The frozen northern winds roared violently across the Rosenfeld training grounds.
Snow spiraled endlessly beneath the silver moon while ancient dragon statues stood silently around the massive black-stone arena like forgotten guardians witnessing the birth of something abnormal.
The spar had already surpassed ordinary combat long ago.
Now—
It felt closer to witnessing evolution itself.
CLANG!!
Steel collided once more.
Silver aura exploded outward in violent waves as Kel's cousin drove her sword downward with increasing force.
Her crimson eyes burned brightly beneath the moonlight.
Excited.
Focused.
Alive.
Meanwhile—
The two floating aura swords orbiting around her body moved sharply through the air.
One attacked from above.
The other lunged toward Kel's blind spot simultaneously.
A coordinated three-angle assault.
Fast enough that even experienced Rosenfeld knights nearby widened their eyes.
Because honestly—
At sixteen years old—
Her growth during this spar alone already looked monstrous.
Meanwhile—
Kel smoothly parried her main blade before sidestepping one aura sword and redirecting the second using his own floating blades.
Every movement remained efficient.
Minimal.
Perfectly measured.
Yet—
For the first time since the battle began—
His cousin smiled proudly.
Because now—
Both of them possessed two aura swords.
Equal numbers.
Or so she believed.
Meanwhile—
The young woman launched herself forward again afterward.
Snow shattered beneath her boots.
Her silver aura flared violently around her body while her two floating swords accelerated sharply beside her.
Then—
She shouted during another clash.
"Kel!"
CLANG!!
Their swords collided heavily.
"Focus!"
Another strike erupted instantly afterward.
"Fight me like I'm your real opponent!"
The arena trembled faintly afterward.
Several younger knights watching from nearby unconsciously held their breath.
Because the pressure radiating from the battlefield now had become genuinely dangerous.
Meanwhile—
Kel quietly looked toward her.
And for the briefest moment—
Something shifted within his eyes.
Not arrogance.
Not mockery.
Recognition.
Acknowledgment.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly whispered:
"She's serious now."
Kel blocked another strike calmly.
"…I know."
Meanwhile—
His cousin pushed forward harder.
The floating swords surrounding her attacked relentlessly now.
Sharp silver streaks cutting through the winter night from multiple angles simultaneously.
And honestly—
The coordination already surpassed most trained knights.
Yet suddenly—
Kel stopped retreating.
The atmosphere shifted instantly afterward.
Because for the first time—
Kel stepped forward instead.
CLANG!!
Their blades collided again.
But this time—
The impact cracked the black stone beneath their feet.
Meanwhile—
Silver aura erupted around Kel violently afterward.
Not unstable.
Not wild.
Perfectly controlled.
Then—
Behind him—
Four additional swords began materializing slowly.
The watching knights immediately widened their eyes.
"Four more?!"
"That makes six!"
Meanwhile—
Kel's cousin instinctively stepped backward slightly.
Not out of fear.
But shock.
Because condensing two aura swords already required immense concentration.
Yet Kel created four more effortlessly.
Meanwhile—
The six floating blades rotated slowly around him afterward like celestial bodies orbiting a dark star.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
And strangely—
Elegant.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly laughed.
"Now show them properly."
Kel quietly raised his sword afterward.
"…Fine."
Then—
Something impossible happened.
The atmosphere itself changed.
One of the floating swords crackled violently with blue lightning afterward.
THUNDER.
Another ignited into crimson flames.
FIRE.
The third became surrounded by spiraling winds sharp enough to distort snow itself.
WIND.
And the fourth—
Water condensed unnaturally around its blade in flowing circular streams.
WATER.
The entire arena froze afterward.
Silence.
Pure silence.
Because everyone watching immediately understood—
This was no longer merely aura manipulation.
This was elemental integration.
An absurdly advanced concept normally requiring specialized mage synchronization.
Yet Kel accomplished it casually.
With floating swords.
Inside his mind—
Sairen sounded deeply amused.
"There."
Another soft laugh.
"Now they understand."
Meanwhile—
Kel's cousin stared at the rotating elemental blades around him in complete disbelief.
The fire sword illuminated the snowstorm crimson.
Thunder crackled endlessly across the arena.
