Upon hearing Rostam’s grand recitation of past triumphs, Prince Esfandiyar laughed heartily, his chest swelling with royal pride. Addressing the elder champion, Esfandiyar asserted his own unparalleled feats and imperial pedigree. He proclaimed how he first took up arms for the holy Zoroastrian faith, cleansing the earth of idolaters until the soil was hidden beneath their slain bodies. Proudly he traced his royal bloodline back through his father Goshtasp, to Lohrasp, Arvand, Kay Pashin, Kay Qobad, unto King Fereydun himself, while also highlighting his maternal descent from the Caesar of Rome, derived from Prince Salm, the valiant son of Fereydun. With this august lineage, Esfandiyar reminded Rostam that the House of Zal had ever been humble servants to the Kianian crown, attaining their renown purely through devoted allegiance.
Esfandiyar then recounted his astounding heroic deeds: how when wrongfully imprisoned in heavy iron fetters by his father Goshtasp due to Gorazm's slanders—which enabled Arjasp's devastating invasion and the slaying of King Lohrasp—his passion for combat brooked no delay. Bypassing the slow blacksmiths brought by Jamasp, Esfandiyar shattered his heavy iron bonds with his bare hands and charged forth like a roaring lion. Arjasp fled in terror before him. Esfandiyar pursued him through the perilous Seven Trials, slaying fierce beasts and overcoming demonic forces, until he reached the impregnable mountain fortress of Ruyin-Dezh—a stronghold untouched since the days of Tur and Fereydun. Through cunning and unmatched force, he stormed the citadel, smashed its pagan idols, and rekindled the sacred heavenly fire of Zoroaster upon its heights. Having purged Iran's enemies and idol-temples single-handedly by the grace of Yazdan, Esfandiyar brought his fiery discourse to a close, inviting Rostam to set aside idle words and raise the goblet of wine.