The hunt continued.
Koneko and I pushed deeper into the replica school grounds, searching for the remaining pawns while Akeno's battle with Yubelluna raged overhead. Explosions and lightning clashed in the sky, painting the clouds purple and gold.
Five pawns left. Plus one Knight, two Rooks, two Bishops, and Riser himself.
The odds were improving. But we were far from finished.
"Contact," Koneko said, her voice flat. "...three pawns. East courtyard."
I spotted them a moment later - three of Riser's remaining pawns had regrouped near the old club building. They moved in formation now, cautious after watching their sisters fall.
Smart. Cautious prey was harder to kill.
But cautious wasn't enough.
I hit them from the left while Koneko struck from above.
Combat Speed carried me through their formation before they registered the threat. Enhanced Reflexes turned their counter-attacks into slow-motion telegraphs I read and evaded with borrowed precision.
Light Lance formed in my hand. Golden light, devil-forged, bright enough to burn.
The first pawn raised a barrier. Stronger than the last one I'd faced - she'd been watching, learning.
Not strong enough.
My lance punched through, the tip catching her shoulder. She screamed, spun, dropped.
"One Pawn, Riser Phenex, retired."
Koneko landed behind the second pawn with bone-crushing force. A single punch sent the woman through a wall. Stone cracked. Dust billowed.
"One Pawn, Riser Phenex, retired."
The third pawn ran.
I could have let her go. Should have, maybe. Discipline over glory. Strategy over instinct.
But something stirred inside me. Something that wanted to chase. To hunt. To finish what I'd started.
*Catch her. Break her. Watch her fall - *
I froze mid-stride.
That wasn't me. That hunger, that bloodlust - it tasted like Dohnaseek. Like the fallen angel's contempt for weakness, his satisfaction in victory, bleeding through twenty-five percent Echo into my thoughts.
No.
I pulled back. Forced the instinct down. Watched the pawn retreat toward the main building.
"...senpai?" Koneko appeared beside me, her expression unreadable. "...you stopped."
"She's not worth breaking formation." The lie came easier than the truth. "We stay together."
She studied me for a moment. Something flickered in those golden eyes - understanding, maybe. Recognition of the battle I was fighting inside my own skull.
"...good choice."
Good choice. If she only knew.
"The violence appeals," the Fragment observed. "Dohnaseek's influence. The fallen enjoyed the kill."
I'm not him.
"No. But you carry pieces of him. And pieces have weight."
I didn't respond. Just moved forward, hunting the next target, trying not to think about how much I'd wanted to chase that fleeing pawn.
Kiba's voice crackled through the communication link.
"Healed and returning to engagement. Status?"
"Five pawns down," I reported. "Koneko and I are pushing east. Isabella is still unaccounted for."
"I'll find her." Steel in his voice. Professional. Controlled. "The remaining Knight is mine."
"Acknowledged. We'll continue eliminating pawns."
We moved through the replica school like ghosts. Classroom hallways. Empty libraries. The spaces between buildings where shadows gathered and pawns tried to hide.
Two more found us near the track field.
They'd set an ambush - magical traps woven into the ground, ready to trigger the moment we crossed. Clever. Adaptive. Exactly what I would have done.
But I'd absorbed too many combat instincts to fall for textbook tactics.
"Trap," I said. "Eleven o'clock. Buried under the third lane marker."
Koneko tilted her head. "...how do you know?"
"I just do."
She didn't question it. Just adjusted her approach, circling wide while I drew their attention with a frontal charge.
The pawns triggered their trap early - panicked by my direct approach, afraid I'd reach them before the ambush deployed. Magical chains erupted from the ground, grasping at empty air where I should have been.
I wasn't there. Combat Speed had carried me past the trigger zone before they finished the activation.
Light Lance. Thrust. The first pawn dropped without a sound.
"One Pawn, Riser Phenex, retired."
The second tried to run. Koneko was waiting.
"One Pawn, Riser Phenex, retired."
Six pawns down. All eight eliminated from the original count.
"Pawns cleared," I reported. "Moving to secondary targets."
"Excellent." Rias's voice carried satisfaction. "Isabella is engaging Kiba near the gymnasium. Provide support."
"On our way."
We found them in the ruins of the gymnasium Yubelluna had bombed earlier.
Kiba and Isabella danced through the wreckage, blades singing. She was good - technical, precise, her sword work a thing of calculated beauty. But Kiba was better. His speed created openings her technique couldn't close. His instincts anticipated her counters before she committed.
But he was also still healing. Asia had patched his wounds, but fatigue showed in his movements. Small hesitations. Slightly slower reactions.
Isabella noticed. She pressed harder, exploiting every weakness.
"Koneko," I said. "Can you take her?"
"...strength versus technique." Her expression didn't change. "...I can take her."
"Do it. I'll cover Kiba's retreat."
She nodded once. Then launched herself into the fray like a white-haired missile.
Koneko's entrance changed everything.
