According to Ryuichi's plan, the first order of business was to take out the eight enemy Pawns.
Once that was done, he could safely leave Rias to hold off the enemy's Queen, while Akeno Himejima—their own powerful Queen—and Koneko handled the opposing side's Bishop, Rook, and Knight.
As for the opposing King, Riser himself… naturally, that was Ryuichi's job to face.
A low-class Pawn versus a pure-blooded High-class Devil King—at least, that's what it looked like on paper. But Ryuichi grinned inwardly. Just because he was a "low-class piece" didn't mean he couldn't outrun a high-class one.
After weighing his options, Rias approved Ryuichi's tactical plan. As long as they could eliminate the eight enemy Pawns first, she would personally deal with Riser's Queen, leaving Riser to Ryuichi.
And now that Ryuichi had two bodies to work with, he had more options than ever before.
To avoid confusion among his team, he decided to treat his original body as the "main one" and the second as his clone.
There was, however, something crucial he had to do—he needed to perform a Promotion.
After all, that was free power waiting to be claimed. Letting it go to waste would be criminal.
Since his main body and his clone shared a completely linked energy system, both could use Promotion. That meant he could have one body lying low, watching for the right moment, while the other assisted Rias's team where needed.
Before the moment of Promotion, the other body could even lend a hand to Akeno and Koneko, easing their workload a little.
With the plan set, Rias quickly organized the battlefield and dispatched Ryuichi, Akeno, and Koneko to their assigned areas.
Ryuichi ordered his clone to stay hidden, while his main body moved alongside Koneko toward the school's central zone.
That area was the athletic stadium—a wide, open field with no cover at either end. Both bases could see this spot clearly, which made it the most hotly contested point on the map.
In other words, whoever controlled this zone would gain a huge strategic advantage.
Ryuichi and Koneko arrived together, knowing full well they couldn't allow Riser's side to claim it uncontested.
Up above, Akeno soared gracefully into the sky. At Rias's command, she began weaving a large-scale illusion barrier over their base area, ensuring that no enemy soldiers could sneak in unnoticed.
Meanwhile, Ryuichi and Koneko made their way into the stadium.
"There's a scent… enemies inside," Koneko murmured softly before they even stepped in.
Ryuichi nodded, his expression calm, and strode in ahead of her.
"Heh, well, look who's here. Servants of Gremory, right on schedule."
Inside the stadium stood four young women—each strikingly beautiful in her own way. One was a mature-looking girl wearing a cheongsam, another pair were identical twin sisters, and the last was a petite loli-type girl—Mila, the same one Ryuichi had defeated with a single blow in a previous battle.
The moment Mila saw him, her face twisted in displeasure, glaring daggers his way. Clearly, she hadn't forgotten the humiliation of that loss.
The enemy formation consisted of one Rook and three Pawns. The cheongsam girl was the Rook—same rank as Koneko.
"The Rook's mine," Koneko said firmly, slipping on her gloves. "You handle the Pawns."
It was standard practice. In a Rating Game, combatants of the same class often preferred fighting each other—it was the best way to measure true skill and potential. Of course, there were also teams that fought with strict tactical coordination under their King's command. Every King's approach differed.
The enemy Rook took a martial stance, her hands curling into poised fists. Koneko launched herself forward, opening the clash.
As for Ryuichi—he was immediately surrounded by the three enemy Pawns.
The twin sisters each pulled out a buzzing, whirring pair of chainsaws.
Bzzzt! Rrrrrrrr!
The shrieking roar of the blades filled the air. Ryuichi raised an eyebrow.
"Cute faces, but into chainsaws, huh? Kinda twisted hobby."
"Dismember you!" the twins shouted in unison, excitement glinting in their eyes.
Without hesitation, Ryuichi summoned his Sacred Gear—Blade of the King—and slashed upward, intercepting the oncoming chainsaw head-on. Steel met steel in a violent clash, sparks flying everywhere.
"Kyah!"
The girl's grip nearly failed as a sharp pain shot through her hands. She hadn't expected such raw power from a single swing—her weapon almost flew from her grasp.
Ryuichi spun on the spot, his body twisting in a blur, and drove a lightning-fast kick into her side before she could react.
"Big sis!" the other twin gasped, puffing up with anger as her sister was sent flying.
"I'll cut you into eight pieces!" she screamed.
Ryuichi smirked. Their movements were fierce but unrefined. With a few well-placed parries—clang, clang, clang!—he countered, then drove his foot squarely into her backside.
You wanted to cut me into eight pieces? Fine—I'll just split your ass into eight instead. Fair trade. Generous, even.
Both twins were left groaning on the ground, thoroughly beaten.
Ryuichi clicked his tongue lightly. You'd think they'd learn their lesson.
They had clearly underestimated him, assuming he was just another average Knight.
But in truth, Ryuichi's power far exceeded theirs. Two swift attacks were all it took to crush both mid-class Devil Pawns completely.
Whoosh!
A sudden gust cut through the air. Mila charged in, her face burning with indignation.
"Coward! You're no low-class Devil!" she shouted.
Ryuichi couldn't help but laugh. "What, your job on the team is just to look cute? You still think the 'class' system defines strength?"
Technically, he was still listed as a low-class Devil only because he hadn't bothered to take the damn promotion exam yet. His actual power was already that of a solid mid-class Devil.
With an effortless sidestep, he dodged her downward staff swings, then gathered his demonic power into his fist and drove it mercilessly into her stomach.
"Gah—!"
Mila screamed, coughing up blood as her body flew backward like a cannonball. Before she even hit the ground, her body dissolved into white light—forcefully ejected from the battlefield due to her life-threatening injuries.
Without missing a beat, Ryuichi swung his sword again, a sharp arc of energy bursting forth and slamming into the twins.
Two more flashes of white light.
Three Pawns down.
Across the field, Koneko was still locked in close combat with the cheongsam girl. Ryuichi jumped in without hesitation, and the two quickly overwhelmed the Rook together.
Koneko dashed forward, her gloved fist driving straight into the girl's chest.
There was a whump—a wave-like ripple—and the girl's cheongsam tore apart with a sharp snap!
Ryuichi barely caught a glimpse before the opponent's body dissolved into white light and vanished.
…Koneko, that was on purpose, wasn't it?
Sure, that girl was impressively stacked—but even through that much "protection," one hit from Koneko's fist must've hurt like hell.
A moment later, Grayfia's calm, authoritative voice echoed across the arena speakers:
"Three Pawns and one Rook from Riser Phoenix's team are unable to continue. Eliminated."