“That should have taught anyone watching not to pick a fight for which they’re not ready. And now it’s time to get back on track!”

Bad Medicine had ended as it had been supposed to end - with Raion Kido victorious, with his mind and spirit still intact - and with his name back in the title hunt scene.

Or had it?

“But first, it’s time to end the year on a high note - and to give Holden Ross the match he wanted!”

Two of those objectives had been achieved; however, there was no sign of the title hunt part yet. But then again, the Lion still held the briefcase.

Had the time to use it finally arrived?

“That would be something to think about… if I wasn’t freezing my can off!”

Of course, the biting cold of Mount Moosilauke in New Hampshire made these thoughts difficult at present - as the Lion was hiking among the Gentle Giant - as was this mountain called - among a Mount Washington Observatory expedition. Even the thick mountain jacket, the hat and the gloves the Lion was wearing were not enough to keep out the chilling sensation produced by the icy wind - nor did the clear skies and the shining sun above the snow-covered rocky trail.

“Sorry for the temperature, folks, but this wind is exactly what we came here to find! This may look like a blizzard to you, but watch very closely at the wind currents we’re having. Do you see anything in particular?”

Thus spoke the guide that led the group down the path of the Gentle Giant. The group try the hardest to look through the foggy mist, but soon they are rendered silent.

“No one? No one has anything?”

At that point, the silence is broken by the voice of Raion, who throws an exaggerated punch for dramatic effect.

“DIAMOND DUST!”

“Ha! Our wrestling guest here got it, people! Nice move by the way.”

“There is a move called that in Saint Seiya, sir! The guy that does it likes to stand up one-legged and wave his arms like a swan, but I’ll spare you that sight, I promise.”

“This being you, we’ll be seeing it next Saturday for sure! But can you tell us a bit about diamond dust?”

“Nothing too complicated - just tiny ice crystals that form in the air this time of year. Looks like fog but fog is mostly water, and diamond dust does not generally reduce visibility. Diamond dust also forms near clear skies, like we currently have.”

“Very good. This is a very scenic view here, folks, and that’s why we’re here. Diamond dust helps to make it all the more beautiful!”

And indeed, the crowd seems to share in that sentiment, as their cold is soon forgotten by the wondrous excitement with which they set about to film and take pictures. For his part, though, the Lion sets the box of his golden cloth that has so far been strapped to his back on the ground, and sits on it to take a much-deserved breather. He is then approached by a group of fans.

“Great to have you here with us, Mr. Kido! What about that briefcase you still have?”

“We really want to see you go for gold once more! Go take on Flynn again!”

“Thank you, thank you for your interest but these things are not easily solved. Besides, I have Holden Ross to think about first. He’s been wanting this match with me for a while and I would not want to disappoint him!”

“The guy that doesn’t like fighting women? Please smack him around for me, sir!”

“Yeah, he really stuck his foot up his mouth with that, huh?”

For all response, the Lion shrugs.

“I don’t think it was so much about women, so much as it was about size. But then again, I too am smaller than him. And I just happen to pack a punch without the need for going hardcore.”

A sly smile crosses his face.

“So he won’t have any excuse when he loses either.”

“I need you to help me understand something though, man. Why are you here, freezing your ass off with the rest of us in the middle of a mountain in New Hampshire, when you could be training to face this guy somewhere nicer?”

“This is part of my training, sir. Holden Ross is a man whose temper flares up easily - especially when he’s dishing out his own particular brand of violence. His soul burns as strongly as mine when he’s in his element;  and here, in this Winter Wonderland match that we’re about to have, there is only one way to defeat him - to stop his momentum cold before he even gains it, and to bring his aerial aficionado skills to an absolute halt.”

The expedition guide comes to join the conversation nest.

“This makes me want to do you a little test, Raion. Surely you know that not all things freezes at the same temperature. Water turns to ice at 89.6°, alcohol freezes at 174.6°.

But there is a temperature at which all things will inevitably freeze. Do you happen to know what that is?”

One more time does Raion flash his radiant smile, and answers without hesitation.

“The answer is 459°. Absolute zero.”

“You’ve clearly done your research. Well done!”

“I knew this long ago, sir. This is yet another thing that Saint Seiya taught me, and it’s more than appropriate for this match.”

At that point, he rises from the golden box on which he sat, and begins to open it.

“And after Holden Ross and I are done, that is exactly what he is going to be.”


