Chapter 12: Queen vs Queen

I'm sorry for updating late because I was having trouble within the past two days. So, enjoy this chapter

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Rias and Sona, two of the most prominent Devil heiresses in Kuoh, were locked in a heated game of chess. The pieces on the board seemed to have a life of their own as they moved around in calculated maneuvers, each player trying to outsmart the other.

Meanwhile, their Peerages were scattered around the room, some lounging on the couch, and others on the floor. Yuuto was asleep on Akeno's lap, while she cleaned his ears with a delicate touch.

Rias' Peerage consisted of Himejima Akeno as the Queen, Toujou Koneko as the Rook, and Yuuto Kiba as the Knight. Sona's Peerage, on the other hand, had Tsubaki Shinra as the Queen, Momo Hanakai and Reya Kusaka as the Bishops, Tomoe Miguri as the Knight, Tsubasa Yura as the Rook, and Nimura Ruruko as the Pawn.

"Checkmate, Rias," Sona announced with a smirk on her face.

Rias groaned in frustration. "That's not fair. Let's settle this in a real match, but this time, we won't participate in the fight," she proposed, her confidence in her Peerage palpable.

After all, her Queen, Akeno, had a higher rank and more powerful abilities than Sona's Queen, Tsubaki.

"Okay, Tsubaki, get ready to fight Akeno," Sona ordered, adjusting her glasses.

"Hai," Tsubaki replied, her eyes locked onto Akeno with a determined stare.

....

Behind Occult Research Club Building,

"Relax a bit, Tsubaki-san," Akeno said playfully, smiling as she closed her eyes.

But Tsubaki's expression remained serious as she gripped her Naginata tightly, preparing for the battle to come.

"Hmm," Akeno lifted her right hand, and a magic circle appeared, engulfing her in a brilliant light. When the light faded, she was now dressed in her priestess outfit, ready to fight.

'Why am I the referee? I want to get some sleep, but Rias just had to disturb my nap on Akeno's lap,' Yuuto grumbled, clearly unhappy about being woken up.

But his annoyance didn't last long as Akeno blew him a flying kiss, causing his cheeks to flush with embarrassment.

"Sigh, start!" Yuuto shouted, signaling the start of the match.

Tsubaki dashed toward Akeno, her Naginata raised high, ready to strike. But Akeno easily dodged the attack by flying into the air with her devil wings.

"Ara ara, you need to be punished for attacking me, Tsubaki-san," Akeno taunted with a cheeky smile.

Tsubaki flew up after her, creating two magic circles that shot out blue lightning and water. But Akeno countered with her own lightning, which easily pierced through Tsubaki's spell.

Undeterred, Tsubaki activated her Sacred Gear, creating a mirror that deflected the lightning back toward Akeno with ease.

The battle was just beginning, and everyone watched with bated breath as the two powerful Devil women clashed in the sky.

[AN: Tsubaki has a Sacred Gear, Mirror Alice. It creates a mirror that if destroyed reflects double the damage on the attacker, but cannot be summoned twice in a row without a cool-down period]

As the lightning bolt travelled back to Akeno, she felt the electricity coursing through her body. She barely had time to react as it almost hit her, but before she could counterattack Tsubaki had already arrived near her, and she had to fly away to dodge another slash from the Naginata.

Undeterred, Akeno immediately created three large magic circles that summoned a massive ice spike and shot it at Tsubaki. However, Tsubaki's incredible reflexes allowed her to split the ice spikes in half with ease. She then flew towards Akeno with incredible speed, her Naginata gleaming with dark energy.

Akeno, not to be outdone, created another magic circle in the sky as a bolt of yellow lightning struck down towards Tsubaki. Tsubaki quickly used her Sacred Gear to create a mirror, deflecting the lightning back at Akeno. A smirk appeared on Akeno's face as she created yet another magic circle and launched another lightning bolt. This time, the lightning that emerged from the circle was far stronger than before.

Tsubaki's eyes widened in surprise as the lightning bolt devoured her own, and it struck her body with tremendous force. In a split second, Tsubaki managed to block the lightning with her Naginata, which was engulfed with Demonic Energy. She also engulfed her body with Demonic Energy, enhancing her defence.

Despite Tsubaki's efforts, she still received some damage from Akeno's lightning. Akeno sadistically smiled, relishing in the sight of Tsubaki getting hit.

"Ufufu, you managed to block it. How interesting," Akeno said as she looked at Tsubaki.

However, Tsubaki remained calm and collected, as if she had found a way to defeat Akeno. Her Naginata blades were now engulfed in a vibrant light blue Demonic Energy.

Taking a deep breath, Tsubaki flew towards Akeno once again. Akeno, knowing what was coming, summoned a magic circle and shot out a medium-sized fireball at Tsubaki. However, Tsubaki didn't block or deflect the attack as she had done before; instead, she avoided it with a quick sidestep.

As Tsubaki got closer to Akeno, another bolt of yellow lightning struck. This time, however, Tsubaki anticipated it and dodged it with ease. Akeno, seeing that her lightning had missed, created a magic barrier in front of her to block Tsubaki's incoming attack. But to Akeno's surprise, Tsubaki slashed it apart with ease, revealing Akeno's vulnerable form.

Tsubaki was about to unleash a devastating strike at Akeno when she saw another magic circle appear behind Akeno. Akeno was smiling because it is already game over for Tsubaki.

-BOOM

A vast plume of thick, black smoke suddenly emerges, and a figure careens through it, like a fallen bird. It is none other than Akeno, rendered unconscious after being knocked out during the melee.

Observing the chaos below, onlookers tense as they see Akeno plummeting towards the ground. Yet, in the blink of an eye, Yuuto soars up into the air, ready to catch her.

With impeccable timing and grace, he gently catches Akeno in a bridal carry position. Yuuto exhales heavily, relieved to see Akeno's smile and begins to slowly descend towards the ground.

"I knew you would be the one to catch me," Akeno's beaming smile conveys her gratitude, certain that Yuuto would be the one to come to her rescue.

"Hmm, rest now. I'll prepare some food for you," Yuuto whispers to Akeno as he tenderly plants a kiss on her forehead.

Nestling close to his chest, Akeno's blush deepens, causing her to hide her face.

'Is this what it feels like to be protected by a man? I'm loving this,' Akeno contemplates to herself.

Continuing to work his magic, Yuuto casts a healing spell on Akeno's body repeatedly, ensuring that no scars remain.

Amidst the lingering smoke, Tsubaki is barely standing, gasping for breath, her body convulsing with spasms. Overcome by the intense lightning blast discharged by Akeno at the last minute, her eyes glaze over.

Nevertheless, summoning her inner strength, Tsubaki gradually regains her bearings, descending back to the ground. Soon after, her friends attend to her injuries, eager to tend to her wounds.