Strongest Kingdom: My Op Kingdom Got Transported Along With Me

Chapter 418: Chapter 417: Sorin Vs. Karnessa (part 2)

The moment the words left Sorin’s lips...

The entire sky above the training grounds darkened.

The peaceful currents of wind that had once circled the arena transformed into a raging tempest.

The defensive formations engraved into every wall immediately blazed with brilliant light.

High above the battlefield, Sorin stood at the center of the storm.

Her silver hair danced wildly beneath the violent winds.

Azure lightning continuously erupted from her body, illuminating the heavens with blinding flashes.

The storm surrounding her rapidly expanded.

Thirty meters...

Fifty...

One hundred...

Within moments, an enormous cyclone towered above the training ground.

Its rotating winds carried countless bolts of lightning.

Every thunderclap echoed across the capital like the roar of an ancient dragon.

The surrounding atmosphere became unbearably heavy.

Even the mana throughout the palace grounds became chaotic.

The servants working nearby instinctively looked toward the private training grounds.

Their faces turned pale.

"What... is happening?"

"Those are the generals..."

"They’re actually using Tier 6 skills?"

Inside the arena, Karnessa raised her head and gazed calmly at the colossal storm gathering overhead.

Instead of retreating...

She smiled.

"Then, I will not hold back too."

The blood surrounding her suddenly trembled.

The crimson sea covering the arena began flowing toward her body.

Not a single drop remained behind. Everything converged into one point.

The blood compressed endlessly. Its color gradually deepened.

Bright crimson became dark scarlet. Scarlet became an almost black shade of red.

An ancient aura slowly spread throughout the battlefield.

It was oppressive.

Heavy.

As though countless battlefields stained with blood had manifested around her.

The air itself carried the scent of iron.

Behind Karnessa...

An enormous phantom slowly materialized.

It resembled a blooming flower woven entirely from rivers of blood.

Its countless petals stretched toward the heavens, each one covered in mysterious runes that pulsed like living veins.

The ground beneath her feet began cracking.

Not from pressure... But because every trace of blood hidden within the earth was being drawn toward her.

Even the tiny remnants left behind from countless training sessions over the years responded to her call.

The phantom continued growing. Larger, more majestic, and terrifying.

Karnessa slowly raised one hand. Her crimson eyes glowed brilliantly.

"Tier 6 Skill: Blood Sovereign’s Crimson Lotus."

The gigantic blood lotus bloomed completely.

Every petal slowly unfolded.

Each movement caused the surrounding space to ripple violently.

An overwhelming pressure erupted from its core.

The storm above...

The blood lotus below...

The two devastating techniques faced one another.

For a single heartbeat, the world became silent.

Then, Sorin moved.

She thrust both hands downward.

The colossal storm immediately descended.

"Storm God’s Judgment!"

BOOOOOOM!!

The tornado carrying endless divine lightning crashed toward the arena.

Every bolt of lightning possessed enough destructive power to reduce entire city blocks to rubble.

The sheer pressure flattened the surrounding stone.

At almost the same moment, Karnessa gently pushed her palm forward.

The gigantic blood lotus slowly rose to meet the descending tempest.

Every petal blossomed one after another.

From within each petal emerged countless crimson spears condensed from blood essence.

Millions of scarlet threads intertwined around the flower like chains binding heaven itself.

The lotus and the storm rapidly approached one another.

Neither technique showed the slightest intention of stopping.

Their overwhelming pressure caused the defensive formations surrounding the arena to groan.

Cracks suddenly spread across several layers of protective barriers.

The formations had reached their limit.

Alix’s calm expression finally changed.

"Oh, they’re getting too excited."

The two generals remained completely focused on one another.

Neither intended to kill. Both trusted the other’s strength.

Neither wished to retreat first.

Just as the storm and the crimson lotus were about to collide—

A figure suddenly appeared between them.

No one saw him move.

One moment, Alix was standing beside the arena.

The next, he was already suspended in midair, directly between the two catastrophic techniques.

He calmly raised one hand toward the descending storm.

His other hand faced the enormous blood lotus.

There was no chant, no flashy display. Only absolute authority.

The mana throughout the battlefield instantly froze.

The raging winds came to an abrupt halt.

The countless bolts of lightning became suspended in the air.

The blooming blood lotus stopped expanding.

Even space itself seemed to become motionless.

Sorin’s pupils contracted.

"Your Majesty...!"

Karnessa’s composed expression finally changed.

"Your Majesty!"

Alix slowly closed his fingers.

The overwhelming storm instantly collapsed into harmless streams of wind before dispersing into the sky.

At the same time...

The gigantic blood lotus dissolved into countless crimson particles that gently floated back toward Karnessa before disappearing into her body.

The terrifying pressure vanished completely.

Silence returned to the arena.

Only a gentle breeze remained.

Alix slowly descended onto the cracked arena floor.

His boots landed softly against the shattered black stone, yet the sound echoed clearly throughout the now-silent training grounds.

The violent storm had disappeared.

The endless sea of blood had vanished without a trace.

Only the countless cracks covering the arena remained, serving as silent evidence of the terrifying clash that had nearly taken place.

Alix looked at the two generals standing opposite one another.

Sorin still had faint arcs of lightning dancing around her body.

Karnessa’s crimson aura had yet to completely fade.

For several seconds, no one spoke.

Then, Alix let out a small sigh before a smile gradually spread across his face.

"You two..."

He glanced around at the heavily damaged arena.

"You got a little too excited."

"I thought this was supposed to be a sparring match."

His gaze shifted from Sorin to Karnessa before returning to the ruined battlefield.

"This doesn’t look like sparring."

"It looks like the two of you were preparing to flatten half the palace."

A quiet chuckle escaped him.

"Haha..."

The sound wasn’t mocking.

If anything, it carried a hint of amusement.

Seeing their usually composed king laughing so casually immediately caused both generals to stiffen.

Sorin awkwardly rubbed the back of her head.

"...Sorry, Your Majesty."

Karnessa lowered her eyes.

"My apologies."

Neither dared meet Alix’s gaze.

An awkward silence settled over the arena.

They certainly couldn’t tell him the real reason.

The truth was...

Their sparring had begun as perfectly ordinary training.

They had exchanged techniques. Corrected each other’s mistakes. Discussed improvements to their combat styles.

Everything had been completely normal.

Until...

Someone had casually mentioned marriage.

Sorin had confidently declared that if His Majesty were ever to choose a queen...

She believed she stood a good chance.

Naturally, Karnessa had disagreed.

What started as harmless teasing had quickly turned into a debate.

The debate became an argument.

The argument somehow evolved into—

"...Let’s settle this with a spar."

Neither of them had expected the competition to escalate so quickly.

Or so violently.

Remembering the reason behind their battle now...

Both women wished they could disappear on the spot.

Karnessa’s ears gradually turned bright red.

She quickly looked away, pretending to inspect the damaged arena.

Sorin, who normally remained calm in every situation, quietly covered part of her face with one hand.

Even the tips of her ears had become crimson.

"..."

Neither said a word, Alix blinked once.

Then again.

He looked between the two of them.

"...Is something wrong?"

Both women immediately answered at the same time.

"No!"

The synchronized response only made the atmosphere even more awkward.

Alix raised an eyebrow.

"...Really?"

Sorin forced an awkward smile.

"We just..."

"...got competitive."

Karnessa nodded far too quickly.

"Yes."

"It was simply a disagreement during training."

"A disagreement?"

Alix asked curiously.

"What were you disagreeing about?"