Tales Of The Fearless Dragon

by streetlife34

Delinquent, Brother, Protector of the weak, Undefeated fighter, Kind, Ruthless. Add Devil to that list. There all kind's of strange beings in this new this world, but that doesn't matter, no matter who gets in my way I will be victorious. I'm the current Red Dragon Emperor, Shirou Tsukiharu and I never lose.

37. Game Start And Official Debut

Hey everyone, and welcome to this new chapter. This chapter will cover both the preparations for the match as well as the first half of the match itself.

Unlike in the canon, Sona isn't the only master Tactician on the battlefield, so the battle is going to go a little different, and I'll try to put more thought into it.

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based parody, Highschool DxD, Highschool DxD New, Highschool DxD Born, Highschool DxD EX, and Highschool DxD Hero are all owned by Funimation, Fushimi Shobo, TNK, Passione, and Ichiei Ishibumi. Please support the official release.

---

"Shirou" Regular speech.

"Shirou" Thoughts.

DRAGON SHOT Attack names.

(Shirou) Words said previously.

"SHIROU!" Shouting speech.

[Ddraig] Dragon talking.

---

Game Start And Official Debut

---

—…

The night before the decisive battle with the Sitri family. The entire OCR gathered in a private lounge and were in the middle of having their last meeting.

The incident where they had been attacked by Bikou and Kuroka had been taken care of and put behind them, and now that the matter had been settled, for the time being, they could refocus on the main reason they came to the Underworld in the first place. The Rating Game.

Though there were now talks of Rias gaining an even higher assessment and value thanks to that battle. Since Vali's team was repelled and she aided in the battle against two enemies that were at Ultimate-Class level, it seems that the points for these were high. The same was true for Madgaran, who rose from obscurity and was highly praised for assisting in repelling the terrorists.

Though Shirou was the one who did all the fighting and drove them off, as the master of his Peerage and a Great King, respectively, most of the credit went to the two of them. But neither Rias nor Magdaran was satisfied with that and in fact, felt upset with themselves for not being able to do anything during that battle.

So, we were having a meeting. Right away, Azazel questioned Shirou about the details of all his current abilities.

"Shirou, how's the state of your Balance Breaker?"

"First, I change into Balance Breaker instantaneously. Moreover, I can double my power and transfer at the same time. Furthermore, I activate and deactivate my armor at will, and if I cancel the transformation before my time limit, I can just go back to using my Sacred Gear in its normal state. I can use the Power of Darkness as a fuel source instead of demonic power if I need to, and my operation limit is indefinite, but I'm pretty sure I can keep fighting for days on end if I need to."

Azazel nodded as he answered his question. "Yeah, it's just like the data says. It's very different from the past Red Dragon Emperors. Though there were also cases in which they could use the Sacred Gear even once they released their armor. So, what's the status of Dividing Gear?"

"I can now use it even without Balance Breaking." Shirou informed him and held up both of his arms to summon his red gauntlet over his left arm and his white gauntlet over his right. "Though, I haven't tried it out in a fight yet."

"So thanks to your training increasing all of your base abilities and getting used to it, your handling of it became more flexible." Azazel deduced. "However, those two abilities, by their nature, are incompatible. It'll all depend on when is the right time to use it. To put it bluntly, it may not be a good idea to use the White Dragon's power in tandem with the Red's. Above all, the Boosted Gear already taxes the body physically by using it to contain all that increased power, and by doing the same with the Dividing Gear, without the energy wings of Divine Dividing to release excess power, you'll endanger yourself from reaching your body's limit sooner. Since there are a large number of people that you can defeat with just the Boosted Gear, you probably won't have to worry about that for a while. But, you have to think of what you'll do if the time comes when you'll need the powers of both. Decisiveness will be key in the future."

…He instantly repudiated the current state of his Sacred Gear right to his face. As expected of a Sacred Gear fanatic like Azazel.

"I know all that, but I already have my own plans for the future." Shirou informed him with little reserve.

"I see. Well, since you're already aware of your current situation, I won't bring it up again." Azazel decided. "Moving on—The normal Boosted Gear's doubling and transfer are also important since they have a wide range of uses. However, Balance Breaker is indispensable when fighting a powerful enemy. The normal state and the Balance Breaker State each have their advantages and disadvantages. So, for how long can you use Balance Breaker?"

"I'd estimate it as around a month now that I can use my Darkness to power it. When I use my power, it decreases but only by a few minutes."

"That's pretty good for you. That means you caught up with Vali on that specific category. That's the result of your training. However, that's even better in an official game if it can sustain itself for that long, and what's more decreases as much as you say. There will, at some point, be games with long stretches of distance and time. Having an extendedly long-term time limit from now on will be a great plus."

"I still think we'll never be in a fight that takes that long to finish." Shirou thought to himself while Azazel turned the conversation.

"Rias, Sona Sitri knows about the Gremory group to some degree, right?"

At Azazel's question, Buchou nodded. "Yes, she understands us roughly. For example, she knows of Shirou, Kiba, Akeno, Mika, Asia, and Xenovia's main weapons. Video recordings of our battle with the Phenex group were partly open to the public, after all. Furthermore, Gasper's Sacred Gear and Koneko-chan's background have also come to light."

"Well, she knows roughly about all of you then. So, how much do you know about her side?"

Rias thought it over before answering. "I know the abilities of Sona, of her Queen the Vice-President, and of several others of her servants. Though some of their abilities haven't been confirmed yet."

"Really, 'cause the only one of their abilities I know of is Ruruko's?" Shirou admitted.

"You mean her ability of nothing but hand-to-hand combat?" Mika pointed out.

"That counts as an ability." Shirou insisted while crossing his arms.

Azazel steered the conversation back on track. "So basically, you're at a disadvantage in that regard. Well, such a thing is fine for a game or an actual battle. That is often the case in both the games and in actual battles. There are also cases of a Sacred Gear evolving and transforming during battle. You should pay careful attention. The number of your opponents is eight."

"Yes, one King, one Queen, one Rook, one Knight, two Bishops, and two Pawns, for a total of eight enemies." Rias listed them down. "It seems she still doesn't have a full set of pieces yet, unlike us, but it's only a one-number difference."

"That's also a problem depending on how you look at it, considering the maximum number of our group is capped at nine while in the future their group could still add another four members." Mika reminded her.

"And don't forget, the King is Sona, so it's clear she knows how to use every individual member to the best of their abilities." Shirou added.

Rias nodded in agreement. "I know, even if I'm reluctant to admit it, Sona surpasses me as a tactician, but the fact that we've known each other for so long means I can somewhat predict what she might have planned. And I have no doubt that our team has moreover her's regardless of a numbers advantage."

After hearing all that, Azazel brought out a whiteboard and wrote something on it. He drew a wide circle and four words around it, similar to a compass. He then drew a smaller circle inside the bigger one. On top of the outer circle was the word Power, on the left was Support, on the bottom was Technique, and on the right was Wizard.

Azazel then drew lines to form a cross and wrote the names of the four types within each of the four quadrants of the cross, thereby making a chart.

Their names were written on the chart according to the location of each type, and each of the other members was located somewhere else on the chart, thereby making a diagram illustration that was easy to understand.

"The Rating Game classifies players into different particular fighting types. Power, Technique, Wizard, Support. Out of these, Rias is a Wizard-type. The type that is superior in magic in general, so to speak. Akeno-san and Mika are the same. Kiba is a Technique-type. He fights with speed and technique. Xenovia is a Power-type that excels in the area of speed. A player that aims for a one-hit-certain-kill. Asia and Gasper are Support-types. Also, if you classify them with even more detail, Asia is closer to a Wizard-type, while Gasper is closer to a Technique-type. Koneko is a Power-type. And lastly, Shirou. You're a special case."

Azazel wrote down their names on where they belonged on the graph. Rias, Mika, and Akeno were all on the side that said Wizard-Type, but Rias' name was written close to the side that said Power-Type, while Mika and Akeno were closer to Technique-Type. Kiba was written directly in the center of Technique-Type, and Koneko and Xenovia were centered at Power-Type. Gasper was written in Support-Type while being closer to Technique-Type, while Asia was at Support-Type while being close to Wizard-Type.

The strange thing about Shirou, though, was that his name was written directly in the center of the inner circle, centered at the spot where all four types met.

Azazel suddenly circled Xenovia and Koneko in the Power-Types and spoke.

"The things that Power-types have to be most careful of are—Counters. A troublesome class among the Technique-types. That is the Counter-Type ability. There are Counter-Types even among the Sacred Gears, but when fighting an opponent who carries one, Power-Types like Koneko and Xenovia can have their situations turned around by a single counterblow. It's because counters return the opponent's power to them plus the power of the one who counters. When one is strong, it's natural for there to be damage just as strong."

They each took in that information in their own way, while Xenovia didn't seem worried at all.

"If there's a counter, I just have to overcome it with power." Xenovia said that bravely.

However, Azazel shook his head.

"It's possible to overcome it with that, but it's another story when your opponent is a genius in that field. Avoid attacking as much as possible. It's better to face counter-users with the spell-user Akeno, the technique-user Kiba, or Gasper with his special vampire abilities. Everything is a matter of compatibility. Power-Types are simply strong. But the risk is big for them when fighting against Technique-types."

Xenovia was silent to Azazel's explanation. Since Xenovia has an abundance of battle experience, she was likely to understand his meaning. Shirou decided to speak up as well. "Xenovia, do you remember my fight with Vali?"

"Of course, how could I possibly forget?" Xenovia nodded.

"Then you must remember Vali's special ability—Reflect." Shirou reminded her.

Xenovia stopped as she remembered that specific ability and how troublesome it was.

"You've seen an example of a Counter-Type. Imagine going against someone who can just bounce Durandal's power back at you. No matter how strong you are, there are some walls that no amount of brute force can ever overcome. Keep that in mind before going into battle." He advised her.

She seemed to respond more to Shirou's advice than Azazel's and nodded. "I will."

"Now then, why am I in the middle?" Shirou pointed out what he and some of the others seemed confused by.

"As I said, you're a special case." Azazel began to explain. "As a Power-Type, you outshine Xenovia and Koneko. However, you're also good at being a Support-Type as well with your Gift power and how versatile you are with it. You're a genius when it comes to style and finesse on top of experience, which makes you a full-on Technique-Type, and you're Magic reserves, and powerful attack spells make you a good fit as a Wizard-Type. It's not unusual for some people to fit in more than one category, but in your case, you're the extremely rare type of person who fits in the middle. And instead of being a Jack-of-all-trades who is good at everything but great at nothing, you excel at all of them. You're the once-in-a-lifetime type that most have never even seen—The Omnipotent-Type."

"Omnipotent-Type?!"

"Ara, Ara. I suppose we shouldn't be surprised t this point."

"Still, that's amazing, Shirou-kun."

"As expected of you."

"Y-You're amazing, Senpai."

Rias, Akeno, Kiba, Xenovia, and Gasper each had their own reactions to this revelation, though Shirou himself was the least excited.

"Isn't that name kinda an exaggeration? I mean, I'm not actually Omnipotent. I'm just extremely versatile."

"The name might be over the top, but it's glorified because of how little the number of people in that category actually is. It's like Queens or Pawns who promote, even though they have the ability to use the strengths of all types. The more practical thing to do is just focus on the type you have the best affinity with and just leave the rest at a manageable level. And even if there were someone who was capable with each individual type, training in all of them until you reach a masterful level of them would take so much time and effort that many would question if it was even worth it."

"Well, looks like being a training maniac paid off for you." Mika told him jokingly.

