Becoming the Demon Lord: Taming the Demon Queen Begins

"No wonder it's called the Enigma Chessboard."

Sylvia's gaze sharpened slightly, a hint of worry flickering across her face.

The canyon seemed to be subtly influenced by the chessboard, as if it were under its control, forming a small, self-contained world.

Breaking through this miniature world head-on wouldn't be easy.

But if Timothy was in danger, there was no way she could just sit back and let the game continue.

I refuse to believe he can beat the Chess Emperor at his own game.

Staring at the chessboard in front of him, Holy Emperor Luminis couldn't help but feel a surge of competitive pride.

Even though his own skills were probably nowhere near enough, he was certain that Timothy would embarrass himself against the Chess Emperor this time!

Forget about winning—just the Enigma Chessboard alone could evolve into a small world, revealing countless truths about the universe and the human experience.

Losing the game could trap someone in its depths, leaving them unable to escape, potentially causing severe emotional damage or even threatening their life!

The sky above was a serene, cloudless blue, but the world created by the Enigma Chessboard seemed to pulse with an undercurrent of danger.

"System, upgrade my chess skills to the highest level."

Timothy sat down in front of the board.

[Ding! Upgrading chess skills to the highest level will cost 50 skill points. However, even at the highest level, the host may still be unable to defeat the Chess Emperor. Are you sure you want to proceed?]

"Do it."

Even with his skills maxed out, there was still no guarantee of victory. It seemed Holy Emperor Aldric's mastery of chess was truly profound.

But…

If this were just an ordinary chessboard, Timothy might not have been so confident.

However, this was a game that reflected the principles of the universe, using the lives and experiences of an entire world as its pieces. That changed things.

After all, he had survived 16,383 trials, living in countless different worlds.

"To find a worthy chess opponent—that's one of life's greatest pleasures.

The game hasn't even started yet, but I'm already intrigued by you."

Holy Emperor Aldric smiled warmly as he gazed at Timothy.

Suddenly, a dark veil, glittering with starlight, enveloped the two of them and the chessboard.

The surroundings shifted completely. Aside from Aldric and the board, everything else was replaced by a vast, breathtaking view of the stars.

Aldric picked up a piece, speaking casually as if it were an afterthought: "I didn't expect you and that girl to end up together."

"That girl? You mean Sylvia?"

Timothy hadn't expected the former Chess Emperor to know Sylvia.

Aldric smiled faintly, his tone light: "It's only been a few hundred years since I challenged the heavens and perished, so I've seen Sylvia when she was young.

Even back then, I knew she was destined for greatness. But I didn't expect her to reach heights even beyond what I had imagined.

Her cold, untamed nature is exactly as I predicted.

But you… you're the one thing I didn't see coming."

"In that case, I think I've got a good shot at winning this game," Timothy said with a grin, picking up a piece of his own.

"Oh? And why's that?"

Aldric's interest was clearly piqued.

Timothy replied calmly, "If I could break your prediction about the goddess, that means I've already broken your game.

If I could do it once, why not a second time?"

"Haha, interesting, very interesting. Let's see if you're right."

Aldric's eyes gleamed with excitement. "In that case, I won't be holding back with this next move!"

As his piece landed on the board, the entire space trembled and warped.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The stars surrounding them began to shift, orbiting the two players seated at the chessboard.

Each star seemed to correspond to a piece on the chessboard.

The Enigma Chessboard.

This legendary artifact, once capable of shaking the heavens and earth, could use the world as its board and all living beings as its pieces.

Between the two players, the chessboard and its pieces seemed to transform into countless different forms.

At the start of the game, nothing appeared out of the ordinary.

But as they each placed their tenth piece, the entire board suddenly shifted.

"This move represents the wars of the mortal realm—endless slaughter," Holy Emperor Aldric declared as he placed his piece. In the small world conjured by the board, it was as if millions of soldiers were charging into battle.

Timothy pondered for a long time before finally identifying the key point and placing his piece.

In an instant, the scene shifted to a fortified stronghold, where the sounds of battle cries echoed, and flaming arrows rained down from the sky.

The two continued to place their pieces, and with each move, the tension escalated, the killing intent growing more palpable.

The sight before them made even Holy Emperor Luminis feel a chill down his spine.

He silently thanked his lucky stars that he hadn't stepped forward earlier.

Otherwise, he might have already suffered severe damage from the Enigma Chessboard's deadly game.

As the game grew more intense, the world created by the Enigma Chessboard became increasingly unpredictable.

There were countless earthen soldiers charging into battle, and thousands of defenders desperately holding their ground.

A robed sorcerer summoned hurricanes and lightning, while a seductive woman bewitched the ruler of a foreign kingdom.

The small world had already undergone countless transformations.

Now, only two empires remained.

One empire's walls bore the insignia of Piccolo, while the other's banners were emblazoned with Timothy.

"I didn't expect you to have this level of skill. Impressive, impressive. It's been a long time since I've faced such a satisfying opponent," Aldric said, smiling as the game reached a fever pitch, the atmosphere thick with the energy of battle.

But then, his expression suddenly changed. "However, things are about to get very different."

Aldric placed a piece on the board.

This was the killing move he had been setting up since the very beginning.

Immediately, countless earthen soldiers surged forth from the small world.

From all directions, they surrounded Timothy, layer upon layer.

The sky was filled with fire and death, the sounds of battle deafening.

This long-hidden killing move seemed poised to end the game entirely!

"Well then, let's see how this plays out," Timothy said calmly as he placed his own piece.

The moment his piece landed, something incredible happened. From within the besieged empire, countless swords shot up into the sky.

A rain of swords descended, blotting out the sun!

"What… what is this?!"

Aldric's face changed dramatically.

He had never imagined that such a scene could unfold on the chessboard.

With Timothy's move, all the seemingly insignificant pieces scattered across the board suddenly formed a devastating killing blow.

"This? Oh, it's just a sword technique I picked up from a certain friend. I figured I'd try it out on the chessboard," Timothy said with a slight smile.

The piece landed, and the game was over.

This move had completely killed the entire game!

"Realm of a Thousand Blades—wait, isn't that the technique I spent my entire life mastering?!"

Holy Emperor Luminis was utterly dumbfounded as he watched the scene unfold.

The countless swords raining down from the sky were none other than the Realm of a Thousand Blades, a technique he had painstakingly learned.

To master it, he had even remained a virgin for millennia, living in the form of a child for ten thousand years.

And now, not only had Timothy learned it, but he was wielding it with far more power than Luminis ever could.

Luminis looked down at his small, childlike body, then back at Timothy's confident, graceful figure.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pang in his heart…