"Begin!"
Two men jumped into action.
At an area of crossroads with the crowd of spectators to one side and the mercenary group on the other, two swords flashed before clashing.
Kato's advance was lighter, making it seem as if he just vanished into thin air only to gracefully appear right before his opponent.
His opponent's approach was far more physical and straightforward. He opened up with a charge, only to suddenly stand his ground and set his shield to intercept Kato's sword.
Crash!
The mercenary shot forth, deflecting Kato's sword off his shield while stabbing right at his center of mass.
Before the strike could reach Kato's side, though, he redirected his sword, dragging it up the shield to block the incoming counter.
Pang!
Two swords clashed.
Using the rebound, Kato jumped away, blinking to a spot a few meters away.
Neither of the two hurried back to fight. They circled each other in the limited bounds of the makeshift arena, processing the first bout.
