Chapter 49: Breaking Point
Though it wasn't enough to end the fight, Akeno catching Yubelluna off guard and hitting her with a point-blank blast of lightning was enough to injure and inhibit her mobility severely. They had several exchanges after the fact, but with Akeno's [Evil-Banishing Broom] possessing Accelerated Flight, Magic Jamming, Evil Warding, and Clean Sweeper, it was nearly as effective as a Holy Sword or Light-based weapon against Devils and other supernatural entities.
'A-Rank weapons are no joke...' thought Vahn, his gaze captivated by the image of Akeno's figure and smile as Yubelluna plummeted from the sky, eliminated from the match. There were times when her overexcited smile scared him, but that wasn't one of them.
Ostensibly not expecting Yubelluna to be defeated, at least not as quickly as she was, Riser's expression transitioned from smug arrogance to shock and then outrage as he got up from his temporary throne in the Principal's Office and mobilized personally. And with the power of a High-Class Devil and near-instantaneous regeneration, he was bound to be a force to be reckoned with.
'Rias is going to kick your butt...' affirmed Vahn, taking care to be mindful of his word usage. At the same time, he joined Asia in shifting their gazes to the three largest displays, depicting Akeno gathering a massive storm cloud over the gymnasium, Koneko and Kiba entering it to distract those inside, and Rias and Issei mobilizing.
Focusing on the latter, Vahn watched as Rias took to the sky, her black dress, adorned with crimson gems, perfectly complimenting her bat-like wings and hair. His brows creased slightly when he saw Issei raising his gaze in a very obvious attempt to get a peek up her dress, but the latter quickly got his act together, shaking his head and smacking his cheeks before taking the scenic route around the campus perimeter to enter the New School Building from the front.
With the main display switching to follow Rias, Vahn's breathing became stable, his mind calm and focused as he steeled himself for the inevitable battle between her and Riser. Ravel also ascended into the sky, sporting wings of flame that were smaller but brighter than her brother's, but she didn't appear to have any intention of joining the battle as she remained a distance away, observing from afar with crossed arms.
Recalling his interaction with the drill-haired girl, Vahn had mixed feelings. His opinion of the Marquis Phenex Clan wasn't particularly high, thanks to Riser, but Rias didn't appear to harbor any resentment toward them. Ravel was also very smart, so while he wasn't fond of people arbitrarily deciding they could be in a relationship or make use of him, he didn't dismiss it as a possibility.
Following a brief exchange, where Rias vehemently refused to back down, the battle between her and Riser got underway. Riser had the advantage in terms of speed and general aerial mobility, as his fiery wings functioned similarly to rocket boosters, but Rias quickly demonstrated she hadn't come to the Rating Game unprepared as she struck a pose with a long, thin, elegantly designed Magic Wand, icy-white in color and emitting a faint aura of frost.
As Rias was mainly known for using Destruction and Teleportation Magic, Riser wasn't expecting her to spontaneously produce a localized blizzard, battering him with ice, wind, and snow. The attack didn't cause any visible damage to his body, but unlike the majority of spectators, Vahn knew why his speed had suddenly slowed drastically as one of the effects of the A-Ranked Frost Queen's Frozen Baton was Deep Cold, temporarily reducing the target's mobility by a minimum of 50%, increasing based on exposure.