Isabella had trained to fight Knights - speed, precision, blade work. She hadn't trained for a Rook's raw power crashing into her from the side.
The first impact sent Isabella spinning. She recovered beautifully, sword already moving to counter, but Koneko wasn't there. The small girl had anticipated the parry, sliding under it to deliver a crushing blow to Isabella's midsection.
Armor cracked. Ribs followed.
Isabella staggered. Tried to raise her blade.
Koneko didn't let her.
Three more strikes - brutal, efficient, merciless. Each one targeting weak points, exploiting the damage already done. Isabella's sword fell from nerveless fingers. Her legs buckled.
"One Knight, Riser Phenex, retired."
Both Knights eliminated. The peerage's fast-attack capability was gone.
I caught Kiba as he limped away from the fight, his arm pressed against his side.
"You okay?"
"I'll survive." His smile was thin but genuine. "My apologies for requiring assistance."
"That's what teams are for."
"Indeed." He glanced at Koneko, who was already scanning for the next threat. "She's terrifying, isn't she?"
"That's one word for it."
The victory was short-lived.
We pushed toward the main building, following Rias's tactical updates. The Rooks would be there - defending Riser's position, forming a wall between us and the Phoenix King.
What we found was exactly that. And worse.
Xuelan and Isabela stood in the main entrance like twin statues of violence. Different from the Knights - these were heavy hitters. Power Levels in the 50s, built for endurance and overwhelming force.
Together, they outmatched any of us individually.
"Contact," I reported. "Both Rooks. Main building entrance."
"Acknowledged." Rias's voice turned calculating. "Assessment?"
I watched the Rooks, analyzing their stance, their readiness, the way they covered each other's angles.
"They're waiting. Set position, mutual support. Attacking them head-on would be costly."
"Can you flank?"
"They'd see us coming. The building layout - "
I didn't finish.
Xuelan moved.
She covered the distance between us faster than a Rook should move - martial arts training translating into explosive speed. Her fist blazed with demonic energy, aimed at my center mass.
I dodged. Barely. The shockwave from her missed strike sent me tumbling.
Isabela was right behind her, targeting Koneko with the same aggressive charge. Two Rooks, perfectly synchronized, designed to crush opposition through sheer power.
We'd walked into a trap.
The next thirty seconds were pure survival.
Xuelan pressed me relentlessly - kicks, punches, each one carrying enough force to shatter bone. My Enhanced Reflexes kept me alive, but barely. Every dodge cost energy. Every counter she absorbed without slowing.
Power Level 50 versus my 75. On paper, I should dominate.
In practice, she was designed for this kind of fight. Endurance. Attrition. Wearing down faster opponents through relentless pressure.
And I wasn't just fighting her - I was fighting the violence inside me. Dohnaseek's echoes screamed for blood. Every near-miss made the hunger worse.
*Hit her. Hurt her. Make her pay - *
"Retreat!" Rias's command cut through the bloodlust. "Fall back to checkpoint Gamma. You're not equipped for a Rook engagement."
She was right. Koneko was holding against Isabela, but just barely. Kiba was in no condition to contribute. And I -
I was losing myself to echoes that weren't mine.
"Falling back," I confirmed.
The retreat was ugly but controlled. Koneko covered my withdrawal while I covered hers. The Rooks pursued briefly, then stopped at an invisible line - their defensive perimeter, beyond which they wouldn't advance.
Discipline. Even in victory, they maintained formation.
We reached checkpoint Gamma breathing hard, bleeding from minor wounds, alive but shaken.
"Status?" Rias demanded.
"Moderate damage," I reported. "The Rooks are too entrenched. We need a different approach."
"Agreed. Regroup and prepare for phase three."
Eight down. But the easy ones were gone.
I sat against a crumbling wall, cataloguing damage while Koneko kept watch. Kiba had returned to Asia for more healing. Akeno still battled Yubelluna overhead - neither Queen able to land a decisive blow.
The Rooks stood like walls, immovable. And above everything, Riser watched from his throne, flames dancing around him.
Power Level 75. The Rooks: 50 each. Together, they could crush me.
But we'd prepared for this. The strategy accounted for resistance. Phase three would bring Rias and me together against the Rooks - combined assault, overwhelming the position through sheer power.
First, though, we needed to deal with the Bishops. Their healing magic had been subtle but consistent - restoring Riser's pieces, extending the battle, draining our resources.
Cut off the healing. Crush the walls. Kill the phoenix.
Simple. If you ignored everything that could go wrong.
"You enjoyed the violence," the Fragment observed. "More than you should."
I controlled it.
"Barely. The echoes grow stronger in combat. Dohnaseek. Kiba. Others. Their instincts merge with yours."
I'm still me.
"Are you certain?" A pause. "You've already lost certainty. Remember?"
I didn't answer. Couldn't answer. The doubt I'd traded for Battle Surge gnawed at me, and the Fragment's question found no solid ground.
Was I still me? Or was I becoming a collection of echoes wearing a human face?
Eight down. Seven to go. Plus Riser.
Time for phase three.