First round—victory.
Thanks to Draconis's overwhelming strength, Riser's three Pawns were wiped out almost effortlessly.
"They're kind of… weak, aren't they?"
Draconis muttered under his breath.
He'd always expected the enemy to put up a real fight. Deep down, he'd assumed Riser's crew would be tough. But after this, he realized he could practically one-shot them.
Koneko strolled over, her clothes torn from the close-quarters brawl.
"Not everyone's a freak like you, Draconis."
She stretched, the rips in her uniform adding a hint of allure—but her cute, pure face remained perfectly composed, radiating a kind of untouchable dignity. It gave her an oddly striking charm.
Koneko really was adorable.
Draconis grinned. "That's a compliment, right?"
"If you say so," Koneko replied, cool as ever, heading off toward the field.
Just then, Draconis's eyes narrowed. He sensed a surge of wild, violent magic barreling straight for Koneko.
That was fast—
"Watch out!"
He exploded into motion, vanishing from his spot as the Knight's speed buff kicked in. In a blink, he was beside Koneko, throwing up the Divine Lament Shield to cover them both.
Boom!
Crack!
The shield's barrier lasted barely a second before fissures spidered across its surface. It was about to shatter.
"Go!"
Draconis shoved Koneko out of the blast zone.
"Draconis!"
Koneko's voice trembled with worry.
But Draconis had no time to dwell on it. The sheer force of that magic told him—this was no ordinary opponent.
This power—high-class devil level, at least.
Only two people here could pull that off: Riser himself, or—
Riser's Queen.
Draconis's stomach dropped. Of course Riser wouldn't just sit back—he was making moves. He hadn't expected the Queen herself to launch a surprise attack, though.
With the shield about to break, Draconis poured magic into it, bracing to take the hit head-on.
Normally, that would be risky. But with his double now, their magic was pooled—his strength doubled, and so did his chances.
Three seconds. The shield shattered, and the magic, only slightly weakened, crashed down on Draconis.
Fire engulfed him. Even Koneko, pushed clear, was sent tumbling, rolling across the ground before she stopped.
A cold laugh echoed from above.
A mature woman in a mage's cloak hovered in the air, staff in hand, her cloak billowing like wings.
Riser's Queen—Yubelluna.
"That should finish him,"
Yubelluna said, confident. A Knight couldn't possibly withstand her attack.
But a calm voice rose from the settling smoke.
"You wish."
Yubelluna froze.
The dust cleared. Draconis stood tall, unharmed, in a patch of untouched ground—though the earth around him had sunk nearly five meters.
Above his head, a silver shield gleamed, engraved with scenes of worship and nature, ancient and majestic.
"He blocked it?"
Yubelluna's shock was palpable.
How? He's just a Knight. How did he stand up to a Queen?
In the Rating Game, Queen-class pieces were the strongest—combining the Rook's power, the Knight's speed, the Bishop's magic, and more. Facing a Queen was supposed to be hopeless.
Koneko, who'd feared Draconis was finished, nearly burst with relief.
"You're okay… thank goodness."
"Almost got caught off guard,"
Draconis chuckled. Good thing his double's magic had doubled his defense.
A voice crackled in his ear—Rias, over the magic communicator she'd handed out before the match.
"What just happened?"
"Nothing major. Riser's Queen is here."
Draconis kept it simple.
Rias sounded alarmed. "Are you both okay? Should I come over?"
She remembered the plan—she was supposed to tie down Riser's Queen, freeing up Akeno to handle the other pieces.
"No need. Only three Pawns down so far."
Draconis refused. Rias couldn't leave the base; otherwise, they'd risk getting blindsided.
Just then, thunder boomed in the distance. Grayfia's voice rang out over the broadcast:
"Two Pawns and one Bishop of Lord Riser Phoenix are unable to continue fighting. Retired."
Akeno, clearly—she'd caught the enemy's sneaky squad.
Draconis couldn't help but smirk. Things were going almost too smoothly—they'd knocked out seven enemies already!
"I'll take care of her,"
Akeno's voice called from above as she landed between Draconis and Yubelluna.
She'd finished setting up her illusion barrier and handled the surprise attackers—now she was free.
"Perfect. Hold her off, Akeno. I'm going to find the rest."
Draconis smiled, taking Koneko with him as they slipped away. More good news came quickly.
His double had found another of Riser's teams.
From the lineup: one Bishop, two Knights, two Pawns, and a Rook.
Six people—almost all the pieces left.
Weird… one Pawn missing?
Draconis frowned. Riser must be getting serious. That Pawn was probably sneaking toward their base for Promotion.
If it worked, with Yubelluna, that'd be two Queens plus Riser himself—enough to tip the scales.
It matched Draconis's own strategy, in a way…
But Draconis's double was the secret weapon here. Riser had no clue he was up against a cheat code.
The double was completely hidden…
Heh. Maybe it was time to give Riser a real shock.
—
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