3rd Person POV
"7... 11... 13..."
Rias muttered under her breath, counting every second that passed as she was still being pushed backward by the light. She held it back with both arms, which were coated in the Power of Destruction, appearing as dark crimson energy around them.
"14... 16..."
Destroying it with a wide-area Power of Destruction attack was dangerous if not calculated correctly, because she could get caught in her own magic as well.
She wasn't as masterful as her older brother.
"18... 20..."
She needed to wait for the perfect moment.
Rias sensed that the light was gradually weakening.
"Now..."
She expanded her Power of Destruction to overpower it, but the light suddenly flew upward before she could fully catch it.
Rias spread her bat-like wings and stabilized herself in the air before levitating.
She looked up and saw that the light had faded, revealing a girl with blonde hair styled into twin-tails and blue eyes. She wore a gothic lolita outfit and held a spear in her hands.
Neither of them said anything.
"Huh?"
The Fallen Angel girl glanced at her spear.
The tip was already beginning to disintegrate under the effects of Rias's Power of Destruction.
"Whoa, scary..." she said, watching the disintegration spread faster along the spear. "It's kinda like Ray's cold, disappointed eyes."
Mittelt glanced at Rias, noticing her glare.
"So, this is the power of Gremory, huh." she sighed heavily. "No wonder you defended against Holy Magic. What a shame..."
Rias then began summoning dark crimson energy onto her palm.
"Well..." Mittelt said. "Time to dip. Bye-bye."
She waved at Rias with a big smile before flying upward, leaving Rias alone in the forest.
Rias could only sweatdrop. She had expected a bloody fight.
But apparently, that wasn't what she was going to get.
She sighed as she realized she had no idea how many meters she had been pushed—no, judging by the speed alone and the seconds she had counted, it was probably a little less than two kilometers.
"Thankfully, I planted a device on Kiba in case something like this happened."
Rias focused her energy.
"They're pretty smart to isolate me first. I hope everyone is okay."
Rias then cleared her throat and placed a finger to her ear.
"Kiba, you there?"
Rias spoke through telepathy, using the device to extend the range of their connection.
"President? Are you okay?"
"Yeah..." she answered. "What's the status right now?"
"We're being held back by two Fallen Angels," Kiba stated. "One is using long-range Holy magic, which Akeno-senpai is currently dealing with. The other is a proficient close-range fighter. Koneko-chan and Issei-kun are dealing with her."
"What about you?"
"I'm sorry..." Kiba admitted. "They intercepted me first. I'm resting right now."
Rias put her fingers to her chin as she thought.
Her opponent was too smart to come up with this on their own. There must be a brain behind their movements.
But it couldn't be Freed Sellzen.
There was no reason for Freed to deliberately create chaos and visible attacks in Kuoh while accidentally revealing his own patterns.
Plus, he's a human... with a former affiliation with the Church.
Fallen Angels taking orders from a human, especially someone as crazy and chaotic as Freed?
It didn't make sense.
Something was missing.
Rias then nodded.
"Kiba..."
"Yes, President?"
"When you've recovered enough, leave them to Akeno, Koneko, and Issei."
"Why?"
"I have something in mind."
Meanwhile, back on the forest road...
Akeno's lightning continued to fill the air as Dohnaseek desperately maneuvered around it.
"Hey, don't run away!" Akeno called out cheerfully. "We're still having a conversation!"
"Heehee!"
Dohnaseek then moonwalked through the air while keeping one hand on his hat, dodging multiple bolts of lightning that passed him.
"This is called..." he said. "Dodging with style! I'm a smooth criminal, baby!"
"Oh my~" Akeno said, an eyebrow twitching. "So annoying."
She then deployed four purple magic circles, each producing a jagged purple lightning bolt that shot toward Dohnaseek from different angles.
Seeing this, Dohnaseek stopped moonwalking and prepared to maneuver at high speed again.
But just as he was about to take off, the jagged lightning spread out, creating a small dome around him and closing in from every direction, preventing him from escaping.
"Wait, wait, wait..." He began sweating heavily.
KRAK-KOOM!
Dohnaseek's scream was muffled by the deafening explosion of lightning before he fell from the sky, smoke rising from his body.
"Remember..." he said weakly as he free-fell, looking at Akeno. "I don't have a lover named Billie Jean."
"Hmm~" Akeno hummed, almost singing. "That burnt crow smells like burnt chicken. It's making me quite hungry."
She then licked her lips.
"Maybe for Kazu-kun's next study session..." She tapped her jaw thoughtfully. "We should do it at KFC."
With that, Akeno turned around and flew back toward the group.
Meanwhile, not too far away, Koneko had already taken a stance, heightening her senses as she tried to detect changes in the flow of her opponent's externalized Holy energy.
Issei awkwardly followed suit, taking a stance of his own.
"Now," Issei said, glancing at Koneko. "What should we do, Koneko?"
"Punch her."
"Simple is the best, isn't it?"
Koneko rushed forward first, followed by Issei, who decided to take off and fly with his bat-like wings.
In response, Kalawarner rushed toward them as well.
Just before they collided, Kalawarner used her Holy energy to conjure her spear.
Koneko was already expecting that.
What she didn't expect was what Kalawarner did with it.
Kalawarner drove the spear into the ground and used it to vault herself over Koneko like an Olympic athlete reaching for the gold.
As she vaulted over Koneko, she let go of the spear, leaving it planted in the ground.
Carrying the momentum from her charge, she launched herself high into the air, bringing herself level with Issei.
"Hyoudo," Kalawarner said. "You're nothing without your Sacred Gear."
Kalawarner twisted her body before delivering a roundhouse kick.
The kick sent Issei flying into the ground, creating a cloud of dust.
Koneko quickly turned around with a click of her tongue, crouched down, then jumped toward Kalawarner.
The spear on the ground dispersed back into Holy energy, which then returned to Kalawarner and began accumulating around her hands.
Koneko's eyes widened when she saw the Holy energy pass behind her in the form of dozens of small, glowing orbs, resembling fireflies in the night. She immediately threw a punch, trying to stop the accumulation.
Kalawarner gritted her teeth as she blocked the attack, while Koneko felt a burning sensation spread through her fist as the Holy energy scorched her skin.
The force of Koneko's punch sent Kalawarner flying backward. She quickly spread her black, crow-like wings to stabilize herself before landing safely.
Koneko landed beside the spot where Issei had fallen. He slowly stood up, still weakened, and coughed the dust from his mouth.
"You okay, pervert?"
"This... is... nothing." He coughed again before wiping the dust from his mouth. "Damn, is this what dirt tastes like?"
Kalawarner glanced at her right hand. It was already beginning to swell from Koneko's punch.
She then noticed the smoke rising from Koneko's fist, the skin visibly burned from their exchange.
Looking at the current situation, Kalawarner couldn't help but sigh heavily and murmur to herself.
"Should I retreat?"