Bang--
The spear and Blood Blade collided. The tremendous recoil made He Ao's body tremble slightly, sending him leaning backward. He was about to fly off the edge of the cannon barrel beneath his feet and fall from this height of nearly a hundred meters.
But in the end, he was not sent flying by the officer. As his body moved backward, he borrowed the officer's momentum, pushed off on his toes, and flipped halfway through the air. The officer's force was redirected into a downward strike as he slashed at the officer's face.
The officer raised his spear horizontally and blocked the airborne slash.
Boom--
The immense force traveled down through the officer's feet, stamping two deep footprints into the sturdy steel armor.
At that moment, He Ao's body was flung away by the recoil from the clash. He continued rolling forward, landed lightly behind the officer, and slowly turned around.
"Interesting. I know why the Order Church was willing to invest in you now."
The officer also turned around and looked at He Ao, a faint smile curling at his lips. "You really are intelligent, and quite capable."
"It seems there are quite a few stories about me in the Order Church."
He Ao held Blood Blade in his hand and smiled at the officer.
"Of course. After all, you stand at the heart of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, at the heart of Aines. As a 'young man' who has not reached B-rank, you stand beneath the brightest spotlight on the stage."
The officer shook his head with a smile. "Who knows how many people are watching your position, hoping something happens to you. Even I have heard quite a bit of gossip about you."
"I rarely attend Order Church gatherings."
He Ao raised Blood Blade and