Rostam stood before the bronze-bodied prince Esfandiyar and raised his voice in proud boast, declaring that only noble deeds and eternal renown endure through the ages. He recounted his unmatched exploits of old: his perilous journey through the Seven Labors of Mazandaran, where with his heavy mace he tore apart the heart and brain of the White Demon, wiped out the sorcerers without grave or shroud, and delivered King Kay Kavus, Giev, and Tus from cruel captivity. He spoke of the campaign in Hamavaran, where he led the hosts of Iran to victory, struck down their king, rescued Kavus and the realm's great lords, and then marched against Afrasiab, driving the Turanian invader back to the borders of China. With solemn pride, Rostam declared that without his sword, Kavus would have perished, Siyavash would never have been born, and Kay Khosrow would never have handed the imperial crown to Luhrasp—a ruler whose ascension Rostam's father Zal had witnessed with disdain. Rostam openly defied the authority of King Goshtasp, proclaiming that no power under heaven, nor the wheel of fate itself, could ever bind his hands.
Amused by the old hero's fierce words, Esfandiyar reached out and gripped Rostam's hand in a fierce test of physical power. The bronze prince compressed Rostam's palm with formidable strength until yellow fluid trickled from beneath the champion's fingernails, yet Rostam did not flinch nor move an inch. Rostam then seized Esfandiyar's hand in return, squeezing it with such colossal power that the prince's skin flushed red like blood, blood oozed from his nails, and his brows knit in agony. Laughing off the pain, Esfandiyar warned Rostam that tomorrow's battle would bring an end to feasts, boasting that he would unseat Rostam with his spear, bind his hands, and present him before King Goshtasp. Rostam retorted that tomorrow red wine would turn to red blood on the battlefield; instead of yielding, Rostam pledged to lift Esfandiyar from his mount, bear him to Zabulistan, place the crown of Kay Qobad upon his head, bestow the treasures of the Kians upon him, and personally enthrone him as the rightful king of Iran.