The fourth match ended, thinning both teams. Gremory has seven: Rias, Akeno, Kiba, Xenovia, Asia, Rossweisse, and me. Bael has three: Sairaorg, his Queen, and the masked Soldier.
We hold the numerical advantage.
"Past the midpoint! Bael's down to three, Gremory at seven! But Bael's remaining members are formidable. Can they turn it around?" the announcer hyped.
I'll face Sairaorg, but the Soldier, worth 7 pieces, is a problem. Kiba nodded at my question. "At least stronger than Bael's others so far."
Their high-value Soldier can only fight solo, but that value means immense strength. Rules bar me from consecutive matches, so strategy matters.
The fifth match's Dice Shoot rolled. Sairaorg, lacking low-value members, re-rolled several times until both sides got viable numbers: Rias with 4, Sairaorg with 5, totaling 9—perfect for a Queen.
"They can only send their Queen or Soldier. I bet it's the Queen," Rias said.
"Why?" I asked.
"Sairaorg's avoiding using that Soldier. He's held them back too long, despite chances to fight," Rias explained.
True. The Soldier could've joined the second match's 10-value fight with a Bishop or Knight. Rias's reasoning seemed solid.
"So, their Queen, Buchou?" Kiba asked.
"Yes. Sairaorg's Queen, Kuisha Abaddon, from the Extra Demon Abaddon clan," Rias confirmed.
The Abaddon clan, tied to a top-three Rating Game ranker with Demon Lord-level power, is formidable but keeps distance from the Underworld's government.
"I'll go," Akeno stepped forward.
Rias cautioned, "Their Queen's skilled. Glasya-Labolas footage showed her overwhelming with immense magic and Abaddon's 'Hole.'"
The 'Hole' absorbs attacks—techniques, weapons, anything. Even without it, their Queen's combat prowess was exceptional.
"Should I go?" I offered.
Akeno shook her head. "No, save yourself for Sairaorg or the Soldier. With Yuto, Xenovia, Rossweisse, Rias, and you backing me, I can take risks."
She smiled brightly. Hard to argue.
"If I lose, will you do to me what you did to their Bishop as punishment?" Akeno teased.
"Pfft!" I choked.
Seriously?! No way!
Rias stood, trembling with anger. "No! That'd be a reward!"
"That's your issue?!" I yelled.
"Obviously," Rias said.
"Why so casual?! You looked horrified when I came back!" I protested.
Akeno touched her cheek. "I didn't expect such a technique… I'm curious. And… I want to experience savage Issei♪"
"Stop!" I begged. Ddraig was crying.
"Guuh… Waaah!" Ddraig sobbed.
"Players, move to the magic circle," the announcer called.
"I'm off," Akeno said, her expression turning serious.
"Win, Akeno. For all of us," Rias urged.
"Yes, Rias," Akeno replied, vanishing into the teleportation circle.
The battlefield was a field of towering stone structures. Akeno stood atop one, facing a blonde ponytail woman on another.
"Fifth match: Gremory's Queen, Akeno Himejima! Bael's Queen, Kuisha Abaddon! A Queen showdown!" the announcer declared.
"Sairaorg's holding back his Soldier, so he sent his Queen. Rias read it—or Sairaorg read her," Azazel commented.
As expected, Azazel noticed Sairaorg's strategy.
Black ponytail versus blonde ponytail.
"You came, Thunder Priestess," Kuisha said.
"Pleased to meet you," Akeno replied boldly, her intensity clear even through the screen.
"Fifth match, begin!" the referee signaled.
Both spread devil wings, soaring into the air. A fierce magical battle erupted—Akeno's flames met Kuisha's ice, her water countered by Kuisha's wind. Their aerial magic duel was even.
Akeno's training and otherworldly experience made her strikes stronger, maintaining her pace without being overwhelmed.
BOOM! Their magic clashed, causing an explosion that toppled nearby towers.
Kuisha, firing massive magic, looked composed, not yet using her 'Hole.'
"You're skilled, as expected of Sairaorg Bael's Queen," Akeno said.
"I underestimated you from past data. Can't let my guard down," Kuisha replied.
"Don't underestimate me," Akeno shot back, raising her hand skyward.
Dark clouds formed, crackling with light. "Thunder!" A massive lightning bolt shot toward Kuisha.
CRACK! Lightning engulfed her, but a spatial distortion—a 'Hole'—swallowed it whole.
Akeno, anticipating this, acted. "How about this?!" Another, stronger lightning barrage struck, destroying towers and covering the field.
Even a high-class devil couldn't survive this wide-ranging attack.
How would Kuisha respond?
She expanded her 'Hole,' spawning multiple others, absorbing the lightning effortlessly.
"What?!" Akeno and Rias gasped. Kiba and the others mirrored their shock.
Kuisha smirked. "My 'Holes' can expand, multiply, and decompose attacks to redirect—like this."
Holes surrounded Akeno, aimed at her. "I'll return just the light from your thunder."
ZAP! Bands of light shot from the holes toward Akeno.
Rias screamed, "Akeno!"
Light is poison to devils. That much would force a retire.
"She can counter with absorbed attacks?!" Kiba said, stunned.
Our intel showed Kuisha absorbing attacks and striking with her own magic—not redirecting like this. We underestimated her 'Hole.'
But— "Oh! Akeno Himejima, hit by light, is unscathed!" the announcer shouted.
Akeno stood, unharmed. Kuisha frowned. "You were hit. Why aren't you retired?"
Akeno smirked, revealing a golden, sparking dragon coiling around her—her Thunder Dragon, formed from lightning, versatile for defense.
"That's my trump card. It blocked your light," Akeno said.
Her otherworldly growth unlocked this technique. She'd shielded herself just in time.
Fallen angel wings sprouted, amplifying her Thunder Dragon's glow. "My juniors fought hard. I can't go down easily."
"Same here. I must win for my lord," Kuisha replied.
"No more holding back," Akeno said.
"Agreed. Full power, no restraint," Kuisha answered.
Their magical auras surged, dense and intense.
A moment of silence gripped the field and audience.
BOOM! Their charged magic clashed, shaking the field with a destructive storm.
The battle intensified, lightning and 'Holes' colliding. Akeno aimed her palm, summoning spears—not light, but thunder. Azazel commented, "Modeled after our light spears, but thunder! Barakiel's probably crying with joy!"
I could imagine Barakiel sobbing.
The thunder spears sped toward Kuisha, who tried absorbing them, but one grazed her arm, smoking from the light's effect. Grimacing, she countered.
Holes surrounded Akeno, another forming in front. Kuisha fired flame and wind into it, which emerged around Akeno as a fiery tornado.
She couldn't dodge. Manipulating her Thunder Dragon, she blocked—BOOM! The explosion's smoke hid her.
Kuisha panted, exhausted. As the smoke cleared, Akeno appeared, tattered but not retired, heavily damaged.
"You didn't retire?" Kuisha asked.
"I can't lose either. Shall we end this?" Akeno replied.
"I agree. One final strike, full power," Kuisha said, gathering magic.
Akeno closed her eyes, raising her hand, thunder crackling fiercely.
"HYAAA!" they shouted, unleashing their ultimate attacks.
BOOM! The field shook.
"Rias Gremory's Queen, retired," the announcer declared.
Bael's Queen, Kuisha Abaddon, won by a hair.
Rias, devastated, said, "Thank you, Akeno. Leave the rest to us. We'll win."
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