[Offence team, can you hear? We’re now advancing towards the enemy base as well.] A communication from Buchou. I see, so Buchou had finally started to move as well. The opening and middle stages were over, and we were heading to the last spurt all at once! After taking a big breath, I spoke to Koneko-chan. “Let’s go.”
Koneko-chan nodded, and we proceeded towards the final decisive battle. There was a place that looked like a central plaza in the centre of the shopping mall. Surrounded by a circular bench, there was a clock pillar in the centre of it. Shoppers that got tired with shopping frequently sat down there. Once we had advanced that far, I stopped walking. Naturally. —Since Sona-kaichou was right there before me! “How do you do, Hyoudou Issei-kun, Toujou Koneko-san. I see, so that’s the appearance of the Sekiryuutei. I do feel a terrible wave of power from you. It’s only natural for everyone to consider it dangerous.”
She spoke in a calm and composed tone. Kaichou was surrounded by a barrier. The ones generating the barrier were the two [Bishop] members of the student council. And the line that was attached to my right arm was connected to one of the [Bishops]? It couldn’t be, was their plan to channel my power through the [Bishop] and into the barrier? It was bad if the power of the Sekiryuutei was being poured into it! If Kiba or Xenovia joined up with us, we could just cut through it with a holy sword. Soon, the vice-president of the student council, Shinra-senpai appeared. This girl was also beautiful! Moreover, she had a surprisingly glamorous body! Running after her, Kiba appeared from the opposite direction from which we had come from. —So the one that was taken out was Xenovia, huh. “…Sona, you’re quite bold. To have come right to the centre.”
Buchou’s voice! When I looked back, I saw that Buchou had also arrived here. “Haven’t you yourself, the [King], also moved personally as well, Rias?”
“Yeah, since we’ve already reached the final stage either way. Though it seems to have turned out quite differently from what I expected…”
Buchou wore a rigid expression. Certainly, the plan’s goal was for Kiba and Xenovia to take down Kaichou. I was supposed to be the bait for the sake of that, but…She seemed to have completely read us! Was Kaichou one step higher than us? No, I believed in Buchou! —. Suddenly, my consciousness became distant…A-re……A-rere? I staggered in place…A-rere? The muddiness of my mind was becoming stronger little by little…? Finally, I fell to my knees where I stood. “…Ise?”
Buchou noticed the change in me and Asia activated her healing Sacred Gear over me. While giving off a pale green colour, it wrapped my body with a gentle light, —the pain disappeared, but the distantness of my consciousness didn’t go away! Buchou tried taking out the [Phoenix Tears], but stopped. She judged that, if something couldn’t be completely cured by Asia’s Sacred Gear, the tears would also have little effect. All the other group members had noticed the change in me, and became bewildered. Among them, only Kaichou was giving a small smile. “Neither Asia-san’s Sacred Gear nor the [Phoenix Tears] will have any effect. Rias, I saw the video records of how the battle with Raiser was finished. What I understood from that was that Hyoudou-kun is a boy that won’t give up in battle, to the point of being frightening. For the sake of his comrades, for himself, and above all for Rias—”
Kaichou continued further. “We may not be able to defeat him with just damage. No matter how many times we knock him down, he'll just get back up. To us, your so-called “guts and spirit” is just as astounding as the power of the Sekiryuutei. Yes, if you don’t give up and keep on standing up, you believe that you’ll eventually defeat your enemy. That willpower connects directly to the power of the Sekiryuutei and increases your power by several times as well. That is the greatest weapon for Hyoudou-kun.”
T-That’s because guts and spirit are my only redeeming feature…
“That’s why we had no choice but to beat you with a different method.”
From a bag that was being held by one of the [Bishops]—a pack was taken out. The interior of the pack was red. Like blood. The line was connected to the pack and—it couldn’t be, inside the pack was…Kaichou confirmed the contents of the pack. “—It’s your blood. You are a reincarnated devil that is a human at your base. It’s lethal if a human loses half of the blood coursing through their body. You know that, right? The rule of the Rating Game. When a devil reaches the point of being unable to fight during the game, they are forcibly transported to the medical room.”
—Saji! You! This is what you were aiming for from the beginning! Gakun! I suddenly lost all strength in my body! Hyuh! Kiba threw a holy demonic dagger and cut off the line that was connected to me, but—. Red blood rushed out from the cut line onto the floor. Ah, so my blood was drawn out through the line. “It’s too late. You’ve already lost enough blood to be transported to the medical room.”
Those were Kaichou’s cold words! “—Sona. You—!”
Buchou ran up to me. Her expression was wrapped in impatience. Buchou and us had been completely outsmarted…
“That’s right, I used Saji’s Sacred Gear to suck out Hyoudou-kun’s blood little by little. —Until he entered a dangerous state. In order to continuously use a Sacred Gear, whose original ability is to suck out the energy of the target, to suck out their blood instead, considerable training and precise control was necessary. But, Saji managed to accomplish it.”
So he kept hitting me even while in that state not only because of his guts and spirit, but also to stall for time! Since he could only suck out my blood little by little, he sacrificed his own body back then in order to buy more time! He could have stalled for time just by running away from me but, he confronted me face to face instead. —Saji! You! —So everything was for the sake of beating me face to face! “Hyoudou-kun. You are close to retiring. You should only be able to do one or two attacks now. The reason is blood loss. Your armour is solid. Your offensive power is great. However, when I searched for ways to defeat you, there were many. Even if we can’t physically defeat you, the game rules will consider you unable to fight.”
I—didn’t have the strength left to stand up anymore. I had completely lost…
So there was such a method…So Kaichou’s plans were superior to ours!? Kaichou questioned Buchou. “Rias, what are you willing to bet on this battle? I’m willing to risk my life. My dream is a very difficult one. If I don’t destroy the obstacles one by one, I can’t cut open a path of solution.”
Kaichou spoke to Buchou from right in front of her! “Rias, I will destroy your pride and estimation.”
At Kaichou’s words, Buchou had a sour expression as if she had eaten a bitter bug. She must have been completely mortified! Certainly, Buchou had had the advantage in this battle.