As Sitri Sona's Queen, Shinra Tsubaki excelled not only in various forms of Magic but also in the use of a blade. Yubelluna and the others had already witnessed her high-level skills in the match between Sitri Sona and Rias.
With a graceful step forward, the girl gripped the scabbard in one hand and the hilt in the other. Her clear eyes gleamed with a hint of icy resolve.
Although she hadn't made a move yet, the sense of danger she emitted was extreme!
"Yubelluna, allow me to go first." Furrowing her brows, Isabela took a couple of steps forward as she spoke.
Fists clenched, knees slightly bent, Isabela took a small breath and then—
"Roar!"
With a thunderous sound, the earth collapsed, and Isabela shot toward Shinra Tsubaki like a cannonball!
Shinra Tsubaki kept her eyes closed, remaining unmoved. It wasn't until Isabela was right in front of her that she abruptly opened her eyes. The sharp gleam, as sharp as a blade, flashed in her eyes:
"Blade Draw·Lai!"
A cold light flashed in her eyes and she drew her blade and re-sheathed the blade— almost all of it was completed in an instant.
Then—
Pū Hū!!!
Blank-faced, Isabela's chest spewed out a large amount of blood!
"Ahhhhh..."
Although she hadn't seen the opponent's movements, Isabela knew she had been struck. The intense pain surged into her mind, nearly causing Isabela to lose consciousness.
If a Peerage of a lower rank were struck like this, even if they didn't faint, they would lose their ability to move. Yet, Isabela, with the immense endurance of a Rook, managed to hold on.
Activating her Sacred Gear's ability, Isabela gathered all her strength and delivered a punch.
Perhaps this was the only punch she could muster. While it might not necessarily defeat her opponent, as long as it hit, it would definitely deal a heavy blow!
Closer, closer. It seemed she was about to strike her opponent right before her eyes. However, the opponent's expression remained eerily calm.
"Mirror of Recollection - Mirror Alice!"
A mirror appeared, blocking Shinra Tsubaki, just before Isabela. Isabela's fist landed on the mirror, as expected.
The mirror was extremely solid. Faced with Isabela's full-force punch, especially when enhanced by the mischief of the Giant, the mirror was easily shattered.
However, smashing the mirror didn't bring any joy to Isabela. Instead, she revealed a look of terror.
She naturally knew the ability of this Sacred Gear. She also knew what would happen next.
Sure enough, the next moment—
Roar!!!
The force multiplied and came back in recoil. A violent explosion erupted in the air, and Isabela suffered another severe blow!
Though it may sound complex, everything happened in the blink of an eye. Yubelluna, who reacted quickly, couldn't help but pale:
"Isabela!"
Quickly lifting the fallen Isabela from the ground, Yubelluna's heart trembled.
The injuries were severe!
"I-I'm sorry, Yubelluna. I lost..."
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth as Isabela managed a wry smile, but before she could say anything more, her body had already turned into particles of light and was transported out of the dimensional space.
"One member of Tenraku Sama's Rook, retreats!"
The announcer's voice echoed in the air and Yubelluna slowly stood up.
Isabela had been defeated in just one round. Was this the strength of their opponent's Queen?!
As Yubelluna's gaze fell on Shinra Tsubaki across from her, her expression grew unusually solemn...
In the forest, two figures were in hot pursuit— they were Xuelan and Sitri Sona's newly contracted Knight.
As they got closer to the center of the forest, Xuelan grew a bit anxious. The opponent's speed was just too fast. Even among Knights, she was proving to be particularly formidable. At this rate, she feared she could only watch helplessly as her opponent reached the battlefield and rendezvoused with Princess Sona.
"I won't let you succeed!"
A sharp glint flashed in Xuelan's eyes as if she had made a decision. She stepped onto the trunk of a massive ancient tree, and then suddenly unleashed her power.
With a resounding boom, the main trunk of the ancient tree exploded, and the tremendous recoil shot Xuelan forward like a cannonball. Her speed skyrocketed, and in the blink of an eye, she caught up to her opponent ahead.
Naturally, she also heard the sharp sound of breaking air behind her. The petite Knight had to sidestep to avoid it. With another thunderous roar, the ground collapsed, and various debris and dust flew everywhere.
"Tch, escaped, did you?"
Xuelan's expression darkened as she scanned the surroundings, but she didn't find a trace of her opponent. Then, she leaped up again and quickly chased in the direction of the battlefield.
After Xuelan left, a magic array unfolded on the ground, and the figure of the petite Knight slowly emerged.
"Whew..."
She had finally evaded the pursuit of the opponent. The Knight patted her chest with relief. From now on, all she had to do was follow at a leisurely pace towards the battlefield.
The opponent surely wouldn't suspect that she was actually trailing behind her, huh? Hey hey, she was really clever.
However—
"Do you think I'd fall for that?" Xuelan's voice suddenly sounded, startling the petite Knight.
Following the voice, the petite Knight realized that Xuelan had somehow returned without her noticing. She was standing on a branch of an ancient tree, eyeing her with a playful smirk.
"Stay behind, I won't let you rendezvous with Princess Sona!" Without wasting words, Xuelan shot down and lunged towards the petite Knight.
"Oh no!"
A slightly immature voice emanated from under the skull mask. The petite Knight's hand flashed with a massive reaper scythe, and she swiftly swung it down at the airborne Xuelan.
Lài lài lài...
Grayish energy blades shot out of the reaper, all striking Xuelan.
"Ahh!!!"
With a cry of surprise, Xuelan's body was propelled by the energy blades and collided with a nearby ancient tree. The petite Knight didn't continue the attack but quickly dodged away.
"Damn it, hold still!"
She had suffered a minor setback by accident. Although she hadn't sustained any injuries, it left Xuelan very annoyed. She shouted loudly while giving chase once again...
"Sona, is that petite Reaper your newly contracted Knight? Seems like she's from the Reaper faction, right?"
In the midst of the battle, Tenraku watched the situation of the Peerages and chuckled.
"That's right." Sitri Sona didn't deny it, responding calmly.
"The Reapers have attacked us before, and they caused some trouble during the previous turmoil. Sona, why did you form a contract with such a suspicious individual?"
Looking at the screen, where the petite Reaper was being chased by Xuelan, Rias also seemed a bit puzzled.
"At first, I found her suspicious too. But for certain reasons, I chose to trust her."
"As for the specific reasons, I'll let her explain when she arrives."
For some reason, Sona glanced at Tenraku across from her, and a strange smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
It seems to be related to her, huh? Tenraku felt a spark of interest.
"Wow, Sona, you trust her enough to believe she'll make it here?"
"But she does seem like an interesting character. Let's watch and see."
To be continued...