attacking the pieces themselves but precisely bombarding ahead of "Cursed Metal's" flight path!
"Boom-crack—snap!" Thorny Thunderstorm exploded! Violent lightning and sharp thorns not only blasted "Cursed Metal" flying and entwining it off course, making it crash into spatial cracks with grating friction, but the dispersed destructive energy instantly charred "Dead Dust" into coke and tore it to shreds! The wailing screech abruptly stopped. Defenses crumbled!
Seize the moment! Yuyuer's staff drew, "Bone-Devouring Vine" instantly converged, transforming into a massive ferocious "Wood Dragon Bite," capitalizing on "Sunken Wreck's" energy turmoil and weakened curse from lost replenishment, carrying destructive erosive will, fiercely "biting" its defensive core! Wood conquers Earth! Decayed planks crumbled inch by inch under vine strangling and root burrowing! Yuyuer followed by mobilizing a "Fertile Soil" piece (Earth element) emanating warm, vital yellow light, steadily embedding into the "Earth Lock" core rune.
"Thud... buzz..." A muffled vibration carrying earth's renewal spread. The "Earth Lock" brown-yellow rune steadily lit, steady glow dispelling the chill. Large withered areas on the chessboard even showed faint green phantoms.
Losing two locks in succession, the ghost chess player went utterly mad! In silent roar, the whole ship shook, cabin wall stains writhing! It staked all remaining resentment and power, controlling the surviving "Ghost Fire" and a "Abyssal Molten Core" piece (Fire element) summoned from the ship's abyssal cracks, flowing dark red magma, like meteors wrapped in destructive resentment and heat, harshly smashing toward the "Metal Lock" area! Simultaneously, a "Void Shadow" piece made of shadows, emanating strong devouring force, coiled like a venomous snake onto the "Water Lock," madly swallowing the blue light!
Dark red lava instantly flooded the Metal lock runes, scorching them red-hot and hissing,冤魂 wailing! The "Water Lock" blue light rapidly dimmed like a candle in the wind. Dual killing blow! Energy cycle on the brink of collapse, dark red cracks greedily absorbing energy, space warping like water ripples!
Under immense pressure, a silver gleam flashed and vanished in Yuyuer's right eye depths. He sank all his spirit into the staff and chessboard. Making a bold decision! Staff raised high overhead, heavily stamping onto the "Ocean Origin" weak point! The staff's blue sapphire erupted with deep sea abyssal brilliance!
"Silent dead sea, heed the call! Metal generates Water, source flows unending! With pure Metal, sever illusory darkness!"
A miracle born in curse! The "Metal Lock" area, scorched red and near vaporization by "Abyssal Molten Core," in extreme sharpness and cursed heat, under Yuyuer's desperate guidance of "Metal generates Water" rule, sparked the most primal pure Metal elemental origin in desperation! A condensed, substantial sharp qi shining with evil-breaking silver glow, like dawn slicing eternal night, surged skyward from the Metal lock core! Ignoring lava barriers, precisely piercing the "Void Shadow" coiling the "Water Lock"! Pure Metal sharpness conquers evil shadows! "Void Shadow" let out soul-tearing wails, melting like ice and snow! The surging silver sharp qi didn't dissipate; under Yuyuer's mental guidance, like a judgment sword, it tapped the Metal lock core rune covered in lava!
"Clang—!!!" A clear, resounding metallic clang severing all curses echoed through every corner of the ghost ship! The "Metal Lock" rune erupted with dazzling silver light piercing the haze! Sharp qi repelled and purified surrounding dark red lava!
Water, Fire, Wood, Earth, Metal! Four of five locks unlocked! Magic array energy flow connected three-quarters! The crystal chessboard erupted with unprecedented radiance, elemental patterns clearly manifesting, like lighting true stars in a decayed heart! Surging purification and order magic roared, fiercely clashing with the ghost ship's resentment! The final key—"Fire Lock"!
The ghost chess player let out a final desperate screech! Staking all remaining resentment and power in a last gamble, controlling "Abyssal Molten Core" and pale ghost fire like self-destructive meteors, carrying mad mutual destruction, harshly crashing toward the "Fire Lock" weak point! Aiming to detonate polluted Fire element, destroying everything!
"It's over!" Yuyuer's eyes blazed with intensity! Staff tracing the final arc, the prepared "Fertile Soil" (Earth), "Bone-Devouring Vine" (Wood) pieces shone to extreme! Earth generates Metal! "Metal Lock's" evil-breaking sharp qi was guided, forming an indestructible barrier before "Abyssal Molten Core"! Metal generates Water! "Water Lock's" renewed surging power was drawn! Water generates Wood! "Wood Lock's" force urged to limit, becoming binding and guiding Wood giant palms!
Just as "Abyssal Molten Core" neared the Metal barrier, Yuyuer's staff guided "Wood Lock's" power, not fueling the fire but like the most masterful trapper—Wood generates Fire, yet can lead to self-immolation!
"Creak—splash!" Countless robust energy vine phantoms erupted from the chessboard's Wood area! They didn't block but like agile pythons, precisely coiled around the raging "Abyssal Molten Core" and pale ghost fire! Irresistible Wood force forcibly altered their trajectory! The two destructive fires were wrapped and drawn by this origin Wood power, rigidly diverted—not crashing into "Fire Lock," but... harshly smashing toward the ghost chess player's own core existence area!
"No—!!!" A screech beyond auditory limits, shaking souls, erupted!
"Boom!!!!"
An earth-shaking explosion occurred at the ghost chess player's position! Polluted raging Fire element, ghost ship curse, ghost chess player resentment energy... cleverly guided by Yuyuer, fiercely self-clashed and annihilated! Pallid and dark red mixed with soul fragments splattered, the cabin shaking violently, dust and rust flakes falling, spatial cracks flickering like shattered mirrors!
Yet at the edge of this destructive explosion, the "Fire Lock" rune representing pure elemental rules, unpolluted, was miraculously ignited by a splattered, purest strand of flame origin energy!
"Puff..." A soft yet utterly clear sound, like a torch being lit.
The "Fire Lock" rune steadily lit with warm, bright crimson light!
Water, Fire, Wood, Earth, Metal—five locks in place, cycle complete!
"Ding—dong—dong—dong—" A series of celestial, purifying and orderly clear chimes leisurely rippled from the chessboard core, piercing explosion aftermath and ghost ship wails. All runes erupted in harmonious stable five-colored radiance, elemental patterns brilliantly flowing, forming a perfect energy closed loop. The ferocious dark red cracks, under pure light's shine, rapidly melted and healed like snow in sunlight! The cabin's chill, decay, and resentment were swept away, replaced by long-absent elemental origin freshness and balance.
Smoke and turbulence subsided. At the ghost chess player's position, only a few dissipating pallid wisps remained, malicious soul fire utterly extinguished. The crystal chessboard hung silently, radiance flowing, as if reborn.
The mysterious figure was silent for a moment, the shadows under its decayed cloak seeming to fade slightly from the purifying light. The hollow voice rang again, less sinister, with a trace of admiration:
"Well done. In this ghost ship's curse core, your wisdom and deep understanding of elemental origins could guide destruction to achieve order. This match, you win." Its gaze swept the still-shaken yet exhilarated group, landing on the slightly panting Yuyuer with eyes bright as stars. "Impressive."
In the cabin, the ghost ship's omnipresent whispers and oppressive sense truly weakened for the first time.