It took me about twenty minutes of shuffling to locate a clue on the maps. Sadly, Eye of Revelation wasn't optimized for that kind of thing, so the section of map we got was...less specific than I'd hoped. Still we got a decent idea of where we were headed, even if it was much further than expected. The flags were pushing outward in ever expanding line away from the fortresses on either side.

The expansion actually added another dimension to the trial. You couldn't look for the enemy's flag and be back in time to protect yours. It split the teams into defenders and attackers and forced the sides to interact with their opposites. Once we found the spot, we headed back out to meet with Abel and Biscuit. Bethy insisted on riding the giant squirrel with Callie, so Abel, Callen, and I were left walking.

Travel to the spot indicated took a few hours, with our group needing to take several detours. The animals here weren't exactly hostile, but they also weren't NOT hostile, and I didn't want to deal with more of them than necessary, so I used Eye of Revelation liberally to avoid running into any.

Callen seemed a bit aloof at first, not cold or distant but just uninterested in us, but after a while of me chatting with Abel he got bored enough to join in. "So." He said casually. "You seem interested in the church. Any particular reason?"

I shrugged. "Nothing specific. I do my best to learn as much as I can about other factions. It's classic ABN. Always be Networking. You know how us WCP'ers are." I still didn't know what he knew about my relationship with mom and Chelsea, so I kept it to vague and reasonable explanations.

He didn't seem convinced, but was used to people currying favor with my sister apparently, because he moved on. We tossed questions back and forth, basic stuff about our factions that didn't reveal much of anything even when answered. Finally though, something I'd noticed made me curious enough to actually pry.

"So..." I said slowly. "You're a swordsman right?" He nodded. "Well you have that big ass blade on your back all wrapped up, but then I noticed another one at your hip that looks way more worn in. Why carry the big one if you don't use it. It actually feels kind of weird. Not like a normal magic weapon."

That seemed to peak his interest. "Most people don't spot that." He said approvingly. "Yeah, it's not a normal weapon. Have you ever heard of sword raising?"

We both shook our heads. After all, there was a ton of random shit out there in the universe, we couldn't be expected to know everything. No matter how many people I had on my team, sometimes we would run into situations beyond our understanding. That was just life.

"Well, it's hard to explain." He said, trailing off for a bit. "There are some people who practice sword arts that are based on drawing their sword. Have you heard of those?" I nodded, because sword drawing arts were pretty basic. "Well the logic is that the sword, when drawn, leaves the sheath and the drawing process can enable you to move faster than a normal strike."

I made a noise of understanding. "I get the basic concept. Is sword raising related?"

"It's similar." He said, waggling a hand. "Basically, the logic is that your sword can gain power in its sheath. Drawing it releases that power, which is the basis of quick draw in some styles. However, some people take it further. They pour energy into a sword over time, saving it up to release it all on their draw. Sometimes weeks, months, even years. This is called sword nurturing, and it lets you erupt with a ton of power all at once, but its limited because its one and done."

"So you're saving up your blade for one massive blow?" I said, gesturing to the wrapped blade on his back. "Is that what the bandages are about?"

"Yes and no." He said with a laugh. "It is related, but sword raising is different than sword nurturing. Sword raising isn't about saving up your sword energy for an extra strong hit, it's about saving it up until there's a qualitative change. Never drawing the sword, pouring power into it over years, over a whole lifetime. As my renown grows, so does my sword, I share my stats with it, my legend. The bandages have my blood on them, linking us together."

I blinked at that. "Never drawing your sword? Then what's the point? What kind of qualitative change can you see from that?"

He just smiled. "Depends how long you wait. It's been decades now, I carry this sword everywhere. It's a part of me. The longer I wait, the bigger the change. Experiencing a sword strike of a higher level will pave my way into a higher rank. The more I raise the sword, the bigger the feedback. If I keep it until, say, A-rank, my outburst will let me potentially kill an S-ranker. The stats will pour back into me, raising my own level, and the feat of strength will cause my reputation to soar."

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"So...you're saving up the attack for a longer time and you're going to wait until its so over the top you can blow everyone's minds?" I asked with a laugh.

"Basically." He agreed. "But like I said, the sword is also a container for stats. When I finally unsheathe it all those stats will pour back into me. If I hit any bottlenecks or my reputation stagnates, I can use it to break past my limits and continue growing. Granted, it takes me longer to make my way through lower levels, but it'll all be worth it later in life."

That explained why he stuck around F-rank. Not just to protect Chelsea, but also because he was technically cultivating for two (or one and a half, I didn't know the ratio). It was an interesting concept, and I could see how it would pay off big, but it was also the kind of thing that pretty much nobody but the high crusader or whatever of the Red Revenant Church could pull off.

