— So you're telling me the king must know something about teleportation between worlds, Telef?
— Yeah, that's the common sense, since he and his henchmen monopolize all important info from this nation.
— Do I really have to ask him? I mean, aren't there better options?
— Are you saying the other countries are easier to ask? Stalor, we're all from Lunig, so the others in Lifen see us as complete strangers. Besides, our nation values the strongest of the strongest, so you have a chance to negotiate.
— But we don't know their powers yet. Do you know why I lost against Sage, the second level 7 hero? My power and his are polar opposites, but for some reason his is prioritized.
— One that transforms everything vs other that negates changes, huh... But it can't be that bad, right? You just got unlucky in that matchup.
Stalor was now in front of that staircase again. The fair was empty at that hour, since it was early in the morning. It was still dark. Not just the sky, but also the entire castle. There were no guards around, so it was probably an invitation to him. He stepped on the staircase and climbed it to the top.
When he arrived at the huge entrance door, there was a guard in front of it. He wore an even more imposing dark armor, but with no helmet. He had short blond hair and was very muscular, looking like a war veteran. He looked down at his opponent, greeting him:
— So you're the one who killed the first guard. You're here to meet the king, right? You have two options: wait for his order or defeat me.
— I don't have to kill you, right?
— Don't underestimate me, challenger, I'm the guard leader. You can kill me if you want and if you can. But making me surrender is enough.
— What if I lose?
— I'll have to kill you, to remember you this is a trial, not a training.
— This sounds exciting.
Stalor ran towards the guard. He took a broadsword from his back and swung it towards the challenger. Stalor jumped and spun in the air to dodge it, taking the guard's head in the way.
No, this would be too easy.
He didn't use his power, since it would be an easy kill. Instead, he landed on the ground and kicked the guard's back, sending him a few meters away. He suggested:
— You're taking it easy, since you don't want to destroy your king's property, right? Come here.
Stalor ran towards the ledge and jumped. Below his shoes, the air was turning into a glass trail. He then laid down, making the trail cover his whole back. The guard, confused, jumped onto the levitating trail, sliding down as if it were a children's slide.
— Hey, come back here, challenger!
He was annoyed, since it could be a distraction. But it was first time riding a dangerous toy like that, so he started enjoying it. Once they were far away from the kingdom, they didn't have to worry about casualties. They were in the middle of the sandstone desert. Stalor lifted his finger and gave a hint:
— My power is Matter. If i touch you, I can kill you instantly. It's like an infinite damage spell, but it does have limited range.
— Since you're giving it away, I'll tell you my power. I can increase the size of an object, but I cannot return it to its original size.
Stalor smiled, knowing it would be an interesting, if easy, fight. He ran towards the guard, who swung his sword and increased its size to about two times. Even though it was obviously heavier, he could handle it easily. Stalor used his shoes to send a powerful wind, which pushed the guard down, breaking the ground.
The guard was unharmed and attacked again, upwards this time. The sword was now 8 times its original size. It produced a strong wind slash, but it didn't hit anything. Stalor landed on the ground and started punching and kicking his opponent quickly, without using his power. The guard, however, started taking it more seriously.
Even though the sword was gigantic, he swung it quickly towards Stalor and increased its size again. Stalor crouched, smiling at the adrenaline. He was about to land a punch on his stomach, but the guard kicked him. He was sent kilometers away, breaking into a mountain. The guard didn't have to run towards him. Instead, he increased the sword's size for about hundreds of times and swung it horizontally, slicing the whole mountain.
Since it was too fast for even a level 7, Stalor had to use his power. He turned the sword into thin air, but it didn't destroy much of it, because it was so huge that it was thicker than a human body. He swung it again, downwards this time, destroying the mountain again. Stalor avoided for a few centimeters and stepped on the blade.
He made the metal surface turn into chewed gum to stick his shoes and climb on it. The guard started spinning the giant sword to make him fall. But he was determined enough to not let go. Angered, he swung his sword upwards to throw him into the sky. Since Stalor was feeling unwell from all the movement, he released the blade.
The guard swung his sword vertically, slicing every cloud in the way. Stalor, however, used his power again. He was about to use the sword one more time, trying to hit the challenger. In the air, Stalor used his shoe with maximum strength, sending an extremely powerful wind. He covered the air with his power, turning the whole blade into water.
As the liquid was falling, Stalor stepped on it with his feet, transforming into frictionless glass again. He slid towards the guard, who prepared to punch the air. As he was throwing the punch, he made his armor glove increase its size by hundreds of times. Stalor phased through it, about to land a powerful kick to his head. The shoe released wind, which made the glove disappear in the way.
The guard avoided his kick by a few centimeters and prepared to attack again, with his other armored fist. Stalor swung his shoe to send himself towards his opponent. He flew so fast that the guard could not increase the glove's size again. Stalor phased his arm through the guard's elbow, slicing his arm away. As he landed behind him, he prepared to attack again. His opponent, however, turned around in fright and said:
— I surrender! You passed the trial, challenger. It's up to you whether you decide to kill me or not.
— Really? I thought you had a card up your sleeve.
— I can't win, no matter what I do, so I give up.
— I guess my power synergy was better this time. Sorry for cutting your arm away.
— Don't worry about that. It's a symbol that I fought someone stronger than me.
— I like your style. What's your name?
— Gimerus.
— Mine's Stalor. Thanks for the fight, Gimerus. See ya.
— Won't you kill me?
— I don't have a reason to. If you let me pass through that door, it's good enough for me.
Gimerus was surprised by his mercy. He bowed down.
— Thank you for the battle, hero.