A dull pulse vibrated in the ground. The pressure on Adara's neck vanished as the ground beneath Vespera erupted in a pillar of rock and earth. The Immortal was sent flying, but before she touched the ground, Adara was already on her feet.
Her eyes weren't gray; they were incandescent white.
"You've spoken too much, Vespera," Adara said, her voice not that of a sweet young woman, but that of a force of nature.
Enraged, Vespera hurled her whips, but Adara simply extended her hand. The air around her grew so dense that the chains were suspended in mid-air, vibrating, unable to move. With a swift movement, Adara froze the air around the chains, crystallizing them until they shattered like glass.
Adara didn't use weapons. She used the environment.
Fire: The arena closed in on a ring of blue flames three meters high, preventing Vespera from escaping.
Water: Adara summoned the moisture from the air, creating spheres of heavy water that struck Vespera like wrecking hammers, shattering her ribs and armor.
Vespera attempted to use her "Shadow Step," but Adara slammed her foot into the ground, and a shockwave of earth pulled her out of the shadows, leaving her vulnerable. Adara lunged at her with superhuman speed. It wasn't just magic; it was the technique Valerice had taught her.
Adara caught Vespera's arm, and with a sharp, pliable movement, the bone cracked. Vespera screamed, a high-pitched sound that silenced the Obsidian faction; only miserable cries and the thud of flesh and broken bone could be heard.
"Kill me!" Vespera shrieked, spitting blood and flashing a smug smile. "Prove you're as much of a killer as we are!"
Adara grabbed her by the neck, lifting her a few inches off the ground. Her hand glowed with a searing heat. She could incinerate her right there. The audience held their breath. Karan stood, his gaze fixed on his wife.
Adara looked at Vespera with utter contempt, a coldness that surpassed even that of any Immortal.
"You are unworthy. I will not stain my hands with your filthy, mediocre blood."
Instead of killing her, Adara concentrated her power in the palm of her hand and struck Vespera's chest with a blast of air and energy, hurling her from the arena with such force that the woman crashed through the wooden walls of the Obsidian sector, lying unconscious amidst the rubble.
The silence was profound for three seconds. Then, the roar was deafening.
Karan leaped into the arena before the herald could speak. He reached her and, disregarding Adara's injuries or his own armor, enveloped her in a fierce embrace.
"You did it," he whispered, burying his face in her neck. "You're incredible."
Adara, feeling the fatigue creeping in as the adrenaline subsided, leaned against him.
"I told you I wouldn't let you down."
The Supreme Immortal slowly descended the stairs. He stopped before them and gave a slight bow to Adara.
"Prepare the Bond. Tonight, Adara of the Lake ceases to be a foreigner and becomes one of us."
Vespera was carried out on a stretcher, completely unconscious. Her family and clan, along with her, simply walked past without looking at anyone and left the stadium.