Yuuto frowned as he watched Koneko setting up traps around their home base. There was something...off about the way her magic was shaping them. While Shiro - Koneko's familiar, a tiny white kitten - leapt from branch to branch to mark the spots, more than just demonic magic seemed to be shaping the traps. "So your training with Gamagoori-san was effective?" Yuuto asked awkwardly as he tried to make sense of what he was sensing.
"Very much so," Koneko confirmed as she placed one hand against a tree. Silver fire took shape under her palm, completely hidden from sight before it flowed into the tree. It then leapt between the branches from tree to tree until an entire network was shaped. "Riser is in for a big surprise..." A slow smirk spread across her face, looking most wicked in a feline way as she chuckled softly.
"He's not the only one," Yuuto murmured nervously as he stepped back as subtly as he could.
Ryuko gently jogged alongside Koneko on the way to the Gymnasium once it was time to engage in battle. With Koneko having fully embraced her nature, Ryuko could now feel it inside her. Recognizing it through Ddraig's experience, it no longer unnerved her...and instead left her eager to see what she was capable of.
Satsuki had contributed one extra aid for the battle, giving each member of the team a special eye-piece they now wore, which recorded and transmitted everything they saw in real time. This transmitted back to a set up prepared for Asia, which would allow her to watch the battles as they happened...and use her magic to aid her allies at range without putting herself in the line of fire.
As the pair entered the gym, both knelt down behind a curtain on the stage. Koneko's nose twitched. "They're here," she whispered softly.
"We're ready for them," Ryuko whispered back as she slipped the miniaturized Scissor Blades into her hands, ready to deploy them at a moment's notice.
At that moment, the lights came on all at once. "We know you're out there, Gremorys!" a voice called out.
"So much for Arkham Knighting them," Ryuko offered playfully, getting a smile on Koneko's face as they stepped out.
Four girls - members of Riser's team, obviously - awaited them. The one in front looked almost like a Chun Li cosplayer, though showing a great deal more cleavage than any official costume for the character did. Her energies were those of a Rook. Behind and to her left was a girl dressed somewhat like a Miko wielding a staff. To the other side were a pair of twins in school gym clothes with sports bags slung over one shoulder each. The three had the energies of Pawns.
"I'm Mira, the Pawn," the Miko-like girl declared.
"I'm Shui, the Rook," the girl in front declared.
"I'm Kiru!" one of the twins declared happily. "A Pawn!"
"I'm Meru, also a Pawn!" the other declared.
"The Rook is strong," Koneko commented softly. "Possibly at Queen level in terms of combat."
"I'll leave her to you, then," Ryuko replied as she slipped the Scissor Blades back into her pockets. "Let's make this a show."
"Boost!" Ddraig agreed as the Boosted Gear blazed with light.
Shui and Koneko immediately closed. Shui gathered yellow flames around her feet as she lashed out with a rapid flurry of kicks that Koneko made an effort to appear to barely dodge. She even let one kick tear her clothing a little, barely bothered by it. After all, it was combat.
Ryuko easily evaded around Mira's strikes, stepping back for distance to plan her assault...only to leap back as Kiru and Meru's chainsaws revved up and swung at her. "Heh, what do you know. Three on three."
"Three?" Mira asked in confusion as she struck...only for her staff to get tangled as Senketsu shifted, using the scarf of the uniform to wrap around the staff and break part into kindling as the rest dissolved, the energy that held it together absorbed into his being. "What?!"
At that moment, parts of Boosted Gear popped open, creating a vent aimed at Meru as Ryuko faced Kiru. "Flame!" Ddraig declared as a blast of fire erupted from the vent, slamming into the girl and knocking her back even as the chainsaw was reduced to so much slag.
"What the-" Kiru began, only for Ryuko to seize her chainsaw by the blade with her gloved hand and snap it in twain, making her shriek in surprise.
"And still barely worth my time!" Ryuko declared as she drew the Scissor Blades.
At that moment, Shui overextended in a kick, and Koneko acted. Lunging in under the strike, she clenched her fists as the metal of her gloves glowed silvery-white. Lunging in, she delivered a double fisted strike into Shui's spread legs, one strike hitting each pudendal nerve and sending her flying with a high pitched whimper of pain...straight at Ryuko.
"Decapitation Spiral!" Senketsu roared as Ryuko spun, the Scissor Blades slashing through the four girls and causing their clothing to explode off them as their magic power dropped to zero.
The energies were infused into the floating threads, and the four strongest concentrations were drawn into Ryuko and Senketsu. "Claim!" Ddraig declared smugly.
The four defeated girls glowed and faded into blue light. "Riser Phenex Rook and three Pawns...retired," Sona's voice declared dispassionately.
"We're done here," Koneko said into the comms. "How's everyone else doing, Rias-sama?"
"Yuuto is presently facing off against three Pawns," Rias reported. "He's toying with them, keeping them in combat until Ryuko can join him for the finishing blow. Feeding her our foes magic is our best chance at counteracting Riser's regeneration. Akeno is attempting to distract their Queen, though that fight is a bit more even than I'd like it to be. Asia is using her magic to keep the rest of Riser's Pieces engaged and distracted. Move to perform the finisher against Yuuto's opponents as soon as possible."
Koneko nodded calmly. "Let's go, Ryuko-" Tensing up, she lunged forward and tackled Ryuko, taking her out of the gymnasium just as a spell circle finished forming, obliterating the entire building in a massive explosion.
"Koneko! Ryuko!" Rias called out over comms. "Answer me! What happened?"
Ryuko groaned as she braced herself against the rubble that covered the pair. "Their Queen is a sore loser, blew up the gym," she growled out. "Gonna have to deal with her first."
"It will take more than you two have to deal with her," Rias pointed out. "Neither of you are skilled in fighting in the air using your Devil Wings, and she's expert at evasion and the use of explosive magic."
"Then we will move..." Koneko's voice trailed off as she caught sight of a metal ring taking shape hanging off the glove on Ryuko's left hand. "Ryuko? What's that?"
Grinning eagerly, Ryuko slipped one finger of her right hand wrapped in the Boosted Gear into the ring. "My final trump card," she purred eagerly. "Rias, I'm flipping the board!"
"What do you-"
Rias's words were cut off as Ryuko pulled the ring free, the glove cutting into her left wrist to taste her blood. At the same time, Boosted Gear dug into her right arm.
"D-Fiber Synchronize!"
"Overboost!"
Mystic energy exploded from Ryuko's body, scattering the rubble as she floated into the air. Senketsu and Boosted Gear erupted off her body in thread like flames before taking the shape of a dragon maw, snapping shut around her. The energies swarmed around her before taking shape.
Senketsu's awakened form shaped to her body, barely concealing anything as he strapped himself into her. Ddraig's energy then infused him, and the fabric extended slightly as it gained a scaled appearance. The tiny amount of fabric above barely covered the top of Ryuko's bust, just barely maintaining modesty as it extended down just to cover her nipples before the straps attached it to the armored skirt that blazed out like knives. The gloves on her arms took on an armored appearance, ending in clawed gauntlets. The boots also extended clawed toes, reminiscent of a dragon's talons, complete with the heel curving inward. A long whip-like tail extended backward from her tailbone, interlocking crimson bones covered in spikes ending in a razor sharp tip. The headdress extended into a fully draconic war helm that left her face bare. Her wings erupted from her back, becoming armored as she hovered in the air.
"Balance Breaker!" Ddraig and Senketsu declared together. "Dragon Scale Godrobe!"