“Winter is coming, ladies and gentlemen, and so is the last show of Savage Saturday Night, and of this year as a whole in the XWF.”

The initial words of the Lion sound strongly among the whisper of the wind and the diamond dust that falls over Mount Moosilauke, and the sound of his footsteps as he walks through the snow-covered mountain - deep footprints left by his golden boots.

“And as such, there was absolutely no way I would be missing it - especially since it may very well be yet another statement, next to every other one I have so far made since Relentless, as to why the name of Raion Kido should be among those in title contention once more.

I therefore say, people of the XWF Universe, that; coming into this final show of 2022, it is my hope that we all have learned a lesson at Bad Medicine.”

The Osaka wrestler comes to a halt, and, with a swift motion of his crossed arms, throws his cape behind him, the diamond dust in the air falling upon his burnished golden Cloth, and evaporating almost as instantly after landing.

“I hope we all have learned that Raion Kido does not choke when the stakes are high. I hope we all have learned that Raion Kido is not, and never has been, a name to trifle with lightly. Perhaps Chris Chaos and Jenny Myst will give it a long, hard thought before coming at me again now, but above everything else, perhaps this shall serve to put me back in title contention.

Because let’s not be mistaken, friends. I keep getting asked when I shall use that briefcase I have obtained at Leap of Faith. I keep getting told to finally use it to put some gold around my waist, but there’s a point I want to make the same way I did before. Regardless of when I use it, I want to make clear that I am perfectly capable of earning the chances on my own merit - as I did when I became Universal Champion at the Cannabis Cup.

But that, however, shall be a discussion for 2023. For the moment, here we are, at the final episode of Savage Saturday Night of the year 2022, and on this winter solstice, I am here to be a dream match for Mr. Holden Ross. So let’s get to it, shall we?”

A gust of wind blows the Lion’s white cape back, as does his wild mane of hair, but Raion Kido hardly makes a motion - instead directing his gaze square at the camera lens.

This was, after all, an opponent that looked forward to facing him.

And that meant that, to meet his expectations in earnest, it was time for the cosmos to burn.


“So, Mr. Holden. Ultraviolent fighting machine, Action Wrestling star, still getting used to the ways of the XWF. Nice meeting you finally in the ring, sir.

I know you’ve left a trail of death and destruction in your way through Madness, even if your victories so far equal your defeats. I know a man of your stature is not defined by what the books say, but this time, you’ve taken your first steps into a larger world - and here the records do carry some weight.

Because this time, Mr. Ross, you’re not on Madness, or Action Wrestling, or the WGWF, and this time I’m not standing with you against the rest of CCPE. This time you’re in the temple of the Lion, and you’re facing someone that has left a mark in XWF history and across CCP Enterprises that no one shall ever remove, and that, just like the snow that covers these mountains, shall last for as long as the world does.”

The Lion now pumps a clenched fist in a downward motion as his eyebrows raise. He had come this far since Relentless with Chris Chaos constantly hounding him, and he had finally sent him back to oblivion.

This was the time to end 2022 on as high a note as it began - with a resounding victory that would turn heads his way once more.

“But not only that, Mr. Bastard. This time you are facing someone that comes from teaching a very hard-learned lesson to those that would take me for granted. While you were demonstrating your power and your viciousness in Madness, I have been showing newcomers and returning people to the XWF that the game has changed - that even without the XWF Universal Title, the name of Raion Kido cannot be denied.

And the last person that decided to make a target out of me for his own personal gain ended up empty-handed and shown to the world as a fraud, and his one shining moment was dulled flat.

Therein should be a cautionary tale for you to heed, Mr. Bastard. You’re not the only one here that has targeted people for wanton violence. Chris Chaos did that ever since he attacked me at Relentless, and every single of those occasions was a message directed towards me. He thought that he would make me snap - that he would turn me into something akin to him, or to you.

But I am a Saint of Athena - and just like the ice and snow that you may see around me, my spirit is constant, and though my soul may burn, my mind always stays cold. So at Relentless, Mr. Ross, I did what I had to do to someone that targeted the innocent - I delivered them justice, and a resounding defeat that ruined their entire purpose.

If you have been paying attention, Mr. Ross, you should probably have seen the similarities by now, and there should be no mistake about what I’m coming to do to you at Saturday Night Solstice.”

A roguish grin begins to form upon the Lion’s lips. Had he just not defeated someone whose entire life - and name - revolves around causing chaos? What was Holden Ross but just another example of that?

