Chapter 86

The smoke gradually dissipates, revealing the only person standing in front of me, her hand still outstretched towards where Kiba was a few seconds ago. I freeze, still on the ground. I couldn't do anything, again, I could only watch as my comrade was removed from the battlefield, defeated.

"The [Knight, eliminated." She lowers her hand, laughing out loud.

Then she turns to me and steps forward, her face showing all her confidence and self-esteem.

"Now it's your turn, darling. I must say you were very strong for such inexperienced children. But too bad, you wanted to take on something stronger than you." She stops in front of me.

A dozen magic circles appear around me, starting to light up.

(...I... I can't lose now... Otherwise, I'll never be able to look Koneko and Kiba in the eye again... I have to move!)

[Explosion] [Blood Pointer] I suck up the energy around me, reducing the size of the magic circles until they disappear.

"What the?! Are you sucking my demonic power?! How?!" Yubelluna is surprised.

I start to get up, putting one foot on the ground, I put my hand on my knee, to help me. My body is covered in a thin orange layer of energy, and when I look at her, Yubelluna is taken aback.

"Those eyes?! Where do those red eyes come from?! Are you a yokai or something?!" She tries to create another magic circle, but I take her energy so she doesn't have time.

Seeing that there's nothing she can do, she decides to leave. I charge up my magic circuits and create three clones that chase after her. All three jump on her and immobilize her.

"What are you playing at?! Are you trying to humiliate me?!" She tries to free herself but my Blood Pointer weakens her too much.

I can feel the skin of my body opening and tearing under the pressure of my Blood Pointer, but I ignore it. I hold out my hand, passing all the accumulated energy through the gauntlet, allowing me to create a concentrated orb of draconic energy, the size of a golf ball. I close my hand, trapping the orb, and aim for Yubelluna.

"No!" She panics, feeling the orb's pressure.

[DRAGON SHOT] I open my hand, releasing the attack. A column of red energy twice my size shoots towards Yubelluna, who is completely trapped. I'm pushed back by the attack, falling to the ground. A huge red flash dazzles me, followed by an earthquake, forcing me to stay on the ground. Then the sound of the explosion, a deafening din, trees and debris thrown in all directions, the blast so strong I have to hold on. When I look in the direction of the blast, the ground has been dug up all the way, and where the explosion occurred, the old building has completely collapsed. In fact, there's nothing left at all on the side of our base, just a huge crater.

(Oh no Rias, Asia... I was completely blinded by my anger...)

[Reset] I try to get up but my body doesn't respond. Yet most of my wounds have healed. I grimace as I notice, sensing the influence of the fox demon. Suddenly, a magic circle appears right in front of me. I barely have time to put my arms in front of it before it explodes.

(She's still here? After using up all the power I've accumulated?!)

The smoke dissipates to reveal Yubelluna, covered in blood and wounds, her skin blackened. Only one eye is open, and her right arm is broken. She can barely stand, hiding her private parts as best she can, her clothes disintegrated by my attack.

"You... if I let you face Riser-sama, you can be a threat... I must eliminate you now..." Yubelluna breathes painfully, every movement of her body seeming to cause her pain.

"How... can you still be up?" I ask, confused.

"Don't... underestimate a [Queen, I had time to use a protective magic circle, just after your clones were destroyed..." She explains.

(She took the full force of the attack and protected herself right afterwards?! Unbelievable...)

"Yubelluna-san!" A familiar voice is heard.

I turn my head to see Ravel emerge from her hiding place and run towards the [Queen, pulling a small flask from a pocket.

(No... Don't tell me it's...)

I watch helplessly as she heads towards Yubelluna, dodging the gaping, smoking trough of my attack.

"Wow, even for me it's hot... Here." She opens the vial and feeds the contents to Yubelluna, who heals all her wounds before my eyes and regains her energy.

"Ah..." She lets out a sigh of satisfaction, flexing her arm that was broken only a second ago. "Thank you Ravel-sama. I feel as good as new."

She causes a magic circle to appear above her, before it descends around her, causing new clothes to appear on her. Then she turns to me, a look of pride on her face.

"You can warn Riser-sama that victory is ours. When the little [Pawn] is defeated, Rias Gremory-sama will have no choice but to surrender, she doesn't stand a chance." Yubelluna announces, approaching me.

"Very well." Ravel looks at me quickly, before taking off with wings of fire.

(...There's probably still something I can do... Think Senji, think!)

"Oh, you poor thing, you make such a face." Yubelluna crouched in front of me. "I have a feeling you're going to fall apart all by yourself. But don't worry. When all this is over, I'll make sure you find a new mistress who'll appreciate your beauty, and you'll be the perfect little toy." She crouches down in front of me and pats my face.

