The woman pursed her lips. "You cannot welcome us to a place that never belonged to you," she said coldly.
Vale smiled and nudged his head toward the man standing beside her. "Tell that to him."
From the man’s build, Vale easily recognized him as a Forsaken Tribes member. They were the original owners of the Athrimir Borderlands, and although they were also under the Athrimir Clan, they had been almost wiped out by both the monsters and other flags, leaving them a bit weaker than others.
During the early days of the Borderlands, they were the most powerful force here. But since then, they had waned, and now even their entire flag combined couldn’t compare to the others. They were also considered the weakest flag because they only accepted people from their tribe.
The man grunted. He didn’t seem as angry as Vale thought he should be, more like annoyed. "Can we get this over with? We don’t have to measure dicks here."
Vale was taken aback by that, then he smiled. "I think I might like you, big guy."
"Not for long," he rumbled.
The woman sighed. "I am Jenna, Team 6 Leader. I’m here to inform you of the outcome of this fight, yes, this is from the Ten. Defeat Algar here, and you will get a meeting with the Ten."
Vale went silent as he looked at his team, raising his brows at that.
They ignored the "visitors" as they began to talk among themselves.
"The Ten wants to test your power, Vale. To know what you are capable of before they make their decision," Slya warned.
"That’s something I expected them to do. What I didn’t expect was for them to make it so official," Tiber added.
"And to send a Team 6 Leader! Is that to prevent cheating or what?" Xan grumbled.
Slya raised her voice. "What team is Algar?"
The man answered for himself. "I’m Team 16 Leader. Algar."
The others accepted the news as if it was nothing, but Xan recoiled. "Team 16? But that’s cheating! They’re strong, a team already fighting monsters in the Core! How does it make sense for Vale to fight someone like that?"
The woman smiled faintly, glad she had gotten a reaction out of them at least, but it wasn’t the type she was expecting. Vale didn’t seem too worried about fighting a Team 16 Leader.
Was it pride or something else?
Was he that powerful, or did he have a powerful artifact he’d be using? No matter how you looked at it, the difference between Team 36 and Team 16 was huge.
Jenna couldn’t wait for that smirk to be wiped off his face. "That is the condition given by the Ten. Or have you forgotten that you’ve committed an offense?"
Vale tensed as her essence pressure filled the room, chasing the air and making it difficult to breathe. He was about to unleash his own when she stopped.
"And what if I’m defeated?" he asked calmly.
Jenna smiled. "You’re about to find out."
Vale smiled in return, baring all his teeth like the snarl of a beast. "Then let’s get down to it."
Algar flickered from his place. He was suddenly behind Vale, bearing down on him with glowing eyes. "Real warriors talk with their strength!"
His hand came down like a warhammer, delivering a backhand slap at Vale, and Vale smiled and raised his left hand to block it.
Bam!
The two connected with a shockwave that broke the table, sending the food and utensils flying. Slya flew above the wreckage to avoid it, while Tiber blurred away from the spot. Xan was blown backward by the force, slamming into the wall, chair and all.
Vale had caught the man’s hand at the wrist, but his fingers couldn’t fully encircle the muscled hand. Why is he so strong? That simple slap was so powerful! But Vale was able to catch it... Come to think of it, he didn’t know his own strength compared to other Knights. This was an opportunity, then!
Still sitting, Vale raised his other hand and fully encircled Algar’s wrist. Then, he suddenly crouched, splintering his chair as he jerked the hand forward, aiming for a full slam-down.
But Algar was extremely flexible for someone his size. He regained control of his body, turned mid-air, and lashed out with his leg, kicking Vale.
Vale crossed his hands in front of him but was still sent flying backward. The difference between their body mass couldn’t be bridged so easily.
The two of them stared at each other. Almost simultaneously, they unleashed their essence pressure, a clash almost like two storms generating a small whirlwind that sent debris flying.
Xan quickly got up and hid behind Tiber, while the three of them inched away from the battle scene.
Jenna was left stunned because she had just seen Vale match Algar in essence pressure. For a Knight, one way to measure strength was through essence pressure, if you could make the other fall under yours, you were stronger.
Vale’s eyes flashed, and he pushed his legs against the ground, cracking the floor as he launched himself forward. Before Algar knew what was happening, a punch smacked him in the face. He grunted and caught the next punch, then lifted his free hand and punched Vale square in the chest, sending him stumbling back.
Algar grinned, cracked his knuckles, and then exploded forward. The two of them met in the middle of the room, trading blows so fast their hands became a blur.
Flickering shadows surrounded them as their bodies began to show the marks of battle—cracked noses and broken jaws that rapidly healed.
Then, almost as one, they each delivered a straight punch and stumbled back. Vale’s body was covered in wounds that quickly healed. He stood almost hunched, but his eyes blazed as if hiding fire within them.
His blood buzzed, and his skin felt almost too tight.
"Let’s do that again."