THE COSMIC SHIFT

The arena floor dissolved into absolute chaos. Dozens of elite noble heirs, driven mad by Eren's open insult, surged forward in a synchronized tidal wave of steel and magic. Gale-force wind blades, jagged spires of earth, and arcs of deadly lightning converged on the single spot where the blonde boy stood.Even with his power restricted to a mere 1x output, Eren didn't move an inch. He simply rotated his rusted village sword in a slow, rhythmic circle.Let's test out the wind style, Eren thought."Zephyr's Swift Edge!" Eren called out smoothly.With a casual flick of his wrist, a barrier of compressed, howling wind erupted around him. The nobles' incoming elemental spells slammed into the gale and were instantly deflected, scattering harmlessly into the arena walls. Before the crowd could even gasp, Eren blurred. He moved so fast that his modern gold chains seemed to float in mid-air, leaving behind an afterimage of silver wings.Step. Slash. Step. Slash.Moving with the fluid defense of the water style and the blinding speed of the wind style, Eren systematically glided through the mob of contestants. He didn't use lethal force; instead, he precisely tapped the flat of his blade against their wrists and armor joints, shattering their stances and sending them collapsing to the sand one by one. It wasn't a battle—it was a flawless choreographical performance.Up in the royal box, Lady Marine leaned so far over the marble railing that her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes were wide, a deep blush creeping up her cheeks as she watched the boy from the slums completely rewrite the laws of combat. He was single-handedly humiliating the entire aristocratic elite, and he was doing it with a cocky, effortless grin.Beside her, Prince Niel stood up, the holy mana radiating from his Agrazian armor flaring wildly in sheer frustration. "Impossible," Niel muttered, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his sword hilt. "A baseline human cannot possess that level of combat comprehension. He is mocking the nobility. He is mocking me."Within less than three minutes, the dust began to settle.Dozens of the Empire's finest prodigies lay groaning in the dirt, completely incapacitated. Eren stood alone in the center of the ring, his spiky blonde hair perfectly styled, casually resting his rusted iron sword over his shoulder. The stadium was dead silent once again, entirely paralyzed by the sheer absurdity of what they had just witnessed.Eren looked up directly at the VIP box, his golden eyes locking onto the King, Marine, and finally, the glaring Prince Niel."I believe that makes me the undisputed champion, King," Eren's voice echoed proudly, his gyaru-style smirk widening as he pointed his blade right at Niel. "And as for the wedding... I hope the royal family is ready for a hero who doesn't plan on stopping until the entire cosmos knows his name."Suddenly, before the King could announce the verdict, the sky above the capital arena fractured.The bright blue afternoon turned into an ominous, bleeding crimson hue. A heavy, suffocating pressure dropped from the clouds, causing the entire stadium to tremble. It was the exact same dark aura from two years ago—the undeniable calling card of the Demon King. Far off in the distance, a massive dark rift opened, and a terrifying, beautiful silhouette began to materialize, looking straight toward the capital.Eren's smirk turned into a sharp, thrilled grin. He tightened his grip on his sword as his system screen flashed red with a brand-new, cosmic-tier quest notification.The real game was finally beginning.