In the principal's office, Riser sat confidently as his Peerage were ready to go. All but one. Siris was missing. "These lowly Devils thing they can manipulate one of Riser's Knights and poison our Tears. You shall be well rewarded for warning Riser of her treachery, Mira." Riser said.
"Thank you master. It seems that Ruto has a way of messing with the minds of his enemies." Mira responded as she twirled her staff. Riser gave a cocky smirk.
"It matters not. Riser will reduce him to cinders either way, right after Riser makes an example of Ruto's little spy." he then growled. "Crush them, break their pride. If I don't make Rias submit to me, then this is all pointless."
Something's not right. Ruto thought.
You reckon something's up with your sabotage plan? Albion inquired.
Maybe. It's a risk we both knew about, especially with his Peerage having so many members, it makes detection all the more likely. he replied feeling worried.
"Alright." Rias began as the Peerage was gathered around a map of Kuoh Academy."The enemy base is just across the way. Cutting through the school grounds is the quickest way, but the most obvious." she said. Ruto watched her carefully, and so far was beginning to see the side of Rias that made her more formidable than he originally thought. "It's not an option as it will leave us open to attack with little to no cover."
"We could go through the track field. Then we could sneak in and have the element of surprise." Haru said. Ruto also noted his tactical view. While it was limited, he was definitely using it.
"Unfortunately, that's the most obvious way to try and invade. But Riser will have considered that and will have it defended. He has experience on his side, so we need to think outside the box." Ruto said as he scanned his eyes over the map.
"He'll likely post Knights and Rooks there. It'll be problematic since they'll likely have strong mobility." Rias added.
"It seems we aren't left with many options." Rossweisse said. "I can cover ground faster by flying while providing support from the air and on the ground when needed."
"I think our first move should make is to take the gymnasium. It's close by and it'll provide Ruto with a direct route out to the rest of the arena as it isn't connected to any other indoor structures." Kiba said. Ruto nodded with his sound logic.
"That'd be a good start. It will make pushing out easier and then I can dominate the track field and secure that area." Ruto said. "That, and it's not even that far away from their base. I'm guessing you were meaning to use it as a diversion, Kiba?" he asked. Kiba nodded, garnering an impressed nod of respect from Ruto.
"The gymnasium is pretty much in the centre of the battlefield, so whoever controls it will definitely have an advantage." Akeno surmised.
"And should they invade the gymnasium after we take it, we can use it to bottleneck anyone trying to come through." Ruto provided.
Rias nodded her acceptance. "Good call guys. Given our limited options, the gymnasium is definitely our best one." she then looked at the ever silent Koneko. "You think you can handle getting into the gym and locking it down?" Koneko nodded.
"All this talk of fighting is starting to scare me." Asia said as she tried to keep herself from trembling. Haru cast her a comforting smile.
"Don't worry, we've got Rias leading us and Ruto as our tactician. I'm sure that devious bastard will think of something diabolical. All we've gotta do is trust them, okay." he said warmly. Asia smiled and nodded to him, feeling her confidence gain a boost.
"To take the gym, we need a defensive perimeter, so Ruto I need you to send out those wisps to the woods as Kiba and Koneko set traps there too." the three nodded in compliance with their orders.
"Got it." Kiba said.
"Cool." Koneko replied. She put her hands together and opened them. A small purple magic circle opened as a puff of smoke appeared, revealing a small white cat with a red collar with an attached gold bell. "Let's go Shiro." it climbed up her arms and shoulder and rested on the top of her head.
Kiba smiled to his comrades. "Wish us luck." with that, the Rook and Knight departed for the objectives. Ruto moved to the open window and released four Sight Wisps and watched them gracefully slither through the air towards the woods.
Rias turned her determined gaze to Akeno. "Next I'll need your expertise. Once the traps are set and Ruto gives the all clear with his Wisps, I'll need your illusion magic." Akeno bowed.
"I'll be waiting for your order." she said before leaving the room.
Haru and Asia stood waiting for their orders. But the problem was that they weren't sure they had any. "So, is there anything Asia and I can do to help?" Haru asked scratching the back of his head.
"Asia's the team's healing support. So, in order to avoid a total team crisis, she needs to stay at base with Rias, otherwise we're in shit creek without a paddle." Ruto said. Rias hummed in agreement and moved to sit down on one of the sofas. As she sat, she looked over to Haru.
"Haru, I want you to put your head in my lap." she said in all seriousness. Haru's body turned rigid in surprise.
"Huh, what? Look, Rias I'm trying to focus on this whole game thing and I don't think that—"
"Will you just get over here?" Rias cut him off. Ruto chuckled quietly to himself and kept watch out of the window, using the Wisps as his eyes as they snaked through the forest looking for threats and traps.
Haru hummed in contentment as he rested his head upon Rias' creamy, smooth thighs. His eyes shot wide as the wonderful sensation hit him. It feels like I'm floating on a cloud made of juicy thighs and the scent of a woman. Not even Ruto's shenanigans could ruin this moment. He thought in absolute bliss.
While that was going on, Rossweisse stood next to Ruto by the window. She was on edge, not for herself, but for her comrades. "Do you think they'll be alright out there? I mean, this is their first Rating Game after all, hell, their first time fighting other Devils." she asked worriedly.
"They'll be fine." Ruto said absently. "They're better than I gave them credit for. I guess I was just pushing them past their limits over those 10 days of training. I lost sight of the gap in power between us." he then gave a small but genuine smile.
"They're stronger now, and ready to face whatevers's coming. After all, I gave you all hell and you all survived. So I'd say our chances are pretty good." Rossweisse felt reassured at his words, but was still worried about something.
"You sure your Tear contamination worked?" she inquired. Ruto sighed.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. I knew it was a bit of a long shot, but chances are chances after all." he replied, now doubting his plan hadn't been foiled. He knew something was off.
"Rossweisse." Rias called. The Valkyrie turned and bowed dutifully.
"Yes my King?" she asked, ready to receive orders.
"Go to Akeno's location and begin probing the forest as well. We need to cover more ground and with two of you, especially given how strong you both are, might be able to get some early knock outs." she suggested. Rossweisse nodded and materialised her spear.
"At once." she then ran and leapt from the window Ruto was stood at, giving him a smile and a wink as she went.
"And now, we wait." Ruto mumbled as he focused on his Wisps. Unknown to the others, he couldn't wait to get into the thick of the fighting. He licked his lips with anticipation as his mind raced with all of the ways he could crush his enemies. "Tick, tock, tick, tock..."