"Welcome! Welcome back to the grand final of the Winter Wars!" Principal Khan declared excitedly, his voice echoing throughout the entirety of the Western continent as the citizens of the world's largest and most influential countries watch on, "This is the end of a long road, the end of the stories, and yet, the start of the legends for these fighters. No matter who wins here today...we, at the very least, have had a great fucking time watching it all. "Your two remaining fighters...Fatera, the demon and the one who had always won, apart from that one time when she fought against the opponent she will face once more today, Lily Watts, a Yarka girl with more than enough chips over her broad shoulders! Both have been dominant in their previous battles, both have shown their incredible strength, and both are fabulous Wave users!" The snow crunches underneath Fatera's feet as John King landed the chariot softly. Lily gave her a smile and a wave before she followed John's instructions and started heading towards her own corner in the Colosseum. Fatera did the same before John clapped his hands together, activating the hidden mechanisms of the Colosseum for the grand final as Fatera and Lily both watched on. Back when Fatera fought against Yuna, the Colosseum's mechanisms were the unpredictable stone columns which quickly became redundant after a handful of clashes between the two brawling fighters. But that's all part of the game, and the weak conforms to the environment while the strong alters it. And now, the levels of the Colosseum started splitting up vertically, creating various floating levels connected with unique trappings and hidden mechanisms. There are occasional roaming machines made of simple Casts, and each of the levels has slightly different sets of environmental parameters for the fighters to utilize. Just a bit of fun for John really. He did not expect either to actually take the time to learn the traps. "And now...let the grand final begin!" Principal Khan declared as John elevated himself up through the air and out of the Colosseum's interior. The entire world watched with held breaths, and Fatera looked down at her hands before her body became coated with the Wave slowly. However, something's feeling odd within her. It has been the case ever since she went all out with her Killa mode in Yuna's fight, and the subsequent semi-finals. There had been a strange sense of unease whenever she entered her Killa mode, and she knew for sure that it didn't stem from how the Killa mode actually works...no... It was something deeper...something hidden within her that became awakened. "Doesn't matter. Win first." She reminded herself before looking up at the sprawling levels in front of her. Beyond the layers of traps, levels, floating and spiraling structures stood a flaming figure that had delivered her first defeat publically. Though it was a play on the rules, it was a still defeat that Fatera will never forget. Luckily enough for her, Lily also didn't want to take that victory for granted. "Killa mode..." Fatera muttered, the coating of the Wave around her body darkening as lines of black sept out from within her body. Her pupils became filled in with the same pitch black, and she slowly bent forward, her knuckles resting on the ground as her legs slowly folded up under her. Tension charged her muscles as the air started to swirl around her body. "Perfect Synchrony..." Sensing the massive shift in the Wave due to Fatera's empowerment, Lily Watts knew that the insane levels of power her opponent demonstrated in the past two fights were as scary as she thought it would be. Not holding back for even a moment, she also immediately entered into her strongest state. They have fought before, they knew the other fighter is strong, so no more games will be played today. "HUARGH!" Fatera growled, launching herself forward as she extended her legs. The levels beneath her feet collapsed as her body flew up and away from the ground. The movements of her body so quick that her image turned into a thin dark red line. "Here she comes!" Lily widened her eyes, her body rapidly expanding as more and more flames poured out within her, manifesting from her own Wave with a single though as an ocean of fire was created. Fatera charged headfirst into the ocean, surfing the fire waves as Lily swallowed her up. "No...stupid...rules!" Fatera screamed, throwing her hands out and creating a massive blast of air that freed herself from the banquet of fire Lily trapped her with. Then, she kicked back onto the floating levels behind her, creating a cascade of destruction before dashing towards Lily with blinding speed. If Lily Watts tried to track Fatera's speed, she would have lost the battle already. However, in her state of Perfect Synchrony, the oceans of fire around her are her sensory systems. Even if she could not track her visually, she could still easily spot her out with her Wave sensing abilities. Unlike Wu that gave Lily nothing but bad vibes, Fatera's movement through her ocean of fire was incredibly