"I obey only one person... Sorry." I retort.

"Fufufu..." She rises to her feet, extending her hand toward me. "Not for much longer." A magic circle appears in front of my face.

(Is this how it ends?)

Suddenly, a powerful surge of energy was felt, forcing Yubelluna to take to the skies to dodge a powerful blast of red and black energy. I turn to see Rias, who looks furious. Asia is just behind, wide-eyed at my pathetic state.

"Senji-san!" She runs towards me, not caring about the presence of the [Queen, who remains in the air, mouth agape.

"Asia... I thought something had happened to you..." I try to get up but Rias stops me.

She crouches down and takes my face in both hands, looking me straight in the eyes. She breathes a sigh of relief before releasing me.

"Senji, I thought I was going to see you in a state of agony, but you seem to be doing pretty well, apart from the fatigue I mean..." Rias inspects me, seeing my clothes completely ruined, holes here and there.

"...It's because the fox demon's energy healed me. I got carried away, sorry..." I apologize, but she shakes her head.

"You did the right thing, it got Asia and me through." She stands up and turns to Yubelluna, who descends back to the ground, on guard. "I'll take it from here, Asia, you take care of Senji."

"Yes!" Asia nods and activates her Sacred Gear.

A green ring on each hand appears and emits a bright green light, covering my body, which does me a lot of good. I watch my remaining wounds disappear and the fatigue in my muscles dissipate.

"How... how can you be here?" Yubelluna is uncomfortable.

"How could you? Riser challenges me to a duel but you stop me by tricking me? You seek to humiliate me in front of my family?!" Rias is completely furious, her red aura growing increasingly intense.

"What happened?" I ask.

"We were trapped in an illusion while trying to reach you, and we were unable to get out, until you destroyed it." Asia explains.

(That's why they took so long...)

"By the way, President!" I call out to her. "I think I've destroyed our base!"

"I've seen yes. But it's perfect. It's the home stretch Senji! We can't retire now!" She exclaims.

"Do you really think you can stand up to Riser? You don't stand a chance Rias Gremory-sama..." Yubelluna says but stops herself, feeling Rias' aggressiveness on her.

"Yes, I don't stand a chance, but my lovely [Pawn] can, you saw him just now, didn't you? That's why I'm going to stay with you and keep you busy. Besides, I have to pay you back for the humiliation you caused me, because it was you who set up this illusion, wasn't it?" Black and red energy appeared in her hands.

"Tss. Keep me busy? Send your [Pawn] to fight Riser-sama? Have you lost your mind?" Yubelluna is confused.

"It's over Senji-san. I can do no more." Asia stops her power. "I've healed your body, but think there's nothing I can do for your stamina..." Asia looks at me with concern.

"Yes, thank you Asia, that's perfect." I stand up, stretching my body, feeling nothing. "Don't worry about me. Take care of President, okay?" I rest my hand on her head.

"...Okay, but take care... Please." Asia is really not reassured.

I don't know how I look, but I must be at the end of my rope.

"President! I'm going!" I warn her.

"Perfect!" Rias turns to me, her gaze showing concern, but quickly regains her confidence. "I'm counting on you, my champion!"

"Yes, be careful!" I say, before running in the direction of the opposing base.

The three women watch him go, before Rias and Yubelluna face each other, unleashing their power.

"One last thing." Rias points her finger at Yubelluna. "I heard everything." Yubelluna feels a cold sweat. "Senji is mine and mine alone. Don't you dare lay your fingers on him. I'll make you regret your words."

Rias' aura is so strong that the air is suffocating. Asia, watching from afar, swallows her saliva, feeling a little bad for Yubelluna, who is shaking all over her body.

I run towards the main building, hearing the two young women raging against each other.

"Are you still planning to continue the fight?" Ravel's voice calls out to me.

I look up to see her coming and landing in front of me, her fiery wings fading. I stop, staring at her, wondering what she wants, if not to fight.

"I don't have time to waste, so get to the point." I say, tapping my foot.

"You don't want to face me?" She asks me, surprised.

"You're the one who's just observing and not fighting, as I understand it. Unless you've changed your mind..." I uncross my arms.

"Indeed... I won't fight, because it's already our victory."

"...*Sigh* Again with the spiel? Let me tell you something once and for all. As long as me and Rias are standing, it ain't over."

"The power of a dragon you demonstrated earlier. It's undeniably something wonderful. Whether you're transferring some of its power to your allies or simply using it to destroy part of the map... I sincerely think it's an abnormal power, and the mere fact that you could give part of it to Rias-sama's destructive power or to the Priestess of Lightning... scares me. This power could be a real threat to the High Class Devil in the Rating Game in the future. But for this battle, it's your defeat."

"...Because you and your brother are immortal?"