And what reason was there for Raion Kido not to be the righteous fist of justice once more?

“And if that sounds like a threat, it’s because it is, because a man of your quality and stature should expect nothing less. Mr. Mac Bane and Mr. John Cable contacted me exactly because of that, and Chris Page is looking to face me in his own event for the same reason - because they know that no matter my disposition outside the ring, once I am inside those four sets of ropes, the only way for me to speak is with the power of the cosmos, for that is my charge as a Saint of Athena, one that I shall not shirk until the day comes where I must leave this world.

Now then, Mr. Holden, it’s your turn to tell me. Once you’re faced with the power I bring, what shall avail you? Your love of fighting? That high you claim to get when in the midst of violence? I’ve been among the likes of ALIAS, Charlie Nickles, Dolly Waters, Bobby Bourbon, and Micheal Graves. I’ve fought through all the floors of the Burj Khalifa at Leap of Faith to earn the briefcase I still hold.

I’ve been in a brawl that spanned the entirety of the Velvet Rabbit and spilled into the streets of New York City to win the biggest prize in the wrestling world. I defended that prize in a Last Man Standing Match, where the only way it ends is when one is no longer capable of rising.

There is little you may have that I have not already seen and done, so the challenge shall be for you to top any of that.

For do not forget, Mr. Ross - you might want to prove you’re one of the most dangerous and violent among Chris Page’s misfit toys, but even now, I am still thought to be one of the best in the entirety of the XWF, and that is exactly what you are coming to face.”

The young Saint of Athena points a gold-clad finger at the camera, grinning ear to ear. Let no one in the XWF forget - this was a man that had already been Universal Champion, and did not settle for that to be his only accomplishment.

There were expectations to fulfill. Let it never be said he failed to do so.

“You should consider this a compliment, for now, when you lose to someone smaller than you are, you won’t have to fear ridicule as you are so fond of stating whenever you face a woman - losing against the fangs of the Lion is entirely what’s expected, and better men and women than you have been known to fall to Raion Kido.

And that should ring yet another familiar bell, Mr. Bastard. You claim one does not fight Holden Ross, but survives him; however, you’re about to find out that when you face the Lion, death is not merely a possibility; it is a certainty that only a precious few have managed to avoid during this year - and even that was only temporary.

Because just like with this cold that we will be facing, there is a point where all things freeze, where all motion comes to a halt. Just as the atoms on the body of every living thing stop moving at a cold enough temperature, so it happens to everything that comes into contact with my fist. Whether it’s on a single instant in my Lightning Bolt, or repeatedly in my Lightning Plasma, there always comes the eventual, inescapable point where they are rendered lifeless.

At least for enough time for me to score yet another victory.”

This time, Raion gives a small, almost friendly wink. There was no particular animosity from him to Holden Ross in the end - otherwise, he would not have made his appearance in WGWF.

Besides, this was a match the Bastard had long wanted, and the Lion was more than happy to comply.

But of course - that also meant that he would come to get the win. And it was the onus of Holden Ross to be worthy of the match he sought.

“Therefore, Mr. Bastard, this is a challenge for you. You face one of the biggest names in the XWF, the undeniable 2022 Newcomer of the Year, and you do so in the last episode of the year of the show that he decided to make his home.

So bring all the violence you can muster. Get your organism excited with the thrill of carnage and mayhem better than any drug would make you. And know that the only way to match the power I bring to bear is to put that madness and that bloodlust of yours to the absolute limit!

As for myself, this is my final statement of the year 2022 in the XWF. This shall be my fifth victory since Relentless, and my stepping stone to the stage where I belong, and should never have left. This is my way to come into 2023 with a victory streak that shall make the thousands in attendance, the millions watching at home, and anyone in the front office think about where the Lion should be.

And this victory, just like my standing in the XWF, shall be defined by one word:

Absolute."

At this point, the Lion’s grin is gone, replaced by a face as cold and serious as the snow in the ground and the diminutive crystals in the air around him - and a likewise silence, broken only by another whisper of the wind.

He had said his peace, and it was time for the Madness wrestler to say his own.

“For in this Saturday Night Solstice, Mr. Holden, you’re going to experience absolute zero. And after we’re done…”

Now letting out his almighty roar, Raion Kido throws a punch forward, scattering the crystals of diamond dust in the air in the trajectory of his golden gauntleted fist.

“The only thing that shall remain of you, is going to be diamond dust.”

Fade to black.