"Everyone has their moments of surprise,"
He Ao slightly bent his body and slowly grasped the hilt of the sword at his waist.
The shimmering sword light cut through the curtain of rain, splitting the elongated drops in two, and in a flash, it reached Noan's front.
The sound of metal clashing against metal suddenly rang out.
A fiery-red cane was held in front of Noan, blocking the sword light swung by He Ao.
He Ao glanced at Noan, who had raised the cane, pressed down on the sword hilt, pushed, twirled, pulled, turning the slash into a thrust, and aimed straight at Noan's heart.
Crack—
Sparks flew at the point of collision between the short sword and the cane, the faint light casting shadows on Noan's aged face and He Ao's lean profile.
Noan lifted his cane once again, deflecting He Ao's short sword.
In a mere instant, the fiery-red glow and the silver brilliance collided in the air time and again, scattering brilliant amber sparks.
