Everyone present naturally saw Kasumigaoka Utaha's movement.
"Is the next one a 'Rook'?"
The crowd immediately turned their eyes toward Rias.
"In that case, Koneko, you go try."
Seeing this, Rias did not hesitate much and directly sent out Toujou Koneko.
Yukino Yukinoshita's prediction was correct. As a Longinus possessor, had she been the one stepping onto the field, Rias would definitely have dispatched Himejima Akeno, the "Queen." Any hesitation would have been a sign of disrespect toward the term "Longinus."
Although Yukino Yukinoshita had only been a devil for a few months, Longinus gears were illogical; they were existences capable of shattering the balance of power. Facing such an opponent, no amount of prudence or caution was ever too much.
Moreover, Rias had been paying attention to Yukino Yukinoshita and knew that the girl's talent was equally high. Upon her reincarnation, she possessed a magical foundation no less than that of a pure-blooded devil. Being a genuine honor student, after several months of study, she was bound to be quite formidable now.
Furthermore, "Absolute Demise" was a typical heavy-attack and heavy-control type Sacred Gear. Against it, neither a "Rook" nor a "Knight" were good match-ups. Rias could only play her ace, betting her "Queen," Himejima Akeno, against her.
Now, seeing that the one stepping out was not Yukino Yukinoshita, Rias naturally did not hesitate and sent Toujou Koneko onto the field.
"—Understood."
Toujou Koneko nodded expressionlessly and walked to stand opposite Kasumigaoka Utaha.
"This time it's a duel between 'Rook' and 'Rook'?"
"Then the next match should be the fight between Yukino and Himejima-senpai, right?"
"I'm getting a bit excited."
"I just wonder what kind of abilities the 'Rook' of Eligos's peerage has."
"I heard she's also a Sacred Gear user."
The members of Sona Sitri's peerage whispered among themselves.
"—Please guide me."
Ignoring the surrounding chatter, Toujou Koneko put a pair of gloves on her hands.
"The pleasure is mine. Please guide me, senpai."
Seeing that her opponent was a cute young girl, Kasumigaoka Utaha teased her with a slight smile.
Toujou Koneko knit her brows slightly but did not speak; her eyes simply became much more serious.
Seeing the lack of response to her teasing, Kasumigaoka Utaha felt it was somewhat boring. She stopped talking and entered a combat stance.
The battle began quickly.
Boom!
Toujou Koneko suddenly kicked off the ground with force, kicking up a gust of wind as she rushed toward Kasumigaoka Utaha.
Her speed was nowhere near that of Yuuki Asuna or Kiba Yuuto, but her momentum was massive. Her small frame radiated an aura akin to a charging tank as she lunged straight at her opponent.
Judging by that momentum, although Koneko was petite, the power contained within her body was immense. It left no doubt that if one were hit by those tiny fists, their fate would be no better than a kicked football.
The characteristic of a "Rook" is incredible offensive and defensive power. Even with her small stature, no one doubted that Koneko's strength was anything but small.
Unfortunately, her luck was poor.
Her opponent this time was her natural counter.
Hum!
Utaha lightly raised a hand, and a transparent barrier stood before her, shielding her.
Bang!
Koneko swung a fist carrying staggering force at Utaha. The fist did not touch Utaha's body but landed directly on the transparent barrier, eliciting a dull thud.
"Is that—a barrier?"
Rias and the others instantly identified what the transparent wall in front of Utaha was.
But before they could discern anything more, an aura of magic power erupted from Utaha's body, causing several more layers of transparent barriers to appear in succession.
The transparent barriers appeared around Toujou Koneko and combined with the initial one. With the addition of a final piece descending from the sky, they formed a perfect cube, trapping Toujou Koneko inside.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!—
Sensing things were taking a turn for the worse, Koneko hurriedly swung her fists, repeatedly striking the barriers, but she only managed to elicit a series of dull sounds.
Far from breaking the barrier, Koneko couldn't even leave a single crack on it.
"Watch out," Utaha said, standing outside the barrier and looking at the struggling Koneko. After a moment of hesitation, she steeled her resolve. "This is probably going to hurt."
With those words, Utaha launched her attack.
Rumble!!!
In an instant, a blinding flash of lightning erupted within the barrier, illuminating the entire gymnasium.
"Aaaaaahhhhhhhh—!"
Inside the barrier, Toujou Koneko was struck directly by countless bolts of lightning generated out of thin air. Her entire body was bathed in lightning as she let out a scream.
"Koneko!"
"Koneko!"
Rias, Himejima Akeno, and Kiba Yuuto all cried out in shock.
Struck by countless bolts of lightning, a scorched smell began to drift from Koneko as black smoke rose from her body. Even the defensive power of a "Rook" could not provide much resistance; she soon collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.
