After passing through the heavy wooden door that had opened on its own, a wave of cold air rushed toward them.
The four of them found themselves standing at the entrance of a massive chamber—so large it resembled a plaza—its floor completely paved with enormous black and white stone tiles.
At the far end of the room, facing them across the board, stood sixteen wizard chess pieces carved from pure obsidian.
They were life-sized.
Silent.
And radiating a chilling killing intent.
Though they had no facial features, the disciplined, battle-ready stance of the black stone figures created a suffocating pressure—like an army waiting for war.
The moment the group stepped onto the first white square—
Boom!
The doors behind and ahead slammed shut simultaneously.
An invisible magical barrier sealed the entire room.
Clearly, the only way forward was to win the chess match.
"We… we have to take the place of the pieces…" Hermione said, her voice trembling slightly.
Harry looked completely lost.
He wasn't good at chess.
But at that moment—
Ron Weasley changed.
The confusion vanished from his face like a receding tide.
In its place appeared a fierce, focused light—the look of a chess player standing before the ultimate game.
"This is… Professor McGonagall's magic," Ron muttered as his eyes swept across the board like a precision radar.
"Giant wizard chess… I read about it… we have to replace three of our side's pieces."
This was his battlefield.
For the first time, Ron stepped forward.
His voice carried the calm authority of a commander giving orders.
"Harry—you take the bishop at C3."
"Hermione—stand at H1, the rook position. Stay protected."
He glanced nervously at Lucian and didn't dare give him instructions.
"And I…"
Ron took a deep breath and climbed onto a white marble knight.
"…I'll be the knight."
He began analyzing the board rapidly, calculating move after move.
The professionalism and confidence in his voice filled Harry and Hermione with admiration.
Soon, however, beads of sweat formed on Ron's forehead.
After calculating dozens of possible sequences, he had found a strategy that would guarantee victory—
But it was cruel.
He slowly looked up at Harry and Hermione.
For the first time, the young boy's face carried a mix of tension, determination, and sacred resolve.
"Harry, listen," Ron said hoarsely but firmly.
"To win this game… we'll have to make a sacrifice."
"In the end, I'll use my knight to take their queen."
"Then your bishop will have a clear path to checkmate."
This was his shining moment.
Ron Weasley was no longer the tag-along friend who needed protection.
He was a hero ready to sacrifice himself for the team's victory.
He was about to give the first command—
When a calm voice sounded behind him.
Lucian.
Lucian stood leaning against the entrance wall with his arms folded.
His expression looked like that of an adult watching children playing a very serious game of make-believe.
"Interesting setup," he said with a faint, amused smile.
Then he shook his head lightly.
"But… why must you follow the rules that were set?"
He didn't even look at Ron's heroic expression.
Instead, his gaze swept across the entire chessboard.
A faint golden glimmer flashed in his deep eyes.
Eyes of Truth — Activated.
In his vision, the magical structure of the chessboard became completely clear.
His heaven-defying comprehension activated again.
Research Topic: How to bypass the surface rules established by a magical construct (the chess game) and directly attack or control the underlying core that sustains it.
Spell Constructed.
Name: Outside the Chessboard.
Then, under the stunned gazes of Ron, Harry, and Hermione—
Lucian simply began walking.
Straight across the board.
He didn't replace any chess piece.
He didn't follow the squares.
He walked forward casually, like someone crossing an ordinary plaza.
"Lucian! Come back!" Hermione cried out in alarm.
"What are you doing? You'll trigger them!" Harry shouted.
And sure enough—
The moment Lucian stepped onto the chessboard, the defense mechanism activated.
Crack—
Crack—Crack—
The sixteen obsidian chess pieces suddenly came to life.
Their stone joints grated with harsh grinding sounds.
One by one, their faceless heads turned toward Lucian—the illegal intruder.
They raised their stone swords, axes, and spears.
Then the entire black army advanced.
From all directions.
Like a tide of iron and stone, they charged straight toward him.
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