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 imminence, the girl now 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 now back to the standstill that their battle had reached, he noticed that amber glint in the Seraph's eye glow 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 stuck the pole into the ground, simply leaning back on it 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 reached one hand back and pulled her staff out of the ground, the weapon now completely physical. It was a stormy grey, 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.

Although, Kyoya also knew that one thing had yet to change.

He was the one with something to prove, here.

Inches at a time, the Miscreant withstood her until he, too, was able to stand without a single doubt that he could win. There wasn't tension about him anymore, that uncertainty morphing to sheer will.

"That's new, for sure... But it's not like I haven't played from behind before. 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, 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 winds changed their course and flew straight to her, completely enveloping the girl in a snarling veil of air.

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, having to be yanked back by the collar by a newly hyped Ryder as she nearly did the same.

"HE'S GOTTEN HER THIS FAR, BUT SHE'S ON A WHOLE NEW LEVEL, NOW! WE'VE NEVER SEEN ANYONE SO MUCH AS WITHSTAND A HIT IN HER BURST MODE, SO ANYTHING HE CAN DO PAST THAT IS A SMASHING SUCCESS BY ANY RECORD BOOK'S STANDARDS!"

Kyoya couldn't keen in on any one thing, with all that was going on in so little time. 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 their battle would reach its peak.

"Perfect."

The Seraph spun her staff until it was tearing through the air around her, then staring dead ahead to her opponent. "LET'S GO!"

"DON'T GOTTA TELL ME TWICE!" Kyoya was the first to attack this time, flaming claws accompanying him 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 completely overpowered several attempted attacks, following with a combination of horizontal swings that ended with an open-palm strike to Kyoya's chest.

"GALVANIC SURGE!" She blasted him away with a point-blank use of the skill that previously almost left a hole in his stomach, and 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. "MAGNET PRESS!"

Lyric used her free hand to guide every rock that she'd kicked up, now acting like homing missiles, except what they lacked in explosive power, they more than made up for in ability to squash him flat. Forced into a tactical retreat, he fought off her ammunition one at a time, though this method quickly proved to be far too ineffective. By the time he'd shattered the third rock, a fourth smashed into his back, bringing him straight into another that would've flattened anyone unable to use magic. 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, hyper-charging the weapon's end and using one swing of the staff to break apart the boulder, leaving him exposed 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 taken plenty more than one hit, by now. 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, seemed to be too fixated in the battle itself to make any additions.