[Three Pawns from Riser Phenex-sama have retired!]
Grayfia's voice echoed across the field, announcing yet another round of eliminations in the match.
'That makes… seven so far?'
Keiji scanned the replica field around him, mentally tracking his progress.
He'd found those three hiding near the sports court, trying to set up a clumsy ambush.
A single low-level Hadō had been more than enough to take them out before they could even scream.
'Probably just bait.'
Simple distractions meant to gauge his strength and fighting style, but it turned out to be a waste of effort, since they hadn't even noticed him before being wiped out.
'Kinda pitiful for them…'
He kept walking, crossing the courtyard that led toward the baseball field.
'Now, those three…'
He figured those earlier ones were decoys because he could still sense a few other presences a little farther away, waiting for him.
Probably another part of Riser's defensive line.
Following their direction, he soon reached the baseball court.
"I am Riser Phenex-sama's Knight, Karlamine! Ayano Keiji, I challenge you to a duel!"
Hearing the loud declaration, Keiji lifted his gaze and saw three female figures approaching.
Karlamine stood in front, dressed in shining silver armor, boldly positioned in the center. Beside her was another girl wearing a half-face mask, and farther back, a blonde girl in an ornate princess dress with twin drill-shaped curls, watching the scene with a regal air.
"So this is the boy who challenged Onii-sama?"
She spoke after giving Keiji a long, curious look.
"He's caused more trouble than expected. Karlamine, Isabela... deal with him together."
The two of Riser's servants nodded, standing side by side. Karlamine drew her sword from its sheath, while Isabela raised her fists, ready to fight.
But Keiji's eyes moved past them and stayed on the blonde girl behind them.
"You don't want to give it a try too?"
At the question, Isabela sighed and put a hand to her forehead, looking troubled.
"Don't worry about her. That girl's special. She's only here to observe the fight."
Keiji tilted his head slightly.
"Yare yare… isn't that a little underestimating me?"
Isabela hesitated, glancing briefly at the blonde before answering carefully.
"She is— No, this person is Ravel Phenex. Riser-sama's younger sister. She became one of his servants through a special method, but in truth, she's his actual sister."
"Oh?"
Keiji murmured, a bit surprised. He hadn't expected to face another Phenex besides Riser himself. It was… unexpected, to say the least.
If he had bothered to prepare any plan for this Rating Game, he figured he would've had to throw it out the window because of Ravel's presence.
'Good thing I didn't bother.'
"Now then, here we go!"
While Keiji was lost in thought, Riser's two servants shouted in sync, full of confidence…
But they never even got the chance to move.
Keiji acted first, raising one hand as he spoke.
"Hadō #30, Chikyū Seiren."
A sphere of molten magma began to spin in the palm of his hand, pulsing like a heart on the verge of bursting.
In the next instant, the sphere shattered into dozens of glowing fragments that shot forward in a straight line toward the three girls.
The explosion lit up the entire replica school grounds, and the ground shook as if a small volcano had just erupted there.
For a few seconds, the only sound left was the dull crackle of flames until Grayfia's voice echoed again.
[Riser Phenex-sama's Rook and Knight have retired!]
They'd been eliminated instantly.
Keiji waved his free hand, brushing away the dust and waves of hot air blowing toward his face.
'The Phenex girl survived?'
Since Grayfia hadn't announced Ravel's defeat, that meant she was still in the game.
'Looks like magma isn't the best element to use against immortal firebirds…'
When the dust from his spell finally began to settle, he saw Ravel lying on the ground, her body wrapped in small flames that sealed her wounds.
The burns faded one by one, leaving her skin completely unmarked, and within seconds she was breathing normally again.
The famed Phenex immortality was in full display.
Keiji stood there quietly, watching her recover.
'That healing speed is beyond normal regeneration… but a bit slower than I expected.'
It didn't quite live up to the "broken" level of power one would expect from something called immortality.
When the girl finally stood, she adjusted her dress, ran a hand through her hair, and let out an arrogant little laugh.
