334 Trapping a Titan 2 (1/2)
The week went by with Zero growing more irritated each day when he didn't hear any news from Poseidon. The blind titan didn't seem to want to be involved with anything complicated, satisfied with simply waiting and living day by day. Zero really couldn't see the difference between his teacher and Carlsen. However, unlike Carlsen who was really stuck to his shell, Poseidon trapped himself in the shell of Hyacinth, giving many reasons to not leave it.
In short, Zero wasn't too happy about Poseidon's reluctance to make any progress. For someone who could make split-second decisions on the battlefield, he was very scared of making decisions about his life. This wasn't the proud general that Zero knew. His teacher wasn't behaving like a teacher and Zero was disappointed that Poseidon wouldn't even try to reconcile with his past even after all that Zero has done to try and help him. The young doctor could fully understand what it meant to be able to drag a horse to the waterhole but not force it to drink.
Thankfully, Zero still had other plans to make the stubborn god move. If using Athena and Medusa's names wouldn't move him, Zero would give up playing the nice person. He hasn't really played the role of a villain before but sometimes, a necessary evil was required. Zero wouldn't let the lessons he learnt from the Demon Lords go to waste. He wasn't a hero, there was no need to stick to the orthodox path when he had to get something done. Poseidon can thank him later but first, Zero had to pummel sense into the timid god with an all-out showdown match!
The doors to Poseidon's room burst open, startling the blind man inside. The titan wasn't expecting any visitors and had been revisiting his memory lanes ever since Zero talked about Athena and Medusa. He spent so many years trying to erase them from his memories but Zero's outburst the other day got him thinking.
Currently, his feelings were confused and his inner world was in turmoil. He needed a little more time to let the waves settle down. There were many details that he was recalling with each passing day about the two most important women in his life. However, every memory that was recovered only brought him more pain. The sense of guilt was so heavy and paralysing that Poseidon ended up wallowing in his despair again, unwilling to face reality and give Zero any answer.
\”Teacher, forgive my sudden intrusion,\” Zero bowed and didn't give the titan any chance to speak before forcing his challenge upon Poseidon who didn't have any time to react.
After two days of preparation, there was nobody on Hyacinth who didn't know about the match. Many gathered to watch it just the way Zero wanted. Poseidon might not be in his best state but he wasn't a fool. Anyone could see that his student was up to something. He put such high stakes onto this one match and the titan was certain that Zero was intentionally hiding his true abilities during the practice matches just to test and observe how many tricks Poseidon had up his sleeve.
Now that it has come to this one match, the titan wasn't about to go easy on this ingrate. His blatant disrespect for his teacher wasn't the only thing that Poseidon was angry at. the way Zero constantly insinuated that he was a coward also contributed to the rage he was feeling. Still, Poseidon knew that this might have been intentionally done by his student to make him lose his cool during the game. Indeed, Zero has become quite unscrupulous in his methods for the last few days. The titan had to give him credit for thinking so far ahead in order to secure a victory. However, he wasn't going to let Zero beat him. After all, he had moves that he never taught Zero about. If this young one thought that he had learnt enough to challenge him, Poseidon would prove him wrong. A true master would never teach their successor everything. They would always have that one or two secrets they either took to their graves or write in a secret tome that would be passed to their successors after death.
For something created on such short notice, Zero had to admit that Carlsen outdid himself. The stage where the final chess match would take place looked very classy. It was a very smooth slab of deep marine stone cut into a tabletop. The chairs were woven from seaweeds and padded with sponges. The small one was obviously for Zero and the large one for Poseidon who walked up to the stage without difficulty.
Compared to how he appeared two days ago, Zero noticed that a little of the titan's fighting spirit had returned. Whatever happened in the two days while Zero was making last-minute preparations for the match must have been of great importance to transform that wimpy puppy into a ferocious wolf. Zero hid his smile, genuinely happy to see that not all hope is lost.
\”Today's match is between Zero and Lord Poseidon! I'm sure you've all heard by now that the stakes of this battle are very high. For those who have been living under a rock, this turtle would now repeat the stakes made again. Should Zero win this match, Lord Poseidon would have to agree and be reinstated as a Great God and assist him in resolving Athena's regret. On the other hand, should Lord Poseidon win, Zero would have to remain on Hyacinth for an entire year and help to create the land of everyone's dreams!\”
Carlsen's voice rang out loud and clear. The armoured turtle proceeded to read out the rules of the chess game and the conditions of the battle. Neither party reacted to it and the loyal turtle sighed.
\”Three sets of games with Zero starting first on the first set. Should there be a draw, the match would be extended and each participant may select only three generals apart from the King to participate in a deuce match with unlimited moves until all generals have been lost or the King has been trapped with no possible moves. Two wins out of three matches will determine the winner of this battle. Without further ado, let the chess battle begin!\”
Unlike sports competitions and martial art tournaments, the chess battle was not very exciting to watch. Many spectators who didn't know that left within the first ten minutes. Not everyone had a lot of time or patience to observe a chess battle. Zero had started with a standard move and Poseidon countered it until Zero baited the titan.
From that point onwards, Poseidon lost both his bishops and Zero had lost a horse and five pawns. The time it took for each person to make their move dragged on with the game's progress. Even Carlsen started yawning and if it wasn't for the constant reminder about his duty as the chess match's observer, he would have taken a nap.
Unfortunately, it wasn't even three-quarters through the game that even Carlsen was unable to remain awake. Many of the spectators were also sleeping and Poseidon stopped pretending.
\”What's the meaning of this?\” he asked Zero who pretended not to understand.