The pocket dimension reflected Kuoh Academy beneath a heavy, purple sky. In the Underworld's auditorium, the nobles watched with curiosity; most expected a crushing victory for Raiser's numerous nobility.
Rias and her group appeared in a burst of crimson energy. Their formation was unlike anything they had shown before: Kiba wasn't at the forefront, but rather stayed close to Koneko, both in a stance of absolute guard. Akeno floated behind Rias, with a serenity that concealed a far more refined electrical power.
And in the center, Issei walked with his hands in his pockets. He wore no armor and carried no weapons, but his mere presence seemed to stabilize the aura of the entire group. In front of them, Raiser Phoenix laughed, surrounded by his fifteen pieces.
"Is it just the five of you?" Raiser mocked. "Rias, my dear, this isn't a duel, it's a sacrifice. My pieces will devour you before this human can even scream!"
Suddenly, Grayfia Lucifuge materialized in the center of the field. Her icy gaze swept over the participants and paused for a moment on Issei, whose calmness she found unsettling for a "mere human."
"Representatives of the Gremory and Phoenix houses," Grayfia announced in a firm voice. "This Rating Game has been authorized under special conditions. The objective is the defeat of the enemy King or his surrender. Lethal tactics are permitted."
Grayfia raised her hand and an immense magic timer appeared in the violet sky.
—Raiser Phoenix... Rias Gremory... —Grayfia lowered her hand with a curt movement—. Let the game begin!
Following the announcement, both teams were transported to their respective headquarters. Rias's entourage materialized at the old school building, their base of operations. The atmosphere was eerily silent, broken only by the soft hum of magical energy. Rias sat behind her desk, but this time there was no trace of her previous despair. Beside her, Issei studied the school's tactical map with an analytical gaze.
"Very well," Rias began, looking at her pieces. "Just like we trained with Issei: Kiba, take the right flank by the gym. Koneko, go to the central courtyard and stay in the shadows; don't attack until I give the order. Akeno, get ready on the roof for air support."
"Understood, Madam President," the three replied in unison. The confidence they exuded was palpable.
Issei dio un paso al frente.
—Remember what we practiced. Raiser's pieces rely on their numbers and the arrogance of their King. They're going to try to overwhelm you quickly. Don't play their game; make them fall into ours.
Kiba smiled, adjusting his grip on his sword.
"Thanks to your training, Issei-kun, I feel like I can see their moves before they make them. We won't give them an inch."
"The game has begun!" Grayfia's voice echoed through the dimension's speakers.
Through the magical screens, they watched as Raiser's pieces emerged from their base with complete nonchalance, laughing as if it were a parade. Raiser remained on his throne, completely underestimating the silence that came from the Gremory side.
"They're coming," Issei murmured, closing his eyes to expand his senses. "Rias, it's time to show them why silence is more dangerous than fire."
Rias nodded firmly. "Kiba, Koneko... begin phase one."
The two vanished in the blink of an eye, moving with an efficiency that left the onlookers in the Underworld speechless. The hunt had begun.
The gymnasium and the central courtyard became the first scenes of the Phoenix's downfall. Xuelan, Raiser's Rook, and the Pawns Mira and Ile advanced with complete recklessness.
"This is boring," Mira complained, swinging her stick. "Where are those kittens hiding?"
Suddenly, a shadow descended from the ceiling with terrifying speed. Koneko crashed to the ground in front of them, but instead of launching herself forward, she used the shockwave to obscure their vision.
"Now!" Kiba's voice whispered from the shadows.
He appeared behind Ile like a ghost. Thanks to Issei's training, he no longer wasted any moves. With a precise thrust, he pierced the Pawn's energy flow point before she could raise her weapon.
"Raiser Phoenix's pawn, retreat!" Grayfia announced.
"What?!" Xuelan shouted, throwing a punch at Kiba, but the Knight vanished. While Xuelan was caught off guard by the missed attack, Koneko appeared in her blind spot. Remembering Issei's advice to "strike through the target," she focused her Senjutsu energy. The impact to his ribs was so sharp that the sound of air escaping his lungs echoed throughout the base.
"Raiser Phoenix Tower, retreat!" Grayfia announced again.
At the base, Rias stared at the screen in amazement.
—They did it... they moved like clockwork. Issei, I've never seen them fight with such coldness.
"It's not coldness, Rias. It's saving energy," Issei replied, arms crossed. "In the future, one wrong move meant death. I taught them to value every second."
Raiser, from his base, struck his throne in a fit of rage.
—Useless! Yubelluna, go with the others and burn the whole sector down! I don't want any more games!
"Looks like the chicken's getting desperate," Issei said, his eyes gleaming slightly. "Akeno, it's your turn. The 'silent bombardment,' just like we practiced it."
The purple sky began to darken from a massive buildup of static electricity. Yubelluna flew at the head of the remaining pieces, her hands charged with explosive bursts.
"Come out of there, 'Thunder Priestess'!" Yubelluna shrieked, hurling a fireball toward the roof of the school building. "Stop hiding and face your destiny!"
In the midst of the explosion, a figure emerged with a chilling calm. Akeno floated in the air, but she didn't wear her usual mocking smile. Following Issei's training, she had abandoned unnecessary sadism to focus on the lethal efficiency of her heritage.
"You're making too much noise," Akeno said softly.
He extended his hands, and unlike his usual lightning bolts, which were loud and bright, tiny sparks of a pale yellow, almost white, color began to dance between his fingers. It was high-frequency electricity, designed to penetrate magical barriers rather than merely strike them.
"Die!" Yubelluna shouted, unleashing a barrage of explosions.
Akeno didn't even dodge. With fluid movements, almost as if she were dancing, she deflected the attacks with small, precise bursts. In the blink of an eye, she vanished from the sight of Raiser's pieces.
"Where did she go?" one of the Pawns asked, looking frantically around her.
"Here," Akeno whispered, appearing directly above them.
A giant magic circle, far more complex than usual, unfolded beneath his feet. "Piercing Lightning," he murmured.
Instead of a great crash of thunder, hundreds of needles of pure electricity descended from the sky at a speed that surpassed the reaction time of any ordinary demon. Raiser's pieces, including the Queen, attempted to create shields of fire, but Akeno's lightning pierced the defenses as if they were made of paper, striking their magical pressure points directly.
—Queen of Raiser Phoenix, retreat! Pawns of Raiser Phoenix, retreat!—Grayfia's voices echoed one after another, like a gust of wind.
Yubelluna collapsed to the ground, her body wracked with electrical spasms that prevented her from using her regenerative abilities. She had been defeated before she could even unleash her most powerful attack. Back at the base, Rias couldn't believe her eyes: Akeno had single-handedly wiped out half of the enemy nobility.
—Issei... that power... is different. She's not just using her magic.
"I taught her not to fight the fire, but to consume the oxygen that feeds it," Issei explained with satisfaction. "Akeno's electricity now seeks the opponent's core. Raiser is left alone with his personal escort."
Raiser, on the screens, was livid. His pieces were falling like flies, and he hadn't even seen the human fight.
"STOP!" Raiser roared, his body bursting into flames. "I'm going to burn this entire school down to the ground!"
"It's our turn, Rias," Issei said, finally taking his hands out of his pockets. His aura began to overflow, though he still hadn't summoned the gauntlet. "The King has emerged from his lair."