The Strongest Student of the Weakest Academy

Chapter 590: Arcadia, The First Planet In All Creation (LXVII)

Aestrea didn’t hesitate long after seeing this move.

15. Nxd5

He captured the knight.

The white knight on d4 took on d5.

15... exd5

The Creator Woman recaptured with the e-pawn, opening the e-file further and giving herself a solid central pawn structure.

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Trading knights already? I thought you wanted to keep pieces on the board to attack me. Or are you simplifying because you’re afraid of my counterplay?"

Aestrea’s expression remained cold as he replied.

"I’m simplifying because your position has weaknesses. That isolated d5 pawn might become a target later. And I like open positions when I have the initiative."

The Creator Woman’s red eye glowed brighter with excitement.

"Bold words. Let’s see if you can back them up."

She moved her bishop.

16. Be3

Developing the bishop to a strong square, eyeing the d4 and c5 squares while supporting the center.

Aestrea responded by activating his rook.

16... Rfe8

Placing the rook on the open e-file, putting pressure on the e5 pawn and preparing to contest the center.

The Creator Woman spoke again as she considered her next move.

"You’re playing very precisely, Luntheris. Most players would have tried something flashier by now. But you’re slowly improving your position... piece by piece. It’s almost annoying how calm you are."

Aestrea moved his rook.

17. Re3

Doubling rooks on the e-file and preparing to put more pressure on the e6 pawn (now that the structure had changed).

The Creator Woman’s smile turned sharper.

"Ah, doubling on the e-file. You want to force me to defend passively. But what if I don’t play passively?"

She moved her queen.

17... Qf6

The queen moved to f6, attacking the e5 pawn and putting pressure on the f2 square while staying active.

Aestrea’s eyes narrowed slightly as he calculated.

"You’re trying to create counterplay on the kingside while I pressure the center. Classic. But your queen on f6 is also a target if I can open lines."

He moved his queen.

18. Qc3

The queen went to c3, defending e5 and eyeing the c6 pawn while staying flexible.

The Creator Woman laughed softly.

"Defending and attacking at the same time. You really don’t miss anything, do you? Most people would have missed that my queen was also looking at f2."

She moved her rook.

18... Re7

Defending the e6 pawn and preparing to double rooks herself.

Aestrea responded by improving his position further.

19. Rfe1

Doubling the rooks completely on the e-file.

The Creator Woman’s expression grew more focused.

"You’re really squeezing me. If I don’t find active play soon, you’ll slowly grind me down. That’s your style, isn’t it? Slow, suffocating pressure until your opponent breaks."

Aestrea’s voice was calm as he replied.

"I’ve had to be patient for a long time. Patience is a weapon too."

She moved her bishop.

19... Bf5

Developing the bishop to an active square, eyeing the c2 pawn and controlling important diagonals.

Aestrea considered for a moment.

20. h3

A useful waiting move that also prevents any back-rank issues and prepares to expand on the kingside if needed.

The Creator Woman raised an eyebrow again.

"h3? Really? You’re playing a waiting move in such a tense position? Or are you just testing me?"

Aestrea allowed a small smirk.

"I’m giving you the chance to show me your plan. Go ahead and impress me, Miss Creator."

She moved her rook.

20... Rae8

Doubling rooks on the e-file, fully contesting the open file.

The tension was rising. Both players had perfectly coordinated their pieces.

The position was roughly equal, but extremely complex. One small mistake from either side could swing the game.

The Creator Woman spoke with clear enjoyment.

"You’re not making this easy for me, Luntheris. Every time I try to create threats, you have an answer ready. It’s almost like you’re reading my mind."

Aestrea moved his bishop.

21. Bf4

The bishop moved to f4, pressuring the d6 pawn and controlling key squares.

She responded by challenging it.

21... Be4

The bishop went to e4, attacking the rook on e3 and occupying a strong central square.

Aestrea didn’t take immediately. Instead, he improved his position.

22. Kh2

Moving the king to a safer square and preparing to bring the rook into play more actively.

The Creator Woman smiled again.

"King safety first. Smart. But now I have a strong bishop on e4. Are you going to let it stay there?"

Aestrea finally captured.

22... Bxe3

23. Rxe3

Recapturing with the rook, maintaining control of the e-file.

The Creator Woman moved her queen.

23... Qg6

The queen moved to g6, attacking the e5 pawn and putting pressure on the kingside.

Aestrea defended the pawn.

24. f3

Pushing the pawn to defend e5 and restrict the black bishop (if it ever returns). In response, the Creator Woman moved her queen forward with a confident smile.

24... Qg5

The queen centralized itself, attacking the e5 pawn and creating threats against the white kingside.

Aestrea studied the board for a long moment.

His expression remained cold, but inside, his mind was already weaving a complex web.

’...Found it,’ his lips curled up inwardly.

He saw a potential weakness in her position. It was a line that looked dangerous for him at first glance, but actually contained a hidden trap.

Instead of defending the e5 pawn directly, he played a move that looked slightly passive.

25. Qe2

He moved the queen to e2, reinforcing the e5 pawn and connecting his rooks.