violent, yet profoundly obvious. She left behind tracks of destruction, and as she dashed to try to take down Lily time and time again, the latter was able to swiftly move out of the way while hiding her presence within the environment all around her. "ARGH! STOP HIDING!" Fatera shouted, slamming her foot down and shattering three levels of the structure at the same time, "Killa mode: Kicky Kick!" As the rocks collapsed onto the ground, the flames all around her simply started spreading out wider and wider. Then, as Fatera spun around in a frenzy, attacking all of the spots where she thought Lily might be in, Lily hid her Wave even further within the flames before moving on to the next stage of her plan. "Tsk...this is boring..." Fatera said, sitting down in the fire and crossing her arms in front. The coating of the Wave around her body was enough to shield her from the heat, and her enjoyment of this battle is degrading rapidly with how cowardly Lily's acting. Then, Fatera's elbows suddenly started to hurt before her feet starting burning. She looked down as her Wave coating started melting away and her flesh started becoming charred and burned. "ARGH IT HURTS!" Fatera stomped down onto the ground as she turned tail and started running. However, Lily had already filled up the entire structure with her fire. There is now nowhere for Fatera to run, and she...she is going to get cooked alive at this rate! "What? I thought that demons are born from the flames?" Lily's taunting voice came from around her, and Fatera spun around and threw a massive punch in her direction. A gust of air swept up the flames and flew towards her, but Lily was able to brush it aside casually. Turning up the heat further and further, Lily savored in the taste of the one-sided battle. Fatera is strong, unreasonably so. But compared to someone that had achieved the level of Perfect Synchrony, she is nothing. If Lily faced Fatera off straight up in a fight without using that final move, she would have lost even if all Fatera had to use is her Hard Mode. However...once Lily turned the entirety of the battleground into her domain, there was no way Fatera could win. "So...so hot..." Fatera said, her footsteps becoming quicker and quicker as her skin started becoming completely charred and crispy. She leaped through the flaming rocks, trying to free herself frantically by punching against the exterior of the Colosseum, "ARGH!" "If you submit and destroy your bracelet, all of this will stop!" Lily said, her voice echoing from around Fatera, "Just give up now, and your suffering will end!" "NEVER!" Fatera shouted instinctually, charging towards Lily's voice in a suicidal march. She blasted Fatera in the face with a column of fire, sending her body flying through a series of traps as the melted metals dripped all over her skin. "Why do you still fight, Fatera?! What do you really fight for?!" Lily asked, her outlines forming from the raging flames as she stepped towards Fatera, her eyes glowing white, "SUBMIT!" Why do I still fight? What do I really fight for? Fatera blinked a few times, her visions becoming blurry and her mind slowly sinking into the darkness. "Remember, Fatera, the reason we fight. The reason we are strong...never forget it." His voice said, echoing inside Fatera's mind. She swung her eyes open, and Fatera and her little body sat on top of the trunk of a fallen tree as she watches over him meditating while floating over a raging river. "Strong! Strong!" Fatera giggled, pumping her fist in the air as the man pressed onto the surface of the flowing water and stood on top of it. Then, he gestured for Fatera to follow him as she fell headfirst into the river and started being carried away by the chilling currents. She struggled, yet the harsh water continued to press her head down, snatching away her right to breathe as the bitter chill started to shut down her entire body. The man watched, and he didn't move. "No...no...NO!" Fatera's voice was swallowed up by the water, then, as the man was about to move towards her, she emerged from the water with a splash, her feet coated in the Wave before she also landed on top of the raging river. However, unlike his graceful movements, Fatera moved like an angry toddler. Marching angrily towards the man, Fatera jumped and kicked him, when he caught her feet and brought her in for an embrace. "Will you remember now, Fatera?" He said, "We are strong, so nobody in the world can tell us what to do. Not the gods, not the Wave, not nature itself...nobody, and nothing." As Fatera held back her tears and nodded, the man smiled and took Fatera back to the shore, though not before she bit him in the shoulders and made him scream a little. "Damn it! You little demon!" He said, playing with Fatera's head as she giggles. "I am strong!" Fatera said, pumping her arms as the man laughed and massaged the lines of tooth marks over his muscular shoulder. "Yes, you are." He said, "Of course you are. You are my daughter, after all." "Now go out there, and show them your dominance."