The wind blade distorted nearby air pressure.
And the water sword flowed unnaturally like liquid moonlight.
Meanwhile—
The remaining two silver aura swords continued orbiting normally beside them all.
Six swords.
Six different attack patterns.
Six separate dangers.
And at the center of it all—
Kel stood calmly beneath the northern moon.
Like the axis controlling an entire battlefield.
Meanwhile—
The watching family members finally understood something terrifying.
THIS—
This was the true meaning behind Sovereign's Orbit Sword Arts.
Not simply floating swords.
Not merely aura control.
But the creation of a personal orbit.
A combat domain revolving entirely around the user.
A battlefield where every element, every movement, every sword became part of the sovereign's will.
Meanwhile—
Kel quietly pointed his sword toward his cousin again afterward.
Then calmly said:
"Now."
The fire sword ignited brighter.
"Let's continue."
And instantly—
He attacked.
BOOM!!
The black stone arena exploded beneath Kel's step.
For the first time tonight—
His cousin's eyes widened completely.
Because Kel vanished.
Fast.
Too fast.
Then suddenly—
The thunder sword appeared beside her first.
CRACK!!
Blue lightning erupted violently toward her shoulder.
She barely blocked in time.
Yet before recovery—
The wind blade struck next.
SHHHHH!!
Compressed air exploded against her side violently enough to force her backward across the stone arena.
But Kel gave no pause.
The fire sword descended afterward.
Flames spiraled downward like a falling comet.
Meanwhile—
His cousin gritted her teeth and raised both aura swords defensively.
BOOM!!
Fire erupted across the battlefield.
Heat collided against northern snow violently.
Steam exploded everywhere afterward.
Yet inside the burning mist—
The water sword emerged silently.
Flowing like a serpent.
Sharp.
Elegant.
Deadly.
Her eyes widened again.
CLANG!!
She barely blocked in time.
And instantly realized something horrifying.
Each elemental sword moved differently.
The fire sword attacked explosively.
The thunder sword focused on speed.
The wind sword distorted movement timing.
The water sword flowed unpredictably.
Meanwhile—
The remaining silver aura swords continued pressuring her simultaneously.
Too many attack patterns.
Too many directions.
Too much pressure.
And at the center controlling everything—
Kel himself still had not attacked seriously yet.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly muttered:
"She's reaching her limit."
Meanwhile—
His cousin breathed heavily now.
Sweat mixed with melting snow across her face while her arms trembled slightly from repeated impacts.
Yet—
She smiled.
Actually smiled.
Because for the first time in her life—
She witnessed a combat style beyond ordinary logic entirely.
And strangely—
Instead of fear—
She felt exhilaration.
Meanwhile—
Across the arena—
The family members watched in stunned silence.
The Younger Brother
His eyes practically glowed.
"That's impossible…"
No—
Not impossible.
Legendary.
That was the only word fitting the sight before him.
The Younger Sister
Kel no longer looked like a noble heir.
He looked like someone from ancient myths.
A sovereign commanding elemental swords beneath moonlight itself.
And somehow—
It felt beautiful.
The Eldest Uncle
His expression finally became serious completely.
Because now—
He understood clearly.
Kel wasn't merely talented.
He was abnormal.
A true irregular existence.
The Second Uncle
Only one thought remained within his mind now.
"If this becomes public…"
The Empire itself would shake.
Helena
Kel's mother unconsciously covered her mouth slightly.
Because the battlefield before her no longer resembled ordinary swordsmanship.
It looked almost divine.
And yet—
At the center remained the same child she once feared losing every single night.
Duke Aktaris
The Slaughter Dragon remained completely silent.
But internally—
His thoughts had already changed entirely.
Because the elemental integration Kel displayed earlier…
Should not be possible at his age.
Or perhaps—
Should not be possible at all.
And for the first time clearly—
Aktaris realized something deeply unsettling.
His son's growth no longer fit within ordinary standards of the Empire.
Meanwhile—
At the center of the battlefield—
Kel calmly stood surrounded by six orbiting elemental swords beneath the frozen northern moon.
And across from him—
His cousin finally understood.
She wasn't sparring against a genius noble heir anymore.
She was witnessing the birth of something entirely different