Chapter 281 ~ Strategy

Words : 1785 Updated : Oct 5th, 2025

Chapter 281 ~ Strategy A dilapidated, old school building stood beyond the edge of the tree lines. The air still with tension, as if the world had fallen into an eerie silence. Not a whisper of wind, or a rustle of a single leaf. Just stillness, like the world itself was holding its breath. No... They were the ones holding their breath. There were still rustling leafs, crunch of dead twigs and dried leafs beneath their hushed steps. Karlamine and Siris, the two knights of Riser’s Peerage, and the rest of his pawns—Ni, Li, Marion, Burent, and Shuriya—were simply too focused on listening and looking for enemies hiding for a potential ambush to hear the background noises of the made-up nature within the battlefield of this Rating Game. They moved silently. Their footsteps light, breathing hushed, and every sense honed to detect the faintest unnatural disturbance. The scent of leaves, soil, and old wood hung thick in the air. Their goal was clear. Infiltrate, promote the pawns, and eliminate Rias’s remaining pieces, if possible. If not, escape and regroup with their Queen, Bishop. They’ve received information that Rias’s Queen, Rook, and sole Pawn had been sighted near the gymnasium—a clear sign that the bait had been taken. However, the results were shocking, to say the least. The Priestess of Thunder had eliminated Xuelan, Ille, Nel, and Mira. Karlamine, Riser’s other rook, had also been defeated somehow. Now, their Queen, Yubelluna, and Bishop, Mihae, seemed to be in an engagement with Rias’s Queen, Rook, and Pawn. Meaning, Rias’s remaining forces—her Knight and Bishop—must be inside. If it were only this much, they believed, if all five pawns were Promoted, they would be able to handle it. Even if their King were to join the fight. This was the true strike team. Riser had made all his other pieces, even his Queen, as bait and distraction to lure in Rias’s pieces, and placed their trust on them to become the hidden blade that pierces her heart from the shadows. They must succeed, no matter what. A chill wind brushed against their bare skin, much of which was revealed to the elements due to their revealing armor and outfit that Riser had chosen for them. But, they traversed through the trees lines in complete silence all the same. The silence was... uncomfortable. The very stillness felt, somehow, unnatural. Like the calm before a lightning strike. The Knight at the front, Karlamine, raised her hand to halt the group. Her emerald green eyes scanned their surroundings. She narrowed her gaze. Something felt off. A soft buzz. Then the tension snapped. BUZZ Several crimson red magic circles sprang to life—too quick to see, too loud to ignore. Siris was hoisted violently off the ground, ensnared in a glowing crimson snare, her Zweihänder clattering uselessly to the ground. “Ambush!” someone cried—but too late. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Explosions erupted from hidden magic circles beneath their feet, shaking the walls and scattering debris. Two pawns, Ni and Li, were instantly engulfed in a flash of heat and force, their auras vanishing as they were eliminated. Smoke filled the forest, thick and choking. And then— “Sword Birth!” The chilling voice rang out like a death sentence. The ground beneath them burst as dozens of demonic swords surged upward like the fangs of a steel beast. Karlamine barely managed to backflip away, but her trailing pawn, Burent, wasn’t as fortunate—impaled through the chest before she could scream. Another sword pierced the side of a second pawn, Marion, sending her crashing into the tree trunk, aura fading. “It's the Knight, Kiba Yuuto—he’s here!” Siris barked, her voice strained with panic. And then, without warning, her voice disappeared—cleaved by a sword too fast to see. Her fading body fell limp, dissolving into motes of light. From the mist stepped a single figure. Calm, composed, and deadly. Kiba Yuuto. The Knight of Rias Gremory. His twin demonic swords shimmered with an ominous black glow, the smoke parting around him like a curtain obeying its master. His expression was unreadable—neither angry nor arrogant. Just focused. Lethal. “As expected of the President and Akeno-san,” he said coldly, “you walked right into their hands.” “Bastard!” Karlamine surged forward, fury overtaking strategy. Her aura flared, and the last surviving pawn, Shuriya, followed, attempting a pincer maneuver. Kiba responded instantly. He met the knight head-on, blades clashing in a storm of sparks. Despite her strength, she was losing ground fast. Kiba moved with fluid grace, his every strike clean, controlled. His right sword held hers at bay—his left free to counter the pawn. Shuriya lunged at his side. He parried without even looking. The force sent her tumbling back, where more blades erupted from beneath her feet like a timed signal. One pierced through her ankle, stopping her short. The next—through her chest. She didn’t even have time to scream before her body vanished in a burst of light. The knight hesitated, fear now overtaking her rage. That was her last mistake. Kiba pushed her back with a single strike, tossed one of his blades aside, and dashed forward—blindingly fast. In a blink of an eye, he passed her. Her eyes widened. A moment of silence. Then her armor split down the middle, shattering like glass. Her aura flickered out. Kiba exhaled softly and turned his