The northern moon shone coldly above the Rosenfeld training grounds.
Snowstorm winds screamed endlessly through the massive black-stone arena while silver frost spread across shattered ground carved apart by countless clashes.
And yet—
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Because the atmosphere itself had become suffocating.
The battle had already gone beyond ordinary sparring long ago.
Now—
It looked like two rising monsters pushing each other toward evolution.
Meanwhile—
At the center of the battlefield—
Kel slowly raised his sword once more.
The floating weapons around him rotated silently beneath the moonlight.
A spear wrapped in wind.
A flaming broadsword.
A thunder dagger.
An icy knife.
Floating silver particles drifting endlessly around him.
Each weapon moved independently like celestial bodies orbiting around a sovereign.
Meanwhile—
Across from him—
His cousin tightened her grip around her blade.
Her breathing had become heavier now.
Frost covered parts of her sleeves.
Sweat mixed with melting snow across her neck.
Yet her crimson eyes burned brighter than ever before.
Because she could feel it now.
That invisible wall.
That ceiling she had struggled against for years.
And now—
For the first time—
It trembled.
Meanwhile—
Kel quietly lowered his stance afterward.
One foot shifted backward slightly.
His sword angled diagonally before him.
The floating weapons slowed.
The storm around him calmed.
And somehow—
That calmness felt more terrifying than before.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly whispered:
"You're pushing her very hard."
Kel's eyes remained fixed upon his cousin.
"She asked me to."
The spirit laughed faintly.
"And if she breaks?"
Kel quietly answered:
"Then she was never meant to walk this path."
Meanwhile—
Across the battlefield—
His cousin inhaled deeply.
Then—
She moved first.
BOOM!!
The frozen arena cracked apart beneath her step.
Wind exploded around her body violently while the two floating weapons orbiting beside her accelerated instantly.
One wind-forged rapier.
One frost-covered blade.
Both launched simultaneously.
Meanwhile—
She herself charged directly toward Kel from the center.
Three attack paths.
Perfect synchronization.
Meanwhile—
Kel's eyes narrowed slightly.
Then—
The floating thunder dagger vanished first.
CRACK!!
Blue lightning erupted through the battlefield.
Her wind blade instantly intercepted it.
BOOM!!
Electric sparks exploded across the arena.
Yet before recovery—
Kel's flaming broadsword descended next.
A massive wave of heat shattered the surrounding snowfall violently.
Her ice blade collided against it directly.
Steam erupted everywhere afterward.
Meanwhile—
Kel himself moved.
CLANG!!
Their main swords collided heavily.
The impact alone cracked the black stone beneath them.
And instantly—
The battle intensified again.
The next ten minutes felt endless.
The entire arena became a storm of silver light.
Weapons clashed endlessly beneath moonlight while elemental explosions illuminated the frozen training grounds repeatedly.
Wind.
Ice.
Fire.
Thunder.
Aura.
Everything spiraled together chaotically.
Meanwhile—
The watching Rosenfeld knights could barely follow anymore.
Only flashes remained visible.
A silver streak crossing the battlefield.
Exploding frost.
Flames cutting through snowstorms.
Floating weapons colliding midair.
And within all that chaos—
Two figures continued pushing forward relentlessly.
CLANG!!
His cousin staggered backward slightly afterward.
Her arms trembled violently now.
Her breathing rough.
Yet—
Her eyes never lost focus.
Meanwhile—
Kel calmly stepped forward again.
Still composed.
Still terrifyingly stable.
And honestly—
That calmness frustrated her more than anything else.
Because despite everything—
Kel still looked in control.
Meanwhile—
Inside her chest—
Something burned fiercely now.
Not pride.
Not stubbornness.
Determination.
Because she refused—
Absolutely refused—
To stop at this point.
Meanwhile—
The floating wind rapier beside her suddenly accelerated sharply.
Faster than before.
Cleaner.
More natural.
And instantly afterward—
The frost blade shifted directions simultaneously without conscious command.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Because this time—
The orbit moved instinctively.
Naturally.
Like extensions of her thoughts.
Meanwhile—
Kel noticed immediately.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly laughed.
"There it is."
Kel quietly smiled faintly.