Shirou huffed. "All I'm hearing is that the main reason this type is so rare is that no one else actively tried to reach it. If all you need is the motivation to go for it and the diligence to stay on that path, then the only thing that stopped those other guys from succeeding was the fact that they were weak-willed."

"Who knows, you could be right about that." Azazel then spoke to Rias. "Rias, if there are counter-users in Sona Sitri's group, they might run into Xenovia or Koneko, you know? If a counter eats up their enormous power, it will be an instant out. You need to come up with and refine some tactics for that."

"Well, we still don't know for certain if they have a counter-user or what the conditions of their abilities are. If that does turn out to be the case, all we can do is follow our own strategy and prepare for the worst." Rias answered in a deciding manner.

"By the way, Shirou, the fact that you attained the Power of Darkness along with your Divine Sword was noticed by people nearby during the attack of Bikou and the others. Sona Sitri should also know about it. You should be thoroughly careful. Since the possibility of you being crushed before you can fully utilize those powers exists."

Shirou just gave an unconcerned smile. "Knowing about it doesn't guarantee you can stop it. Besides, I never said I revealed everything my Darkness can do in that last battle."

Rias blinked when she heard those specific words. "Wait, there are other things you can do with your Darkness? What are they?"

Shirou wagged his finger at her. "I'd rather show it than explain it. You'll know after the Game."

Azazel closed his pen and said a final conclusion.

"I'd say that the chances of you guys winning in this game are over 80%. I do believe that you'll win, but—I don't believe you'll win "for sure". And the value of pieces isn't absolute either. Like an actual game of chess, the value changes according to the situation on the board." Azazel continued. Everyone listened seriously and attentively. "I have lived a long time. In that time, I have seen a great variety of battles. That's why I will say this—I have seen guys win despite having less than a ten percent chance of victory. Do not take even a one-percent chance lightly. Don't believe that you'll definitely win. However, think that you want to win no matter what. This is the last advice I can give to you all in this training camp."

That was the last piece of advice Azazel gave them this time. A silence hung in the air as everyone seemed to process it in their own way; however, sensing that the atmosphere became more foreboding, Shirou stepped up to the whiteboard, took Azazel's pen, and flipped the board over to the other side, which was blank as he wrote down two sentences, getting everyone's attention.

Even The Fly Has His Spine Even The Ant Has Her Gall

.

.

.

Most of them blinked as they read the words he wrote down. Asia was the one to ask.

"What does that mean?"

"It means even flies and ants who are the weakest of the weak, still have the fighting spirit that every living creature does. Fights, where you know you're gonna win, are the toughest of them all."

"Wait, how does that make sense?" Xenovia raised her hand and asked. "How is a fight hard if you already know you're going to win? Wouldn't that make it easy?"

"You'd think, and on paper, an 80% chance of victory is enough to seem like you have nothing to worry about, but riddle me this—How low were the chances of us beating the Phenex peerage? And how low were the odds of us beating Kokabiel."

His question made them all immediately understand the point he was trying to make, but naturally, he wasn't done.

"Even if you don't put a number on it, I'm pretty sure it was lower than 20%, and yet, here we are. This whole time, in all our major battles, we've been the underdog who beat the odds and won fights that everyone thought we would lose, and that's why we know better than anyone how dangerous the underdog's bite is; let down your guard, and it could be fatal." He then put on a confident smirk and pointed his fist at them brazenly. "So, what are we gonna do? What we always do. Whether we're the dark horse or not, we just have to give it our all and show everybody why we're number 1!"

[Yeaaah!] They all cheered in agreement with great enthusiasm and excitement. Shirou—This person's words—Had a great effect on them. In the root of both the mind and body. His words had power to them.

"Shirou-Senpai is so inspirational." Gasper's eyes sparkled with admiration.

"That makes me feel inferior." Azazel said in a dissatisfied tone.

Shirou looked at him with annoyance. "Oh really? So does that mean you thought you were better than me before?"

"Well, I'm the club advisor and the team's head instructor, so it's natural." Azazel reasoned like it was a sure thing.

"Yeah, but beneath all that, you're just a randy, perverted old man." Shirou berated him.

While they were having their conversation, Rias stood in the background with a smile on her face as she watched Shirou while Akeno came up to her and stood beside her.

"Can I guess the reason behind that smile?" Akeno asked jokingly.

Rias waved her off. "It's nothing. It's just… I felt happy from Shirou's words."

"You mean it made you excited for the match?"

"That too, but it's more than that. He has presence on our team, he's awash with spirit, and he's just so good at lighting a fire in everyone. Not just me, he made all of us feel like we were prepared for the match, just like before our match against Raiser. That makes me happy, though it reminds me that I'm still lacking when it comes to being a King."

"That's not true." Akeno happily denied that statement. "All of us love and adore you, you're the one we all want to fight for, and none of us could have asked for a better master."

"I know that, and I'm always grateful to all of you for loving me, but…" Rias still looked at Shirou without a hint of unhappiness. "I can't do the things that he can, and I usually just end up relying on him. While I wish I could fix that, I'm just so happy that he's here. Our peerage needed someone like him. I am truly happy that he is my Pawn."

After that, Azazel discussed tactics with the members who had been left out in the conversation until the day of the decisive battle.

—Their battle against the Student Council would soon be upon them.

---

The day of the decisive battle had arrived—

There was a huge magic circle underneath the Gremory estate for the exclusive use of transporting us to the game area.

The OCR gathered on top of the magic circle and prepared to transport to the game area, where the battle would soon be commencing.

Besides Shirou, Mika, Asia, and Xenovia, they were all wearing their Kuoh Academy summer uniforms. Asia was in her Sister clothes, and Xenovia was wearing her bondage-like battle clothes that she had worn the first time they met. Both of them seemed to be full of fighting spirit. Shirou was wearing his black combat suit, and Mika was wearing her usual gothic-lolita fighting clothes. They already made those their official fighting gear. And the Sitri side also seemed to be wearing their Kuoh Academy uniforms, except for Saito, who also wore the fighting clothes he wore at the gathering of Young Devils.

Zeoticus, Venelana, Millicas, Ren, and Azazel spoke from outside of the magic circle.

"Rias, this'll be your first official debut. Win for sure this time as well."

"Fight a battle that won't make you ashamed as the next head of the family. Everyone else as well, okay?"

"Do your best, Rias-nee-sama!"

"Give 'em Hell, you guys, no pun intended."

"Well, I've taught you about the things you needed to be informed about this time. All that's left is to exert yourselves and go all out."

Sirzechs and Grayfia weren't there, but they seemed to have already moved to a spectator's lounge for the exclusive use of VIPs. It was said that not only the leaders of the Three Great Powers were present, but also VIPs from the other powers were invited. It seemed that Azazel would be heading there after this.

The Rating Game was getting a lot of attention… As expected, among the promising Young Devils, the fight between the two little Sisters of the Devil Kings was being basked in attention…

A feeling of tension floated in the air, but the magic circle mercilessly began to shine.

—At last, the game had begun.

---

After seeing the others off, Azazel immediately made his way to the VIPs' spectators' room, where he could watch the game himself.

Far away from him, Tannin, who was attending in the form of a mini-dragon, and the other seniors were anticipating the battle between Rias and Sona Sitri that would be held soon.

"I'm going to cheer for Miss Rias. Since the Red Dragon Emperor I personally trained is with her. Kukuku, he's an interesting kid. I've never seen one like him before."

"The knowledge that Azazel has brought seems to be bringing about a revolution in the Rating Games. If handled poorly, there may be a change within the high-ranked group within half a year."

"That would be good. Since the top ten haven't changed in the last ten-odd years. With this, it seems like we'll be able to see some interesting games."

This was what it was like after finishing the arrangements. There was pretty much no air of tension here in the room. Seeing the Three Great Powers were now in this state was almost enough to make Azazel laugh.

At that time—The room's door opened. The person who appeared there made everyone dumbfounded.

"Hmm. So you youngsters can't greet an old man like me, huh?"

It was a one-eyed old man wearing an old-looking hat. He had a white beard, which was so long that it seemed to touch the floor. His clothes, rather than being luxurious, also consisted of just a single robe. He held a walking staff, but he didn't have it because he hurt his lower back.

"—Odin." Azazel breathed out.

Yes, this guy was actually the King God of all the Norse Gods—Odin the Allfather! There was also an armor-wearing female warrior Valkyrie that had arrived along with him.

After the initial surprise of his appearance wore off, Azazel rudely called out to him. "Oh, oh, it's been a while, hasn't it, old geezer of the northern countryside?"

In response, Odin merely rubbed his beard. "It's been a while, Fallen Angel brat. It seems you've become intimate with the people you fought with for so long, but… Are you still thinking of something crafty?"

"Hah!" Azazel waved his hand around. "Unlike countryside Gods that honor old-fashioned bonds according to conventional practices or whatever else, we young people have flexible thoughts. Rather than sticking to troublesome hostile ways of thinking, we place more value on growth and progress."

"That's a loser's mindset appropriate for the weak." Odin taunted back with a feeling of superiority. "After all, you're a gathering of brats that have lost their founding God and Devil King."

"This geezer…" Azazel couldn't stop himself from becoming irked. "This geezer… As usual, his mouth doesn't abate at all." He then said out loud. "It's called becoming independent and standing on our own, geezer."

Odin just choked back a laugh. "Seeing a bunch of brats doing a play meeting like this, I can't help but laugh."

Sensing that at the rate they were going, this would never come to a settlement, someone else decided to step in. Sirzechs then left his seat and greeted the old God.

"It's been a long time, King God of the North, Odin-dono."

"Sirzechs. I came here on the invitation you gave me to watch the games. However, you've also had it hard. The descendent of the original Lucifer is now the White Dragon Emperor. Moreover, he became a terrorist. The future of Devils isn't going to be easy." Odin made those sarcastic remarks, but Sirzechs simply gave a smile.

Odin's gaze then shifted to Serafall sitting next to Sirzechs.

"By the way, Serafall. What's with that appearance?"

Serafall was dressed up as a magical girl like in Japanese television anime. And even if Odin was a Chief God, he was still just a dirty old man at heart.

"Ara, Odin-sama! Don't you know? This is a magical girl's outfit!" Serafall announced with excitement and sparkles.

She turned sideways and posed with a peace sign. Not seeming to care at all that she was talking to the God of the North, in spite of the fact that she was supposed to be the Satan that was in charge of diplomacy and foreign affairs.

"Hmm. So this is what's popular among the young people these days?" Odin stroked his beard excitedly as he gazed at her, up and down. "Not bad at all. Yes, yes, quite nice."

While keeping his hand to his chin, he looked down at Serafall's panties and legs. Odin then spoke to Sirzechs.

"I heard about it. Sirzechs, Serafall, your family members are fighting each other, right? Geez, making your precious younger Sisters face each other even though they're close friends. You people are so bad. You really are Devils."

"If she can't break through this much, then her hopes for her future as a devil won't be born." Sirzechs sounded stoic, but it was evident that he had nothing but the utmost faith in his Sister.

"It's already decided that my Sona-chan will win!" Serafall didn't even try to hide her feelings on the matter.

Each Devil King naturally believed that their Sister would win, after all. Odin sat in an empty seat and spoke brazenly.

"Now then. The matter of the Khaos Brigade is all well and good, but I have come to watch the Rating Game. When is it going to start?"

"It should begin within the hour, Odin-dono." Sirzechs answered his question.

