Invitation Rejected

After observing for a moment, Spamati found the only unusual element around here - a peculiar fruit growing on a tree that shouldn't bear any fruit.

He raised his right hand, pointing his index finger straight at the fruit, then smirked.

"That seems very important, doesn't it? It must have appeared after the recent event because that's not the kind of tree that should bear fruit. And that type of fruit, I have never seen in any document."

Alex was a bit startled at this moment and thought to himself:

"What exactly is this young man? But with such abilities, he should join forces with me. He would definitely be a significant ally in the battles in the coming years."

In fact, the appearance of Spamati up to this point was good news for Alex. From his observations, the person before him seemed very free-spirited, not the kind to work within any framework, organization, or force. 

He even had a sense of freedom so great that it didn't seem like he was a law-abiding citizen.

"Do you agree to become my comrade?"

Alex straightforwardly extended the invitation because he knew that beating around the bush wouldn't fool the person in front of him.

Spamati was also surprised at suddenly being invited. Clearly, he felt that although his attitude so far hadn't been overtly hostile, it hadn't been friendly either.

However, being invited out of the blue did pique his interest a little, so he asked:

"What is your objective? If I find it interesting, I'll become your comrade."

"To find a chance for humanity to survive."

It was a short and concise sentence, but it encompassed everything Alex had spent his life striving for. 

Although brief, achieving it was harder than reaching the sun (a saint could easily fly there).

"Why should I care about humanity? I only care about myself." Spamati bluntly rejected the offer.

Though slightly disappointed, Alex wasn't ready to give up. He said:

"Well, even if we're not comrades, you could still join my faction. In the future, whether you desire wealth, fame, power, beauties, or anything else, as long as it's not unreasonable, I will get it for you."

These were the best terms he could offer. He thought Spamati would have no reason to refuse such conditions.

However, things didn't turn out as he expected. The expression on Spamati's face showed clear contempt.

"Hmph, what would I need that trash for?"

"Then what do you want? If possible, I will do my best to help you." Alex continued.

Although a bit shocked by the response, Alex understood that Spamati was interested in something. That was already more than enough - his only fear was that Spamati wouldn't be interested in anything, which would make recruiting him very difficult.

Spamati thought for a moment, then stared intently at him, smiling in a way that made Alex startle.

"I want to hit you."

Sensing danger, Alex immediately stepped back, his eyes wary of the person before him. 

He felt utterly confused. Just a moment ago, Spamati hadn't shown any hostility, but now his attitude had changed.

"Why? You and I clearly don't know each other, nor do we have any personal grudges."

"Hahaha, I don't need a reason. I do what I want when I feel like it. Can you stop me? You seem to be quite special, and I find it very interesting to hit someone special." Spamati laughed and replied.

Then he immediately charged straight at Alex. His speed made Alex marvel at the young man in front of him.

"What? His speed is about 20% faster than mine. But it's not something I can't handle." Alex thought, then calmly faced his opponent.

With his thousand years of combat experience, Alex believed he had a significant advantage against a younger and less experienced adversary.

If the difference in experience was too great, the current gap in physical strength wouldn't be insurmountable.

Alex didn't recklessly charge forward. Instead, he assumed a defensive stance. He currently lacked sufficient information about his opponent's fighting style to make an offensive move.

By now, Spamati had gotten very close to Alex, leaving only a little over two meters between them. With one final step, he positioned himself just half a meter away from Alex.

Seeing Alex in a defensive stance did not deter Spamati in the slightest. He simply smirked and threw a direct punch at Alex's face.

Speed, power, and hardness - all at exceptionally high levels. This punch truly had the potential to knock Alex out or even pose a lethal threat.

The moment the punch was about to hit its target, Alex quickly tilted his head and sidestepped, then launched a direct punch toward Spamati's nose.

The reason Alex didn't take this opportunity to grab Spamati's arm and restrain him was that he couldn't. Spamati was not only fast but also much stronger than Alex.

By his estimation, this punch had nearly 50% more impact force than his own punches.

Although Spamati's punch only grazed Alex's face, it still left a tear on his cheek. However, Alex's punch didn't seem to cause much damage.

As Alex delivered his punch, Spamati minimized the distance between Alex's fist and his own head, using his forehead to block the strike before it could fully gain momentum.

Apart from feeling a slight numbness in his head, Spamati had no serious issues. He maintained complete clarity to execute his next actions.

Though his initial attack had failed, Spamati was now in a favorable position. He immediately used both hands to try and lock Alex in place.

Seeing through his opponent's intention, Alex instantly used his knee to strike at Spamati's lower body. 

This action was nothing unusual for him. He wasn't a martial artist bound by rules but a warrior who had killed countless enemies (excluding humans, as saints do not kill people regardless of the circumstances) using any means necessary.

Seeing this, Spamati was forced to change his plan. However, he remained unfazed, smirking as he thought:

"Haha, you're giving me the chance to break your leg."

Without a moment's hesitation, he clenched his left fist and delivered a powerful punch aimed straight at Alex's knee.

Ordinarily, this attack might not have been enough to break someone's leg, but Spamati had already assessed the difference in physical strength and body hardness between him and his opponent.

He was confident that if he could successfully deliver a full-force blow and his strike landed directly on Alex, the bones in that area would undoubtedly break.