<div>


    <div>


    <div>


    <div>


    <div>


    <div>


    <div>


    <div>


    <div>


    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."This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "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.