The talk on the matter at the Khaos Brigade was left for another day, and the topic shifted to the game that would soon be held. Lots of important people from each of the powers had been invited to watch the game, after all.

Azazel stood up from his seat for a moment in order to take a break, and he went to rest on a sofa in the hallway. This discussion and conference with VIPs was just a drag to him.

When he sat down on the sofa—Sirzechs appeared there and sat down next to me as he spoke.

"Azazel, can I ask you one thing before the game starts?" Sirzechs started.

"What is it?" Azazel asked, being nonchalant about it.

"If you were facing Rias as an opponent, who would you definitely remove among the Gremory group?" Sirzechs asked in all seriousness.

"Shirou, of course." Azazel didn't even need to think about it before answering. "Everyone in Rias' team should feel it one way or another—That Shirou is the one who maintains the tension and spirits of the family."

Tension was important in battle. It was often the case that the balance would crumble by a single change in that, and one side would quickly lose as a result. The reverse was also possible.

Shirou was an emotional pillar for Rias and the others. The reason for that could also be understood. He was always there when they needed him, no matter what it is or where it was. He would always be strong and reliable in any situation against any adversity and made them believe that things would turn out alright. He was their dependable, fearless ace that never let them down and won their faith time after time. That behavior of his also became the dynamic energy of the other servant Devils in part that made them want to become stronger themselves and feel worthy of fighting alongside him. Even his master Rias depended on Shirou.

It was usual for a Dragon to attract others. Shirou wasn't an exception to that either. That was a result of people being attracted to the Dragon that was lodged inside him as well. But that wasn't all there was to it. In fact, it was likely that the Dragon was only a small part of the reason that many found themselves drawn to him. He was just a very strange existence.

Sirzechs joined his hands together and spoke with a serious look. "…Sona will aim for that."

He was worried for his younger Sister. Knowing he was right, Azazel spoke honestly.

"Yeah, the problem is when they remove him. Will their willpower rise, or will it fall? Since they had yet to see Shirou as the Red Dragon Emperor get taken down right before their eyes.…" Azazel then became relaxed. "But, that's only assuming he can be taken down, to begin with."

Sirzechs looked at him. "You don't believe it'll happen?"

"The real question is if Sona has the means to do so. Shirou's strong, resilient, and resourceful. There's a reason he's never been taken down before. From the moment he became a Devil—No, from the day he started fighting, he's always found a way to win. If strength wasn't enough, he still had his wits, which just made him harder to put down. So, unless Sona somehow found the resources to bring down a Satan, I find it question that she'll be able to remove him from the fight."

Sirzechs looked down at the floor as he pondered Azazel's reasoning. "You have a point. Even for Sona, it'll be a Herculean task to defeat Shirou-kun, who has never known defeat as far as we know."

"Either way, it'll be fun to watch." Azazel grinned with excitement. "The Unstoppable Fighter who has never tasted defeat or the Young Genius who sees through everything. Which one will claim victory?"

---

They had arrived after jumping through the magic circle. The location they found themselves in was—A place full of tables.

…That's right, the location they appeared at seemed to be a wide restaurant branch inside a wide indoor area. Not only that, around them was a dining floor, with fast-food restaurants surrounding the tables all over the surrounding wing of the floor they were on.

Of course, this was just an exact replica of a real place that made created within another dimension for the exclusive use of the match. They could see that when they looked up at the glass-ceilinged atrium and saw the colorful sky. But there was something familiar about this place that some of the group noticed. The game stage was the department store we often went to

"I didn't expect that the department store near Kuoh Academy would serve as the stage." Rias said this as she looked around.

Shirou looked unimpressed. "First the school, now the shopping mall. Is our town some kind of fad?"

At that time, we heard an announcement in the store!

{Everyone, I, the "Queen" of the Lucifer group, Grayfia, will be carrying the role of arbiter in the "Rating Game" between the Gremory group and the Sitri group on this occasion.}

Just like during the battle with Raiser, the announcer was Grayfia. But, her introduction was slightly different from last time. That time she called herself a servant of the Gremory family, yet this time she clearly stated that she was part of the Lucifer group. It was likely because the quality of the game was slightly different from last time. Grayfia continued her announcement.

{In the name of my master, Sirzechs Lucifer, I will watch over the battle between these two families. It's a pleasure to be here. To get right to the main topic, the battlefield for today is the department store within the neighborhood of the school "Kuoh Academy" that Lady Rias and Lady Sona attend, which has been prepared within a separate space as the game field.}

Since the game field was once more somewhere that they were familiar with, you would think that it would make things easy for them, but the same goes for the Sitri group as well since they've also come to this department store many times.

This department store which had become a battle stage, was a two-storied building. It wasn't that big in terms of height. However, it was a long shopping mall across its two floors and the atrium, so it was considerably large horizontally. The rooftop was a parking lot. Besides that, there was also a multi-story parking garage elsewhere.

{Both groups have been transported to their respective "bases". Lady Rias' "base" is on the second floor of the east side, while Lady Sona's "base" is on the first floor of the west side. In order for "Pawns" to promote, please go to your opponent's "bases".}

As usual, their base and the enemies' base were on opposite ends of the department store. We were on the second floor's most eastern side. The Student Council was on the first floor's most western side. Around the ORC base, there was a pet shop, an arcade center, a dining floor, a bookshop, and a drugstore. On the first floor beneath their base, there was a branch store of a major second-hand bookshop company and a sports-supplies shop. Over on the opponent's side, there was a grocery shop, an electrical appliance store, a junk food shop, and a general goods store.

During the battle, each side would have to head towards the other end of the department respectively. That was simple and clear, but it wouldn't go like that.

{This time, there will be special rules. Documents on this have been sent to each group, so please check them. A single bottle of the healing item "Phenex Tears" has been provided to each team—Furthermore, the time to strategize before the battle is thirty minutes. Contact with the opponent during this time is forbidden. The game is scheduled to start after thirty minutes. Then, let the strategy time begin.}

After the announcement, everyone quickly gathered together to decide what they would do.

"The battlefield is modeled on the department store near Kuoh Academy. So it's an indoor battle."

Rias said this while she and Mika were looking at a guide map of the department store's interior that was depicted on the dining floor's wall. There was also a personal diagram of the place divided into chess squares in Rias' hands.

They had encamped themselves on the aforementioned dining floor and were planning out their strategy.

An indoor battle was completely different from their fight with Phenex. Though each side had a base on a certainly wide battlefield, and how we would have to run around within this field. The whole game would take place inside a building with many different stores, routes, and blindspots. This time, the location would play a much bigger part.

And this was a place many of them often came to on their way back from school. In fact, more than ninety percent of the students attending Kuoh Academy knew about the appearance of the store's interior. Rias and Asia have also come here on their days off. Even Shirou was a regular. Rias looked over the document with the special rule that had been sent to them.

"These must be the special rules." Rias looked at them.

"Okay, before I come up with a strategy, tell me everything they wrote down." Mika requested of her. "The last thing I need is to come up with a plan that ends up being a violation."

Ria nodded as she started reading. "The rule this time states Don't destroy the department store which has become the battlefield; in other words, we can't do any showy battles." Rias narrowed her eyes and seemed to be thinking about this rule.

"…I see, so to me, the Vice-Chief, and Mika, and Shirou, this is a disadvantageous battlefield. We can't do attacks that affect a wide area."

It was just as Xenovia said. By saying that it was an interior battle and furthermore that the building itself couldn't be destroyed, Shirou couldn't use his Boosted Gear-based Dragon Blast. The great demonic attack that used doubled magic which could destroy multiple enemies or even level a mountain, couldn't be used here. It would turn into a conflagration. Akeno also couldn't use her extra-large lightning attack by creating thunderclouds unless she was on the rooftop. It seemed that if she didn't suppress her power, she could deal damage to the building as well.

Xenovia also wouldn't be able to unleash her Holy slashing wave with Durandal either. Even at the best of times, it was a Sword that gushed out a Holy aura even in its drawn state, so it couldn't be recklessly swung in order not to break the rule. And Mika's high-leveled attack spells that were filled with destructive power, highlighted by her Black Magic spells that could shake the heavens themselves, were out of the question. The building would vanish without a trace.

"That really is troublesome. A battle of large mass attacks has been mostly sealed."

Akeno put a hand against her cheek with a troubled face.

She gave her opinion after letting out a sigh. "Gasper-kun's eyes also won't be as effective. There are too many places to hide within the department store. All the goods and products have also been exactly reproduced, so there is an overflowing amount of objects to obstruct his vision. There is also the possibility of a surprise attack in the dark… It's troubling. This is a disadvantageous battlefield for our special characteristics. Because the Rias Gremory group's forte is to battle showily, we're completely sealed."

Rias shook her head at Akeno's words. "No, Gasper's eyes couldn't be used from the start. They put a restriction on it here. The use of Gasper Vladi's Sacred Gear is forbidden, it says. The reason is clear and simple. Since he still can't perfectly control it yet. They judged that it would be problematic if the entire game were spoiled by his eyes going out of control. Giving him Shirou's blood is also prohibited. It seemed that they'd provided him with Sacred Gear-sealing glasses developed by Azazel. (Since it was made for Gasper's exclusive use, it won't have any particular bad influence on his body)—so it says here. Really, he likes to prepare."

"That doesn't leave him with many options." Shirou frowned at that rule. "Without his Sacred Gear, Gasper only has basic magic and his vampire abilities. None of which are reliable in a fight."

Rias nodded at his assessment.

"I'm afraid it's a necessary precaution. From the beginning, his time-stopping power carried a lot of risks. The other side has not only the Counter-Types I mentioned before but also Saito-kun, who possesses a Sacred Gear that nullifies the ability of others, so we don't know what kind of counterattacks they'll use. Like suppressing it with illusions. There are also other techniques to take away a person's vision. When talking about such things, it becomes impossible to use that power in either the games or actual battles. Using meticulous caution is only natural."

Rias continued while Gasper put on the glasses right away.

"…The Rating Game isn't something you can win simply by having a lot of power. The battle situation changes completely according to the battlefield and rules. Because this is a ground where even Devils that lack strength can depend on their wisdom and rise higher, it has become popular in the Underworld and among the other powers. The rules this time may be disadvantageous to us. However, if we can't make up for this, we won't be able to win and advance in the games from now on. "Even a "Pawn" can take down the "King"—This is not only a basic rule in Chess but also a proverb of the Rating Games. In other words, it implies that "anyone can win with the proper method"."

Akeno also approved of Rias' words and nodded.

"That's right. There may be indoor battles like this on true battlefields as well from now on. If that were the case, we wouldn't be able to completely display our power like today. This may be a good opportunity for us. Today's battle is most suitable for getting used to indoor team battles."

During this discussion, where all the smart people were talking, Mika just let out a bored groan.

"Ugh… Blah, blah, blah. You guys are worrying too much. Quit overanalyzing things."

They looked at her with questionable looks as Rias asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"Just hear me out. Rias, even if we can't destroy the place, this is an entire department sore, not an Old School House. Even if you're a little nerfed, you can still fight like this, the same for Akeno and Xenovia. Even if you attack, you have enough control to beat an enemy without vaporizing a whole wide area. I've seen you do it before. Even if you can't use 100%, 60 or 70% should be enough against these guys, right?"

The three of them thought about it before understanding her point and nodded. Thus, Mika continued.

"And it's not like we're that disadvantaged either. Brolyfield and Kiba have the skill and finesse to a high enough level where they can still fight perfectly fine in a place like this, not to mention the experience of having done it before. And even with the extra rules, Gasper was never a frontline fight, to begin with, so not being able to use his Sacred Gear doesn't change all that much in the grand scheme of things. And before you say anything about Brodrick's Balance Breaker—Again, and I get it, take a moment to consider this; Anyone who thinks they can beat my Brother one-on-one without his Balance Breaker, raise your hand."

