When Marquis Aldren's hand cut through the air and came down, that single word shattered the tense silence in the training ground.
"BEGIN!"
At that moment, the world slowed down for Cassian. As soon as he activated "Stormheart" mode, his heartbeat began to echo in his ears like a war drum.
Sounds around him muffled, dust particles hung in the air, and even the slightest movement of Liora's muscles raising her sword became crystal clear in his eyes.
Both lunged forward at the same time. The ground crunched beneath their feet.
CLANG!
When the black katana and Evershade's masterwork steel sword met in the air, the sound resembled an explosion more than a metal clash. Sparks danced in the middle of their faces.
Cassian's teeth clenched together. The pressure he felt in his arms was far more than he had anticipated.
The raw physical strength of a Sixth Star sword master was as heavy as a mountain for Cassian's currently Second Star (although enhanced) body.
