Seventh Sea had completely dissipated by the time Lyric was back at her full height. The return of her focus brought with it an unmistakable sense of pride, and the girl became visibly more aware that he, too, wasn't any pushover.

Rory broke the arena's newfound tension with one of his many interjections, rekindling their bonfire of an audience.

"Things didn't look too hot for our blue bruiser, but now the fight may as well be back at square one! Where could things possibly go from here!?"

Ryder was the second to comment, adding her own input to the flamboyant announcer's remark.

"If you had to ask me, I'd say we might be in for a once-in-a-lifetime treat. It's not every day you see Lyric backed into a corner like this, so there's a chance we'll see her bring out the big guns."

The Miscreant's attention went back to the standstill that their battle had reached. He narrowed his eyes at that amber glint in the Seraph's glare, now glowing ever brighter. If he weren't about to be on the receiving end of whatever she was planning, he'd have enjoyed seeing her so fired up.

"The big guns?" He smirked.

"Leave it to the commentators to spoil all the fun... but they're right. It's not all that often that somebody stays toe-to-toe with me for as long as you have, so I'll say you've earned your chance to get beat in style."

Almost too casually, Lyric wrenched the pole from the ground, simply holding it over her shoulder and casting a look of contempt his way.

"Is that right? Now I'm dying to see what all this bark is about."

"Before we get this movin', you sure you don't wanna call this a day while we're tied up?"

"You kidding? What kind of a challenger would I be if I let this win go when it's so close?"

"...Close?"

She furrowed a brow. "That's funny. Just don't say I didn't give you the chance to break even."

To the clear surprise of many, the next to add their remark was the Adventurer-Princess.

"Truth be told, after seeing that performance, I'm a bit riveted to see how this new face holds up against Lyric's trump card. Regardless of the turnout, there's bound to be a surprise here."

Kyoya brought his gaze back down to his opponent yet again.

"They're really talking you up, aren't they?"

"It's not my fault they know greatness when they see it, Blue. Read the room."

It hadn't quite clicked with him that she meant that literally. As in, reading the room.

All around the arena, furious winds howled in a cacophony of pure power. Lyric took to a series of stretches that rang more like a taunt than any preparation.

In her grasp, the staff was a pristine gray, with patterns of white and electric blue markings lining the rod's sides. Even against winds that outclassed any hurricane, practically forcing him to use every muscle in his body to so much as resist, she stood perfectly without the slightest effort.

Still, though, one thing had yet to change—he was the one with something to prove, here.

One pace at a time, the Miscreant trudged forward through her roaring winds. There wasn't tension about him anymore; that uncertainty had morphed into sheer will.

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"That's new, for sure... but it's not like I've never played from behind. If you're planning to put this away, I'll be sure to up the ante on my end; it's only the right thing to do."

"You know damn well I wouldn't want it any other way," she laughed, arms crossed. "What was it you said when we downed that creep? Somethin' like 'Call that last one a knuckleduster'... Yeah, that was it."

Yet another burst of pressurized air sent a shockwave throughout the arena, with Lyric's eyes beginning to emit an even more radiant amber glow. "Now let's try another round and see who's left standing."

She entered a stance just like the one during the countdown, with her free hand extended straight outward. As her palm opened, the harsh gales changed their course and flew straight to her, completely enveloping the girl in a snarling veil of razor winds.

And yet, above all of it, her voiced pierced that veil without issue. "BURST MODE: INFINITIVE SERAPH!"

As if on command, the wind changed form to cover her greaves and staff, any left over forming several miniature tornadoes all across the arena. If the barrier protecting the spectators' seats weren't in place, the entire coliseum would likely have been in ruin.

Kyoya stood with a growing falter.

"THERE IT IS, PEOPLE! LYRIC'S UNLEASHED HER BURST MODE! STANDING BEFORE US IS THE SERAPH OF INFINITY, THE REAL DEAL!" Rory was nearly falling off the podium again, too enthused for his own good. He had to be yanked back by the collar by a newly hyped Ryder, as she almost did the same.

"HE'S GOTTEN HER THIS FAR, BUT SHE'S ON A WHOLE NEW LEVEL NOW! CAN HE HANG WITH THE BEST, OR WILL HE GET SHOCKED LIKE THE REST!?"

Kyoya shook off their billowing praise; he already saw his opponent as enough of an unstoppable force. Tuning out the raving commentators was one hurdle, but the circulation of increasingly intense gales kept his focus on the situation at hand.

Before him was quite possibly the most powerful opponent he'd ever face on terms anywhere near level, and judging by remarks from the podium, even that was a stretch.

"I guess I should feel proud that you felt like I was worth pulling that out! I'll try not to disappoint!"

Lyric only offered one word before staring dead at him.

"Perfect."

The Seraph spun her staff until it was cleaving through the very air around her, then tore into a dash at her opponent. "LET'S GO!"

"RIGHT ON!" This exchange saw Kyoya on the offensive; his flaming claws accompanied a challenger's ambition in a newfound show of force. Yet again, the pair was locked in a pushfight of thunder and fire, but the jump in her strength was beginning to make itself known.

She blocked and completely overpowered several of his punches, then returned fire with a relentless series of her own jabs. He heaved and lurched in futile attempts to defend against what could only have been described as a masterclass in close combat.

The final blow in that combination was a downright vicious open-palm strike to his chest.

"GALVANIC SURGE!" She blasted him away with a point-blank use of the skill that previously almost left a hole in his stomach; it was a wonder to him that it didn't this time. He was out of the dirt before she could follow with a diving kick, knocking up boulders on her impact with the ground.

The Miscreant darted around the falling rubble, but when those boulders started to float, things took a turn. "HERE'S MAGNET PRESS!"

Lyric used her free hand to guide every rock that she'd kicked up. Now they acted like homing missiles—except, what they lacked in explosive power, they more than made up for in their ability to squash him flat.

Forced into a tactical retreat, he fought off her ammunition one at a time.

He full-body smashed through the first boulder, headbutted a second to smithereens, and used the third as a platform to take to the air. By the time he'd locked onto the next target, a fourth smashed into his back, bringing him straight into another. Still trapped in this earthen prison, Lyric flung him around like a ball on a string, finishing by throwing the boulder upward. "FOLLOWED BY BLITZ BLUNDER!"

She leapt up after her target, hypercharging the weapon's end and using one swing of the staff to break apart the boulder. The sheer impact left him terribly exposed, reeling and seeing stars following the hit. Attempts were made to fight off her follow-ups, but a swift overhead put him right back in the dirt before that saw any success.

He did a hand-spring to avoid yet another falling attack, narrowly dodging what looked like her intended finisher: an electric blade at the end of her staff aimed straight where his chest would've been moments prior.

"He's certainly managed to hold his own—I'd comment that this would be a small victory, but if his display earlier is anything to judge by, I wouldn't put a close finish out of the question."

Solitaire seemed more invested than ever, now.

Rory looked as though he would faint, but Ryder comically fanning his helmet seemed to keep him conscious. Alexandria, too, appeared too fixated in the battle itself to make any additions.