The others just looked at each other and noticed that nobody was going to raise their hand.

"I rest my case. If anything, the reason why these rules seemed targeted at us is that without them, this wouldn't even be a match. We already outclass them, so I imagine that these rules were made so we wouldn't steamroll them in an instant. So instead of worrying about it, let's just look at this as a manner inconvenience and think of how we're going to win despite all these nerfs."

Rias felt her nerves go away and stepped up. "Mika's absolutely right. I know. This time, things came completely opposite from what we expected. Although, the battlefield and rules may be close to being the worst for some of us. We still have everything we need to win. Let's not forget that."

[Right!] The rest of them agreed, feeling much better as well.

With that settled, Mika continued writing her strategy plan, with Rias and Akeno offering some input.

"Even if we attack, the atrium of this shopping mall is a problem. You can grasp the progress of the opponent from both the first and second floors. It's the same for the other side." Rias said this while looking at the interior of the store.

Akeno also expressed her opinion. "I've considered an attack from the parking garage as well, but they would also be looking out for that too."

"Yes, it's the same for moving from the rooftop." Rias added. "Whether it be breaking through the center, from the rooftop, or from the parking garage, we have to advance along these routes. Since we can't leave the department store itself."

"But there should be cars in the parking garage as well." Akeno pointed out. "That's what I feel after seeing that they reproduced even the merchandise and merchandise shelves. They may have copied the cars that were parked there."

"We can pretty much rule out the parking garage or rooftop." Mika informed them. "During the initial stage of the match, they'll mostly want to capitalize on the advantage this battlefield gives them by setting up traps and avoiding open areas."

Kiba raised his hand and gave a proposal. "Chief, Mika, I'll go look at the rooftop and parking garage. Since there are stairs nearby, I'll go check them out."

Rias nodded. "Please do, Yuuto."

Mika kept her eyes on the paper she was writing on. "Go ahead, just make sure you aren't seen."

Kiba immediately headed out at a quick pace.

"A-Are the cars important somehow?" Gasper asked that question honestly.

"If they plunge into the store interior with a car, it'd be serious, you know?" So said Rias. "Besides, we have to openly consider the possibility that they'll use the car itself as a bomb. Though I don't think that someone like Sona would do something like recklessly driving inside the department store."

"Reckless or not, there's another reason why she wouldn't. Turning a car into a bomb inside an empty shopping mall like this would act as a signal so loud that everyone on the battlefield would hear it and know where they are, which is the last thing they'd want." Mika meticulously strategized. "On the other hand, that same signal could be used as a ploy to make us think that's where they are and make us rush there only to lead us into a trap."

"If you had to put a number on it, what are the odds of them using a car as a weapon?" Shirou wondered curiously.

Mika thought about it momentarily. "Roughly a 30% chance. But at the same time, even if it's unlikely, it's still a high enough chance where we can't ignore it."

"Then why was it important that Kiba-san not get seen?" Asia asked, having trouble keeping up.

"We don't want the enemy knowing that we're worrying about this. If they find out were concerned about them using the rooftop or parking garage in their plans, the odds of whether they will or won't will change in ways I can't predict." Mika explained. "We don't need the kind of uncertainty right now."

"You're really cautious." Xenovia noticed.

"Naturally." Rias didn't disagree. "I still feel like this isn't enough. It's also possible for someone to rest and hide inside cars. Now that I think about it, we haven't seen the inside of the staff room before. We should go check it… Since it's a department store, there are an endless number of things to consider."

Rias seemed to be considering even the minor details. She didn't want to overlook anything. Rias then gave instructions to Gasper next.

"Gasper, please change into bats and fly to every location within the department store. In the opening of the game, you'll inform us of the situation within the department store in detail."

"R-Roger!"

This was Gasper's first game, so he wanted to contribute to the team as much as he could.

The strategy planning continued after that as well, and they decided on even the minor tactics. After a bit of writing, Mika stopped and looked over at Shirou.

"Well, do we have a concrete plan?"

"Not yet, there's still something missing, and in order for me to confidently create a winning strategy, I need one last bit of key information." Mika went over to her Brother and looked up at him. "I need to pick your brain for a bit."

Shirou blinked. "Come again?"

"You told me you once played a game of chess with Sona, right?" Mika elaborated. "What I need is to know the details of that game, from start to finish."

"You want me to explain an entire chess game, move-by-move, from over a year ago?"

"I don't want you to explain anything." Mika clarified. "I just need you to remember it; I'm going to use my magic to look into your memories and see it for myself." She turned to look at Rias. "Rias, you've played several chess games with Sona, so I'll need to look at your memories as well."

"But for what reason? What information could you gain from a chess game?"

"A lot actually, they say a lot of great general and strategists were masters of board games like chess, it's because how they play ties into how they lead their troops and outwit their opponents. The Rating Game is based on chess, so of course, a chess master like Sona would drop hints about how she plays through her chess style. I'm also a chess master, so I'll definitely be able to spot them, and once I've finished profiling her, I'll be able to finale our battle plan."

"But even then, won't that just be a small bit of information?" Akeno asked.

"In an intellectual battle like this, a small bit of information can mean a lot when affecting the final outcome."

---

Meanwhile, on the west side of the department store's first floor, where the Sitri base was located, the Sitri peerage was in the middle of discussing their own strategy. Or rather, after telling everyone else what she wanted from them, the situation became tense after Sona gave Saito his instructions, and now the two were in the middle of a face-off.

The atmosphere was so tense that the rest of the group could almost feel the tension in the air. Some of them were too afraid to get between them. Saito and Sona narrowed their eyes at each other neither one of them backed down. It wasn't unusual for them to disagree, but this was on a different magnitude.

"My answer isn't going to change—I'm not doing it!" Saito stood his ground.

"…Takeru…" Momo whispered with concern.

"This is a problem…" Tsubaki also whispered, not wanting this to escalate.

Sona frowned as she fixed her glasses. "Saito, need I remind you that as your master and your King, I have precedence over you and thus am using my authority to give you an order."

Saito sneered at her. "And need I remind you that you are not the center of my universe? I'll decide for myself whether I listen to orders or not."

"I might normally be willing to overlook that to some degree, but this is different. If we want to win this match, then all of us must comply, and that includes you."

"If you tell me to fight, then I'll fight. If you say you have a plan, then I'll follow it. But, this is something I won't do. If it's so important to you, make someone else do it!"

"I would if I could!" Sona snapped back at him before composing herself. "I already knew that you would have misgivings about this tactic, but among our entire group, you're the only one who can successfully pull this off. That's why you have to do it."

"Forget it!"

Seeing as how they were unable to come to any type of agreement after Saito turned her down again, Tsubaki stepped forward and questioned him.

"Saito, why do you have such a problem with this strategy? Do you not want to win?"

"It's not just about winning; it's about how you win. Using this kinda strategy is no different than taking the coward's way out and avoiding confrontation. There's no way I'm gonna do that. If that's the only option, then I'd rather lose."

"But this isn't just about you, Saito!" Saito rebuked him. "I know how much fighting Shirou means to you, but this game is much more than just one fight or the feelings of a single member. Your actions can reflect on the outcome of this match, and thus they affect all of us. Can't you understand that we need to work together to have any chance of winning, and that includes all of us?"

"Tch…" Saito clenched his teeth and gritted his teeth angrily as he looked down. "Just listen to me. I get what you're trying to say, but… I still have my own reasons."

Sona didn't ask as she and the others looked and could see the anguish on his expression as he continued.

"I may be a thug and a bruiser, but still, I have lines that I don't want to course. My whole life, I've always faced things directly. I never use gimmicks or tricks and try to run from a fight because that would make things meaningless. Taking the coward's way is no different than turning my back on what stand for and what I've built up all these years. I can't do that because… That's not what it means to be strong."

Saito's words were his honest emotions. The truth was, everyone in the Student Council knew his history and knew what this meant to him. While they could understand that Sona's plan was the best decision and necessary to win, they also knew that they were asking Saito to compromise on his morals despite how important they were to him, which was almost unfair.

While none of them knew what to say, Sona stepped forward and stopped right in front of him.

"Saito, while it would be insensitive to say understand how you feel, I do understand not wanting to turn your back on what it is you stand for, and I also understand that to others, my actions can be seen as cowardly. But, here in the Rating Game, there are times when you must rely on wisdom, ingenuity, and taking any opportunity, you possibly can, regardless of what it is. That's the only chance you have of winning against an opponent who terribly outclasses you. This is my only option—"

Not just Saito but her whole peerage was surprised, and some of them became wide-eyed at Sona's next action.

Sona leaned her head forward and bowed slightly to him to show how much his cooperation meant to her. She was always so prideful and always presented herself as an authority figure. They had never seen her bow to anyone and never thought she would. Even Saito couldn't hide his surprise.

"This match is extremely important to all of us because the eyes of the world are on us. That's why I'm truly desperate. I'm willing to do whatever I have to in order to win for the sake of my dream… Of our dream, the dream that was laughed at." Sona told him honestly and emotionally—She really was desperate right now. "So, please… Help us win."

Sona didn't move and neither did any of the others, though they all turned their eyes to Saito to see what his response would be.

Saito's body started to shake as he was trembling with frustration. This time he wasn't frustrated at her but at himself. He felt torn between what he wanted to do and what he felt he had to do, and he knew that he couldn't just brush her aside after she demonstrated the full weight of her resolve. After his emotions reached their breaking point, he turned and punched a wall, creating a large crack in it.

Sona looked up, and everyone kept their gaze on him as they waited to hear what he was going to say as he breathed out and spoke.

"Grr… Damn it…. If I said no now… I'd be nothing more than some asshole."

Soon enough after that, he stopped shaking and stood up straight but didn't look at her as he spoke.

"I'll take the job."

The moment he said those words, the whole peerage, especially Sona became relieved, but before they could say anything, Saito continued.

"But, if this plan ends up not working, I want you to let me handle the rest my way."

"Very well, that's fair." Sona agreed to those terms before saying one last thing. "I'm counting on you."

Saito didn't respond and just looked away again as the Sitri peerage continued strategizing after that until the time for when the match would start arrived.

---

Later, back at the east side of the departed store's second floor where the Gremory peerage's base was located. Right now, half the time had passed since the strategy session started, and they were still in the middle of making a solidified plan.

While Mika kept silently calculating all the options and possible scenarios to formulate their plan of attack, Rias looked around at the rest and spoke.

"The game will be starting fifteen minutes from now. We'll gather here again in ten minutes. Everyone, please remain on standby with your respective methods of relaxing until then."

At Rias' words, the rest of the team all broke up and walked away. After that, Rias entered a shop on the dining floor and began to pour herself some tea. So she was enjoying some tea until the time came. Gasper was eating donuts at a donuts shop.

Asia and Xenovia were talking about this and that in front of a hamburger shop. Kiba was rummaging through the drugstore beside the dining floor. Since it seems like medicines and the like were copied as well, he was trying to find things to take.

Everyone was trying to spend their time until the starting time with their own respective relaxing methods. So then, Shirou decided to follow suit.

Shirou left that place and entered a nearby grocery store next to the dining floor.

While walking around after entering, Shirou went to the part of the store where canned founds and seasonings were being sold and looked over some of them as he picked up one of them and pondered it like a shopper who was thinking of buying it.

