DxD: The Sorcery System Chapter 46

Chapter 46: The Rating Game (⅔)

[Hallway, Modeled Kuoh Academy]

<<Curved Barrier>>

“Tsk.”

The person clicked their tongue as their blade bounced off my barrier, protecting me from losing a limb.

“Reo!” Akeno shouted as Kiba leaped forward, clashing swords with the second knight.

It was dangerous. If not for my Sixth Sense, I might have been seriously injured.

“You’re fast,” said the knight whose blade had bounced off my barrier. “Or just lucky.”

It was amusing to see a blue-black-haired girl, dressed in armor straight out of a video game, wielding a massive two-handed sword.

“Or maybe you’re just slow with that oversized sword,” I retorted, tired of Riser and his peerage’s mockery. It was only fair to repay them in kind.

I glanced over and saw Kiba matching swords with the other knight, who wore a strange cloth headpiece.

As for Koneko and Akeno—

“Flare Blitz!”

They had their own battles to fight.

“Keep your eyes on me!” the knight shouted, swinging her blade at me again, this time with a yellow aura surrounding it.

<<Curved Barrier>>

“Tch.”

This Curved Barrier was my favorite. It occupied the minimal space required to defend, making it an excellent defense in tight spots and when I needed the barrier to bend in unusual ways.

“What kind of barrier is this?” she demanded, clearly frustrated that all her strikes were being deflected.

Thanks to my new magical abilities that increased my overall magic output —the more spells I learned, the greater my magical reserves became— I could enhance my Magical Physique as well.

And like my magic output, my physical enhancements had improved significantly, allowing me to match the level of a mid-tier devil. If I pushed myself, I could even reach the speed of high-tier, speed-based devils.

“Just defending won’t help you win!” she yelled, bringing her sword down toward my head with immense force.

<<Double Curved Barrier>>

Two cross-shaped purple barriers formed above my head—one stopping the blade, the other absorbing the force behind it.

“You’re just a magician,” she scoffed. “You can’t do anything without your barriers.”

It was a weak attempt at provoking me. Common sense dictated that at close range, melee fighters, especially rooks and knights, had the upper hand over bishops and magic users.

A flawed judgment.

Left.

<<Curved Barrier>>

Right.

<<Curved Barrier>>

Up, down.

<<Curved Barrier>>

It didn’t matter where she attacked from. My Sixth Sense was faster, and my Barrier Magic was stronger.

“You!” I could see her patience waning as she exerted more and more force into each strike, desperate to catch me off-guard or crack my barrier.

But the only way to break this barrier was to be at a significantly higher level than me.

She kept ramming into the purple translucent barrier, losing strength and energy as time passed.

I glanced around and saw Kiba strike down the other knight.

“Riser’s Knight, Karlamine, has been eliminated!”

Grayfia’s voice echoed through the hallway, significantly weakening Riser’s forces.

But the Phenex still had the upper hand.

“Damn you!”

He was using the same strategy I was.

Tire out the enemy.

I watched the knight huff before me, her strength fading and arms weakening.

Barrier Magic consumed almost no energy or magic.

A dozen barriers consumed only half the magic of a fireball.

I had recently learned to optimize my barriers, avoiding the unnecessary drainage of magical energy.

“You need help, Reo?” Kiba called out, tired from facing multiple pawns and a knight.

“No,” I shouted back. “Save your energy or help the others.”

“Keep your eyes on the sword!” the knight roared, “Hollow Slash!”

She screamed her attack, creating a blinding flash of yellow light that came crashing toward me.

And it… amused me.

<<Triple Curved Barrier!>>

None of Riser’s peerage had any extraordinary abilities, while everyone on Rias’ side possessed outstanding skills.

The difference was the strategy and experience, which gave Riser’s peerage the advantage.

“H-How…”

Unfortunately for them, they didn’t realize they were just being sacrificed.

“A magician,” I finally went on the offensive. “Is never predictable.”

With that, I cast two spells.

<<Aqua Field>>

A pond’s worth of water appeared.

<<Aquatic Tentacles>>

Chains of water followed, binding the knight.

“Riser’s bishop, Mihae, has been eliminated!”

Grayfia’s voice rang out again.

“Riser’s pawn, Mira, has been eliminated!”

Kiba, Koneko, and Akeno had all defeated their opponents, leaving me with the trapped knight.

