The first battle between Selheira and Ryu lasted for an entire month and ended in Ryu's loss.
It had been clear after the first few days that while Selheira's style seemed just as aggressive as Aika's, it was also filled with barbs and wires, pitfalls that even Sky Gods would fall into. Seeing through them all required a high level of foresight.
The two of them were easily planning moves on an order of hundreds ahead, and in the end, it was close but Ryu quickly found himself cornered.
Just when the three elders wanted to commentate on what had happened, the two of them reshuffled the board almost instantly and began a new game. Old Wan, Aika and Samson could only look toward each other with somewhat speechless expressions. What was going on here exactly?
Two brats beneath the Sky God Realm shouldn't have this level of focus. A Domain game that lasted a month was already enough to drain most people, yet they started up again as though nothing had happened.
The second battle lasted three times as long and once again ended in Ryu's loss.
For the game to last three months as opposed to the previous one without even the addition of a new tier just went to show how violent the confrontation was. If it wasn't for the fact Selheira unleashed a trap she had been planning from the very first move, she just might have lost this one.
Ryu smiled lightly, he didn't seem to mind the losses, or maybe he just didn't mind who he was losing to.
"What are you chuckling about brat, you've gotten your ass handed to you twice, shouldn't you show some more backbone?"
Old Wan jeered from the sidelines. This young man never showed him any sort of respect and he felt like he was finally getting revenge.
Ryu's smiling expression dulled somewhat as he looked toward Old Wan with placid eyes.
"Do you believe that I can crush you in a game of Domain?"
Old Wan was stunned for a moment before he burst into a fit of laughter.
Aika and Samson looked toward each other for a moment and took a step back as though they didn't know this person. They both knew Old Wan too well, he was softly spoken, a bit of a coward, willing to take a step back more often than he was willing to take a step forward, but when it came to Domain he was a bit of a madman.
"Come." Ryu said simply.
In a huff, Old Wan, who had been preparing to give a speech about juniors respecting their seniors, sat down. Clearly, since Ryu dared to interrupt him again, he would give this brat a lesson of a lifetime.
"How many tiers, this senior will be magnanimous and let you choose the parameters."
"Two," Ryu replied simply.
Old Wan's lip curled in disdain. Two was the minimum number, even Ryu and Selheira had just been playing with three. He couldn't help but think that Ryu was trying to simplify the game to give him greater odds of winning. Unfortunately, he was far too na?ve. While the game would be simpler for him, it would be simpler for Old Wan too. By then, crushing Ryu would only take a few moves.
"You won't last an hour, and that's only if you drag your feet on your moves."
For Old Wan to say this when the previous two games took four months total, it was clear how confident he was in himself.
Selheira, who had snapped out of her fiendish state, pouted somewhat. Clearly, four months wasn't enough for her and she wanted to play some more. But she was curious now as well. Why was Ryu so confident? She was certain that she could not defeat Old Wan, but she had also just defeated Ryu twice.
Most would say that Ryu's words were ridiculous, but knowing Ryu, Selheira didn't think he was the type to spout nonsense just for the sake of it.
The moment the pieces were set, Old Wan's aura changed. He became like a vast and endless sea, his depths unknown and his waters dark and blue. Even the wind couldn't disturb his surface and there was not a single ripple to be found.
The vastness of Old Wan's aura was oppressive and mighty. Although Selheira and Ryu had quite some pressure given their age, Old Wan was very clearly on an entirely different level. Sitting across from him, there was no doubt that Ryu was under a great deal of pressure. If he could even think properly, it would be nothing short of a miracle.
And for a moment, this seemed to be true.
Old Wan had, obviously, allowed Ryu the first move, but the latter hadn't budged a single inch since the match was set to begin. He simply stared forward without the slightest ripple emitting from him, it almost felt as though he was frozen in time. Either that, or he had been scared shitless. But Old Wan was so focused on the board that he didn't have time to pay attention to his surroundings. His mind was constantly running through scenarios, thinking of methods to crush Ryu the fastest.
Aika and Samson looked toward one another once more, seemingly wanting to nod and concede on Ryu's behalf, but then the situation changed entirely.
Ryu, who had been sitting in complete silence, suddenly shifted.
At first, his air just swayed gently in the wind, but in the next instant, the skies above rumbled and a spine tingling pressure spread into the surroundings. Compared to what it had been before, it was like night and day.
Ryu's irises sparkled with a spine tingling jade green glow, his presence growing into a tower.
Dividing Karma.
Ryu's fingers moved and he placed down the first piece, causing the ground to shake and quake.
To everyone's astonishment, just three days later, Old Wan's face became as black as a pot, his bottom lip trembling in shock.
He had lost.
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