"Shirou-kun. What are you doing? Ara-ara, are you planning on taking some things while no one is watching?" It's the remaining time before the decisive battle, you know."

Munyuuuuuu!

Right away, Shirou felt something with first-rate softness pressed up against his back. Not only could he tell that it was breasts, but he could also tell who they belonged to in the sense of the texture of the feeling and the sound of a voice he couldn't possibly mistake for someone else. It was Akeno.

She was clinging to him from behind and was checking out what he was doing inside the store. Shirou wasn't particularly bothered by her clinging to him but was somewhat offended by her accusation.

"I'd appreciate you not comparing me to some second-rate shoplifter. I was just checking things out. since this was an exact replica, I wanted to look around the store. I thought it would help me figure out what to make for dinner when we get home."

"You're thinking of that now?" Akeno seemed somewhat surprised his attention would be on something so mild-mannered at a time like this. "It's the remaining time before the decisive battle, you know?"

"Of course I know, it's just…" Shirou let out a sigh before he explained. "Ever since summer started, everything's been so wild. The gathering, the training, the party, the Khaos Brigade attacking, and now we're in a Rating Game, it's just been one thing after another. On top of that… All the craziness that happened that month, I was on the mountain. The things I learned and what I saw, and getting all these new powers, it feels like my head's spinning."

Akeno could tell from the way his tone was becoming slower as he went on that these series of frequent events had clearly been a trying time for him. He put the can back on the shelf.

"I'm good and ready to win this game, but after that. I was just hoping that when we got home, I could finally just take a breather, you know? Maybe, relax, make dinner, and just go one day where everything isn't leading up to something."

He said his peace after removing himself from Akeno's embrace, but Akeno didn't seem upset and just kept her sweet smile.

"Ufufu. I'm not particularly surprised, all things considered. Rather, I'm relieved at how Shirou-kun is. In fact, I think I'm a little happy."

"You're… Happy?" Shirou seemed a bit thrown off. "What for?"

"I'm happy that you were willing to confide in how you were feeling before anyone else, also…" Akeno looked at him more softly this time. "I'm relieved to know that even you sometimes think stopping to take a breather."

"What do you mean?"

Akeno had a slightly sad smile as she kept her gaze on him.

"Usually, the only things you have on your mind are training and fighting, you spend almost all your time on those things, and no matter how hectic things are, you never seem to show any signs that it's wearing you down, sometimes I worry that if you kept doing things like that, you'd eventually reach your breaking point. That's why I'm relieved to know that even you have times when you want to stop and take things easy." She finished with a bright smiling face.

"You thought of me like that?" Shirou stopped and let out a small sigh. "No, looking back on it, I guess I gave you plenty of reasons to think of me like that. I do have a tendency to go overboard—Not that I regret it."

Akeno then walked around him and embraced him from behind again. This time it was even tighter.

"Akeno, why are you hugging me this time?" Shirou asked her questioningly.

"…I'm getting courage from Shirou-kun." Akeno said in a painful voice that surprised Shirou, considering the sudden change. "…I need the courage to fight… Because I might have to use the other power that flows inside me this time, I'm scared. I hate it. That's why I'm getting courage from Shirou-kun."

Shirou stopped, and his expression loosened as he understood what she meant. Akeno had resolved herself to use the Fallen Angel power that she hates.

It was a power that she didn't wish for flowing inside her. But, the circumstances that we were in here didn't permit that denial. If she doesn't accept it, she can't advance forward.

It was the same thing that Gasper and Koneko had to go through and now it was her turn.

"I know I'm relying on you again even though you already have a lot on your mind, but If you're fine with me, please fully get courage from me!"

Shirou didn't hesitate and grasped the hand of Akeno as she embraced me and spoke to her. Shirou had been here before. Whenever someone needed courage, be it Rias, Asia, Mika, Koneko, or even Gasper, he was always there for them to help lift them up. This time would be no exception.

"When I bring out my power of light, will you watch, Shirou-kun?" Akeno asked, sounding unsure as Shirou turned to look her in the eye. "If Shirou-kun is watching, I will be able to use it."

"Akeno, I know that I'm not really sensitive when it comes to touchy subjects, and I can't say that I can relate to having a power I hate. But, I do know what it's like to feel down on courage when faced with scary situations."

Akeno tilted her head slightly. "I can't imagine there could ever be a time when you lacked courage."

Shirou shook his head. "Even a mountain started off as a pebble. I wasn't always fearless. But, having the resolve to face those things is what helps us grow as people. But even then, the first step is naturally the hardest. If you're willing to finally take your first step, then borrow all the courage you need for now because I know that one of these days, you'll gain so much courage for yourself that you won't need to borrow a thing."

Akeno felt really moved by his words and clung to him tighter. "…I'm happy. If I'm together with Shirou, surely… You don't belong to anyone, but even so, I will always… By your side…"

Akeno decided to say that last part in a low voice, but Shirou could still hear her.

Akeno then moved away from his back. But her eyes were moist—Suddenly, Akeno brought her face close to Shirou's this time—She was inching closer, and he didn't pull back. Akeno and Shirou's lips were about to—

"…Shirou-sempai, it's almost time to gather."

Just when their lips were just about to touch, Koneko unexpectedly appeared. This made both of them stop and look at the tiny First-Year.

Shirou blinked at her. "Koneko… Did you time that?"

Koneko didn't seem to know what he was getting at. "…Time what?"

"Ara-ara, Koneko-chan. You saw us. Ufufu. Shirou-kun, thank you. I'm already okay now." Akeno returned to her usual pleasantly smiling face and tried to leave this place.

However—

"…Next time, for sure… with you…"

She left behind some kind of whisper that he once again heard. Her expression as she left seemed regretful at having to part.

"Guess she was disappointed that we were interrupted." Shirou inwardly summarized.

As he thought to himself about that—Koneko grasped his hand.

"Hmm?"

Shirou looked down at Koneko after her sudden action, but she spoke while blushing red.

"…Please give me courage too."

Shirou zoned in on that last word. "Too? So she did time that?"

But that wasn't his main concern right now as he noticed the delicate state she was in. Her hand was trembling. She was very scared. She feared that her Nekomata power might swallow her up. Even though she tried to overcome that fear recently, meeting Kuroka again caused most of her fear to relapse.

"Yeah. Whatever you need." Shirou grasped her hand back with a soft touch.

"…Shirou-sempai, aren't you afraid of me as a Nekomata?"

Koneko asked me this with an anxious expression. Shirou didn't respond at first and instead knelt down so their eyes could meet.

"You've never given me a reason to be." He answered her with sincerity.

Hearing that, Koneko looked completely astonished. But, her face looked down.

"…Before, I thought I could handle my fears, and I spent all that time training with Ren-senpai to get better at Senjutsu." Koneko then grasped his hand harder. "…I'm scared… But I'll use my Nekomata power."

Shirou didn't interrupt and waited for her to finish.

"…I hate what Nee-sama became. But as things are now, I may not be able to be useful to everyone. That's why I'll use it."

She had a resolved look. Despite being reminded of what she was afraid of when she met with her Sister again, she was also reminded of what it was she was fighting for and why she chose to use Senjutsu again.

"Hey, listen, if you ever feel like you're slipping away, you come to me. I'll help bring you back." Shirou reassured her with a small but sincere smile.

"…You will?" Koneko asked with the expression befitting a frightened but hopeful child.

"Remember the promise I made when I told you I was learning how to use Senjutsu?" Shirou brought it up. "I'll another one right here—You're not going to turn up like your Sister, and if you ever think you do, I'll be right there to remind you otherwise. No matter what happens or however scared you might be, always remember this, as long as I'm around, everything will be fine."

"…As long as… Sempai is around?" Koneko repeated as if she wanted to fully grasp it.

"That's right. You're in the safest place in the world as long as you're with me. You know I'll always be looking out for you."

His words were a relief to her, and they calmed the fear still swimming in her heart. She responded by slowly wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her chin on his shoulder.

"…You really are a gentle Welsh Dragon." She seemed to murmur that while her cheeks were a deep red.

Shirou thought about to word gentle as his gaze dropped, and he inwardly mused. "No, I'm really not."

---

—It was the appointed time.

They had all gathered on the dining floor and were waiting for the starting time. Then, an announcement streamed through the store.

{It is now time to begin. Furthermore, the time limit for this game will be a blitz-style of three hours. Then without further ado—Game Start!}

"Three hours?" Shirou repeated that detail of the announcement. "Would have been nice if they mentioned that time limit beforehand."

"Will that affect the strategy in any way?" Rias questioned Mika.

The young girl shook her head. "Fortunately, it won't. If everything goes well, the match will be over before half that amount of time."

Rias then stood up from her seat and spoke with an expression filled with fighting spirit. "In that case, your instructions are just as we agreed on before. Shirou and I, and Yuuto and Xenovia, will split into two separate groups. Myself and Shirou will advance through the store interior until they take the bait. Yuuto and Xenovia will advance forward via the parking garage. Gasper will transform into many bats and do surveillance and reporting inside the store. According to the condition of your progress, Akeno and Asia will go by the route of Shirou's group. Mika and Koneko will handle their missions and remain unseen until it's their cue."

They listened to Rias as she explained Mika's instructions and soon fitted communication-use microphones in all of their ears.

"Now then, my cute servant Devils! We're going to win once again! This time, with all of us present!"

[Yes!] Kiba, Akeno, Gasper, Xenovia, Koneko, and Asia all responded.

Everyone was filled with fighting spirit. Naturally, they all wanted to win for sure.

"Then, Xenovia, let's go."

"Yes, Kiba."

Kiba and Xenovia headed out first. They rushed out from the dining floor and headed down the path that connected to the parking garage. According to Kiba, it was confirmed that there were cars in the parking lot. However, they seemed to be mere imitations. So charging using the car was apparently impossible.

After then, the next ones to leave were Shirou and Rias.

"All right, Rias, let's head out."

"Yes, let's."

The two of them left that place behind and headed out.

"Shirou-senpai, good luck!"

"Shirou-san! Do your best! Be careful!"

"Ufufu, I expect to see your cool side as always."

Gasper, Asia, and Akeno all saw him off in their own ways. Koneko also walked off in her own direction, and Mika brought out her wings and flew away. The game had begun.

---

After departing from the rest of them a while ago, Shirou and Rias advanced at a subtle pace that was neither quite running nor walking.

Since sound echoed in the store interior, the opponent would be able to judge their distance from them if we ran. Moreover, the store interior was a horizontally long shopping mall that extended in a straight line towards both ends. That said, since the main object was the make the enemy come to them, they did nothing to conceal themselves.

Even still, even if this location could be called a "big department store", it wouldn't take even ten minutes to walk from end to end. So they moved while being attentive to that.

So far, five minutes had already passed since the game began, but there were no enemies in sight. The two of them had only progressed through a quarter of the place. Though, while they were walking, it seemed like their thoughts were preoccupied with something.

Shirou turned to Rias. "How much longer?"

Rias held a stopwatch in her hand that was counting down. "Less than a minute. I hope this works."

"It will." Shirou assured her with certainty. "Just have faith."

"Trust me, I do. I just can't help but worry. And, I'm not exactly happy with using one of my servants as bait."

Shirou held up three fingers. "A—This is the Rating Game. There was always going to come a day where you had to. B—If the plan works, he's not going to get a scratch. And C—He's not a baby. Quit trying to protect him from everything."

"I can't help it. This is his first major battle; it's nerve-wracking even for a normal person." Rias couldn't stop herself from being concerned.