On the surface, it looked like he was simply defending. But in reality, he was preparing something to make a trap.

The Creator Woman raised an eyebrow.

"Qe2? Interesting. You’re defending the pawn, but it feels a little slow. Are you trying to bait me into attacking too early?"

Aestrea replied calmly.

"Or maybe I’m just improving my position. Not every move has to be flashy."

She smiled and decided to increase the pressure.

25... h5

Advancing the h-pawn, gaining space on the kingside and preparing to open lines against his king.

Aestrea responded by reinforcing his center even more.

26. f4

Pushing the f-pawn, attacking her queen and gaining more space.

The Creator Woman’s eyes lit up.

"Oh? You’re expanding. But now your king is more exposed. Let’s see how you handle this."

She moved her queen to a more aggressive square.

26... Qh4

The queen went to h4, putting direct pressure on the h2 square and creating mating threats if White wasn’t careful.

Aestrea didn’t panic.

He played a calm-looking move that hid his real intentions.

27. Rf3

Bringing the rook to f3, defending h3 and preparing to swing the rook over to the kingside or center. On the surface, it looked defensive.

The Creator Woman leaned forward, clearly enjoying herself.

"Rf3? You’re putting your rook on a somewhat awkward square. Are you sure about that?"

Aestrea met her gaze, and even teased her mockingly.

"Sometimes the best squares aren’t the most obvious ones."

She decided to go for an attack.

27... g5

Pushing the g-pawn, trying to break open the kingside and create weaknesses around his king.

Aestrea calmly took the pawn.

28. fxg5

28... hxg5

She recaptured.

Now the position was becoming very sharp. White’s king looked exposed, but Aestrea had calculated that her attack wasn’t as strong as it appeared.

The Creator Woman smiled and went for the first check.

29... Qxh3+

She sacrificed the queen temporarily by checking on h3.

Check!

Aestrea’s king was forced to move.

30. Kg1

He moved the king to g1.

The Creator Woman continued her attack.

30... Qh4

She retreated the queen but kept the pressure.

Aestrea responded by bringing his rook into the defense.

31. Rf2

Defending the second rank.

The Creator Woman pressed forward again.

31... g4

Pushing the pawn to open more lines.

Aestrea calmly played.

32. Qf1

Defending and preparing to trade queens if needed.

The Creator Woman delivered her second check.

32... Qh2+

Check!

33. Kf1

Aestrea moved the king to f1.

She continued the attack.

33... Qh1+

Check!

34. Ke2

He moved the king to e2, escaping the checks.

The Creator Woman smiled confidently, thinking she had him on the ropes.

But Aestrea had been setting up his trap the entire time.

While she was busy checking him three times in a row, he had quietly improved his pieces and created a hidden tactical sequence.

The "defensive" moves he had played earlier were actually preparing a devastating counterattack.

Now he struck.

34... Qxe5+

But no... that was not the ’real’ move.

Instead, Aestrea played the key move of his hidden trap.

34. Qa6+!

He checked the black king with his queen from a6, using the open a-file and the weakened queenside.

The Creator Woman’s eyes widened slightly as she realized she had been lured in.

Check!

She was forced to respond.

34... Kb8

The king moved to b8.

Aestrea continued the combination he had prepared.

35. Qb7+

Another check.

35... Kc8

36. Qxc6+

He captured the pawn with check.

The Creator Woman was now in serious trouble. Her king was being hunted, and her earlier kingside attack had left her position too loose.

She tried to counterattack.

36... Qd4+

Check!

But Aestrea had calculated everything.

37. Ke1

He moved the king to e1, escaping the check while keeping his own threats alive.

The Creator Woman realized too late that she had walked into a trap. Her aggressive play had been met with two traps that could potentially cause her to lose the game.

Aestrea continued his attack without mercy.

37... Qe5+

She gave another check, trying to create counterplay.

38. Kd1

Aestrea moved his king again.

38... Qd4+

39. Kc1

He moved to c1.

The Creator Woman was running out of checks. Her attack had fizzled, and now Aestrea’s queen was dominating the board.

She tried one last desperate attempt.

39... Qf2

But it was too late.

Aestrea played the winning move he had prepared long ago.

40. Qd7+

Check!

The queen moved to d7 with devastating effect.

The Creator Woman stared at the board for a long time. No matter where she moved her king, she would lose material or get mated.

She finally leaned back, a mixture of frustration and admiration on her face.

"...You got me," she admitted.

"That trap on the queenside... I completely missed it while I was chasing checks on the kingside. You played me perfectly."

Aestrea looked at her calmly, still holding pressure on his stomach wound.

"You were so focused on attacking that you didn’t see the quiet moves I was making. That’s the difference between a good player and a great one."

The Creator Woman stared at the board for several more seconds before finally nodding.

"You win, Luntheris."

The chessboard glowed brightly as the game ended in Aestrea’s favor.

He had won the final challenge.

’...She let me win,’ Aestrea sighed inwardly.

There was no way he could win against the Creator of Everything in a chess game. She could foresee countless timelines and execute perfectly to counter him.