Relying on Ryuya's overwhelming strength, Raiser's three Pawn pieces were dealt with effortlessly.
"…Why do they feel kind of weak?"
Ryuya muttered softly.
All this time, he had assumed the enemy would be powerful. Deep down, he had believed Raiser's subordinates would be formidable as well. But judging from the results so far… he could practically one-shot them.
Koneko walked over. After successive close-range battles, her clothes were already somewhat torn.
"Not everyone is as absurdly strong as you are, Ryuya."
As she spoke, she stretched lightly. The torn fabric added a faintly alluring touch to her appearance, yet the cute and innocent face she wore held a stern, untouchable expression, giving her an especially unique aura.
Koneko really was adorable.
Ryuya smiled faintly.
"That's praise, right?"
"If you think it is, then it is," Koneko replied calmly, turning around and preparing to head toward the field.
At that moment, Ryuya's expression suddenly sharpened. He sensed a surge of violently rampaging demonic power racing straight toward Koneko!
What terrifyingly fierce magic power!
"Watch out!!"
Ryuya instantly burst into full speed, his body vanishing from where he stood as the Knight's speed bonus fully manifested!
He flashed to Koneko's side and immediately deployed the Divine Shield, enveloping both of them within its defense.
Boom!!
Crack!!
The defensive field formed by the Shield above Ryuya's head lasted barely over a second before cracks rapidly spread across it, on the verge of shattering!
"Go, now."
Ryuya shoved Koneko away.
"Ryuya!!"
Koneko cried out, panic flashing in her eyes.
But Ryuya couldn't spare any more attention. The sheer ferocity of that demonic power made him realize one thing—
The attacker was anything but ordinary!
This level of power… was likely already on par with a high-class devil!
Someone with strength like that—aside from Raiser—there was only one possibility.
Raiser's Queen!!
Ryuya's heart sank. As expected, Raiser wouldn't just sit back and do nothing—he would take action sooner or later.
He just hadn't expected him to send out his Queen directly for a surprise attack.
As the barrier was about to shatter, Ryuya immediately poured demonic power into it, preparing to forcibly tank the attack with the Shield.
If this were outside, enduring this strike head-on would have been difficult—but now, with a clone sharing his power, even his demonic energy was synchronized. It was as if his strength had doubled, greatly increasing his chances of withstanding it.
Barely three seconds later, the low-tier defensive field completely collapsed. The incoming demonic power was only slightly weakened before crashing straight down onto Ryuya!
His body was instantly engulfed in flames. Even Koneko, who had been pushed away, was blown off her feet again, rolling several times across the ground before stopping.
"Hehe…"
A cold laugh echoed from the sky. A mature woman wearing a mage's cloak and holding a staff hovered in midair, her cloak spread wide like wings, exuding an imposing presence.
Raiser's Queen—Yubelluna!
"That should've broken him."
Yubelluna smiled confidently. She was certain that under her attack, Ryuya—merely a Knight—couldn't possibly withstand it.
However, a calm voice soon rang out from within the explosion's smoke and dust.
"You're overthinking it."
Yubelluna's expression froze instantly.
She watched as the smoke and dust on the battlefield gradually dispersed. Soon after, Ryuya's tall, well-proportioned figure appeared once more at the center.
Although the surrounding ground had sunk nearly five meters, the spot where he stood remained completely intact!
Above his head hovered a silver shield, radiant with divine light. Upon its surface were engraved scenes of countless beings paying homage—flowers, birds, insects, and fish interwoven like an ancient grand sacrificial ritual—exuding an aura that was vast, solemn, and overwhelmingly majestic.
"He actually blocked it…?"
Yubelluna was secretly shocked.
"How is that possible? He's just a Knight—how could he withstand an attack from me, a Queen?"
In a Rating Game, among all devil chess pieces, the Queen class is granted the greatest combat power of all. The reason is simple: although there is only one Queen, she possesses the traits of every other piece!
The Rook's defense and strength, the Knight's speed, the Bishop's magic power… all of it combined. Such a configuration makes the Queen's battle potential overwhelmingly powerful.
Koneko had already begun to fear that Ryuya was about to be eliminated. Seeing him unharmed now, she was overjoyed.
"You're okay… thank goodness…"
"I almost got ambushed there,"
Ryuya said with a smile. Fortunately, with the clone doubling his demonic power, he had managed to hold on.
At that moment, a voice came through the demonic communication device in Ryuya's ear—the one Rias had distributed to everyone before they split up, allowing for instant contact.
"What just happened over there?" Rias asked.
"Nothing serious. Raiser's Queen is on our side," Ryuya briefly explained.
Rias was startled. "You're okay? Do you need me to come over right away?"
She immediately thought of Ryuya's plan—she was supposed to hold back Raiser's Queen, freeing Akeno to deal with the remaining Rook and Knight.
"No need. We've only taken out three Pawns so far," Ryuya declined her offer. Rias couldn't leave right now—otherwise their main base would be wide open.
Just then, a thunderous roar echoed from the distance, followed by Grayfia's broadcast once again:
"Two Pawns and one Bishop of Lord Raiser Phenex are unable to continue fighting."
It was Akeno. Looks like she'd caught the enemy's ambush squad.
The corner of Ryuya's mouth lifted slightly. The battle was going suspiciously smoothly—seven enemies eliminated already, and this fast?
"I'll handle her."
Akeno's voice rang out from afar as she descended from the sky, positioning herself between Ryuya and Yubelluna.
She had already set up her illusion formation, and after dealing with the three ambushers, she was finally free to move.
"Alright. Akeno, hold her for a bit. I'll go find the others."
With a light smile, Ryuya left with Koneko. Soon, another piece of good news arrived.
His clone had located another one of Raiser's squads.
Judging by its composition, that group contained one Bishop, two Knights, two Pawns, and one Rook.
Six people in total—nearly all of their remaining pieces.
Strange… there was still one Pawn missing.
Ryuya pondered this inwardly. It seemed that after suffering such heavy losses, Raiser had finally been forced to get serious. That missing Pawn was probably planning to sneak into the main base for Promotion, wasn't he?
If that Pawn succeeded and coordinated with Yubelluna, then there would be two Queens, plus Raiser himself—more than enough to secure victory!
In fact, that lined up perfectly with Ryuya's own thinking…
The difference was that Ryuya's clone was the most secret weapon in this entire battle. Raiser hadn't realized yet that Ryuya possessed something as utterly unfair as a clone.
The clone was completely hidden in the shadows…
Heh.
Maybe he could give Raiser a very big surprise soon.
---
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