"Well, hopefully, he can look back on this one day as a learning experience."

After walking for a little longer, the timer on the stopwatch expired, and Rias put it away.

"It's time."

"All right, I'll keep going ahead. I'll see you at the last stretch of the match."

Rias nodded. "Wish me luck."

"Why?" Shirou asked rhetorically. "I know you don't need it."

Rias smiled at the backhanded compliment as she stepped forward and gathered her magic as a crimson magic circle appeared beneath her feet.

SHINE!

---

At a different part of the store, Gasper—Who had transformed into a flock of bats, was fluttering around near the west side of the store where the Sitri bae was located. Some of the bats had scattered around to cover more ground.

"I still don't see anyone." Gasper thought in his bats' form. "But if things go the way Mika said then—"

Just then, one of Gasper's bats saw a figure run by and was able to identify them as a member of the Sitri peerage.

"There she is. Now I just have to follow her."

Gasper's bat followed the girl. However, he was having trouble keeping up with her. Not only was she faster than he was expecting, but unlike almost everyone on this battlefield, Gasper had never been to this department store. Considering he had spent the vast majority of his time in this town living as a shut-in who never left his room, it was only natural. Thus he barely knew the layout of the building aside from what he saw on the map.

These reasons were why he had trouble reaching her, she kept running and taking many turns whenever she reached a corner, and Gasper couldn't begin to guess where she was going. But, Gasper had an advantage of his own—The fact that he had been split into multiple bats meant he had multiple sets of eyes.

Whenever she took a turn, Gasper had some bats follow her while sending others in a different direction in hopes of cutting her off. This turned into a game of cat and mouse where Gasper's bats kept fluttering around the floor while his suspicious target kept trying to avoid him.

After around 10 minutes had passed since the game had started. Gasper's target had finally stopped running. She saw that in front of her was a small of bats that had at last caught up to her, and the rest of them were on their way. Gasper could now see the face of the one he had been chasing.

It was Ruruko Nimura—The First Year Pawn of the Sitri peerage.

[Ha! I caught you. You won't be able to escape from me now.] All of the bats communicated together by vocalizing their thoughts in a way others could understand.

Despite those words, Ruruko didn't seem concerned and looked around, waiting until all of the bats were there and gathered in a large flock. Once that had happened, she faced Gasper directly.

"I'm sorry, Gasper-kun, but I'm the one who caught you."

[Huh?]

"I wasn't just running around randomly. Miss President knew that they would send you out to scout the area around our base, and since you can't use your Sacred Gear, she knew you would use your vampire powers. I just needed to get you to follow me so that I could lead you to this specific spot."

[W-What? But why?] Gasper started to become anxious.

"Because here, I have exactly what I need to deal with a vampire."

Like on the second floor, there was a grocery store on the first floor as well, and it was also near the Sitri base, and Gasper had just realized they were right next to it. After being made aware of that, Ruruko moved in toward the store and went to the baskets of fresh vegetables that were shown to be on sale outside of the store. She picked up a handful of a specific vegetable before she threw it at the bats.

"Take this! A vampire's greatest dislike—Garlic!"

[Iyyaaaaa! I hate garlllllllliiiiiccccc!]

Gasper's girlish shriek echoed from all of his bats as a handful of garlic was thrown at him. Ruruko still had more and kept throwing it at him. If this wasn't a serious attempt at defeating him, this scene could almost be mistaken for a comical joke—A young girl throwing garlic at a swarm of bats.

It wasn't long until her objective was met. Gasper's bats started glowing and flashed before they disappeared and Gasper's regular form reappeared in their place. As he landed on the floor, Ruruko appeared in front of him, still holding a large amount of garlic.

"Miss President said that if something were to happen to the bats when they're all gathered in one place, they would revert back into your body. And since there were large quantities of garlic replicated here, it was easy to catch you. Now that you can't use your eyes or your vampire powers, I can go ahead and defeat you."

Gasper tried to back away from her, but after one step back, he stumbled and lost his footing as he fell to the floor. As Gasper looked up at the girl standing over him like a dark cloud and knowing he had options on fighting her, he felt himself trembling with fear. He didn't scream, but he did cover his face with his hands as tears formed around his eyes.

He was so afraid right now that if he hadn't been wearing those glasses that suppress his Sacred Gear, he would have frozen time right now.

Seeing him so scared and vulnerable right now—Being no different than a frightened child—Made Ruruko feel sympathetic towards him.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you, but we have to win this match. I'll make it quick."

DOGON!

Just then, a loud smashing noise caught them both off guard as before Ruruko could do anything, a part of the ceiling above them broke through and something came down from the hole in it, hitting the floor not too far from them.

From the pile of rubble, a flash of white pounced forward and zipped past Ruruko before scooping up Gasper and lifting him away from her. It then moved a few feet away from Ruruko before the figure lowered Gasper back to his feet. Gasper and Ruruko were taken aback when they saw who it was who appeared before them.

"Koneko-chan?!"

Standing there in front of Gasper protectively was Koneko with both her cat ears and tail out as she stared down at Ruruko.

"…I won't let you harm Gya-kun."

"Koneko-san, how did you…"

Ruruko didn't finish her sentence and couldn't hide her confusion at the sudden presence of the enemy Rook; it was as though she never even considered the possibility of her being here.

"…It was part of our strategy… I stayed one floor above and followed Gya-kun while using my Senjutsu to sense him the whole time… When he became trapped, I was to jump in and rescue him."

"Eh?! I was never told any of that?!" Gasper voiced in surprise and confusion.

"…That was the plan… You were kept unaware so that you wouldn't act suspicious and do what they thought you would."

"So I was bait?! That was really scary!"

While Gasper voiced his dismay at his situation, Ruruko started to become anxious but kept her wit and prepared herself for a fight.

"This wasn't how Miss President thought things would go, but still—This just means I have to defeat you first."

Koneko shook her head in an argument with that statement. "…Here's something else you didn't plan for."

SHINE!

Upon those words, a crimson magic circle appeared beneath Koneko's feet and started glowing as Koneko was consumed by its glow. Afterward, to the surprise of both the remaining First-Years, the Nekomata girl disappeared via teleportation and in her place, in the center of the magic circle, was a girl whose hair was the same color as the circle and far more beautiful.

Rias appeared on the floor as the magic circle vanished. Seeing her appear at the scene filled Gasper with joy and emotion while it filled Ruruko with fear and panic.

"Chief!" Gasper cried out in happiness at seeing her.

"Gasper." Rias gently ran her fingers through his soft hair as she comforted him with an unhappy look on her face. "Please forgive me; even though it was part of the plan, I was never happy with the idea of using you as bait. I'm so relieved to see you're all right."

Ruruko gulped at the enemy King before her as she deduced the method of how she arrived. "Castling."

"Correct, I used casting to switch my position on the battlefield with Koneko's. Now, it's time I remove you from this game. You see, I don't forgive those who try and harm my servant."

With a cold and bewitching smile, Rias stared directly at Ruruko while holding up her hand and a ball of her Power of Destruction, which she had every intention of unleashing.

---

Meanwhile, back at the part of the store where Shirou was, just as Rias disappeared, Koneko reappeared before him.

"Hey, Koneko." Shirou greeted her, not surprised at all by her appearance. "How'd things go?"

"…Just like we planned." Koneko confirmed it. "…Gya-kun is safe."

{One Of Lady Sona Sitri's Pawns Has Retired.}

Shirou smirked in satisfaction when he heard that announcement from Grayfia. "And from the sound of things, Rias just finished up her job. Mika's hunch was right on the money."

Mika's reading was this. She predicted that the enemy would read their movements as the following.

If it were Rias, she would plan for Shirou to burst into the base while avoiding battle as much as possible. In order to promote to Queen.

The quick-witted Kiba and Xenovia would move together and go around back through the parking garage to the base. There they would disturb the enemy's formation and attract the attention of the enemy. In order to promote to Queen, they would quickly distract and lead the enemy away from their base. When he became Queen, everyone would temporarily pull out and then attack once again. Rias would also move out at this time.

In any case, making Shirou—The Red Dragon Emperor promoted to Queen was considered most important—Or so it would seem.

Rias knew that Sona would read us like this, and so by giving Mika that scenario, she thought of a way to get the drop on Sona.

Shirou was moving forward just as Sona would predict. But, unlike her prediction, the one accompanying him wouldn't be Koneko, but instead Rias. The reason was that Mika knew that Sona's first target would be the most vulnerable of their team—Gasper.

She knew that Sona would target him during the first few minutes in the game and try to set up a trap for him and thus, she wanted Gasper to spring the trap to draw out one of Sona's servants, and afterward have Koneko break the trap. Koneko was to follow Gasper while making sure she could always trace him without letting the enemy know she was there.

The idea was to counter a trap with their own trap. Once Koneko saved Gasper, she was to use Castling—A function in the Rating Game that allows a King and a Rook to trade places on the battlefield—And switch with Rias, then have Rias defeat the enemy.

While it was possible for Koneko to defeat the enemy, there were reasons why it was better to have Rias do it.

The first—Even though Koneko could beat Ruruko, it would likely take a few minutes, whereas Rias could do the same in only seconds.

The second—After taking out the opponent, Gasper—Who can't fight—Can stay with Rias, who can safely lead him to where they can converge with Asia and Akeno.

The third—With Koneko paired up with Shirou. She can help him find their true objective.

Mika's plan for the first stage of the match was one thing; Take out the Pawns first.

Another one of Mika's predictions was that the one most likely to entrap Gasper would be the Pawn—Ruruko.

In order to gain the initiative in this battle, the first thing they had to do was remove the enemy's frontlines, in this case, the Pawns. It was a natural strategy in chess. After defeating Ruruko, Koneko would use her sensory abilities to help Shirou locate and the defeating the only other Pawn Sona has—Saito.

Considering the power of Saito's Sacred Gear and given how strong a fighter he has potentially become, the one with the best chance of beating him with risk was Shirou. Thus, it was Koneko's job to lead Shirou to Saito.

While they were doing that, Kiba and Xenovia would act as the second line of offense. As the others eliminated the enemy Pawns, the two Knights would seek out and track down the other pieces that were most likely positioned around the department store. Once they found them, they would overwhelm and defeat them as well. Sona only had one Rook and one Knight, meaning there were limits to who she could send out.

By systemically taking out each other pieces in quick succession, they could drive Sona into a corner and, beyond that, force a checkmate.

Then, next to Shirou, Koneko's ears moved around a bit before she pointed somewhere far away with her finger and spoke.

"…Over there. There is a person straight ahead in that direction."

"Is it Saito?" Shirou asked.

"…Yes. Because I released a part of Senjutsu in my current state, I can read the flow of spirit fairly well. Naturally, I can't grasp the fine details of it, but… I can feel his Dragon aura."

"I see. In that case, we better not keep him waiting.

This is the Senjutsu which can read the spirit of one's entire surroundings. Thinking about it, Nekomatas can understand everything that happens to a certain degree through smell, after all. Since she's a cat, her nose was better than most Devils with a human base.

"…How far away is he? Rather, how long would it take to reach him?" Shirou questioned while looking straight ahead.

"…If we run, most likely within two minutes."

"Two minutes, huh? Then, let's run."

As he prepared himself for a fight. Koneko was looking at him seriously. At the same time, her cheeks were blushing red.

"What's wrong?"

Koneko shook her head. "…Nothing. Shirou-sempai always wears a warrior's face when it's important. It makes you look reliable…"

Shirou placed a hand on top of her head, which made her blush even more. "You've got a good face yourself. Now let's go when a match."

