More than anything, while I could block punches, kicks, magic bullets, and even those flaming wheels, the small dragons were the real problem, I had to completely dodge them.
I'd already twisted my body unnaturally several times to avoid them, and the strain was starting to build up.
I fired off aura bullets and foxfire as feints, but their power got nullified by the "Divide" ability. And to make matters worse—there was another troublesome trait.
"Reflect!"
"Reflect!"
"Reflect!"
"Reflect!"
That's right—not only did he have "Divide," but also the "Reflect" ability Albion once used. Any attack that passed him—or even my own poorly aimed attacks—would bounce right back at me.
Seriously… ever since he awakened this power, Issei's technical abilities have skyrocketed.
Koneko's no slouch either—after learning limiter release techniques, her punches and kicks have become drastically stronger. And with her occasional perception acceleration, if I let my guard down, she could easily lock me into a submission hold.
"You're not done yet, Koneko! Release the flames of purification!"
"I don't quite understand, but… understood."
Prompted by Issei, Koneko released white flames toward me. Along their path, the dragons lined up in formation, their color shifting from white to red.
"Boost!!"
"Boost!!"
"Boost!!"
"Boost!!"
"Boost!!"
"Boost!!"
Each time the flames passed through a dragon, the "Boost" effect activated, amplifying them into a massive inferno.
"Foxfire!!"
I countered with flames infused with dense malice, and the sky of the battlefield was painted in opposing colors—pure white and pitch black flames clashing violently.
I poured in enough power to match the level of someone like Shalba…
"How's that!? Instead of strengthening allies directly, I enhance their attacks! That way, there's practically zero burden on the body!"
What a pain in the ass! I knew about this ability, but actually fighting against it is unbelievably annoying!
Still, the most troublesome thing for me is definitely "Divide."
Touch it, and it's over. It reminds me of the first time I fought Vali.
Back then, neither of us could land a decisive blow, and we ended up fighting for hours straight.
"We can do this! With Senpai Issei's current power, he can fight Ikki-senpai even without Ittou Shura… Though if that technique gets used, we'd probably be wiped out in under a minute…"
Hmm… maybe. If I focus on evasion, one minute might be hard.
Well, if we only care about winning the game, we could just target Rias directly.
But putting that aside—how should I fight this?
Issei's new ability is basically like turning the entire field into a space where buffs for allies and debuffs for enemies are constantly flying around.
The activation conditions differ, but it's almost like facing that red sabers golden theater.
Anyway, first I need to find a way to break through "Divide"…
…Wait. Do I even need to?
Alright, let's test something.
The moment the idea struck me, I immediately acted and dashed straight toward Issei.
And then, I ignored the incoming white dragons and charged right through them.
"Divide!"
"Divide!"
"Divide!"
Three of them struck my body, activating the ability—but while my power was slightly reduced, it was nowhere near enough to be called "halved."
"What!?"
Ignoring Issei's shock, I drove a kick into his abdomen, shattering his armor and slamming him into the ground.
"Ghk—cough! Why!?"
"Well, thinking about it, the White Dragon Emperor's 'Divide' doesn't work properly on beings with divine power. 'Divine Dividing' naturally reduces debuff effects. Even Vali had to use indirect methods like 'dividing space' when fighting Pluto, right?"
If Vali couldn't do it directly, then Issei wouldn't be able to either.
During the peace talks, we even used Divine Dividing to counter Gasper's time-stop. And my Divine Dividing has grown stronger since then.
["Riser Phenex's 'Queen' has retired."]
Ah—so Yubelluna is down.
"See? Now you're down to three. If Riser falls before Ikki defeats us, we win. Shouldn't the retirement announcement be coming any moment now?"
Normally, someone like Riser, who's been getting battered, would've run out of stamina and retired by now.
Yes… normally.
"By the way, didn't you find Riser's peerage surprisingly strong?"
"…What are you getting at?"
"The trick is simple. I had my familiar, Izuna, possess them. Izuna's aura alone is nearly at upper-class devil level. Add that to their own power, and even if they can't fully control it, the output becomes impressive. And the same applies to Riser."
I continued calmly.
"Izuna has a huge aura capacity. Right now, it's constantly supplying Riser. Since Phoenix regeneration consumes stamina, Izuna is covering most of that cost. That means… Riser can keep going for a long time."
The idea was simple: turn Riser into a punching bag while keeping him alive.
And then—
["Rias Gremory's 'Queen,' 'Rook,' and 'Knight' have retired."]
"I was planning to get serious once all of Riser's peerage was eliminated. From here on out—no more playing around."
Though honestly, I was already pretty serious.
"…In that case, I'll use my final trump card."
As Koneko said that, she spread her wings and flew toward where Riser and Rias were fighting.
Issei and I followed, and Kuroka joined us there as well.
"Damn it! We were so close and now Kuroka's here too!"
Rias looked frustrated, while Riser…
…was down to just his underwear.
It seemed he didn't even have the energy left to regenerate his clothes.
"Haa… haa… haha! Looks like… I've outlasted you all!"
Riser laughed triumphantly but then Koneko landed in front of Rias.
"It's fine. If they're going to use borderline unfair tactics, then so will we. President, I request permission. This move will turn the tables."
"You have a plan? Very well. Show me."
What is she planning…?
As we watched, Koneko lightly cut her palm with her claw.
"Familiar Summoning—Ikki-senpai!"
BOOM!
The moment she slammed her hand onto the ground, I was forcibly teleported right in front of her.
"Since Ikki-senpai has been summoned as my familiar, that means Sister Kuroka is now on our side as well."
"Ah… well, I guess that's how it works, nya~?"
"Um… Riser… brother-in-law…?"
"I'm still not comfortable being called that… What is it?"
"Give up."
A few seconds later, Riser's scream echoed across the field—followed by the retirement announcement.