gaze back to the old school building. “Now then,” he said, voice as calm as ever. “Let’s begin escorting the President.” --------------------------------X-------------------------------- Meanwhile, High Above the Battlefield... The sky was alight with fire. Explosions burst through the air like blooming sunflowers of destruction, echoing across the school grounds with thunderous booms. Yubelluna hovered midair, her elegant form illuminated by flickers of magical light. Her hands pulsed with fiery energy as she launched spell after spell into the sky—desperate to land a direct hit on the darting blur that was her opponent. But Koneko Toujou was relentless. Small, fast, and terrifyingly silent, the petite Rook zipped through the air with a grace that defied her role. Her white hair streamed behind her like a comet’s tail, her eyes cold and locked on her target. ‘She’s so small!’ Yubelluna gritted her teeth, frustration mounting with every missed attack. ‘And how is a Rook this fast?!’ Koneko’s compact form made her a difficult target to hit even under normal circumstances. But combined with her supernatural agility, the girl was an aerial nightmare. Yubelluna had tried multiple area-of-effect blasts to compensate, scorching the air with rings of flame and arcane explosions—but each time, the damage barely singed Koneko's durable form. Still, she couldn’t relax. The moment her focus shifted for even a second, Koneko would close the distance—and Yubelluna knew that if Koneko got close, she wouldn't last long. She cast another explosive barrage, trying to keep the girl at bay, when the announcement echoed across the battlefield: “Bishop of Riser Phenex has been eliminated.” Yubelluna's breath caught in her throat. And then— “Five remaining pawns and both knights have been eliminated.” Her heart dropped. The coordinated assault had failed. All the backup she’d been counting on... gone. Her eyes flicked toward the distant edge of the battlefield. She had to fall back. Maybe regroup with— “Tch!” Rage bubbled in her chest. Her hands trembled—not from fear, but from fury. With a scream, she gathered power into her palms and hurled a maximum-output fire spell at Koneko. The explosion lit up the sky. A flaming shockwave ripped through the air, engulfing Koneko entirely. Dust and heat radiated out as fragments of magical fire rained down like meteor sparks. Yubelluna hovered, panting, eyes wide with manic hope. And then she saw it—Koneko’s small figure, stumbling out of the smoke. Burn marks marred her skin, and she clutched her side, clearly in pain. Yubelluna laughed triumphantly. But then—a soft, green light glowed around Koneko’s body. The wounds began to close. The burns vanished. Her eyes focused again with chilling clarity. “No...” Yubelluna whispered. Then she saw her—Asia Argento, crouched amidst the rubble of the half-destroyed gymnasium, her hands raised in prayer, healing aura still glowing faintly from her fingertips. The bishop wasn’t with Rias. She was here. Hiding. Supporting. Yubelluna moved to cast a spell at Asia, furious— But Koneko punched her. Hard. Pain exploded in her face, and she spiraled through the air. Before she could recover— “BOOST!” Issei Hyoudou appeared above her, a flash of red and green streaking through the sky. He slammed his fist into her midsection, driving the air from her lungs. And then— “Dress Break!” Her clothes exploded off her in a flurry of shredded fabric, revealing her naked body in all its voluptuous, sensual glory that almost made Issei bleed from his nose for a moment, and a hidden crimson glass vial tucked within the folds of her outfit. It fell, spinning through the air. “NO—!” Yubelluna reached out to grab it—but Koneko’s follow-up punch caught her square in the back, launching her downward like a missile. She crashed into the broken gym floor with a thunderous slam. “Senpai! The vial!” Koneko shouted. “Ah—Right!” Issei dove, wind roaring past his ears. He snagged the vial mid-air and tucked it against his chest. He didn’t know what it was, but he could tell from Yubelluna’s panic that it was important. Yubelluna groaned and began to rise, body scorched and trembling. She barely managed to lift her hand, fire gathering at her fingertips— CRACK—BOOM! A jagged bolt of lightning crashed down from the heavens, exploding against her with divine fury. Her scream echoed across the courtyard as her body convulsed from the surge. “Ara-ara~ Ufufufu~ Sneak attack is bad, you know~” Akeno descended from the clouds, her hand glowing with the aftershock of her magic. She landed beside Asia, her expression adorned with a sadistic smile. “Excellent work, both of you,” Rias said, walking into view, flanked by Kiba. “You played your roles perfectly.” The moment of calm barely lasted a heartbeat. Suddenly, the entire courtyard lit up in a deep orange hue. A massive fireball—ten times larger than anything before—came hurtling down from the sky. “DODGE!” The team scattered as the explosion struck, sending flames roaring through the field. From within the inferno, a shadow emerged. “Good... Good! You’ve done well to enrage me for the last time, Rias... You and your lowly slaves... I’ll make you beg once I’m done with you!” His wings spread, his golden eyes blazing with fury. Flames coiled around his body like a living aura. Riser Phenex had arrived. And he was pissed.

Chapter 281 ~ Strategy

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