"That's part of it, but it's also because you're at the end of your strength, it shows. And Rias gets tired with Yubelluna, I don't know what you're playing at but you'll lose. Even if your [Bishop] can heal all your wounds, she's incapable of healing stamina, you'll fall all alone, exhausted. And then..."

"You're telling me all this, but why is your voice shaking so much? Is it because I forced the use of your second and final Phoenix tear?"

"No... That's not true... my brother won't need that... Also, know that our tears are extremely expensive. Thanks to this. Our House is very wealthy! So many good things have happened to us since the Rating game was created. Immortality and tears are clearly our times."

I sigh, clearly seeing that she's trying to waste my time. Without answering, I continue on my way, passing by her and ignoring her.

"A... wait! Are you ignoring me now? You're going to lose anyway, so it's safer to stay here with me right?!" She tries to stop me.

I project a blade and point it at her, forcing her to stop. As I suspected, she may be immortal, but she's still afraid of being touched.

"Listen to me, I'm going to defeat your stupid brother, and put his mind right, so make yourself comfortable and take a good look. I'm going to show you that we're going to win." I make the blade disappear and continue on my way, leaving her in shock.

I open the door and enter the building, stopping in the center of the room. I let out a long sigh before feeling a slight change in myself.

(So that's it... Promotion! [Queen]!)

I can feel a power growing inside me. It's dead calm, I hear nothing, just focused on my goal. I think back to Akeno-senpai, Koneko-san and Kiba-san. It's thanks to them that I'm where I am now, that the plan is finally complete. There's only one thing left to do.

Out of the corner of my right eye, I catch a glimpse of a bright light. I turn to see a torrent of flame hurtling towards me. I raise my hand and project Rho Aias, protecting myself from the attack, which passes all around me.

"Tsss. I challenged Rias to a duel but she sent me her [Pawn] instead. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement." Riser steps toward me, clearly annoyed.

"I'm glad to see you too, Riser." I make the shield disappear, allowing me to see his annoyed face. "I stand before you as champion of Rias Gremory. I challenge you to a one-on-one!"

"Pfft!" Riser is stunned, before bursting into laughter. "Hahahahaha! You? Challenge me to a duel? A nobody [Pawn]? That's a good one, I wasn't expecting that. I'm just going to burn you on the spot and get it over with quickly with Rias, that's all that's going to happen."

"Well... why I was expecting it..." I let out a sigh, which irritates Riser.

"What do you mean?" He asks.

"I thought you'd have a sense of honor or something, but even that you're not capable of. You really are a scumbag through and through." I answer nonchalantly.

"...You..." I can feel the heat rising, the tension climbing even higher. "You want to duel? I'll give you one you won't soon forget!"

Riser ignites his entire body, creating immense wings of fire. [BOOST] I summon the gauntlet and get into position.

(That's it, the bait has bitten, but I may have gone a little too far...)

"What's done is done, now stay focused, it's out of the question for you to lose to this burnt chicken. Remember, you needed six boosts to make it work on Rias Gremory, so think you'll need a bit more for him, but the only way to be sure would be to have direct contact."

(A direct contact... I'll do that to you.)

He stretches out his hand towards me and unleashes a powerful torrent of fire. I climb the stairs to dodge the attack. Then he swings a multitude of fireballs. I climb the stairs four at a time, dodging Riser's assault. I run through the corridors, looking for a way to surprise him.

[BOOST] Suddenly, the ground is destroyed, hollowed out by a column of flame, more of which keeps coming up behind me. Then Riser emerges, unfurling a huge fireball, taking over the whole corridor. I throw myself against a classroom door, which I smash open and enter the classroom to dodge the attack, leaving what little is left of the floor smoking.

[BOOST] Seeing the walls heated and changing color, I drop a table and hide behind it, reinforcing it. The wall is destroyed, replaced by a wall of flame, which advances, swiping the whole classroom. I look up, seeing Riser staring at me. Clearly annoyed by my passivity.

"You wanted a duel, didn't you? Then why do you spend your time running away?!" His fiery wings expanded.

I project a bow and arrow and shoot in his direction, piercing his torso. But instead of blood, flames engulf the hole and heal him, returning as if nothing had happened.

"Is that all?" His fiery wings light up.

[BOOST] I hide my eyes, narrowly avoiding being blinded by Riser's flash. But no sooner is the flash over than Riser punches me in the stomach and propels me through a window. I ignore the pain and land without falling. I look up to see a shower of flaming feathers falling towards me. I project Rho Aias to protect myself. Riser bursts through the wall and falls in front of me, creating a wave of flame all around him.

