Riser remained at the top of the replicated school building, his body leaning near the edge, posture far too relaxed for someone commanding an ongoing Rating Game. His wings were folded, his gaze directed toward the horizon of the dimensional field, without any adjustment of stance or preparation.
"Big brother." Ravel appeared beside him, lightly tugging at the sleeve of his uniform, insistence clear in the gesture.
Riser did not react. He merely shifted his weight from one foot to the other, maintaining the same line of sight.
"Big brother." Ravel repeated, now closer, her face tilted upward, seeking direct attention.
Mihae stood a few steps behind. Her kimono was neatly adjusted, long sleeves still. Her gaze shifted between Riser and Ravel, without interference, without comment, simply recording the dynamic in silence.
"Big brother." Ravel called a third time, her tone rising slightly, her hand lifting again toward his arm.
Riser exhaled visibly, his shoulder rising and falling once. His face turned slowly, his gaze dropping to his sister.
"What is it." he said, brushing her hand away with two fingers before turning his face forward again. "If it's another weightless concern, save it for later."
Ravel took half a step forward, occupying the space he had ignored before.
"Yubelluna was ambushed by Rias and her queen."
Riser did not change posture. His gaze did not shift to the sky or the field. He only tilted his head a few millimeters, as if assessing something of limited interest.
"The field was designed for that." he commented in the same breath, raising a hand to adjust his collar. "She can handle herself."
Ravel frowned slightly, remaining there, not retreating, waiting for a stronger reaction.
Riser extended his arm and rested his palm on the building's ledge, transferring his weight calmly. The movement was slow, calculated, uninterested in urgency.
"Rias needs something big to reach me."
"She can send her entire peerage, try to surround me, bet everything on her queen." Riser kept his gaze fixed forward, his body too relaxed for someone under threat. "None of that changes the fact that I don't fall."
"My power isn't circumstantial." he adjusted his collar with two fingers, the gesture casual. "I am immortal. My fire does not go out. I can lose pieces. I can allow mistakes." His shoulder rose and fell once. "In the end, I remain standing."
"If Yubelluna falls, I'll correct her later." His voice did not waver. "She exists to fulfill a function, not to win alone."
"This game was made to confirm the obvious." Riser continued, his hand still resting on the ledge. "There is no scenario where I lose to someone like Rias."
Ravel remained beside him. Her arms folded against her body, her fingers gripping the fabric of her clothes for a moment before relaxing.
Silence stretched for a few seconds while Riser kept speaking, each sentence reinforcing the same certainty, without pause, without opening.
Ravel looked down briefly at the rooftop floor. She did not step away, but her posture shifted enough to reveal contained discomfort.
The wind passed between them without changing anything.
Ravel inhaled once and remained still.
'He doesn't listen to anyone.'
'The game isn't over yet.'
'What will he do if something goes out of control.'
She lifted her face again, the decision already formed, even without any approval from the other side.
"Even if you don't want to go, let me go." Ravel said without raising her tone, occupying the space beside him without touching.
Riser turned his face for the first time since the conversation began. His gaze rested on her for a full second, evaluating the insistence without visible patience.
"Go, Ravel." he replied, stepping away from the ledge and crossing his arms. "And take Mihae with you."
"Fine, I'm going." Ravel answered quickly, without arguing. "Let's go, Mihae."
Ravel spread her fire wings, the living mark of the Phenex family expanding from her back in compact, controlled flames without dispersion.
Mihae opened her Devil wings immediately after, the movement firm, unhurried, her body maintaining perfect alignment with Ravel's.
The two gained altitude in a single thrust and left the rooftop, cutting through the sky on a direct route without looking back.
A bat crossed above the line of buildings, maintaining medium altitude, wings beating in steady cadence, without abrupt trajectory changes.
'Now Riser will be alone.'
Other bats remained scattered across the field, some following the aerial battle between Rias and Akeno, others keeping watch over Kiba and Saji's advance, none overlapping.
Ravel and Mihae passed within a few meters of the bat, their trail of fire and wind slicing through the air without altering its path.
Neither of them reacted. The bat was not identified as a threat. Their movement continued direct, purposeful, without lateral sweep.
