Sona turned her gaze toward them and smiled bitterly.
From where she stood, Rias could see it clearly—the faint tremor in that smile, the exhaustion hidden beneath Sona's usual composure. The rooftop wind carried the scent of water and scorched stone, remnants of the battles below. Of all places, Sona had chosen the highest, loneliest point.
Rias took a step forward, her crimson hair fluttering behind her.
"Sona," she asked quietly, "why the roof?"
Sona didn't answer immediately. Instead, she looked up at the sky, where clouds drifted lazily, indifferent to the struggle of devils below. When she finally spoke, her voice was calm, almost gentle.
"The [King] must survive until the end. That is the duty of the [King]. If the [King] is taken out, the game would be over… right?"
Rias exhaled slowly.
"…Yes. I didn't question the profundity of that."
Those words weren't just strategy—they were conviction. Rias could feel it in her chest. Sona wasn't running. She was standing her ground, carrying the weight of her entire peerage on her shoulders.
Sona turned fully toward Rias now, her glasses reflecting the dull light.
"Rias, Saji won against the Sekiryuutei. Neither Ise-kun nor you made any mistakes," Sona said firmly. "—Please don't make light of that child. You aren't the only ones who are desperate."
Rias clenched her fist.
"Yes… I could sense it with my body," she replied, her voice steady despite the storm of emotions inside her. "—Now then, let's settle this, Sona."
She stepped forward again.
From the edge of the rooftop, Akeno watched them closely.
•••
(Akeno's POV)
…She's really going to do it alone.
Rias back was straight, her aura unwavering. That stubbornness of hers—once she decided something, no one could stop her. Akeno smiled faintly, though her eyes remained sharp.
If that's the case—
"If I sense danger, I'll enter to help immediately," Akeno said aloud. "I won't listen to your selfishness."
Rias didn't turn around. She didn't nod. She didn't respond at all.
But Akeno knew.
She understood.
If Rias was close to losing, Akeno would step in without hesitation. Protests be damned. Because if the [King] fell, everything would end.
•••
The rooftop fell silent.
Then, the battle between best friends began.
Rias felt it first—a shift in the air. A cool, heavy presence spread across the rooftop as water gathered around Sona. It wasn't summoned from a single source. No… Rias realized it immediately.
The water was being drawn from everywhere.
Pipes, walls, the very structure of the department store below—they all fed into Sona's magic. The sheer volume was overwhelming.
As expected of the Sitri family.
Rias had heard it before: the elder sister wielded ice, while the younger mastered water. Seeing it firsthand was something else entirely.
Sona raised her hand, and the water responded.
Rias didn't hesitate.
Destruction magic flared around her, crimson energy compressing into countless bullets. Without a word, she fired.
Magic bullets roared forward like a machine gun, each one no larger than a softball—yet packed with terrifying purity. This wasn't flashy destruction. This was refined, disciplined power. The result of relentless training.
Zabun.
Zabaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan.
A wall of water rose instantly before Sona, swallowing the bullets. Each impact vaporized part of it, but the wall never thinned. The water replenished itself endlessly, flowing in from all directions.
"Now then, Rias," Sona said calmly, her voice carrying through the spray. "I shall thoroughly display my water techniques to you."
The water moved again—this time changing form.
Hawks took flight, wings beating sharply. Serpents slithered across the rooftop, their bodies coiling with lethal precision. Lions and wolves formed ranks, their shapes solid and imposing. And behind them—
Dragons.
Massive, roaring constructs of water, twisting through the air.
Rias's eyes widened for just a moment.
So many forms at once…!
Her lips curved upward into a fearless smile.
"Just as I wished for, Sona!"
Rias layered compression upon compression, destruction upon destruction, filling the air with an overwhelming number of magic bullets. Any one of them could erase a lesser devil. Together, they formed a storm of annihilation.
It was clear now.
Rias excelled in raw power.
Sona excelled in technique.
Two Kings. Two philosophies. Two paths colliding.
They locked eyes.
And then—
They unleashed everything at the same time.
The rooftop vanished beneath light, water, and destruction.
When the brilliance faded, only one aura remained standing.
[Resignation confirmed. It is the victory of Rias Gremory-sama.]
~~~
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