We hit him together.
Koneko struck first - a Rook's full power, every ounce of strength she possessed. Her fist connected with Riser's chest hard enough to crater stone.
He didn't move.
Phoenix flames erupted where she'd struck, and Riser smiled down at her like she was an amusing child.
"Cute."
His backhand sent her flying.
"Formation!" Rias commanded.
Kiba materialized from Riser's blind spot, sword blazing with demonic energy. His blade carved a line across the Phoenix's back - deep enough to see bone.
Riser laughed. The wound sealed before the blood could fall.
"The Knight too? How delightful."
Phoenix fire roared outward. Kiba dove clear, barely, flames licking at his uniform. He circled, struck again - another deep cut, another instant regeneration.
I launched Light Lance after Light Lance. Golden spears of devil-forged energy, each one carrying enough force to kill a normal opponent. They struck true - shoulder, chest, thigh.
Each wound closed within seconds.
Phoenix Analysis ran in the corner of my awareness, tracking every injury, every regeneration. The numbers painted a grim picture.
Regeneration at 95%. Barely scratched.
"Is this your full assault?" Riser spread his arms, flames dancing around him like a living cape. "I expected more from my bride's peerage."
Power of Destruction erupted from Rias's hands. The crimson-black energy tore through the air, hitting Riser with enough force to vaporize stone.
He regenerated through it.
The wound - a hole through his torso wide enough to see through - sealed in three heartbeats. Phoenix fire blazed brighter as his body knit itself back together, good as new.
"There she is." His smile widened. "My beautiful bride. Is this all you have?"
The battle became attrition. And we were losing.
Koneko rejoined the fight, her face set in grim determination. She and Kiba worked in tandem - the Knight creating openings, the Rook exploiting them. Every combination that had worked against his peerage bounced off Riser's regeneration like water off stone.
I threw everything I had. Light Lance. Combat Speed flanking strikes. Enhanced Reflexes reading his patterns.
Nothing stuck.
Phoenix Analysis updated: Regeneration at 93%. Two percent drop in five minutes of sustained assault.
Not enough. Not nearly enough.
"You're slowing down," Riser observed, catching Kiba's sword in his bare hand. Phoenix fire melted the blade even as it cut his palm. "Running out of tricks?"
His other hand grabbed Kiba by the throat.
"NO!" I screamed, launching myself forward.
Too slow. Phoenix fire erupted point-blank. Kiba's uniform ignited. His scream echoed across the battlefield as burns carved across his chest, his arms, his face.
Riser dropped him like trash.
"One Knight, Rias Gremory, retired."
The light claimed Kiba. Asia's magic caught him, pulling him back to the base for emergency healing. But we were down a player now.
"KIBA!" Koneko's rage broke through her usual calm.
She launched herself at Riser with everything she had - a Rook's full fury, grief and anger powering strikes that could shatter mountains.
Riser caught her fist. Caught her second punch. Caught her knee as she tried to break his guard.
"The little one." His flames intensified. "You hit harder than the Knight. Let me return the favor."
Phoenix fire wrapped around his fist. He struck once.
Koneko flew backward, armor cracked, conscious but barely. She tried to rise, failed, tried again.
"Don't," I said. "Get to Asia."
"...not... finished..."
"You're finished." Riser dismissed her with a wave. "But not retired. I want you to watch."
Koneko crawled toward the base, every movement costing her. She'd fight again if she could stand. But right now, she couldn't stand.
Two down. Just Rias and me.
Rias poured everything into her next attack.
Power of Destruction blazed from her hands - not a focused beam, but a wave of annihilation. The crimson-black energy consumed the space between them, erasing everything it touched.
Stone. Air. Fire.
Riser.
For one perfect moment, he ceased to exist.
Then Phoenix flames erupted from the void, brighter than ever. Riser stepped out of the destruction, completely regenerated, completely unharmed.
"Now that," he said, "that actually tickled."
Regeneration at 89%. Still too high.
"Is this all you have, my bride?" He walked toward Rias, each step deliberate, savoring the moment. "All your training. All your preparation. All your desperate hope that somehow you could escape your fate."
Rias raised her hands. More Power of Destruction gathered - but slower now. Fatigue showed in the lines of her face, the trembling of her arms.
"I will never be your bride."
"You will. In three days, you'll stand beside me at the altar. And every time you look at your broken peerage, you'll remember this moment. The moment you realized you never had a chance."
I stepped between them.
"She's not yours."
Riser's eyes found me. Something flickered there - amusement, perhaps. Or curiosity.
"The mysterious Pawn. The one who eliminated my Bishops. Who survived my Rooks. Who fights with borrowed power he doesn't understand."
"I understand enough."
Light Lance formed in my hand. Golden light, devil-forged, burning with everything I had.
"You understand nothing." Riser's flames intensified. "But you fight anyway. I almost respect that."
He attacked.
Phoenix fire versus Light Lance.
I gave everything I had. Combat Speed let me dodge his opening salvo. Enhanced Reflexes read his follow-up strikes. Kiba's borrowed footwork kept me mobile. Koneko's instincts told me where to block.
Every ability I'd copied. Every instinct I'd absorbed. Every fragment of borrowed power working in concert.
"Synchronization achieved," the Fragment observed. "All combat echoes active. Efficiency: 94%."
I moved like everyone I'd copied, all at once. Kiba's speed. Koneko's power. Dohnaseek's killing instinct. My own adaptability binding them together.
It wasn't enough to win.
But it was enough to survive.
Light Lance caught Riser across the chest. He regenerated. I was already gone, circling, striking again. Another wound. Another regeneration. Another fraction of a percent depleted.
"Interesting," Riser said, actual respect entering his voice. "You're faster than you should be. Stronger. More skilled."
"I'm full of surprises."
Phoenix fire roared. I dove under it, came up slashing. My lance took his arm off at the elbow.
It grew back in two seconds.
"But not full enough." His regenerated hand caught me by the throat. "You've bought your King time. Commendable. But time for what?"
[PHOENIX ANALYSIS: LIVE]
[Regeneration Status: 87%]
[Depletion Rate: 2% per minute under sustained assault]
[Time to Critical: Approximately 35 minutes]
[Problem: Team cannot sustain assault for 35 minutes]
[Solution Required: Accelerate depletion]
87%. We'd dropped him eight percent.
It would take 35 more minutes to reach critical depletion.
We didn't have 35 minutes.
Phoenix fire blazed against my throat. Not enough to kill - Riser wanted to make this last. But enough to hurt. Enough to burn.
"Battle Surge," the Fragment reminded me. "Your one card."
Not yet. 87% was still too high. Even with a 50% power boost, I couldn't drop him fast enough alone. I needed the perfect moment.
I needed to get closer to critical.
"You're strong," Riser said, flames tightening around my neck. "Stronger than any Pawn should be. When this is over, perhaps I'll make you an offer. Join my peerage. Serve me instead of her."
"Go to hell."
"We're devils, boy. Hell is home."
He threw me. I hit the ground hard, rolled, came up on one knee. My throat burned. My reserves ran low. But I was still standing.
Rias appeared beside me, her hands still crackling with Power of Destruction.
"Together," she said.
"Together."
We fought side by side. Her destruction. My lances. Our combined assault driving Riser back step by step, wound by wound, percent by percent.
87%. Still too high. Still too far.
But we weren't done yet.