[BOOST] I suck in energy, strengthen my legs and jump, dodging the flame wave. I project a dozen overloaded swords and fire. Riser doesn't move, he's impaled by three blades and the others fall around him, then the swords explode. I fall back, feeling the burning ground. When the smoke clears, Riser is there, with absolutely nothing.

"Hm." He dusts his shoulder, bored. "I admit you have talent, but it's pretty pathetic in your condition. I can see you're preserving what little stamina you have left."

He raises a finger, creating a small fireball, which grows larger and larger, rising into the air. [BOOST] Seeing the ever-increasing size, I charge energy into my right arm. And when the ball stops growing and starts to fall again. I release the raw energy, firing a javelin of energy straight at the giant fire orb. The contact causes a powerful explosion.

"Ohhh... that's nice..." Riser comments.

(It's time!)

I project a Damascus blade, forming waves patterns all over the blade, and charge towards Riser, who has his eyes raised. [BOOST] He lowers his head and swings his hand, throwing flames at me. I brace my body and go through. I can feel the suffocating heat but it does nothing to me. It seems that Ddraig is giving his all to protect me from the flames and to protect his honor. When I'm face to face with him, I swing the blade diagonally up and down, cutting him in half and creating a huge cut on the school's facade.
"Hey! That's better, but not good enough!" Riser's body reattaches itself with the flames coming out of the cut.

He hits me in the face with a flaming fist, creating an explosion. The pain is intense, but I stay focused and reciprocate, hitting him with my left arm. I can see his face scrunching up.

(So?! We're already at seven! Do we need more?!)

"Nine! IF you want to be sure of the result! But your body is..."

(So... nine it is!)

I suck in energy and draw on the energy of the fox demon. Thanks to Rias' intervention, I can access it more easily and, above all, I feel that I'm in better control, even if anger takes hold of me.

All of a sudden, my power increases dramatically and I send Riser waltzing into the school, passing through the wall. My wounds heal, making the huge burn on my face disappear. My body is covered in a layer of orange energy, forming a tail behind me. I can feel my fingernails getting bigger and my vision clearer. I perceive every movement, and hear every sound.

(...It's the first time I've controlled this energy... But I'd better not take advantage of it, or the fox demon will get involved at some point.)

"What's this now? You look like a wild animal." Riser walks out of the school, looking at me quizzically.

(About ten seconds! I have to hold on for ten seconds!)

I rush towards him, ignoring the torrent of flame he gives off, I pass through, protected by the layer of energy and use it to form claws. I bring my hand down on him, lacerating his body, but no damage, only flames healing him. [BOOST] I change strategy and try to hit him, but he grabs my neck and flies off, taking me through the different floors. Then, when we're in the air, he throws me from where we came, crushing me violently. I barely have time to get up when he comes up and gives me a powerful kick in the side. If I hadn't been covered in energy, my ribcage would have been destroyed. I'm thrown out of the building and onto the ground.

[BOOST] I can hardly feel my body anymore, even though I've been protected by the power of the fox demon, my stamina has taken a big hit. As the orange energy slowly disappeared, I tried to stand up, but Riser grabbed me by the neck and lifted me off the ground.

"Is this it? The masquerade is over?" He asks, amused. "I must say you're a good vent, that there's no doubt. Remember when I told you not to be a burden to Rias? Well, you failed."

He raises his other hand and ignites it, but stops, still hearing the sounds of explosion further away.

"Hmmm? I couldn't feel it because the energy you were giving off was so strong, but Yubelluna and Rias are still fighting?" He turns his head, suspicious. "What's going on? Rias should have defeated her a while ago. Between that and her sending you to your death... What are you two up to..." He tightens his grip around my neck. "Well, whatever you've been trying to do, it's over..."

"You talk... way too fast..." I grab his arm.

[Explosion] I charge all the power I've accumulated into my Maken. [OVERBLOW] I pour all my energy into him, causing a surge of energy all around us. Suddenly, the heat around Riser intensifies, and he seems to be in pain. He lets go of me, thinking he's losing control of his power, setting himself on fire. He becomes a huge fireball in his own right.

(It has to work!)

"Ahahaha! What have you done?! I feel so powerful! I'm bursting with demonic power! I feel like with this, I can..." Suddenly, his flames were extinguished, leaving Riser in the still stifling heat. "What?!" He looks down at his hands in shock. "I don't... I don't feel anything anymore?!"

He raises his hand towards me, but nothing happens. He looks at his hand again, then tries to create a magic circle, which appears briefly, bursting into flames before disappearing. His eyes widen, he starts to tremble, I don't know if it's rage or fear, but the look on his face... I know it all too well.

"What... What have you done? What did you do to me?!" He asks, yelling at me.

[Reset] "Pffuu..." I sigh, feeling my power drop. "Get ready Riser." I stand up to face him, which causes him to back away. "I'm not done with you."