On the other side, Leon was also praising Utaha Kasumigaoka.
"Not bad, Senpai. You're getting more and more proficient with your barriers."
Leon was very satisfied with Utaha's performance.
While the result was an instant knockout, the technical skill Utaha had just displayed was significant. First, she compressed the barrier into a single plane to block the opponent's attack while simultaneously tripping her up. Immediately following that, she deployed barriers from all directions. The entire process was incredibly smooth, leaving Koneko Toujou no time to react before she was sealed inside.
Had there been even a moment of hesitation in Utaha's deployment of the barrier, it might have given Koneko an opening to react, and the "cooked duck" would have flown away.
Being able to achieve an instant win was inseparable from Utaha's skilled use of her Sacred Gear. Even a slight lack of proficiency or technical finesse could have changed the outcome.
"It was alright," Utaha said, satisfied with her own performance as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "The opponent wasn't too strong, otherwise it might have been a bit more troublesome."
That was the truth.
Among Rias Gremory's peerage, Koneko Toujou was currently the weakest in terms of raw power.
Her talent for magic was average, and she wasn't a Sacred Gear user. Although she wasn't human before her reincarnation and her true identity came from a powerful background with a considerable hidden power, she herself was extremely repulsed by that power and refused to use it. This resulted in her only being able to develop the characteristics of a "Rook," specifically in close-quarters combat, which severely limited her tactical options.
Her fighting skills weren't bad, but she was helpless against the barriers created by "Create World." Utaha could simply manifest a barrier around herself, protecting herself from all sides. Koneko, unable to break through Utaha's barriers, could only stand outside and stare blankly, completely powerless.
Therefore, with Koneko's current strength, she was fine for bullying low-class devils, but if she faced a strong middle-class devil, she might be at a loss.
Utaha, relying on the powerful offensive and defensive capabilities of "Create World," could hold her own against anyone as long as they weren't high-class devils—including, but not limited to, Yukino Yukinoshita without her Sacred Gear.
In short, Utaha was the natural counter to Koneko Toujou in this match, so a simple victory was not surprising at all.
"With this, we have one win and one loss." Utaha turned her gaze toward Yukino Yukinoshita. "The rest is up to you, Yukino."
Yukino nodded and looked at Leon.
"Go ahead." Leon didn't look at Yukino; instead, his eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Akeno Himejima, who had already stepped forward. "Be careful. Rias's 'Queen' is very strong."
After all, Akeno was a childhood companion who had been educated and trained alongside Rias. Her treatment within the Gremory household was on the same level as Rias's, so her strength naturally couldn't be weak.
Even compared to her master, Rias, Akeno Himejima was likely not far behind.
"I know."
Yukino Yukinoshita certainly wouldn't be careless.
The rank of "Queen" alone proved the opponent was extraordinary; it was an existence that possessed the characteristics of all other devil pieces.
The offensive and defensive power of a "Rook," the magical power of a "Bishop," and the speed of a "Knight"—a "Queen" possessed them all. It was an all-around reinforcement, a comprehensive power with no weaknesses.
There are eight "Pawn" pieces, and two each of the "Rook," "Bishop," and "Knight" pieces. There is only one "Queen" piece, and its value is equivalent to nine "Pawns," which sufficiently proves how powerful a devil reincarnated using a "Queen" piece would be.
The position of "Queen" is very special, much more so than the other pieces. Although they are still members of a peerage, the word "Queen" carries the connotation of royalty. Rather than a servant, they are more like the King's confidant, general, secretary, or personal assistant. Even in the highly class-conscious devil world, those arrogant pure-blood devils would not view the "Queen" of a high-class devil as a lowly servant.
Many people's "Queens" are their most trusted friends or even relatives. This is one reason why high-class devils often only bring their "Queen" when they travel; the Queen's status is high enough to accompany them to various occasions without being looked down upon.
It was only because Leon didn't have a "Queen" yet. Otherwise, if he sent a "Bishop," valued at only three "Pawn" pieces, to deal with a "Queen," regardless of whether they could win, the onlookers would mock him first.
A "Bishop" actually daring to challenge a "Queen"?
Don't you know your place?
Fortunately, Yukino Yukinoshita was no simple "Bishop." She was one of only thirteen Longinus users in the entire world.
"I look forward to learning from you, Himejima-senpai."
Yukino stood before Akeno Himejima, her expression cold and stern.