Well...and me. I briefly entertained the idea of trying to raise my staff, but it wasn't sheathed and I wasn't sure of the mechanics, plus I needed it, if I stopped using it I'd be screwed.

As I mulled things over, we came to the area the map had indicated...and froze. "Well shit." I spat, as I stared down into the small valley at the not currently active flag. It was easy to spot because of the twenty or so people surrounding it. People whom I recognized as team one Ascendants.

Chelsea was down there, and so was Mel. I didn't see Gabriel, Jessie, or Benny, thankfully. I turned to Abel. "Did you...like, tell Mel you were defecting?"

He shrugged. "She'll figure it out. She always says I should be more spontaneous." He paused. "Or to stop being spontaneous. It's one of the two. Either way, I'm sure she'll be fine. Although she can definitely tell we're here. The bond makes hiding kind of redundant."

"Shit." I cursed. "Has she told anyone yet? Is she going to?" We might still manage to pull something off if we had the element of surprise, but if they knew we were up here we'd get mobbed. My Belial form was excellent for crowds, but it worked better on weaker or stupider enemies. Slower worked too. Stronger human fighters would be tough for me. Sure we had some heavies, but twenty on five wasn't great odds. Every one of these people were elites of the younger generation, many of them having already broken their mind and possibly heart shackles.

He shook his head. "Doesn't seem like it. She might not be able to tell exactly how close I am. She has to know I'm nearby, but given how long she's probably been sensing me for a while. Why, you want to ambush them?"

I nodded. "Not quite yet. Wait until the round starts. The darkening sky will give Callie more options, and they'll be so distracted we can take a few out and hopefully scatter the rest. Callen, exactly how strong ARE you? Can you take Nathaniel?" I pointed out the redhead that had been flirting with my sister, he was standing behind her like a puppy, chattering nonstop and ignoring her obvious antipathy.

Gripping the short sword at his waist, he nodded. "I can. But it'll take up most of my attention. The brat may be obnoxious, but he's genuinely gifted with flame. The Judgement Pope has poured quite a bit of resources into the boy. Between him and the young lady, I'll be effectively neutralized for a period of time."

I nodded, not asking him if he was ok fighting Chelsea. He had his own plans, and he clearly didn't want to share. Holding her off was already plenty. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten about Nathaniel and Chelsea's complimentary purification power. I'd been planning to use Moonlit Night to submerge the valley, but if they could just burn it away it wouldn't work.

"Alright." I said with a sigh. "Callie, I want you to teleport into the middle of them and try to kill a few when I give the signal. I'll try Moonlit Night. It should give you some cover. Chelsea and Nathaniel can probably burn it away, but the energy for that doesn't come from nowhere, and Moonlit Night has a wide coverage. Callen, once they become visible, you hit them."

Turning to Abel, I nodded at the crowd. "I have a plan involving Mel, so I just need you to crush as many of them as you can in the shortest time. Just like Callen, you should wait until the fog drops to attack. You can play decoy, can't you?"

"You're the boss." He chuckled. "I don't need to be here too badly anymore. I already broke my second shackle."

Callen cleared his throat. "I wouldn't be so sure of that. The Azure Soul-Body isn't exactly a normal step. The temple will help you condense it once you reach peak green. You're a Master Candidate, I can tell. Do you know why you didn't form a soul-body when you reached the peak or orange? Or yellow? Because it's a special state. You can break through to Master rank at the peak of green if you have the accumulation but the Azure Soul-Body is necessary to achieve godhood."

I wanted to ask about that. I was sort of vague on what godhood required, and he seemed to know, but in the end that wasn't why we were here. I'd been told not to pry into that stuff. Not just Zeke, but Killian had also told me that knowing that kind of thing too early could screw up my path. I decided to trust them.

Shaking off the curiosity, I turned back to Abel. "You heard him. Don't die. We'll try not to kill Mel or Chelsea either. If we off enough of the others they'll probably run away. No point in staying if they can't defend the flag. Just prepare as well as you can without...big billboard sized yoga poses. When the dark comes, we need to be ready to strike."

He nodded and I sat down to wait. Mel seemed to be scanning the edge of the valley, but Abel might have been right about her uncertainty. She knew he was close, but not how close. If she raised the alarm they might lose some protectors while they looked for us. After about thirty minutes, the eight hours between rounds two and three elapsed, and the sky went black. Grinning, I knelt down and called for the Moonlit Night. As the valley filled with fog, panicked voices could be heard. It was time to hunt.