The commotion was so great that even the barrier covering the entire gymnasium couldn't fully contain it.
Violent tremors radiated from the gymnasium, spreading toward the rest of Kuoh Academy. Although the range wasn't vast and the intensity of the shaking diminished as it traveled, it still startled those remaining on campus during the holiday.
"What happened?"
"Was that an earthquake?"
"I thought I heard a loud bang just now. Where did it come from?"
"It came from over there, didn't it?"
"Was that thunder?"
Many looked around in confusion, yet no one realized the source was the gymnasium.
After the tremors subsided, the gymnasium fell into a long silence. From the outside, nothing seemed amiss, but if anyone were to step inside and see the interior, they would certainly gasp in horror.
The inside of the gym was riddled with holes and utterly devastated.
The walls and ceiling were webbed with cracks. Equipment and various items lay scattered everywhere, turning the once-new facility into a war zone, looking very much like a ruin abandoned for years.
The state of the floor was even worse; it wasn't just a matter of cracks. Deep, jagged ravines snaked across the surface, as if the earth itself had just been torn open. It was a shocking sight.
Of course, the worst of it was inside the barrier.
Within the barrier erected by the Sitri peerage, the entire battlefield had been obliterated. It was a landscape of craters and mounds; the original flooring had been completely ripped away, exposing large patches of soil, with dust and smoke still swirling in the air.
Rubbles, debris, and chunks of ice were strewn everywhere, while stray arcs of electricity flickered through the air.
"Cough, cough—"
"Ha—ha—"
Yukinoshita Yukino and Himejima Akeno had both descended from the air. One knelt on one knee, coughing, with charred marks on her body; the other had more than half of her body covered in frost, causing her to exhale hot, ragged breaths.
"Akeno!"
"Yukino!"
The members of the Gremory and Eligos peerages cried out. Leon and Rias rushed forward immediately to reach their sides.
"Is... is it over?"
"Who won?"
"I don't know—"
The members of the Sitri peerage finally snapped out of their shock. Wearing expressions of lingering fear, they began to whisper among themselves in uncertainty.
Upon closer inspection, the barrier they had maintained was teetering on the edge of collapse, looking as though it might shatter at any moment.
Just moments ago, the Sitri peerage members truly thought their barrier was going to break and that they would be caught in the aftershocks of the collision between Yukinoshita and Himejima's final strikes. Their hearts had skipped a few beats.
Fortunately, the barrier built by the six of them held firm in the end, blocking the majority of the shockwaves. Only a small portion had transmitted through the ground, causing some surface damage but leaving the six of them unharmed.
This could be considered a blessing amidst the misfortune.
"Is everyone okay?"
Sona Sitri stepped forward to check the situation, her gaze shifting between Yukinoshita Yukino and Himejima Akeno.
By then, Leon and Rias had already finished checking on the two girls, and their expressions softened considerably.
"They're fine, just some minor injuries."
"Same here, nothing serious."
Leon and Rias spoke in succession. Their respective peerage members remained by Yukinoshita and Himejima's sides, offering words of concern and performing simple first aid.
This was no easy task. While a devil's magic was nearly omnipotent, it was heavily dependent on imagination and technical skill. It just so happened that no one present specialized in healing, so they could only manage simple treatments.
Recovery abilities were not something commonly found in the supernatural world. It required a specific aptitude, and the number of people capable of using it was limited; it was among the rarest of abilities. This was especially true for abilities strong enough to regenerate lost limbs; unless one used extraordinarily powerful methods—such as forbidden spells—it was very difficult to achieve.
Of course, some people could handle treating minor wounds. Himejima Akeno had some ability in this area, and Shinra Tsubaki could manage a few tricks, but the others were incapable.
Leon had recently paid attention to his own peerage and discovered that while Yukinoshita Yukino was exceptionally gifted in magic, she was not skilled in recovery. The same applied to Yuuki Asuna and Kasumigaoka Utaha. On the contrary, Shiina Mahiru, the "Angel" chosen by the Holy Relic, seemed to have a knack for it. Leon made a mental note to have her study healing properly later.
Currently, Yukinoshita and Himejima were not in great condition, but that wasn't due to severe injury. Rather, they had pushed themselves too hard in that final strike, which not only resulted in massive exhaustion but also caused a backlash of magic. Consequently, their insides felt as if they were being simultaneously burned and frozen, which was extremely uncomfortable. However, their physical injuries were manageable; after a period of rest, they should be fine.