"I should be the one saying that," Akeno said with a beaming smile. "My opponent is one of the legendary thirteen Longinus. Please go easy on me, Yukinoshita-san."
"—I will not go easy on you." Yukino was silent for a moment before she said expressionlessly, "I will give it my all."
Excluding Leon and Musashi Miyamoto, Akeno Himejima was perhaps the strongest opponent she had faced to date.
Leon and Musashi had only sparred with Yukino; they had never truly used their full power to compete with her.
Therefore, among all the opponents she had encountered, Akeno Himejima was likely the most threatening existence.
She, of course, had to go all out.
Boom!
Accompanied by a vibration in the atmosphere, a three-meter-tall monstrous princess appeared behind Yukino.
A terrifying chill radiated from her, making the air in the gym feel as if it were instantly frozen, becoming cold and heavy.
The temperature plummeted.
Snow and ice began to fall in flurries.
True to her word, Yukino gave it her all from the very start, allowing a white mist to permeate throughout the gym.
Seeing this scene, the expressions of many people present changed.
"Is that the legendary 'Evernight Ice Princess'?"
Everyone, including Rias and Sona Sitri, looked at the Ice Princess behind Yukino. Feeling the temperature still rapidly dropping, their faces grew solemn.
Akeno Himejima, whose eyes had been narrowed, slowly opened them. The gentle smile on her face shifted, becoming somewhat dangerous.
"Ara ara, how scary," Akeno said with a smile. "Since Yukinoshita-san has said so, I will also give it my all to meet this challenge."
As she spoke, magic power surged within Akeno. She shed her Kuoh Academy uniform, instantly manifesting a shrine maiden outfit.
Jet-black devil wings unfurled behind her. Although they were a stark contrast to the sacred shrine maiden robes, they somehow looked perfectly matched on Akeno.
Akeno flew into the air, sparks of lightning erupting from her body.
Yukino likewise spread her wings and flew up to confront her. Behind her, the Ice Princess blew gusts of frigid snow, her presence intimidating.
The two beautiful girls hovered in mid-air—one radiating an astonishing chill, the other flashing with blinding lightning. Their auras grew more terrifying as time passed.
The people below watched this scene, every single one of them holding their breath.
On one side was the "Queen" known as the "Priestess of Thunder."
On the other side was a Longinus user.
Such a duel was undoubtedly more anticipated and heart-tugging than the previous two battles.
Then, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the two in the air moved simultaneously.
Whoosh—
The Ice Princess behind Yukino suddenly blew out a gust of freezing air, kicking up a blizzard that swept toward Akeno.
"O Thunder!"
Almost at the same time, Akeno extended a finger. Lightning flickered at her fingertip, shooting out a blinding bolt of thunder to meet the incoming blizzard.
BOOM!!!
The blizzard and the blinding lightning collided in mid-air. It was like a head-on collision between stars, exploding with a deafening roar.
Neither Yukino nor Akeno had any intention of resting. After the first exchange, they immediately launched a second attack. Blizzard and lightning appeared once more, crashing into each other and sending out terrifying shockwaves that swept across the room.
Instantly, frost condensed and fell from nowhere, while lightning flickered in every direction like sparks.
Frost began to form on the ground, only to be shattered by the stray bolts of lightning, causing small-scale explosions all over the battlefield.
"This is bad!"
Seeing the battle unfold with such incredible intensity, Sona Sitri was startled and immediately gave orders.
"Tsubaki! Strengthen the barrier!"
Tsubaki Shinra and the other members of the Sitri peerage immediately obeyed, increasing their magic output and significantly strengthening the barrier inside the gym.
"Get back!"
"Move back, quickly!"
Leon and Rias also quickly led their respective peerages back, staying away from the center of the battlefield to avoid being caught in the aftershocks.
Under these circumstances, Yukino and Akeno fought as if they were truly enraged, unleashing their full potential.
Yukino controlled the Ice Princess to constantly whip up blizzards, even condensing icebergs within the storm to hurl at Akeno with relentless force.
Akeno flapped her devil wings, dodging the incoming icebergs while continuously releasing lightning strikes to scatter the clouds of snow that threatened to blot out the sky, trying to escape Yukino's range of attack.
"Fall, Thunder!"
Seeing Yukino condense several more massive icebergs, Akeno's eyes narrowed. She raised one hand, and a massive magic circle unfurled.
From the magic circle, a massive pillar of lightning shot out, first soaring into the sky before descending like a thunderbolt directly toward Yukino—
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