Seeing that Raiser's team seemed to have fully revealed themselves, Ryuya decided it was time to make a move.
Even if there was still that one remaining Pawn lurking somewhere, Ryuya no longer intended to worry about it. As long as that Pawn successfully underwent Promotion, he was confident he wouldn't be weaker than Raiser's soldiers anyway!
"Rias, we've found the last remaining pieces. They're all near the athletic field."
Through the magical communicator, Ryuya relayed the information to Rias.
The moment she heard it, her thoughts aligned perfectly with his.
"Should I go in and launch an attack?"
"Yes. I'll coordinate with you."
Ryuya kept his clone's perspective locked onto that group of pieces, while his main body hurried toward the athletic field together with Koneko!
Before long, Rias arrived at the field with Asia by her side. From afar, they could already see Raiser's group clearing away the magical power of the illusion array.
After one of the Rooks destroyed a node of the formation, the old school building belonging to Rias became visible in the distance. He immediately curled his lips into a grin.
"You really thought a single illusion array could stop us? That's a bit too naive."
The illusion array Akeno had set up was indeed effective, but it was largely non-lethal—mainly meant to buy time.
And it was precisely at this moment that Rias decisively struck from the shadows!
Flames roared as crimson demonic power surged violently, sweeping toward the group in an overwhelming wave.
One of Raiser's Knights immediately sensed the danger.
"Watch out—ambush!!"
She shouted a warning, and clad in armor, she bravely charged forward to meet the attack head-on.
However, Rias's carefully prepared assault was not something she could easily endure. The flames struck the Knight squarely, drawing a scream from her lips.
"Ah—!"
Her armor burned red-hot as smoke billowed from her body, and the beautiful female devil was blasted away, losing consciousness on the spot.
Despite losing one member to the ambush, Raiser's side showed no signs of panic.
"Hehe, you finally couldn't hold back, huh."
A soft laugh rang out. A girl dressed in a pink gown, with golden hair just like Raiser's, spoke up calmly, looking utterly confident.
"The battlefield changes too quickly. You have to give something up to gain something. We finally managed to lure you out, Lady Rias."
"Hm? You're Ravel, aren't you—Raiser's younger sister?"
Rias recognized her immediately. This girl was also a pure-blood devil from the Phenex family.
"I'm just here to observe. I'm not participating in the fight," Ravel waved her hand lightly, maintaining the elegant demeanor of a noble young lady as she stood at the back, clearly with no intention of stepping forward.
With a slightly playful smile, she directed Raiser's subordinates.
"Then please, do give this King a proper welcome."
"Just these people think they can defeat me?" Rias smiled faintly, showing not the slightest hint of fear.
Although this diverged somewhat from the original plan, the battlefield was constantly shifting. Choosing to strike now was simply adapting to the situation.
Yet Ravel responded with a mysterious smile.
"Only these people? That's not necessarily the case, you know. Maybe… there will be even more?"
As she spoke, the smile on her face made Rias's heart sink slightly.
Indeed—she immediately thought of that hidden Pawn.
Now that she had left the main base, that Pawn was almost certainly heading off to undergo Promotion!
If the promotion succeeded, that would mean yet another Queen.
"I'll deal with you all first!"
Rias snorted coldly and, without another word, launched her attack.
On Raiser's side, the remaining chess pieces all rushed toward Rias at once!
For a moment, Rias could only respond defensively, unable to completely suppress them.
However, she wasn't worried in the slightest—because Ryuya and Koneko had already arrived.
From the distance came a sharp whistling sound as air was torn apart. Ryuya's main body and Koneko successfully made it to the battlefield!
"Rias-senpai."
"Rias."
Seeing Koneko and Ryuya charge into the enemy formation one after the other, the pressure on Rias instantly eased.
"Perfect timing. Let's finish them together! Ryuya, use that move of yours!"
At Rias's instruction, Ryuya immediately understood. He flipped his hand, and the Aegiron's Mark appeared above his palm.
"Go."
The anti-magic field expanded first, and the enemy immediately felt the flow of demonic power inside their bodies become sluggish and obstructed.
Aegiron then flapped its tiny wings and instantly transformed into a streak of silver light, shooting straight toward the group of beautiful girls opposite them!
Pa—pa—pa—pa—pa…
Several seals were stamped down in rapid succession!
Aegiron flared with brilliant light—and in the next instant, whether it was armor or cloth, everything the girls were wearing exploded apart…
"…Kyaa!?"
"Ah—!? Th-this…!"
For a moment, the girls were shocked and mortified, frantically covering their vital areas in panic.
"Haa!? Wh-what is that thing!?" Ravel cried out in fear and surprise. Since she was standing farther back, she was spared from direct harm, but even so, her face had gone pale.
Aegiron could honestly be considered a hard counter against women…
Rias smiled faintly. "Sorry—my servant's familiar has… a bit of a peculiar hobby."
Even she didn't quite know how to evaluate Ryuya's familiar.
Aegiron's effectiveness was unquestionable—its abilities were outstanding—but this obsession with blowing people's clothes off… wasn't it just a little too sadistic?
Crimson demonic power coiled around Rias's hands as the corner of her lips lifted.
"Then… everyone, have a safe journey."
As she spoke, she swung her demonic power forward.
Just as the red energy was about to swallow Raiser's subordinates whole, flames suddenly surged forth. Brimming with vitality, those flames instantly neutralized Rias's magic.
In the sky, a pair of blazing wings unfurled behind Raiser. With both hands tucked casually into the pockets of his slacks, he slowly descended, gleaming leather shoes touching the ground one step at a time.
"My beloved Rias… I knew you wouldn't be able to hold back."
Raiser wore a smug smile, as though he had predicted her move all along.
"You actually left your main base as well?"
"Heh. Don't make it sound like you're the only one who dares abandon their base," Raiser sneered.
"Rias, you don't even have any Pawns. You didn't seriously think I'd be stupid enough to just sit there guarding my base without making a move, did you?"
In his eyes, Ryuya—a mere Knight—was completely insignificant. From start to finish, Raiser's attention had been fixed on Rias.
As long as he defeated her, the King, this Rating Game would be over.
But inside, Rias was secretly delighted.
This guy really believed she didn't have any Pawns.
Which made sense—after all, she had been deliberately keeping that information tightly sealed!
Unaware of the truth, Raiser burst out laughing.
"And besides, I imagine that over on the other side, Yubelluna should have already dealt with your Queen by now…"
"What… Akeno…?"
Rias frowned slightly. She had never once thought that Akeno would lose to Raiser's Queen—yet seeing the absolute confidence on Raiser's face, an uneasy feeling suddenly welled up in her heart…
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