The two of them took off and ran down the straight path of the department store to close in on their target. Even though the building was only two floors high, it was built very wide and so they passed by a large number of different stores and sections on their way. It almost felt like the place was much bigger when there were no people around.

After minutes had passed, Koneko suddenly came to a stop, and Shirou did the same as she looked at a store straight ahead of there.

"…In there!"

As she pointed, Shirou followed the gaze in the direction Koneko was looking at.

What she was pointing to was a nearby electronics store with the front door open. Right after they arrived, as if on cue, Saito stepped out of the store while smoking a cigarette and leaned against the outside wall as he looked at the two of them.

Saito puffed out some smoke before speaking. "Sup."

Shirou smirked when he saw a fellow Pawn and stepped forward while Koneko stayed back.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting. But don't worry, I'll end it soon enough."

Whatever he was expecting, he didn't get it as Saito stayed quiet and didn't respond. He just took another puff of his cigarette. Shirou blinked at the strange demeanor of his regular adversary and felt a bit put off.

"What's up with you? You're not the type I'd expect to give the silent treatment."

Saito let out an unenthusiastic sigh as he dropped his cigarette to the floor and crushed it beneath his shoe before he took a step forward.

"If I'm being honest, I'd have preferred not to do this. But right now, this is about more than just what I want."

Shirou looked confused. "What are you…?"

Saito paid him no heed and continued. "Some advice—I'd shield my eyes if I were you."

FLAAASSHH!

Right after saying those words, there was a sudden blinding flash of light as the store lighting issued a blazing light that burned Shirou and Koneko's vision. It came so fast and out of nowhere that they couldn't prepare for it and just felt their eyes burn.

[Ugh!/Agh!] Shirou and Koneko cried out as they covered their eyes.

This was another trap. What caused the burst of light for just an instant was using a lightning and reinforcement spell on the lightbulbs. By sending magic power into them, they could supercharge them into making lights so bright that they would blind anyone to close and reinforce them so all that extra power wouldn't overcharge them and cause them to explode.

While Shirou was momentarily stunned, Saito moved in and closed the distance between the two of them as he held a piece of paper in his hand and brought it out.

He raised his left hand and placed the paper on Shirou's chest. The paper appeared the be something similar to the flyers with summoning circles that Devils hand out to potential clients—But this one had an unfamiliar magic circle on it. At that moment, a flash of emerald-green light shot through the store.

The light surrounded itself around Shirou. He tried to leave the area the light was covering—With a high-pitched jolt, like the sound of static electricity, something had repelled Shirou's advance—There was a wall in front of him.

No, rather than a wall, he could feel some kind of barrier had enclosed around him. But Shirou didn't have time to process what was going on as the barrier started to light up again before it began to compress on itself—Leaving Shirou only a second to utter a single word.

"Damn it…"

FLAAAAAAAAASH!

Then just as quickly as it came, the barrier of emerald-green light vanished from existence, leaving behind nothing—That included the Devil within as Shirou himself was gone without a trace, as though he was never there to begin with.

Leaving behind an expressionless Saito, who completed the task he was given, and Koneko, who had no idea what had just happened.

"…S…Sempai?" Koneko whispered, feeling lost and confused by his sudden disappearance.

"Surprising, isn't it?" Saito started a conversation. "That was a ritual magic spell used to capture and seal away large-scale monsters." He explained. "It traps the recipient in a barrier field and then seals them away into another dimension. Problem is that it has to be done via talisman and has to touch the target you want to seal. It takes a lot to get one of those. Sona spent all week getting her hands on it. That's how desperate she is to win."

"…But… Where is Sempai now?"

"All I know is that he's trapped in some alternate space. But this spell was meant to be used on mindless monsters, not strong Devils like him. The seal will only last for 5-6 hours. But by then, the game will already be over. For the life of her, Sona couldn't come up with a plan to beat him, so instead, all she could do was just avoid him."

Koneko stepped in front of him with a seething expression that she only wore when someone had really upset her. "…Bring him back."

"Hmph…" Saito wasn't intimidated and met her challenge. "Here's the thing, I could do that, or I could tell you how you can bring him back. There are only two ways to undo the seal, either the caster wills for it to be undone, or you defeat the caster who is connected to the spell. In this case me."

Koneko narrowed her eyes. "…So if I defeat you, Shirou-sempai will be freed?"

"Simple, right?"

The moment he confirmed that statement, Koneko kicked off of the ground and pounced at Saito, intending to finish him as quickly as possible as she aimed a strong punch at his head with all the power of a Rook that she could muster.

But as she closed in, in one motion, her charge came to a complete and sudden halt. Her eyes widened when she saw that her punch was stopped by Saito merely reaching up and grabbing her forearm, holding it in place, and stopping her fist from reaching his head.

Right after, he swung his arm around and tossed her away like she was a ragdoll as she hit the wall with a crash.

As Koneko was able to shake off any danger easily, thanks to the durability of a Rook, she landed back on the ground while Saito sneered at her.

"Come on. You really thought you could beat me like that? Try harder!"

Koneko didn't respond to his taunt and instead attempted another offense. This time, she used her catlike agility to dash over to another wall and jump at it before using it as a launchpad to jump to another wall and leap on them like a springboard before using the momentum to increase her midair speed as she shot toward Saito once again.

She launched herself at him full force, unembellished. A diagonal kick from her right leg, so fast it was surprising for a Rook.

"…You're slow."

"—!"

The Sitri Pawn deflected her full power kick with his arm as if she were nothing more than a twig. Her body off-balance from the ricochet, she suppressed her awe, allowing the momentum of her deflected attack to spin her around for another attack.

But once more, it was blocked.

She didn't stop. She gave up on finesse and simply went for velocity.

"Aaaaaaaaarrrggghh!"

Her fists swung forth again and again in a merciless flurry of attacks. Shirou needed her. Her stoic mask had been discarded—She was a Hellcat now, and the rousing string of wild punches and kicks elicited a mighty yell from the depths of her throat.

Each and every one of her countless strikes was filled with her strength to damage the body and laced with Senjutsu used to damage the internal organs. Every strike was a killing blow as she bared her fangs at Saito.

She was a full-blown Senjutsu user now. She had the control to prove it.

But—She was still blocked.

Every single one of her attacks was merely slapped away by the forearm or knee before they could reach him.

She couldn't break through his defense. Against the onslaught of inescapable strikes, Saito still struck her down. Without even taking a step, he summoned pinpoint accuracy and iron-like fortitude to render each of her attacks unless with naught but his own bare hands.

Then with a blow that cut through the very air itself, Saito's fist drove her away.

WHOOSH!

She barely managed to slip away from his punch and avoided it from hitting her in the chest, but still hurled backward with the force of a rushing tide. Her feet dun into the ground. When she finally brought herself to a stop, she found herself back in the same spot she was in before Shirou had disappeared. As she let her eyes follow the path she had taken, her thoughts became a mix of astonishment and terror.

In a single defensive blow, he'd sent her back more than ten meters.

"…Nya!"

But she didn't allow herself to remain dazed for long. Standing up to face him once more, she began her attack anew. There was no time to gawk and no time to delay. Her enemy and the now biggest threat in this match was standing in her way, and she would give everything it took to get through him.

She attacked from side to side, from above and below, trying every angle she could to get through his unblemished defense. His fists met hers, bigger yet somehow faster than hers—Even without a promotion of any kind. She tried moving, feinting, and attacking from every possible direction, but the impregnable fortress remained unscathed.

Koneko couldn't help but let out a shudder at the contrast between the two of them. His fighting skills were terrifying enough, but adding to them the pure power of his physical abilities that somehow surpassed that of a Rook made them all the more so. Not to mention the fact that he far outclassed her when it came to experience.

"Nngh!"

With a loud noise, Koneko was pushed backward and landed a ways away. Once again, the gap between the two of them had widened. This had happened four times in the span of a single minute. Her hands were already starting to tingle as a dull soreness appeared around her arm muscles.

But her gaze remained fixated on the expressionless Delinquent. Her eyes flashed.

"—I want to… I WILL save him!"

Without letting her motivation waver for even a second, she used it as an impetus to kick off from the ground, ready to go up a notch.

She unleashed another source of power that most, if not all Youkai, were capable of—Touki.

She was on fire. Her body was coated in the crystal clear white aura of her own life force. She would use all her strength to free Shirou. Wreathed in the aura that strengthened all of her already overwhelming physical abilities.

The time for hesitation was gone. She lunged toward the foot soldier in front of her, holding nothing back.

"Nngh!"

The aura strike screamed from her fist.

Saito's highly focused eyes narrowed sharply, his hand turning into a blur.

The first strike was blocked.

Her eyes widened at the sight of his hand meeting her fist, but she didn't stop there. The current still flowed through her, and her next strike came at him with the force of a launched bolder.

They clashed head-on. Koneko could barely what had happened next. Her enemy was following her every move, every ferocious strike, and deflected each and every aura-filled attack.

His body absorbed the shock of her violent barrage. Though his much larger frame trembled slightly at the fury of her powerful assault, he refused to retreat or stand down. Even when it seemed like he would give in or that she had the upper hand, his incredible maneuvers, gargantuan strength, and even the complete control of his body movement all worked in sync to create continuous blocks and attacks.

The extraordinary feat of technique and strategy shut out Koneko's assault in its entirety. Not even Touki could put them on the same playing field. Nothing she had gained from her training so far could daunt him.

Their levels of experience were simply too far different. It was a cultivated mind and body that separated them. Endless training, substantiated with physical ability and combat skill.

Not missing a beat, the flash of Saito's fist caught her armor of aura. With one direct attack, he overcame her Touki and her durability, carving all the way to Koneko herself. The staggering force carved Koneko's small frame into the department store floor.

Once again, she was propelled backward, fists clawing at the ground, hurtling further beyond the spot she stood on before her previous charge until finally—She hit a wall.

CRASH!

As Koneko peeled herself from the damaged wall, she stumbled a bit as she felt the damage accumulate. Her clothes and hair were ruffled from being thrown around so much, and she had mild bruises around her arms, legs, and one on her face. She was tough but not unbreakable. Even the durability of a Rook had limits.

As she got back up, Saito sighed at her, and his next words left her confused. "I'm done."

Koneko was silently dumbfounded as she didn't understand at all. But before she could ask, he elaborated.

"No, I don't mean I'm surrendering. I mean, I'm done being on the defensive. This shit is taking way too long, and I think we've established you're not going to land a hit on me. So I'm going to end this."

Feeling as though she had been belittled, Koneko glared back at him and raised her fists. "…You can't just decide that… I'm going to beat you and save Sempai."

"…Oh?" Saito quietly mused.

In an instant, the space between them was shortened and—

DON!

A kick was delivered to her abdomen.

"Gugh!" Koneko coughed out as air escaped from her lungs.

Because of the suddenness of the attack, she didn't have time to defend herself, and so she received the damage completely. Then, while her body was hunched over, I received another blow from Saito to my back. The pain was welling up inside her, and then her jaw—

BAGAN!

An uppercut-like attack from Saito sharply shot through her jaw.

From such a considerable impact, she fell face-down on the floor.

He got her. After he had switched from defense to offense, he had completely taken the initiative in no time at all…Moreover, he gave her considerable damage with hardly any effort.

Her teeth rattled from the impact on her jaw. Koneko had also gotten a cut inside her mouth from it. The taste of blood spread within her mouth. My eyesight had gotten blurry after that, but it soon restored, and while still face down on the ground, she looked up and saw Saito standing over her as he reached out his hand at her.