At the top of the school building, only one presence remained.
Riser stood alone, body relaxed, position unchanged since his sister's departure. No sign of urgency. No defensive adjustment.
The bat reduced speed upon recognizing the isolated silhouette. Its wings beat once, maintaining a safe distance.
'Now. The long-awaited fight has arrived.'
Gasper kept his focus on the target but did not advance. Not yet.
Above the main battlefield, Yubelluna retreated in small shifts, trying to maintain enough altitude to avoid being surrounded. Akeno pressed from the flank while Rias advanced from the front, destruction magic concentrated around her body, each approach reducing the available space.
Yubelluna dodged an arc of lightning by the narrowest margin and answered with a compact explosion, forcing Akeno to adjust her trajectory. Rias' advance did not stop.
The difference became clear. Against one, Yubelluna maintained direct exchange. Against two, the rhythm did not hold.
Fire wings emerged from the flank of the aerial clash.
Ravel appeared first, rapidly reducing altitude. Mihae followed half a step behind, maintaining formation.
"Yubelluna."
Yubelluna turned midair, her movement halting for a fraction of a second.
"Ravel-sama."
Rias advanced a palm's width in the air, her wings adjusting axis.
"Akeno."
Her gaze remained fixed on Yubelluna.
"Handle Riser's sister."
"I'll deal with Yubelluna alone."
Akeno immediately veered off the main line, her smile widening as she shifted targets. Mihae reacted too late.
Akeno raised her hand.
"Lightning."
KRAAASH
The bolt descended in a straight line, cutting through the air between them without dispersion. Mihae was struck before completing any defensive maneuver. Her body lost support instantly, wings failing at the same time as the current surged through her torso.
ZZZAAAP
Mihae fell in free descent for less than a second before vanishing in a brief flash, automatically teleported out of the game.
"Participant eliminated." Grayfia's voice echoed across the field. "Bishop Mihae removed."
"Mihae!"
Ravel froze midair for an instant, her body leaning forward, her gaze fixed on the empty space left behind.
Akeno reappeared in front of her with a short lateral shift, maintaining enough distance to avoid immediate retaliation. Her smile did not fade.
"Sorry to interrupt you, Ravel-san."
Her tone was light.
Ravel slowly turned her face toward her, the flames of her wings contracting slightly, her body now fully aligned for combat.
Her gaze carried pure, direct disgust without disguise.
Above them, Rias advanced again.
Yubelluna retreated once more, space shrinking too quickly to reorganize her offense.
'I know destruction magic.' Her body maintained minimal altitude as her wings adjusted axis, distance measured blow by blow. 'She was always treated as spoiled, full of potential and little discipline.'
'That was before.' She shifted laterally to avoid another direct approach, control narrowing further. 'She trained. Changed. And I underestimated her.'
'Even so, none of that matters.' Her flight path remained unstable but firm. 'Riser will not lose.'
Energy gathered once more in Yubelluna's hands, too compact for wide dispersion. Rias' advance did not stop.
On the opposite flank, Ravel held position before Akeno, the flames of her wings drawn back just enough to avoid exposing an opening.
'I warned him.' Her jaw tightened as her body locked midair. 'I said it was complicated.' She maintained distance, adjusting her angle. 'He didn't listen.'
'Now I'm alone.' Her fingers clenched and opened once, her stance bracing for impact. 'And I can't defeat her.'
"What's wrong, Ravel-san?" Akeno tilted her head, her body floating with calculated ease. "You look scared."
"That's none of your concern." Ravel advanced half a step in the air, her tone too direct to hide the pressure. "And you'd better be careful."
"I'll be your mistress's sister-in-law."
Akeno brought a hand to her mouth for a moment.
A short, controlled laugh escaped.
"That…" Her smile widened completely as she shifted in a half arc to the side. "That won't happen."
Ravel clenched her teeth and pulled her wings back, the fire expanding slightly beyond control. The attitude carried weight, but not enough pressure to force retreat.
Above them, Rias closed the distance again.
Yubelluna rotated her body to avoid direct contact, space reduced to only a few usable meters.
At the top of the building, the bat began its final descent.
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