Moments later, Rias's voice also came through Akeno's device.
At that instant, Sona realized her strategy had crumbled.
"...How did you figure it out? The me standing in the plaza was just an illusion. My real body was up here, on the rooftop."
"All thanks to our Gremory peerage's Bishop—Kuroka-san." Akeno's eyes flicked briefly behind Sona.
There, as if she had appeared out of nowhere, stood a kimono-clad beauty with cat ears, lazily yawning as though the whole battle bored her.
'Yes, she was the one…'
"Kuroka-san is a master of Senjutsu. From the very start of this game, she had been acting as our scout, tracking your movements. When Rias heard you had gone to the rooftop alone, she gave us the order—'Defeat Sona.'"
"Then... Rias herself is…"
"Yes. She hasn't moved a single step from her headquarters."
'──So that was it. My greatest mistake in this game was underestimating Rias!!' Sona admitted.
Sona was said to embody the compassion of the Gremory line. 'I had believed that, if she knew I was here, she would come herself, unwilling to let her servants get hurt. I thought my only chance of victory was a direct showdown, King versus King. That's why I lured her forces into the plaza to wear them down. And yet—she overturned everything.'
"That's how it is. Now then, shall we?"
Golden aura burst forth from Akeno's body, far greater in scale than before. She had grown stronger, too.
'Could I defeat Akeno—and the ever-watchful Kuroka waiting behind her?' Sona thought deeply…
…
"Impossible…! Why are you here, Akeno!?"
The words tore from Sona's lips. The illusionary figure flickered like a bad TV screen and vanished.
"Right about now, your President has begun her battle against Akeno-san. Your strategy is broken. This is the end."
Yumi delivered those words as a surrender demand—but,
"Not yet! If we defeat you quickly and rush to the President's aid, we might still make it in time! We will never give up!!"
At Vice President Shinra's shout, the two Bishops—Hanakai and Kusaka—stepped forward, steeling themselves.
'Of course. In their place, I would do the same...'
'But I will not let you leave. You'll be defeated right here, right now.'
"Asia-san, step back."
"Yes. Please be careful."
After pushing Asia to safety, Yumi summoned a holy-devilic sword—yet even before she could act, Shirone had already rushed at the Vice President.
'So be it.' Koneko wanted to settle things with her herself, but there was no time.
"So my opponents are you two…"
Hanakai Momo and Kusaka Reya. According to her intel, both specialized in defense and support; their offensive power wasn't high.
'Still, their Inversion technique was dangerous.' If she gave them time to use it, it would turn the tables.
'Then I'd have to strike fast, not letting them breathe.'
"—[Sword Birth]!!"
Twelve blades appeared in the air, launching in an arc to stab into the ground, forming a circle around the two Bishops. Sparks leapt from one blade, then another, until all twelve linked into a prison of lightning.
"Kyaaahhhhhh!!"
This was a derivative of the new technique Yumi had developed, [Sword Birth Meteor].
She called it [Sword Birth—Thunder Jail].
Where [Meteor] simply launched swords, [Thunder Jail] imbued them with lightning, trapping the targets in a cage of crackling destruction. Each sword's power was weak on its own, but together, twelve in unison, rivaled even Akeno's thunderbolts.
[Two Bishops of Sona Sitri's peerage—retired.]
The Bishops vanished into light amidst the raging thunder.
Thump!!
A low, crawling stance transitioned into a strike aimed at the body. However, the vice-president's longsword interfered.
'She is skilled!' Koneko thought.
The difference in their reach was bad enough, but Shinra's defense was solid, leaving no opening for her fists.
'In that case!'
Shirone planted her foot onto the hilt of the sweeping longsword as if scooping it up, using the upward momentum to launch herself backward and create distance.
"───Hmph!"
She channeled her energy and drove her fist into the floor. A shockwave erupted from the point of impact and raced across to assault Shinra.
"Guwah!!"
This was a type of Senjutsu, a technique known as "Long-Distance Strike," which projected fighting energy over a range. It didn't possess enough power to defeat an opponent in a single blow, but it was more than sufficient to create an opening.
At that moment, fierce lightning erupted, and an announcement echoed that two Bishops had been defeated.
'Yuma-senpai had done it. Then!'
Koneko enhanced her body using her fighting energy, enveloping herself in a white aura.
'Kazuki-senpai! The technique you taught me... I'll use it now!!'
Closing the distance in an instant, she gently placed her fist against the vice-president's body.
"───Break!!"
The speed of her fist alone was enough to blast clean through the vice-president's body. The impact sent her flying backward. A fist-sized depression was left caved into her abdomen.
Fuwa Enmei-ryu [Tiger Cannon].
Kazuki had told her it was a technique perfectly suited for someone like Koneko, who had mastered combat using fighting energy. It was still an imitation, but she had received a passing score from her senior.
"Kuh, sorry Sona..."
[Sona Sitri's Queen has retired.]
Vice-President Shinra vanished into the light.
The battle in the plaza was over. All that remained was──
"The rest is up to you, Buchou, Akeno-senpai."
BOOOM!!!
A massive vortex of water swirled, and thunder roared.
Both of them possessed quite impressive power. Even though they were both wizard types, Akeno leaned more toward raw power, while Sona favored technique.
'They unleashed magical attacks with a level of force that I, Kuroka, who specialized more in support, couldn't match. It made me a little envious, nya~n.'
Just as the Phoenix family controlled fire, the Sitri family manipulated water. The reason Sona had taken her position on the rooftop was likely because of the huge water storage tank located there.
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