Inside the broadcast room, aside from Grayfia, the Student Council President Sona Sitri and Vice President Tsubaki Shinra were also present.
"President, does Rias really stand a chance?" Tsubaki adjusted her glasses, clearly pessimistic about Rias's side. "No matter how you look at it, the gap in combat power is just too large."
Sona naturally understood this as well and could only let out a soft sigh.
"There's no helping it. Rias has no path of retreat left. She can only gamble everything on this."
"President Rias's peerage is very strong," Tsubaki continued her analysis. "That Ryuya occupies two Knight positions, so he clearly has some real ability. But even so, the difference in numbers is overwhelming. She doesn't even have a single Pawn, and she only has one Bishop and one Rook…"
She paused briefly before adding,
"If Raiser lets his eight Pawns storm the base, and all eight of them undergo Promotion into Queens, the battle would end immediately."
"We shouldn't underestimate Rias either," Sona said calmly. "Let's see just how well she can command her forces…"
As she spoke, her gaze swept toward the Occult Research Clubroom where Rias was stationed. Suddenly, her expression stiffened, and she slammed her hands onto the desk as she stood up.
"What—!? This is…!"
The Student Council President stared at the magical broadcast image in shock.
Tsubaki followed her gaze, her eyes widening as she muttered,
"What's going on? Rias's Knight… why did it turn into two?"
It wasn't just Sona and the others. Even the various factions watching this Rating Game from behind the scenes narrowed their eyes in mild surprise, all of them locking their attention onto Ryuya.
—
Separate Dimension · Old School Building
Ryuya had only just fully grasped what a "replica of Kuoh Academy" meant when, in the very next second, another version of himself split off from his body.
Even he froze for a moment at the sight.
The sensation was incredibly strange—like he had gained a clone—yet Ryuya knew very clearly that both of them were truly him. Neither was a fake. Both were the original.
"What's going on…?" Asia rubbed her eyes, staring at the two identical Ryuyas in front of her, wondering if she was seeing things.
Akeno and Koneko were just as baffled.
Only Rias wore a thoughtful expression.
"Could it be… because of the dual class?"
Ryuya carefully sensed his own condition and quickly realized that not only had his combat power not diminished—on the contrary, it had effectively doubled.
"It seems I've discovered something pretty incredible," Ryuya said with a faint smile.
Rias couldn't help but beam with excitement.
"Ryuya's classes are Knight + Pawn. I always felt that this was something extraordinary—but I never imagined it would result in such an unbelievable change…"
Akeno immediately caught on as well.
"Because Ryuya holds two classes, but the Rating Game separates participants by class, once the game started, he split into two Ryuyas—one assigned as a Knight, and the other as a Pawn?"
"There's no precedent for something like this," Rias said, thrilled. "But given the situation, this is the most straightforward explanation!"
This was practically double the joy.
At that moment, Ryuya spoke softly,
"And it seems it doesn't stop there…"
He clenched his fist, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Even though my classes were divided and split in two, both of my bodies still seem capable of using the power of both classes… and even my Sacred Gear."
Everyone's eyes lit up at once.
"So that means… no matter which Ryuya, both of them possess the effects of Knight and Promotion, right?!"
Rias was struck by another wave of delight.
That was terrifying—this was practically cheating!
"Ara ara… that really is something incredible," Akeno Himejima said with a smile.
"That's great."
"That's amazing!!"
Koneko and Asia were both overjoyed. Ryuya had given everyone an enormous surprise.
In the broadcast room, Sona slowly sat back down, her expression still tinged with disbelief.
"So… Rias actually already had her own Pawn all along? And on top of that, a devil chess piece with dual classes?"
"This means… that Ryuya was reincarnated as a devil using two Knight pieces and eight Pawn pieces?"
Both Sona Sitri and Tsubaki Shinra were deeply shaken by this revelation.
At the same time, all the factions watching the Rating Game behind the scenes were completely dumbfounded.
Rias had always concealed Ryuya's classes, so everyone believed she simply hadn't found a suitable Pawn. Even her brother—the mighty Devil King himself—had been unaware of this!
Finding her Pawn would have been one thing. Using eight Pawn pieces at once was also acceptable. But having the Knight and Pawn be the same person—and never reporting something this important?!
Now that the battle had begun, the secret could no longer be hidden. Rias and Ryuya had quietly dropped a massive bombshell on everyone, leaving all observers utterly stunned.
"Grayfia, that Ryuya—make sure he stays alive during the battle. Don't let anything happen to him."
Sirzechs Lucifer, one of the Four Great Maou of the Underworld, immediately issued this order in secret to his wife—his Queen, Grayfia.
In a Rating Game, severely injured participants would normally be transferred out immediately. However, accidents had occurred before—cases where both sides fought too fiercely, failed to hold back, and ended up killing someone outright.
And now, Ryuya's existence represented a fundamental disruption of the rules. Sirzechs could not help but take this seriously.
"Alright! Then let's start arranging our tactics!"
Rias looked more confident than ever.
"Ryuya, I'll command the overall battle. Tell me your original plan first, so I can coordinate with your actions!"
Ryuya smiled faintly and reached out to tap the school map on the table.
"My original plan was actually very simple. You'd all hold the line while I break through, undergo Promotion, and then carry out a decapitation strike. That was the only way for the weak to defeat the strong—but it would've put enormous pressure on all of us.
"But now that I have a duplicate body, things seem a lot simpler. The plan can be adjusted… and the core of it is—switching battlefields."
He looked at Rias.
"Rias, I need you and Asia to hold back Raiser's Queen. You don't even need to defeat her."
The moment he said this, everyone froze.
"Wait—Rias is the King, you know!" Akeno said. "You want her to fight a Queen?"
That was supposed to be Akeno's role.
"That's right," Rias added. "And Ryuya, if Raiser's eight Pawns break into our base, they'll all Promote into Queens. We have to defend this place."
"True enough," Ryuya replied with a smile. "Which is why, before we switch battlefields, you'll need to cooperate with me and find a way to eliminate all eight of those Pawns first."
"..."
Indeed—if there were no Pawns left, then what was there to defend? Even if they handed the base to Raiser, he'd be left staring helplessly.
Ryuya's strategy was none other than the classic 'partial loss for overall victory' approach.
The question was—
Could it really be that simple?
---
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