"What an unexpected power… to eliminate those two instantly…"
Her voice carried a mix of surprise and pride, but it quickly shifted to mocking amusement.
"Hohohohoho! But it doesn't matter what kind of power you have. It means nothing before the immortal bird!"
She raised her chin and laughed proudly, her tone dripping with superiority.
Even if his spell had been strong enough to wipe out a Rook in a single strike, it was still nothing compared to immortality!
Keiji looked up in her direction.
"… Is that so?"
Ravel gave a haughty snort, crossing her arms in elegant provocation.
"You actually think you can defeat my Onii-sama? How? By attacking him until he loses the will to fight? Or maybe by landing a blow that rivals that of a God? Did you really believe you could win this match? That's hilarious."
Keiji stayed silent as Ravel continued her speech.
"There was never any chance of you winning from the very beginning. That's what makes the concept of "immortal" so despairing for you."
She snapped her fingers, and the sound of footsteps began echoing in the distance.
From behind the school buildings, a wild-looking woman appeared, carrying a massive sword strapped to her back.
"She's my Onii-sama's other Knight, Sieris."
Ravel explained with a confident smile.
"Unlike Karlamine, she doesn't care about any of that 'knightly honor' nonsense. She just defeats her enemies. Simple as that."
The woman called Sieris drew her sword from her back with a sharp metallic sound.
"Ni and Li."
Ravel called out, and two new voices immediately answered.
"Nya."
"Nya-nya."
Two girls with beast-like ears leapt down from the rooftops, landing side by side.
Ravel extended her hand, like a host proudly presenting a prized artwork.
"They're beast warriors. Their close combat skills are extraordinary, you know?"
Keiji nodded slowly, still with the same idle expression.
"Impressive. Anything else?"
Ravel frowned, visibly irritated. This was clearly her moment to show off, yet Keiji wasn't reacting the way she'd expected.
She clenched her fists subtly and huffed.
"Mihae."
From the back of the ruined courtyard, a young woman with long black hair appeared, wearing an elegant kimono.
"Like me, Mihae is Onii-sama's Bishop."
Ravel declared proudly, tilting her chin up as her golden drill-like curls bounced lightly. She looked rather pleased with the small army she'd gathered.
"So? What can you possibly do against all of us?"
Keiji rested his hand on the hilt of his sheathed zanpakutō as he looked at the gathering of Riser's servants in front of him.
Ravel had indeed done a fine job gathering most of the remaining members of Riser's peerage in one place.
That just saved Keiji the trouble of hunting them down individually.
"It might be a bit unfair to mention this only now…"
He spoke in an idle tone.
"But I should warn you that I am fairly strong."
Ravel raised an eyebrow, smiling with confidence.
"Stronger than us?"
Keiji tilted his head, a crooked smile spreading across his lips.
"Stronger even than Grayfia-san."
Ravel blinked, not immediately understanding what he meant. But then the ground began to tremble faintly as Keiji released more power.
Reiryoku condensed into a blazing yellow sphere of lightning that crackled around his hand.
"Hadō #63, Raikōhō."
The massive concentration of reiryoku that resembled lightning attacked Ravel and her small army — and the fake Kuoh Academy was illuminated by the flash of lightning.
[——]
[Riser Phenex-sama's Knight, Bishop, and two Pawns have retired!]
Grayfia's voice rang out loud and clear, and for a moment, silence filled the Occult Research Club's room.
Everyone's eyes were glued to the glowing projection screen that displayed the battlefield.
Issei was the first to react, eyes wide and mouth agape.
"S-so strong…"
Akeno propped her chin on her hand and let out a small, almost disbelieving laugh.
"Ara ara… now I see why Keiji-kun thought my spells were slow."
She said, licking her lips.
"That was… simply devastating."
Keiji's attack hadn't just been overwhelmingly destructive power, it had also been executed with an extremely fast release.
Compared to that, even Akeno's most powerful magic looked sluggish.
Rias kept her eyes fixed on the screen, her heart pounding fast as a strange, warm feeling spread through her chest.
