Strongest Kingdom: My Op Kingdom Got Transported Along With Me

Chapter 417: Chapter 416: Sorin Vs. Karnessa (part 1)

Morgro lowered his gaze to the flowers once more.

"...Understood, My Lord."

Without another word, he accepted the decision.

To him, Alix’s words were absolute.

If his king believed the flowers should remain, then they would remain.

Syvella couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

"I think they’re rather beautiful."

"They remind me of ancient cliffs where forests have thrived for countless millennia."

Morgro remained silent for a brief moment before giving a small nod.

"...I suppose that is acceptable."

Alix looked at the two ancient guardians before him.

The faint smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by the calm authority of a king.

"Morgro."

The stone giant immediately bowed his head.

"My Lord."

"Take Syvella around."

"Show her the military districts, the defensive walls, the research facilities, the industrial sector, and the residential districts."

"I want her to understand the kingdom we are building."

Morgro answered without the slightest delay.

"As you command."

Syvella gracefully placed a hand over her chest before bowing.

"I shall return after I have familiarized myself with our new home."

Alix nodded.

"You are both dismissed."

The two exchanged one final salute before leaving the palace together.

Emerald leaves drifted around Syvella as she walked, while Morgro’s massive figure moved with surprising gentleness beside her. The flowers blooming across his shoulders swayed lightly with every step, giving the ancient guardian an unexpectedly peaceful appearance.

Soon, their figures disappeared beyond the palace corridors.

Silence once again filled the royal hall.

Alix remained standing for another moment, gazing out across the capital from the balcony.

The city had already recovered from the chaos of war.

Merchants reopened their shops.

Children could be seen playing within the streets under the watchful eyes of patrol soldiers.

Undead laborers continued repairing damaged buildings with tireless efficiency, while engineers supervised the construction of new fortifications throughout the city.

Everything was progressing exactly as planned.

Satisfied, Alix turned and left the audience chamber.

Several minutes later, he arrived at the royal training grounds.

Unlike the elegant palace gardens, this place radiated nothing but discipline.

The enormous arena occupied nearly an entire section behind the palace.

The ground was paved with reinforced black stone capable of enduring battles between powerful people.

Towering weapon racks stood neatly along the outer walls.

Training dummies forged from enchanted alloy bore countless dents, cuts, and scorch marks accumulated over months of relentless practice.

Unlike the public military training fields used by the royal army, this place was completely isolated.

Only Alix and the kingdom’s generals were permitted to enter.

The thick walls surrounding the arena weren’t ordinary stone. They were engraved with hundreds of defensive formations capable of absorbing violent shockwaves. Even a battle between high-ranking warriors would remain contained within these walls.

Because of that, the training ground was completely empty.

Only two figures stood within the enormous arena.

Sorin.

Karnessa.

The two generals faced each other from nearly fifty meters apart.

Neither spoke.

Their expressions were calm, yet the air between them had become unimaginably heavy.

The atmosphere itself seemed to tighten.

Even the surrounding mana instinctively retreated from the pressure radiating off the two generals.

Alix stopped near the entrance instead of announcing his arrival.

He quietly folded his arms, his eyes calmly watching the arena.

Neither Sorin nor Karnessa noticed him.

Neither dared allow their concentration to waver during a spar between them.

For several long seconds, nothing happened.

The arena remained perfectly silent.

Then, a violent gust of wind suddenly erupted.

**BOOM!!**

The stone beneath Sorin’s feet shattered as compressed wind exploded outward.

Her figure disappeared.

No, she was simply moving so fast that she appeared to vanish.

The air screamed behind her as currents of wind wrapped around her entire body.

**Crack!**

Brilliant blue lightning erupted from her arms.

Electricity danced across her shoulders before intertwining with the raging wind surrounding her.

Unlike Karnessa, who had been blessed with an innate ability...

Sorin possessed no special bloodline.

No divine physique.

No heaven-defying innate gift.

Everything she possessed had been earned through relentless discipline.

Her mastery over both wind and lightning had been forged through countless battles and years of tireless training.

The two elements obeyed her with astonishing precision.

One increased her speed.

The other magnified her destructive power.

Together, they transformed her into a terrifying close-combat fighter.

In less than a heartbeat, she appeared directly before Karnessa.

Her fist shot forward like a bolt of lightning.

"Tier 5 Skill: Tempest Thunder Fist."

**BOOM!!**

Wind compressed into spiraling rings around her arm while countless bolts of lightning gathered into her clenched fist.

The surrounding air exploded from the pressure alone.

Before the attack could reach Karnessa...

Karnessa calmly raised one slender hand.

Her crimson eyes glowed faintly.

A single drop of blood floated upward from her fingertip.

Then another.

And another.

Within an instant...

Hundreds of crimson droplets hovered around her body.

The droplets rapidly expanded before transforming into countless razor-sharp crimson crystals.

"Tier 5 Skill: Blood Crystal Fortress."

The floating crystals instantly merged together.

An enormous crimson barrier materialized before her.

**BOOM!!**

Sorin’s lightning-covered fist slammed into the shield.

The collision generated a deafening explosion.

Violent winds swept across the arena.

Lightning erupted in every direction.

The reinforced training ground trembled violently beneath the impact.

Yet the crimson barrier didn’t move even an inch.

Tiny cracks appeared across its surface before streams of fresh blood immediately flowed into them, restoring the shield to perfection.

Sorin narrowed her eyes.

Without hesitation, she kicked the ground once more.

**Whoosh!!**

The wind beneath her feet abruptly changed direction.

Instead of retreating, it circled around Karnessa at astonishing speed.

One afterimage became two.

Two became five.

Within moments...

Dozens of Sorins surrounded the crimson-haired general.

Each one carried an identical aura.

Each one crackled with lightning.

The entire arena became filled with violent winds.

Karnessa slowly closed her eyes.

She didn’t bother identifying the real one, there was no need.

Her blood perception had already detected the rhythm of Sorin’s heartbeat.

Every pulse.

Every movement.

Every fluctuation in the blood flowing through her veins.

Nothing escaped Karnessa’s innate ability.

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

"You always rely on speed."

She gently snapped her fingers.

The floating blood crystals instantly dissolved into crimson liquid.

Rather than falling, the blood spread across the arena like an endless sea.

"Tier 5 Skill..."

"Crimson Dominion."

The moment the blood touched the ground, the entire arena changed.

Countless crimson vines erupted upward.

No, they weren’t vines.

They were condensed streams of blood twisted together into enormous serpents.

Each serpent possessed glowing scarlet eyes and fangs sharper than enchanted swords.

**ROAR!!**

The blood serpents lunged toward every afterimage simultaneously.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

One illusion after another shattered beneath their attacks.

Only one remained.

The real Sorin.

He shot high into the sky before extending both hands.

The wind throughout the entire arena immediately gathered above him.

Clouds of compressed air rapidly formed.

Lightning continuously descended into the growing vortex.

The pressure became increasingly terrifying.

The arena floor began cracking beneath the overwhelming force.

Even the defensive formations engraved throughout the walls started glowing as they automatically activated.

Alix quietly watched from the sidelines.

His expression remained calm.

"It seems they’ve stopped holding back."

High above the arena, Sorin slowly opened his eyes.

Azure lightning illuminated his determined gaze.

"Tier 6 Skill: Storm God’s Judgment."