Prussians and Russians

At the playing hall, both teams headed for their respective boards where they waited for their opponents. The women's team eagerly waited as their opponents slowly arrived.

"I was robbed of the opportunity yesterday, but today, I beat a maestro!" Edeltraud declared as she sat across from Daria.

"Really? You think you can beat me at full strength?"

"How could you possibly be at full strength? You're weak, a liability! The catalyst for your team's destruction!"

"Then hypothetically, how do fare you'd win the match even if I lost?"

Edeltraud smirked and snapped her fingers. Sibylle, Ingrid, and Hannelore all stepped forth.

Mimoko's eyes widened as she made eye contact with Hannelore. "It's her... Shousen-chan."

"Huh? Show-zen? That some kinda meditation you do? Well you're gonna need it, cuz guess who's gonna grind you down!"

Hannelore nodded and sat down across from Mimoko. In reality, this was the true crux of Edeltraud's master plan. Hannelore Schroeder was in fact the missing Hagemi Shousen. Edeltraud was aware of this and after hearing of the finer details of the Michiko incident, predetermined that should Prussia ever face Japan, Hannelore would face Mimoko.

The one match between the two which ended up vaulting Mimoko into the spotlight was also a major reason for the play, as during said game, Mimoko had made a rare blunder that could have cost her the game if Hagemi had stopped to think for a bit. It was fair to assume she was one of the few people competing in the entire tournament that could beat Mimoko or at the very least hold her to a draw. Thus, Edeltraud was free to take a crack at Daria herself and employ Sibylle and Ingrid to handle Iori and Azenira, respectively.

"Time for some payback for tripping me up, yesterday," Sibylle cackled as she sat down across from Iori, continuing to smack her hand with her riding crop all the while.

"What are you talking about? I was bound and gagged the whole time," Iori shrugged.

A scowl overtook Sibylle's face as she slapped her riding crop on the table. "You tripped us, and thanks to that, we weren't able to challenge the maestro. We would've won for everyone and been hailed as global saviors! But you fucked it up. Well today's payback day!"

As for Ingrid, she appeared to be the most anxious of the Prussians.

"What's wrong? You're scowling and shaking," Magdalena whispered.

"We shouldn't be fielding her. Our orders were clear. If-"

"And you're saying you can take on Mimoko? Edeltraud's plan is purely strategical and logical."

Ingrid clenched her fist. All that was true, yet she could not shake her anxiety.

"I don't care how strategically sound it is. Orders are orders, and if Hannelore loses her game... It could lead to devastation for us."

Her concerns were brushed aside as the arbiters prepared to begin the round.

Elsewhere in the playing hall, shenanigans were afoot. Having rendezvoused with Iorweth in secret, Francie had ended up modifying Kalsoom's wheelchair to alleviate the pain of her hemorrhoids, though that didn't mean Australia's match against Bosnia and Herzegovina would be any easier. But she wasn't the only mischief maker up to no good.

"Nya... I got in, nya. I actually got in without being caught, nya," Nyoan thought as she sat disguised as Minoo from Uzbekistan's women's team.

As for the real Minoo, she was tied up and gagged back in a storage closet in the hotel. It would likely be a matter of time until she was found, meaning Nyoan would have limited time to try and find Kuon. But it was a challenge she was willing to take.

"Uh, Minoo? You feeling alright? You've been wearing a mask, but haven't coughed much. You're not the type to get nervous," Ayana frowned.

Nyoan responded to that with a series of fake coughs, all while pointing towards the board.

"Fine, I'll swap in for you. Go back and get some rest."

"Cold feet? Does my aura frighten you that much?" a beautiful woman with long strawberry blonde hair and perfectly tanned skin smirked.

"Nay! My fine silky shiny skin reflected her away!" a scantily clad bespectacled girl with wavy magenta hair boldly declared.

These two were Portugal's Viridiana DeLima and Iolanda Rodrigues. Both were top models and chess players competing in the tournament.

"Must you two be so rowdy? Decorum is a must for a model!" Guiomar glared.

"You're not even playing, so shut up," Gisella pouted.

"Yeah! Dawn the facepaint and cheer in my place!" a woman with each half of her hair and face painted green and red grinned. This was Daiane Aguiar, the biggest fangirl in Portugal. She was the DSPCM of Porto, and was a fan of all things and teams from Portugal.

As Guiomar scowled and stormed away, Nyoan began looking around for Kuon. "Nya, there's Kyin0sama, nya. I don't want those witches to spot me, so I'll need to avoid getting too close to the board her team's playing at, nya. Maybe when she gets up to walk around, I can reunite, nya," she thought.

Meanwhile on the men's side, an equal amount of tension was brewing.

"So you guys are playing Russia... Good luck. Sweep them if you can," Ores nodded as he passed by.

"I heard your match against Mongolia went horribly. What happened?" Okisato asked.

"That Jad fellow went nuts. He played like a lunatic, but there was a method to the madness, and it led to him and his men sweeping us 4-0. Guess it's not a surprising outcome considering the old Mongol Empire conquered Ukraine before, but still... I thought they were finished after you guys swept em, but now they're really like an unstoppable horde. I'm just glad none of us got dragged through the streets tied to their undead horses after we lost."

"What do you mean?"

"I heard sometimes they do that to those they beat, but I guess we got spared. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that they only do that to nations the old Mongol Empire didn't fully conquer."

"I see. Well best of luck to both of us. I imagine we're going to need it."

Orest nodded and headed off just as the Russians arrived.

"And the Ukrainian fled like a scared rat at our approach. Typical of him and his ilk," Vladilen scoffed as he sat down on a nearby chair.

"So your style is insult, but hide on the sidelines. Afraid you'd get your just desserts?" Okisato asked.

"It's strategy," Grigori chuckled as he sat down at board 2 across from Ginji.

Avian then sat down across from Zago, while Ian clenched his fist and let out a heavy sigh as he headed for board 1 and sat down across from the masked man. "Damn the pairings. Now I have to go all-out, which only serves to benefit the scum I hate," he thought as he glared at the masked man.

"Then who am I to play if your cuntish colonel is sitting out? Or are you giving us a fee point?" Okisato glared.

Grigori let out a chuckle. "Oni-tiger, you've yet to meet my son. He shall be the doom of your life."

Lightning flashed as the doors to the playing hall creaked open. There towering over all as he entered was Rasputin. As he danced over, Okisato's gaze narrowed as he zeroed in on Rasputin's eyes. Similar to how the Mexican women's eyes had been when they challenged Mimoko and co, Rasputin's eyes were completely blue, with the exception of his gold irises. Okisato was also aware of the rumors surrounding what Rasputin had done the night after the 4th round. All in all, it meant Rasputin was arguably a more dangerous opponent than Tsar Grigori or even Ian.

"I was afraid of this. I figured I might have to pull this out against Tsar Grigori, but now I have no choice. Against someone with so many unknowns and immense prowess, I have to take him on with my best. I wanted to save this for when I faced Peter, but for the sake of the team and possibly my own, I have to play my best opening against this guy," Okisato thought as the round began.