<<Tazed Bolts>>

“Gahhhh!!!” the knight screamed as she was shocked from all sides by the conductive surface. Her body jerked, her shout hitched, and her sword dropped.

Before long, her eyes rolled back, and she lost consciousness.

“Riser’s Knight, Siris, has been eliminated!”

“Good job, Reo!” Kiba shouted, seeing me emerge victorious.

But I wasn’t pleased.

I was the only one who won without losing much magic or energy, focusing on using low-cost spells.

However…

The others weren’t as fortunate.

“We’ve taken down half their team without losing a single member,” Akeno said, sighing as she, too, had exerted a lot of magic. “If we keep this up, we’ll reach Riser soon!”

But why do I feel like… Riser wanted us to win against them?

Something didn’t feel right.

And my doubts were confirmed when I heard another announcement.

“Riser’s pawns, Shuria, Ni, and Li, have been eliminated!”

“Riser’s rooks, Isabella and Xuelan, have been eliminated!”

And then it clicked.

“Riser was targeting Rias!” Kiba yelled. “We need to get to her!”

He didn’t wait a second before dashing in her direction.

“Let’s go!” Akeno shouted, with Koneko following close behind.

No.

Riser didn’t want us to move forward.

He wanted us to go back.

He wanted us to group together!

Wait, no!

“Wait!” I yelled, but it was too late. They had already turned the corner and were running toward Rias, leaving me alone.

Riser never intended for us to reach him.

He had always planned to come to us instead.

“Looks like you’re smarter than Riser gave you credit for.”

And that only proved to be true as I heard his voice from around the corner.

{Supernatural Being Detected!}

Riser Phenex…

…

…

[Minutes Later — Rating Game Arena, Gremory Estate, Underworld]

{Ruval Phenex}

"Rias' Rook, Koneko, has been eliminated!"

"Rias' Knight, Kiba, has been eliminated!"

"T-That—"

Lord Gremory nearly jumped out of his chair, shocked to see Rias' peerage members ambushed and eliminated in a single massive barrage of explosions.

"Hah!" Father laughed. "I knew he wasn't stupid!"

Riser’s Queen, along with my sister, had been lying in wait to ambush Rias’ peerage members. With them exhausted and gathered together, it was the perfect moment to strike.

"One attack," Father laughed loudly. "You see! It was just one attack!"

But it wasn't a single attack that took down Rias’ knight and rook. It was my sister's hellfire, combined with Riser’s Queen’s explosives, that caught the two by surprise. Given how exhausted they were, neither could dodge the explosion or escape the rubble.

While the knight was eliminated by the explosion, my sister's hellfire finished off the rook.

"It's just her queen and Rias now," Father mused. "How do you think she’s going to handle this, Zeoticus?"

I could see the worry on Lord Gremory’s face.

Rias was stronger than my brother's queen and Ravel, and so was Rias’ queen. But both of them were exhausted and had taken significant damage from the explosion.

"Her queen excels in magic, especially with the lightning element," Lord Gremory explained. "So, despite her exhaustion, she should be able to hold her ground."

"And Rias has the Power of Destruction thanks to her maternal side," I added. "It can burn through almost anything."

Both fathers nodded, acknowledging the strengths of both sides.

However, Rias was at a massive disadvantage, something my father quickly noticed.

"Zeoticus," he looked at Lord Gremory and smiled. "There's something you're forgetting."

This caught the lord’s attention.

The answer came from my side.

"The Phoenix Tears."

Rias, Akeno Himejima, and her eliminated members had used the tears after winning against Riser’s members. But that meant they had exhausted their entire supply, as the tears were distributed based on the number of peerage members.

Riser, on the other hand, still had all of his, since none of his eliminated members had received a vial from him.

"That..."

Lord Gremory’s eyes widened as he realized who had all the Phoenix Tears.

"The tears are with Riser’s Queen," I stated, understanding exactly how Riser intended this match to end—an endless barrage of explosions and hellfire while slowly depleting Rias and her Queen's energy.

"I believe the match is decided." Once again, Father laughed, confident in Riser’s victory.

However...

I didn't think the same.

My eyes were still mostly fixed on another person—someone who hadn't used his Phoenix Tears or wasted magic or energy.

And right now… he was facing my brother.

Reo Takeda.

This final fight on both sides will determine the victor.

And I have a strong feeling this match isn't going to go the way everyone expects.

And maybe…

No strategy, no phoenix tear would even matter.