"Eligos's peerage, one victory!"
Sona Sitri quickly announced the result and stopped the fight.
Utaha naturally had no intention of abusing a girl two years younger than her—who looked even younger—so she immediately ceased her attack, deactivated the barrier, and released Toujou Koneko.
"Koneko!"
Rias and the others rushed to Koneko's side at top speed and propped her up.
"She's fine. It looks serious, but she'll be healed quickly."
Himejima Akeno performed a check and soon let out a sigh of relief.
"That's good."
Hearing Akeno's words, Rias and Kiba Yuuto felt reassured.
"—I'm sorry, Buchou."
Koneko's injuries seemed truly not that heavy, as she soon regained consciousness. Looking at Rias who was holding her, her face was dark with gloom.
"I... I lost—"
It wasn't that she couldn't accept defeat, but she hadn't expected to lose so miserably and so quickly.
"It's not your fault," Rias comforted her peerage member warmly. Then, she raised her eyes to look at the somewhat awkward-looking Kasumigaoka Utaha. "Being able to deploy barriers at will and manifest attacks within them... if I'm not mistaken, your Sacred Gear is 'Create World,' isn't it?"
"Yes." Though Utaha felt a bit bashful, she still nodded. "That is my Sacred Gear."
"A very powerful Sacred Gear." Rias showed no sign of blaming Utaha, praising her generously instead. "In terms of rarity alone, this Sacred Gear is even higher than 'Sword Birth' or 'Holy Sword Creation.' It fits the 'Rook' trait perfectly."
Knowing what Utaha's Sacred Gear was, Rias realized her peerage member's defeat was not unfair.
Among non-Longinus barrier-type Sacred Gears, Utaha's "Create World" was undoubtedly in the strongest and rarest tier. Furthermore, it possessed both offense and defense. Coupled with the "Rook" traits, both its offensive and defensive power became terrifying. This outcome seemed only natural.
Aside from anything else, the barriers Utaha deployed, once enhanced by the "Rook" trait, could not be broken unless the attack reached the level of a High-Class Devil.
And if one couldn't break Utaha's barrier, once trapped, there was only one end: being bombarded by countless attacks—also enhanced by the "Rook" trait—until one was reduced to nothingness.
Although Toujou Koneko also had the enhancement of the "Rook" trait and possessed incredible strength—easily capable of lifting a rock larger than herself and smashing it—her offensive power was not yet high enough to rival the full-force attack of a High-Class Devil.
Under such circumstances, once trapped inside Utaha's barrier, the result was predictable. There was no escape; she could only endure the ruthless bombardment from the entire interior of the barrier until she fell.
Rias turned her gaze toward Leon in the back, her expression heavy.
First "Sword Birth," and now "Create World." Both were powerful and rare Sacred Gears. Excluding the Longinus, the power and rarity of these two Sacred Gears were likely at the highest level, and their hosts' futures could be described as limitless.
Wasn't this man's luck a bit too good?
In just a few short months, he had recruited two such excellent peerage members, plus one Longinus possessor. This luck was better than her own.
Rias had always been extremely confident in the future potential of her own peerage, but now, comparing them to Leon's, she suddenly felt that her members might not necessarily be able to surpass them.
Even Kiba Yuuto—though the "Holy Sword Creation" he held was of the same tier as Yuuki Asuna's "Sword Birth"—the sheer magnitude of the holy sword's suppression over devils would definitely give the opponent a huge advantage in future Rating Games. She might even achieve more brilliant results than Yukino Yukinoshita.
This was something "Holy Sword Creation" lacked, which destined its status in the devil world to be slightly lower than "Sword Birth."
Worse yet, it seemed these girls didn't just possess powerful and rare Sacred Gears; their innate talent wasn't weak either.
For instance, Kasumigaoka Utaha had only been reincarnated as a devil about a week ago, yet she already had the means to instant-kill one of Rias's members.
Putting aside how well she had mastered her devil power, her degree of Sacred Gear proficiency didn't look at all like someone who had just recently awakened this power.
Thinking of this, Rias couldn't help but look at Shiina Mahiru, who had been staying by Leon's side and keeping her presence to a minimum.
So, what was the situation with this one?
The other three of Eligos's peerage were all so brilliant and talented; Rias didn't believe this girl, who looked more like an angel than a devil, would be an ordinary person.
A "Bishop"?
How did she compare to her own "Bishop" who was currently sealed away?
Unfortunately, there would be no chance to find out this time.
"Akeno."
Rias brought Toujou Koneko to the back and spoke a word to her "Queen."
"I'll leave the rest to you."
Hearing this, Himejima Akeno revealed a gentle smile.
"Yes, Buchou."