"In that case, shall we call this match a draw?"
Sona Sitri thought for a moment and suggested.
Leon and Rias immediately looked at each other, both seeing a trace of a smile in the other's eyes.
No winner? A draw?
What did that mean?
It meant that in the three duels between the Eligos and Gremory peerages, the score was one win, one loss, and one draw.
In other words, the next battle would be the tie-breaker to decide who was stronger.
And the participants for this battle would be the leaders of both sides—the "Kings."
"I have no objection."
"Neither do I."
Leon and Rias spoke simultaneously, one with composure, the other with confidence.
Leon was naturally composed; he didn't believe he would lose to Rias.
Although Rias was not weak—possessing the trait of "Destruction," she would be a difficult opponent for even a High-class Devil to suppress—Leon would have had no chance of victory if he were facing her back when he first became a High-class Devil.
But now, he had broken through to the level of an Ultimate-class Devil. Even without using "Thunderous Prison of the Radiant Heavens," he was stronger than Rias. The possibility of him failing was very low.
In fact, if he weren't giving the "Destruction" trait at least a modicum of respect, Leon wouldn't even think "the possibility is low"; he would feel that losing was impossible.
Because he took the "Destruction" trait seriously, Leon felt he couldn't be careless. Otherwise, he truly wouldn't need to take an entity at the High-class Devil level seriously.
Rias was equally confident in herself and didn't think she would lose easily.
It wasn't that she didn't know Leon. On the contrary, because of Sona Sitri, Rias had kept an eye on him. She knew of his previous performances and was aware that his awakening of a mutated trait gave him the chance to soar. He was certainly much stronger than before.
However, she used to be much stronger than Leon. Even if he had become stronger—even if he were slightly stronger than her—with her "Destruction" trait, she could overturn the gap in strength and strive for victory.
This might be a challenge, but Rias never feared a challenge.
"Then, shall we start directly?"
Leon noted Rias's confidence and asked with a smile.
"I'm ready."
Rias looked at Leon with burning eyes, her gaze full of fighting spirit.
"Then—"
Seeing this, Sona Sitri habitually pushed up her glasses. Just as she was about to say something, her movement abruptly stopped.
"!"
At almost the exact same moment, everyone in the gymnasium felt a certain sensation and snapped their heads up.
Unfortunately, by the time they reacted, it was already too late.
A massive magic circle suddenly expanded from beneath Kuoh Academy, rotating and growing until it enveloped the entire school.
The circle glowed with a red light, much like the teleportation circles devils usually used.
The red light rapidly spread through the interior of Kuoh Academy, bypassing the ordinary people who possessed no magic and the irrelevant buildings. It directly locked onto the personnel from the Eligos, Gremory, and Sitri peerages located in the gym.
"This is—?!"
Hum
Rias's face paled instantly.
"It's a compulsory spatial transfer!" Sona Sitri shouted immediately.
"Everyone, be careful!"
Once Leon realized what was happening, he didn't hesitate to reach out toward his peerage members.
"President!"
"President!"
"Akuma-kun!"
"Senpai!"
Yukinoshita Yukino, Yuuki Asuna, Kasumigaoka Utaha, and Shiina Mahiru all looked panicked. By reflex, they reached out toward Leon, attempting to grasp the hand extending toward them.
The distance between them wasn't great, but at this moment, that small gap felt like an impassable chasm.
Clang
The red light enveloped everyone present, reacting with the magic in their bodies. Like a standard teleportation circle, their bodies vanished along with the light.
Leon and the members of the Eligos peerage never managed to grasp each other's hands. Along with the Gremory and Sitri peerages, they were all teleported away, vanishing from the spot.
Before long, the red light dissipated, and the magic circle rotating beneath Kuoh Academy slowly shrank until it disappeared.
No one in Kuoh Academy noticed the anomaly, continuing with their business as usual.
This was a mysterious space, its location unknown to the world.
Leon's figure suddenly appeared there, still holding the posture of reaching out his hand. However, the familiar girls were nowhere to be seen in his field of vision.
Leon silently lowered his hand. His face was expressionless, but his eyes flickered with a coldness that couldn't be wiped away.
"This place is—"
"Where are we?"
Two voices reached his ears, causing Leon to snap out of his thoughts and look over.
Upon looking, Leon discovered that besides himself, two other people had appeared in different parts of this space.
"Sona, Rias."
They were indeed Sona Sitri and Rias Gremory.
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