"She crossed it."
And suddenly—
His cousin understood.
The threshold broke.
Not through force.
Not through desperation.
But through understanding.
Her aura no longer felt heavy.
No longer rigid.
The orbit flowed naturally around her now.
Wind accelerated her movements.
Frost stabilized her strikes.
And for the first time—
She stopped thinking about controlling the floating weapons.
They simply moved alongside her.
Meanwhile—
Her body surged forward again.
Faster.
Sharper.
Cleaner.
CLANG!! CLANG!! CLANG!!
Their swords collided repeatedly.
Kel's floating weapons intercepted hers constantly.
Yet now—
The pressure had changed.
Because she finally reached the battlefield Kel wanted her to see.
Meanwhile—
The surrounding family members widened their eyes.
Because her combat style visibly evolved mid-battle.
Every movement became smoother.
Every strike carried intention.
And the floating weapons—
No longer looked separate from her.
They looked alive.
Meanwhile—
Kel quietly continued blocking her attacks.
Yet internally—
He acknowledged her growth completely.
Because honestly—
Breaking limits during battle itself required terrifying talent.
Meanwhile—
His cousin suddenly disappeared from direct view again.
Wind exploded beneath her feet.
And instantly—
All three blades attacked simultaneously.
Her main sword from the front.
The frost blade from above.
The wind rapier from Kel's blind spot.
Perfect timing.
Perfect synchronization.
Meanwhile—
Kel countered instantly.
The flaming broadsword blocked above.
The thunder dagger intercepted sideways.
And his own sword met her directly.
CLANG!!
The impact exploded violently.
Yet—
Something changed.
For the first time tonight—
Kel's footing shifted backward slightly.
A single step.
Small.
But real.
Meanwhile—
His cousin's eyes widened.
And then—
She smiled fiercely.
Because she finally reached him.
Even slightly.
Meanwhile—
The surrounding pressure intensified again afterward.
Snow spiraled violently around the battlefield while shattered frost covered the arena floor completely.
And then—
She launched forward one final time.
Everything she understood.
Everything she learned tonight.
Everything she possessed—
Exploded outward in that final assault.
Meanwhile—
The floating wind rapier accelerated beyond its previous limit.
The frost blade descended simultaneously from above.
And she herself drove forward directly toward Kel's centerline.
Meanwhile—
Kel watched her calmly.
No mockery.
No restraint anymore.
Only acknowledgment.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly whispered:
"She's beautiful right now."
Kel quietly answered:
"…Yes."
Then—
The final clash arrived.
BOOM!!
The battlefield erupted violently.
Silver aura exploded outward in every direction.
Snow disappeared instantly from the shockwave.
And for one frozen moment—
Everything became silent.
Then—
Three blades pierced forward simultaneously.
One.
Two.
Three.
The wind rapier stabbed through Kel's side.
The frost blade pierced near his shoulder.
And her main sword—
Precisely struck directly into Kel's chest.
Time itself seemed to stop afterward.
Meanwhile—
The floating weapons orbiting behind Kel slowly dissolved into silver particles.
One by one.
The flaming broadsword vanished.
The thunder dagger scattered.
The spear faded.
The formless particles dissolved into drifting light.
And finally—
Only silence remained beneath the northern moon.
Meanwhile—
His cousin froze completely afterward.
Her eyes widened.
Because despite knowing it was sparring—
Seeing all three blades embedded into Kel's body terrified her instinctively.
Meanwhile—
Kel slowly looked downward toward the swords.
Then quietly—
He smiled.
Not bitterly.
Not mockingly.
Genuinely.
And afterward—
He calmly said:
"…I lost."
The words echoed softly through the frozen arena.
Silence followed immediately afterward.
Complete silence.
Because no one expected those words.
Meanwhile—
His cousin stared at him breathlessly.
And slowly—
She realized something important.
Kel could have continued.
Probably easily.
Yet—
He chose this ending.
Because tonight was never about victory.
It was about pushing her beyond her limits.
Meanwhile—
The northern winds howled endlessly around the silent battlefield.
And beneath the ancient moonlight—
One young swordswoman crossed her threshold.
While the monster guiding her quietly stepped backward—
Just enough for her to move forward.