Rias had kept Yoru at the base not only as a final trump card but also as a defensive measure to prevent their base from being easily breached.
After all, under the rules of the Rating Game, aside from eliminating all of the opponent's combatants, the game would also end in victory if three or more of one side's pieces invaded the opposing base.
Riser had a full fifteen servants, an overwhelming numerical advantage that Rias couldn't hope to match. If a blunder allowed Riser's subordinates to invade the base and win the match, it would be humiliating beyond words.
Now, although Kiba, Koneko, and Akeno had all withdrawn, they had perfectly completed their roles. At this point, aside from Riser himself, he only had two servants remaining.
That meant Yoru, who had been stationed in the base doing nothing until now, was finally free to move and act without restraint.
The Phoenix is the beloved of flame. To most people, the power of the Phoenix House utterly suppresses mages who use water or ice.
For example, Sona, who specializes in water-based magic, would find it extremely troublesome to go up against a member of the Phoenix family. As for using frost to freeze a Phoenix? That idea was laughable—utterly ridiculous.
"But... if one could truly freeze flames, that would surely be a breathtaking sight, wouldn't it?"
Murmuring softly, Yoru stepped out of the school building with a quiet chuckle. With each step he took, a faint frost spread from beneath his feet, casting a glistening layer of white over the entire school.
At the same moment, on the rooftop of the new school building within the academy, Rias stood face-to-face with Riser.
It seemed... she had reached her limit.
Rias panted slightly. Akeno's healing had indeed been powerful, but the gap in strength still left her at a severe disadvantage. Her opponent was the embodiment of flame—the Phoenix. No matter what kind of attack he suffered, his wounds would heal almost instantly.
With all three of her servants withdrawn, Rias let out a bitter smile. It seemed this was as far as she could go. From here on... it was all up to you, Yoru. I hope you can surprise me.
"I have to admit, my dear fiancée, your servants were indeed strong. But I was still one step ahead. Isn't it time you considered surrendering?"
Knowing that his sister and queen were heading his way, Riser spoke with full confidence.
"Hmph, true, I'm no match for you. But I'm no longer your opponent," Rias replied with a smile, carrying Asia and retreating a good distance away.
"What? Haven't all your servants been defeated? Who's left to face me?" Riser raised an eyebrow.
"I have five servants in total. The one who will face you next is my strongest soldier!" With confidence brimming in her voice, Rias finished speaking—and in the next instant, the old school building that housed the Occult Research Club base completely collapsed.
It was a destruction from the inside out. Though it lacked the explosive impact that might shake the heart, it was a quiet disintegration, easy to overlook.
But those who understood what had just happened—like Sirzechs and Grayfia—revealed expressions of shock.
This destruction was not from any external force. It was matter unraveling at its core structure under extreme power, disintegrating into dust.
An ominous frost spread across the ground. Under this bone-piercing cold, the entire building was torn apart and shattered. The icy chill slowly extended over the entire battlefield, and through the white mist, a lone figure could be seen walking forward.
"Hahahahaha! This is your so-called strongest soldier? Don't make me laugh! Sure, that's a powerful ice-type Sacred Gear... but do you really not know what the Phoenix family represents?"
Riser, who had been puzzled by Rias's confidence just moments before, burst into scornful laughter the moment he saw who her trump card was.
The Phoenix clan's true form is that of the immortal bird. A Phoenix is a child of flame. In the face of Phoenix fire, mere frost would be incinerated without a trace. That was why Riser was so dismissive.
And he wasn't alone. Even the demons watching from the hall erupted into mockery. In their eyes, the heiress of the Gremory family had completely lost her mind—sending an ice-user to fight? Was this a joke?
Frost is weak to flame. That idea was deeply ingrained in the minds of all present. Let alone the Phoenix's fire—this was true fire, born from the immortal bird. In front of such terrifying flames, what could mere frost or an ice-type Sacred Gear possibly do?
"Finally... he takes the stage. An ice-type Sacred Gear, huh? Trying to freeze the Phoenix's fire... sounds like it'll be a dazzling visual feast."
Ignoring the whispers from below the throne, Sirzechs gently sipped from his wine glass, the corners of his lips curling into a smile.
He didn't believe that frost was necessarily inferior to flame. But this was the Phoenix family's fire—the fire of the immortal bird. Faced with such hellish flames... could frost really stand a chance?
Well then, I look forward to seeing your performance—oh great one who was reincarnated using all eleven Evil Pieces!
At the corner of the banquet hall, upon seeing Yoru step onto the field, Sona tugged nervously at her older sister's sleeve, unable to hide her excitement.
That was her servant—her own—and now, under the gaze of the world, he was about to unleash a terrifying power to freeze the fire of a Phoenix with frost.
"What is it, Sona?" Serafall, sensing something odd in her sister's behavior, asked curiously.
"It's nothing... I just thought this was all really exciting."
"Eh... exciting? Ice and fire, sure, it's hard to say which truly dominates, but trying to freeze Phoenix flame with ice? That's a bit too laughable. This isn't ordinary fire magic, you know—this is the Phoenix's true fire! That soldier's Sacred Gear is indeed powerful, possibly on par with a Longinus... but why does it have to be pure ice-type?"
Serafall sighed slightly as she spoke.
Ice and fire—it was hard to say which had the upper hand. But that only applied to mundane flames. In Serafall's mind, the Phoenix clan's fire still held absolute superiority. Put simply, this soldier's power of frost was completely countered by Riser's flames.
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