Saito grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and lifted her up from the floor and in the air until she was at eye level, and he stared at her directly, face-to-face. His expression almost looked like disdain.

"…Who did you say you were going to beat?"

It was evident from his tone that it wasn't just Koneko. He also felt that he had been belittled.

POW!

"Agh!" Koneko cried out in pain.

This time, Saito leaned his head back before the Sitri Pawn hit her with a headbutt as he violently smashed his forehead into a collision with her own, the result with Koneko feeling rocked by the blunt trauma and her vision being blurred again. The headbutt was really punishing as she hung in his grasp while a new wound opened on her forehead and a trail of blood leaked down.

"You might be strong, and you might be tough, but guess what—You ain't Tsukiharu. And a little kitten like you…" Saito made a fist with his free hand. "Shouldn't go acting like you know how to roar!"

BAGAN!

Saito released his hold of her, and this time—He let loose a flurry of violent attacks as his fists rained down on her like a storm. Unlike Koneko's assault, though, Saito's punches always hit their mark as she couldn't defend at all the way he could s she felt her flesh relentlessly pounded like a fresh slab of meat getting pounded by a meat hammer.

Her face, abdomen, stomach, he hardly aimed and just punched whatever was in front of him as Koneko's tiny body was crumbling under his merciless barrage. He ended it with one last blow as he pulled his fist back and hit her with an aggressive straight right to her cheek, which launched her away and slammed her to the floor.

Her body painfully bounced on the ground like a ball from the force of his blow before coming to a stop and dropping down with her lying face down.

Koneko was a mess. She was bloodied, bodied, and completely overpowered. Her face wasn't just bruised. There was swelling on her cheek, she was injured all over, and her whole body looked ragged. Even in the battle against Phenex and Kokabiel, it had always been magic or special powers that overwhelmed her. She had never been so terribly beaten by just brute force like this.

Now she could see it. It hit her as to why her opponent was so strong, why her attacks couldn't reach him.

He was a man who regularly fought in fights where he was hit by punches that came with the velocity and momentum of machine guns and were twice as heavy. He routinely faced strikes that came from all sides, in every direction, from any angle. He was frequently knocked around by a ruthless fighter who would never stop attacking you until were beaten. Until he was sure, you wouldn't be getting back up, no matter how many times he had knocked you down.

Those experiences accumulated, and he used all that to grow as a fighter. His eyes could easily track Koneko's strikes because he had dealt with ones that were faster, sharper, and came at much greater numbers. After so many times of being smashed into a heavy stone wall or the hard concrete ground, his body grew tougher and could withstand anything she could dish out. He was used to fighting someone who was crueler than a demon and wilder than any beast, so by comparison, Koneko didn't intimidate him at all.

He was a brawler he who's whole life was built around fighting and grew with every fight, someone who took every opportunity to grow stronger and became the Strongest member of the Sitri peerage only recently after joining.

This is Takeru Saito—The man who fought Shirou every day.

Koneko struggled to push herself up as she used one arm to lift her torso off of the ground and flipped her body so that she was instead flat on her back. After that, she bent her legs to pull herself off the floor and slowly stood back up. She was up on her feet but barely able to stand up straight as she let out painful gasps of breathing.

Despite how hopelessly outmatched she was, there was one image in her mind that made it so she couldn't allow herself to give in.

The image of Shirou's smiling face was clear in her mind.

If she didn't find a way to defeat Saito somehow, someway, Shirou wouldn't be able to return to the battlefield for the remainder of this match, and she absolutely couldn't allow that. And so, she decided to summon every last bit of power she had left.

GON!

Her Touki surrounded her body again, but this time she gathered it in one spot, and instead of covering her whole body, all of the aura was concentrated solely around her right fist. But she didn't stop there. Summoning the power of her Senjutsu, Koneko created a fiery ball of Kasha that also surrounded her fist.

Now her hand was coated with the light-blue flames of nature energy and the clear-white aura of her life energy. The combination of these two powers was everything she gained after accepting her Nekomata side and held more power than anything she had been capable of until now. An all-or-nothing final blow to beat her opponent.

"…I have become a hellcat. I won't lose!" Koneko declared with resolve.

Saito stood firm and wasn't intimidated. "Try it."

Koneko didn't waste any time and ignored all pain as she ran toward him, closing the distance as he waited for her while puffing his chest forward, not planning to dodge or move at all.

Once she was close enough, she jumped and swung her fist back before aiming for the center of his body for maximum damage.

She planned to drive a fist clad with spirit energy into you. The damage would be dealt to the blood vessels flowing inside of him. Furthermore, the damage would also pierce through his internal organs, stopping him from moving. And while the spirit energy would destroy him from the inside, her Touki, which greatly enhanced her physical strength, would tear through flesh and send resounding damage throughout the outside of his body.

An attack that destroyed both the inside and outside of a person's body, no one could walk away from that.

Koneko threw her final blow at last. With her fist clad in a pale white aura and blue flames, she drove it into her opponent's chest.

[DELETE!]

BANG!

A good-sounding noise rang through the surroundings. But…At that instant, Koneko felt shaken to her core as she saw the result.

Her fist had made contact, it landed perfectly on target, and yet—Saito remained standing there, unaffected by her blow. He had taken her full power and hadn't even budged.

The reason that her attack had done nothing was revealed when she looked clearly at her hand and immediately realized the problem.

Her aura was gone.

The Senjutsu spirit energy and the Touki that previously surrounded her fist had vanished, leaving nothing behind. All she had landed on him was nothing but an ordinary punch.

"Remember my Sacred Gear?"

As if to answer her confusion, Saito directed her attention to his right arm—His Sacred Gear, Delete Field. Its shape was different from before. There had just been a deformed lizard head there before. Now its appearance was much closer to a Black Dragon. Did his Sacred Gear change.

"Sacred Gears grow along with their wielders. After all that training, its appearance changed along with its ability. Now, I don't need to just pick and choose which powers I want to Delete. Everyone enemy whose in range will get their powers taken away. You're punch lost its aura the second you got close to me."

Saito's explanation explained almost everything, but something still didn't add up. Even without Touki or Senjutsu, Koneko was still a Rook. Her punches weren't so soft that he should be able to just tank it without flinching, so how—

Then, she directed her gaze away from his arm and to his whole body and saw it. Outlining his body was, to her shock, Touki.

Touki was the power of a person's life force weaponized and used to strengthen physical power. With the right training, anyone could do it. But despite that, Koneko was under the assumption that the only Devil aside from her on this battlefield who could wield Touki was Shirou.

Thrown for a loop, she uttered. "…Y…You can use Touki?"

Saito narrowed his eyes at her. "You guys aren't the only ones who gained something through training."

BANG!

With those last words, Saito hit Koneko back with his own punch that had Touki behind it, and like the small Rook, he struck her in the center of her body.

Having completely reached the limit of any durability she had left, Koneko was sent flying and sailed helplessly through the air. Even before she hit the ground, she knew that she was beaten. During this time, her mind began to wander.

(Now then, my cute servant Devils! We're going to win once again! This time, with all of us present!)

(No matter what happens or however scared you might be, always remember this, as long as I'm around, everything will be fine.)

As Koneko's body landed on the floor and the light of the retirement system gathered around her body to remove her from the battlefield, she thought of those two people and felt her heart fill with regret.

"…Sorry, Chief….… Sorry, Shirou-sempai."

With that last thought, she disappeared and was teleported away as Grayfia made her next announcement.

{One Of Lady Rias Gremory's Rooks Has Retired.}

With that settled, Saito finally relaxed his posture and deactivated both his aura and Sacred Gear, letting both vanish as he turned around.

"Now then, I should probably meet up with Yura to take out the rest of them. They should be at—"

SHATTER!

Saito froze as he heard something and came to a halt.

It was hard to tell from a single glance, but it looked as though a crack had appeared in the air. A three-dimensional crack, shattering a patch of the atmosphere like glass.

From that, the crack in the air grew as an arm reached out and broke through it. Then the opening shattered entirely as a whole body stepped through, like walking through a glass window.

The shatter in the dimension then vanished, and Saito saw that somehow, going against what he had been laid to believe, the seal had been broken even though not even a fraction of the scheduled time had passed.

Shirou was free. He looked at Saito, obviously very unhappy about being sealed in the first place.

"How did…?" Saito was about to question how he could have possibly escaped so soon until he looked down and noticed the white armored gauntlet on his right arm. "Ah, Dividing Gear."

"It didn't take me long to realize that the barrier you trapped me inside of, while powerful, wasn't unbreakable. It just takes a while to escape from. But I didn't feel like waiting, so I siphoned its every ten seconds until it was weak enough for me to break through." Shirou explained. "And after I got broke out, a way out of that dimension appeared to."

"I guess Sona forgot to add that into the equation when she made her plan." Saito commented.

"Ah, so that was Sona's idea, I figured, given how you didn't seem like the type to use traps."

"I'm not proud of it, but it's what happened." Saito then wore a smirk. "Personally, though, part of me is glad you broke out. Now I can fight you for real, just the way I like it."

Instead of acknowledging his challenge, Shirou narrowed his eyes and looked around before asking the question that was on his mind since the moment he returned.

"Where is Koneko?"

"The medical room." Saito answered dispassionately. "That's where you go when you're knocked out of the game."

Immediately realizing that Koneko had been eliminated from the match during the time he was incapacitated made him clench his fist angrily as a silent rage began to build up inside of him.

"Koneko…" Shirou thought angrily before he calmly spoke. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you took up five Pawn pieces when you were reincarnated, right?"

"Yeah, so what?" Saito confirmed it.

"A Rook is also worth five Pawns, so you and Koneko are worth the same amount." Shirou made his gauntlet disappear and stepped forward. "Those numbers are acceptable."

The Rating Game was still in its early stages, and yet. Here and now, the two Strongest Devils on the battlefield were about to clash.

—…

Ō ō

---

And that's the chapter.

First of all, like I said, I plan on putting more thought into this game compared to the canon. While Rias is smart, when her strategy goes up against Sona's, she was completely outsmarted, and they almost lost. Mika is a master of strategy, and I'm hoping to put that on display during this match.

The idea is they build strategies around ideas that most people don't consider or overlook and incorporate them into their plans. In Sona's case, using the replicated garlic, or in Mika's case, taking advantage of the Casting system.

Also, during the preparation part of the chapter, I added the Omnipotent Type because I heard the term in another series that also categorized fighters in specific types and the Omnipotent Type was someone who had a high affinity for all of them. I chose to add it here because it seemed to apply to Shirou as well—Although I still think that name is pretentious.

And when it came to Saito. If you recall when he and Shirou had that talk after the meeting before they went off to train. He already said that he wanted to be strong without acting like a coward, and using underhanded methods to avoid a head-on fight is cowardly to him, so he wanted to say no.

But Saito isn't an asshole, he has his own principles, but he doesn't hate Sona or the peerage. So he wouldn't just stomp all over their efforts for personal gratification. That said, he's only doing it because they're desperate.

Also, when it came to the fighting, I wanted to use this as a chance to clarify something. It's hard to tell because he's always getting wrecked by Shirou but that's because Shirou's, not because he's weak. When Saito is fighting someone who isn't Shirou, it becomes apparent how tough an opponent he is.

In fact, I'll just confirm it right now—Aside from Shirou, no one in the Gremory team could beat him one-one, not even Rias or Mika.

Anyways thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. If you liked the story, leave a review; if you want more, click the follow/favorite. If you want an earlier release, feel free to become a patron, and as always, have an awesome day.