"Kuroka's right, there's no need to leave so soon."
A cold voice echoed from within the trees. From the shadows, a silver-haired young man with sharp, piercing eyes stepped out. His stride was relaxed, yet he exuded absolute confidence. His gaze was like a blade, unwaveringly fixed on Richard.
Even though he didn't know who this man was, Richard immediately sensed it—this guy was strong.
"Ah, Vali… He's the one who helped me. Don't pick a fight with him," Kuroka quickly spoke up, her tone laced with concern. Even though she had witnessed Richard's combat skills firsthand, she still knew better than to underestimate Vali.
"I know," Vali replied coolly. "I've been watching from the beginning. I came here to help Kuroka, but you acted before I could."
He stepped closer and looked Richard straight in the eyes. "Richard, right? I'm Vali. Thanks for helping my teammate."
"No problem," Richard nodded, his response short and curt.
"So… can I leave now?" he added, somewhat coldly. Richard felt that Vali was the troublesome type. He had just arrived in this world, and what he needed was to explore, learn, and understand—not waste time on pointless conversations.
He turned to leave. But then, a strange and dangerous magical presence made him pause.
"What do you mean by that?" Richard turned his head and frowned at Vali.
"You're pretty strong," Vali said with a confident smile, cracking his knuckles casually.
"Hey! Let him go, Vali. He helped me," Kuroka spoke up again, sounding a bit anxious.
"I appreciate that you helped my friend," Vali said, now with a more serious look. "But this is different. I want to fight you. If you win, you can leave. But if I win… you'll join my team."
"Join your team?" Richard raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"That's right. You have a lot of combat potential," Vali affirmed, clearly excited.
"Ooh, that'd be great. Richard, you should join our group!" Kuroka beamed, unable to hide her joy and growing interest in the strong, mysterious young man.
Richard simply smirked and replied, "Not happening."
He didn't know what ideals their group followed, and he had no interest in getting involved. Something about Vali screamed magnet for trouble—his instincts told him as much.
"Then… I'll just beat you and force you to join," Vali grinned and immediately lunged to attack.
Richard sighed. "What a pain…"
He effortlessly leaned aside, dodging Vali's punch, and countered with a strong blow to the stomach, forcing Vali to retreat. Following that, Richard spun and delivered a powerful kick that sent Vali flying.
'Partner, you should use Divide.'
Albion's voice echoed in Vali's mind. He could feel the danger—if this continued, he might actually lose.
But Vali just shook his head, his eyes unwavering. He wasn't ready to get serious yet. The fight continued.
Realizing that Richard was gradually gaining the upper hand, Vali decided to summon Divide Dividing. A pair of beautiful white and blue dragon wings sprouted from his back, releasing an overwhelming pressure that made the air around them feel heavier.
"…Huh," Richard muttered, somewhat intrigued by the wings on Vali's back.
Vali immediately dashed forward, his target clear: to touch Richard. He knew that once contact was made, Divide would begin to take effect.
Richard sensed the danger. His instincts screamed that letting this opponent touch him would lead to something bad.
He quickly retreated, dodging continuously. Every time Vali thought he was within reach, Richard would slip just out of range, as if he could predict every move.
"So you do know about Divide Dividing?" Vali asked in the midst of his pursuit.
"Divide Dividing? The hell is that?" Richard replied honestly. He genuinely had no idea about this world—much less its supernatural abilities.
Vali narrowed his eyes. If he doesn't know… then how is he dodging so perfectly?
Richard backed away, eyes sharp. He glanced down, then bent over to pick up a dry branch near his feet. His expression relaxed into a confident smile.
"Looks like I'll need to get a bit more serious."
—
Not far away, Kuroka was still watching, amused and impressed. She had never seen Vali forced into such a defensive position.
"Vali looks like he's enjoying himself," a voice spoke beside her. It was Bikou, one of Vali's teammates.
"Who's that guy fighting Vali-sama?" asked a cute young girl—Le Fay, the group's little magician. She turned to her brother—Arthur Pendragon.
"Seems like Vali wants him to join our team," Arthur responded, his eyes not leaving the fight.
"He's really strong… ridiculously fast," Bikou added, clearly surprised. "Vali hasn't even managed to touch him yet."
"Vali's gonna need to use his Balance Breaker soon, nya~," Kuroka said with a soft smile.
Then, all their eyes locked onto Richard—who had just picked up… a dry branch?
"Huh? What's he doing? Gonna fight Vali with a stick? He's insane," Bikou scoffed.
"Maybe… he plans to use it like a sword?" Arthur said uncertainly.
But what happened next left them all frozen in shock.
In Richard's hand, the branch began to transform. Glowing lines of light traced along its surface. In the blink of an eye, the stick turned into an exquisitely crafted sword, radiating a powerful energy.
Richard raised the sword high.yellow energy surged around the blade, shining with overwhelming intensity.
"Ex…"
He slashed the sword downward into the air, unleashing a pressure that seemed to tear through space itself.
"…calibur."