I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 260: The Final Three

In the Playing Room.

The female recorder and two referees stared at the nearby board, dazed, as if caught in a trance.

“W-Wait... it’s over?”

Their faces were full of confusion—they still couldn’t figure out how this game had ended in a win.

When the two players unleashed their full strength, the three of them had been on edge the entire time. Especially when Yu Shao played that one push—their hearts practically leapt to their throats.

And then somehow… Yu Shao just ended up with a huge advantage?

It wasn’t until Yu Shao finished packing up the stones and stood up that the three of them finally came back to their senses and looked over at him.

And when they saw his condition, they all paused in surprise.

When Yu Shao had arrived in the morning, his exhaustion was clear as day. But now, at the end of the match, not only had that fatigue not worsened—he actually looked a little less tired.

They watched Yu Shao leave the Playing Room in silence. Only after he was gone did the female recorder snap out of it like waking from a dream.

She looked at the screen of the laptop in front of her, at the game record she had logged, move by move, with her own hands.

White had played thickly to reinforce territory, managing to live the large dragon—but its shape was left tattered and broken by Black’s attacks. From the midgame onward, Black’s offense flowed like water—clean, powerful, seamless.

She could still picture those black stones being pulled from the bowl, one after another, and dropping onto the board.

Just like the previous game records—this one was all about raw strength and deep reading, straightforward and fierce, winning through sheer force.

But after so many games, that overwhelming pressure Yu Shao exuded... had only grown stronger!

---

On the other side, in the American team’s review room, the atmosphere was heavy.

Everyone stared at the TV screen with dark expressions.

Seven consecutive wins.

Yu Shao had now won seven in a row.

In the first game of the qualification match, they had deliberately not sent out any of their top three—Zeng Jun, Lu Yihong, or Majie—and instead let Wan Jing lead off. They had actually been prepared to lose the first three, maybe even four games.

But never—never—did they expect Yu Shao to bulldoze his way through seven players, one after another.

Now, they had no choice left but to send out Majie.

At this point, only three players remained on their side: Majie, Zeng Jun, and Lu Yihong.

They still believed in those three. But even if Majie beat Yu Shao, there were nine more players after that. Besides Yu Shao, there was also Su Yiming, another major threat.

Not to mention Qin Lang, Che Wenyu, Le Haoqiang—all of them were strong and would require full effort to defeat.

This qualification match was going to be... insanely hard to win.

Finally, they began to feel regret.

They had insisted on saving Zeng Jun and the other two for later as anchors, thinking Yu Shao couldn’t possibly keep up this pace. After so many games, surely he’d collapse soon. Surely the next one he’d lose.

When he won the last game, they thought: “Okay, this next one he’ll lose.” And then the one before that. And the one before that...

That kind of mindset—is exactly how they lost game after game.

The reason they initiated this team showdown was because they weren’t fully confident in a single duel. You don’t propose a full qualification match unless you’re unsure of a guaranteed victory.

And now, having lost seven straight, Yu Shao may have had support behind him—but turning the tide now would be unbelievably difficult...

In the crowd, Ma Dong was silent for a long time. Finally, he looked up, turned to Majie, and said, “Majie, you’re up tomorrow.”

Everyone instinctively turned their heads toward the chestnut-haired young man standing beside the board.

Hearing this, Majie withdrew his gaze from the game and nodded solemnly. “I understand.”

---

After leaving the Playing Room, Yu Shao had dinner, returned to the hotel, washed up, and went to bed early.

Meanwhile, the internet was exploding.

With this game now over, countless media outlets rushed to report. Posts about "Demon Blade" and the "qualification matches" flooded every platform!

“Seven Bloodbaths in the Qualifiers—Have We Witnessed the Last Game of the Demon Blade?”

“What Is Hand-Cut Method? How Do We Judge the Value of the Demon Blade? Will the Three Most Difficult Josekis Become Two?”

“The Lament of the Demon Blade—No More Demon Blade in the World!”

---

And not just in China.

Japan, Korea, Russia, France, the UK...

Across global trending lists, the term “Demon Blade” was everywhere.

This one game might be over—but the shattering of the Demon Blade had rocked the entire Go world.

This was the Demon Blade we’re talking about.

The world of Go is vast and boundless, and countless complex josekis have been created—each born from the sweat and blood of Go players crafting mind-blowing kill patterns on the board.

But among all those complex josekis, only three were known as the Three Most Difficult Josekis:
Demon Blade, Large & Small Avalanche, and the Large Diagonal—each legendary in complexity and chaos.

Even the brightest Go prodigies have buckled before them—overwhelmed by the crashing weight of the Avalanche, the dazzling misdirections of the Demon Blade, and the ever-shifting edge of the Large Diagonal.

Countless prodigies have spilled their metaphorical blood across these 19x19 grids—creating the fearsome reputations of these three josekis.

And now, the Demon Blade... is no more.

One crude push—and the blade has been sheathed.

The shock that brought was beyond imagination.

This qualification series had already drawn international attention—but now, more and more eyes had turned toward it.

Yu Shao had racked up seven straight wins, and despite how many games he’d played, no one dared to challenge him head-on. Even online spectators were completely stunned.

But next—

Yu Shao’s opponent would be Majie!

Unlike Yu Shao, who only rose to fame this year, Majie was already famous as a teen—known for his fierce attacking style and near-zero weaknesses. He was one of the three strongest young players on the American team.

Before the Hero’s Pride Cup even began, someone online had boldly claimed that just Majie, Lu Yihong, and Zeng Jun alone could wipe out the Chinese team—a comment that had sparked a not-so-friendly “cultural exchange” between the countries’ netizens.

But putting trash talk aside, everyone knew Yu Shao’s team wasn’t weak at all. Otherwise, no one would’ve been this pessimistic before the first match.

Plus, Majie hadn’t even played a single blitz game yet. Thinking back, Liao Ya’s opponent in the last round would’ve been Zeng Jun—a player widely seen as unbeatable. It was natural for people to feel a bit more relaxed back then.

But now, realizing Majie still had four players ahead of him, everyone online suddenly tensed up again.

Even if Yu Shao lost the next match, could Zeng Jun and the other two really sweep through the rest of the lineup on their own?

Even dragging it out could burn them out. And don’t forget—Su Yiming was still waiting as the anchor!