Inside the broadcast room, Grayfia sat with Sona Sitri and Tsubaki Shinra, the student council's president and vice-president.
"President, does Rias even stand a chance?" Tsubaki adjusted her glasses, skepticism clear in her voice. "Her team's outgunned in every way."
Sona sighed, her gaze lingering on the screen. "She's out of options, Tsubaki. All she can do now is go all in."
"Rias's Peerage is talented, and that Draconis Yi takes up two Knight slots—he must be something special. But the numbers just aren't there. No Pawns at all, only one Bishop and one Rook…" Tsubaki continued, voice analytical. "If Riser's eight Pawns break through and all Promote to Queen, it's game over."
Sona watched Rias's clubroom on the magical broadcast, her expression suddenly freezing. She shot upright, hands braced on the desk.
"What the—?"
The magical display flickered, and Sona's eyes went wide. Tsubaki leaned in, equally stunned.
"How is this possible? Rias's Knight…just split into two?"
It wasn't just the student council. Across the Underworld, every faction watching the Rating Game sat up, eyes narrowed, attention locked on Draconis.
—
Old school building, alternate dimension.
Draconis had barely registered the battlefield layout before something impossible happened—a second version of himself stepped out of his body.
He stared, momentarily speechless. The sensation was bizarre, like gaining a clone, yet he knew—both were truly him, both the original.
Asia blinked hard, rubbing her eyes. "Am I seeing double?"
Akeno and Koneko exchanged bewildered glances.
Only Rias seemed thoughtful, eyes narrowing in calculation.
"Could this be…because of your dual class?"
Draconis focused, feeling no loss of strength. If anything, his power had doubled.
He grinned. "Looks like I've stumbled onto something big."
Rias's excitement was impossible to hide.
"Draconis's class is Knight plus Pawn. I always suspected that was special, but I never imagined it would create something this wild…"
Akeno caught on instantly.
"Because Draconis holds two roles, but the Rating Game splits by class. So inside the game, you become two—one Knight, one Pawn?"
"No precedent for it, but right now, that's the only explanation!" Rias was practically bouncing. Double the firepower—double the fun.
Draconis flexed his hands, a confident smile playing at his lips.
"And it looks like both bodies can use both sets of powers…and Sacred Gear."
Everyone's eyes lit up.
"So—either Draconis can use Knight abilities and Promotion effects?" Rias's voice was a mix of shock and delight.
It was almost unfair.
Akeno laughed. "Ara ara, this really is something else…"
"Awesome!"
"So cool!!"
Koneko and Asia cheered, the surprise lifting everyone's spirits.
—
Back in the broadcast room, Sona sank slowly into her chair, still trying to process what she'd seen.
"Wait…Rias already had her own Pawn? And a dual-class Evil Piece?"
"So Draconis used two Knight pieces and eight Pawn pieces to reincarnate as a devil?" Tsubaki was floored.
The revelation rippled through every faction watching. Rias had kept Draconis's class secret; everyone assumed she hadn't found a suitable Pawn. Even her brother, the Demon Lord, had no idea.
Finding a Pawn was one thing. Using eight at once was impressive. But combining Knight and Pawn in a single person—no one had seen that coming.
Now, with the secret out, Rias and Draconis had dropped a bombshell on the entire Underworld.
—
"Grayfia, keep Draconis safe in the battle. Don't let anything happen to him."
Sirzechs Lucifer—one of the four great Demon Lords—sent urgent orders to his Queen, Grayfia.
Normally, wounded participants would be teleported out instantly, but accidents happened. Sometimes, the fighting got too heated, and someone died before the system could intervene.
Draconis's existence was a game-changer. Sirzechs wasn't taking any chances.
—
"Alright, let's talk tactics!" Rias's confidence was back, her voice firm. "Draconis, I'll handle overall command, but tell me your original plan so I can sync up."
Draconis smiled, tapping the school map spread across the table.
"My first plan was simple. You all hold the base, I break through and Promote, then go for a decapitation strike. It's the only way for the underdog to win, but the pressure would be enormous."
He glanced at his double, a spark of excitement in his eyes.
"But now, with two of me, things get easier. The plan can change—the key is swapping positions."
"Rias, I need you and Asia to tie down Riser's Queen. You don't have to defeat her, just keep her busy."
Everyone blinked in surprise.
"Wait—Rias is King!" Akeno protested. "You want her to face the Queen?"
That was supposed to be Akeno's job.
"Right, and Draconis, if Riser's eight Pawns break into our base, they'll all Promote to Queen. We have to hold the line," Rias reminded.
"Exactly." Draconis nodded. "So before we swap positions, you'll all need to back me up and find a way to take out those eight Pawns."
The room fell silent.
It was true—if Riser's Pawns were gone, defending the base was pointless. Even if Riser took the base, he'd have no one left to Promote.
Draconis's strategy was classic underdog play: racing the odds, swapping the horses mid-race.
But could it really be that simple?
—
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