"So that's your power, Keiji…"
She took a deep breath, a flicker of hope lighting up inside her.
With that kind of power, yes…
She could see it now.
Keiji really could defeat Riser.
It was as if the hope she'd been suppressing all this time had finally found a way out.
Issei, still not fully processing what he had just seen, turned to Rias.
"B-but… didn't Riser's sister get taken out too? Even after all that?"
Rias looked at Grayfia, waiting for an explanation.
"Ravel certainly suffered enough damage to be retired… but she's a Phenex."
Most of the Phenex clan's defeats in Rating Games didn't come from fatal injuries, but they came from voluntary surrenders.
With tremendous regeneration that was considered on the level of immortality, they could continue healing no matter how severe their injuries.
Unless an attack was strong enough to completely erase them, Grayfia wouldn't intervene.
And Keiji's last spell… well, it came dangerously close to that level.
It was already power that could be considered on par with an Ultimate-class being.
But before anyone could comment, a new bright light filled the screen.
The ground in the battlefield shook, and a massive explosion ripped through the field.
Yubelluna, Riser's Queen, was hovering in midair, her devil wings spread wide.
[——]
Yubelluna descended slowly, landing beside Ravel.
"Are you alright, Ravel-sama?!"
Flames wrapped around Ravel's body, healing the wounds that covered her skin, but her regeneration was far slower than it should have been. At this rate, it would take minutes for her limbs to fully recover.
With no other choice, Yubelluna used her Phoenix Tears on Ravel… something she had never imagined needing to do.
If she hadn't acted, Ravel would've been retired before even regaining consciousness.
Thanks to the combined effect of the Phoenix Tears and her natural Phenex regeneration, it only took a short while for Ravel to open her eyes.
"Yubelluna…"
She muttered, gritting her teeth with wounded pride. She clearly felt something was wrong with her, as she couldn't heal properly from Keiji's attacks.
"This kind of attack… what is it?"
Her eyes locked onto the distant spot where Yubelluna's last explosion had landed.
"We'll need Onii-sama to handle him. Where is he?"
Riser's Queen looked at her in mild surprise.
"You think that's necessary, Ravel-sama? That man... he got caught off guard by my spell. Even if Grayfia-sama hasn't declared him defeated yet, there's no way he's in good shape."
She twirled her staff in her hands, the tip gleaming faintly.
"His spells are strong, sure… but mages have poor defense. And he's not even a devil."
Yubelluna gave a small, confident smile.
"One more attack and he's finished."
Yubelluna was confident she could finish him off with just one more attack. Ravel wanted to argue that Keiji was clearly carrying a sword, so calling him "just a mage" was a mistake.
Except...
"You really should listen to Phenex-san and call your King here~"
Both women froze when they heard the voice beside them.
Yubelluna spun around instantly, only to see Keiji crouching next to them, one elbow resting casually on his knee.
Neither of them had sensed him approach.
"Yubelluna!"
Ravel shouted.
Riser's Queen reacted on instinct, spreading her wings and taking off in a sharp motion.
She pointed her staff toward the ground and unleashed another explosive spell straight at him — even though Ravel was still in the line of fire.
Friendly fire wasn't exactly unheard of among the Phenex.
The explosion shook the entire field, sending a wave of heat across the replica arena.
The ground cracked apart, the artificial trees splintered, and the roar of the blast echoed for several seconds.
But Grayfia's voice never came.
Ravel spread his fiery wings in a swift motion and took flight as well, hovering beside Yubelluna in the air as he healed himself.
The two stared at the smokescreen, expecting to see his body.
And then…
The smoke began to clear, and his silhouette appeared.
Keiji stood there, completely unscathed, brushing the dust from his face with one hand.
A faint smile curved his lips.
"What an interesting spell that was~"
A chill ran down Ravel's spine.
The confidence she'd been showing before began to waver.
"So then…"
He spoke idly.
"Are you going to call Riser Phenex-san now, or would you rather try again?"