Kachina, Mualani, and Ishkab faced the Scions of the Canopy team, led by Captain Layla, who happened to know Ishkab. But at this moment, familiarity meant nothing.
Layla wasn't confident she could defeat Ishkab, and with Mualani and Kachina backing her up, their odds looked grim.
"Come on, no battle, no Contending Fire! Since it's just us two teams here, let's fight! The winner takes the Sacred Flame, and the losers can crawl back to their hole!"
The battle erupted instantly. Mualani leaped onto her surfboard, while Kachina settled into her drill-car.
Ishkab, positioned at the rear, controlled the drill. She reversed it, aiming the sharp end at herself, imbued it with Elemental Energy, and sent it hurtling toward their opponents with a whoosh.
Layla raised her weapon, attempting to intercept the drill. But just as it approached, the drill veered sharply, slamming into someone's back with a resounding thud.
The figure staggered, and Mualani seized the opportunity, sending them flying with a swift swipe of her surfboard.
The opposing team was clearly no pushover. The person who had been sent flying quickly regained their balance in mid-air, but the spinning drill immediately returned, this time striking their calf.
The person collapsed to the ground, clutching their injured leg, unable to stand.
In such a short span of time, they had already eliminated one of their opponents, while Layla hadn't even managed to make a meaningful move.
"Watch out!"
After warning her teammate, Layla charged straight at Ishkab, her jagged, saw-like sword slashing toward Ishkab's head.
Ishkab dodged Layla's first two strikes with nimble agility. Just as Layla prepared for another attack, Ishkab's drill hurtled back toward her.
Clang!
Layla's eyes rolled back, and she collapsed unconscious.
Meanwhile, Mualani and Kachina had also secured their victory and were gleefully retrieving the Contending Spark.
Ishkab immediately knelt down and swiftly pressed several acupoints on Layla's body. After a moment, Layla slowly opened her eyes.
"Hiss, ow~"
"I'm sorry, Sister Layla. These are desperate times, and I've put you in a difficult position. Apply this ointment to your wounds; they'll heal quickly."
Ishkab retrieved a small packet of ointment wrapped in paper from her pouch, placed it beside Layla, and hurried off to catch up with Mualani and Kachina, who had just secured the Contending Spark.
After the Trio left, Layla rubbed the back of her head and struggled to her feet. She picked up the ointment Ishkab had left behind, gave a wry smile, and approached her teammates.
"Come on, everyone! Who's injured? Let's get this ointment on."
The teammates whose shin had been tapped with Ishkab's cone earlier sighed, "We were just unlucky. We never expected to run into Ishkab of the Scions of the Canopy. No shame in losing to her."
Another officer added, "When I saw Kachina earlier, I thought she'd be an easy target. Turns out..."
"Enough, enough," Layla interrupted. "I saw you getting completely outmatched by Kachina earlier. She went easy on you. Better luck next time!"
[ Player World. ]
Upon entering the battle, Chen Xiyao discovered that although the team was a trio, only Mualani and Kachina were playable; Ishkab's avatar remained grayed out.
This reality left Chen Xiyao deeply disappointed.
"No trial run? I should have seen that coming. They didn't even let me try Fidelle earlier. Damn it! Not even the Pure Soul gets a trial!"
After experimenting briefly, Chen Xiyao found Kachina's controls felt smoother than Mualani's, but Kachina's damage output was noticeably lower.
Fortunately, they had an off-field assist: Ishkab!
Her flying shuttle dealt massive damage, each pass across an enemy tearing away half their health bar.
Chen Xiyao: "Swordflight? It's kind of like it! I love this attack style. Based on this, Ishkab's weapon must be classified as a Catalyst!"
But guessing correctly seemed pointless; she wouldn't be added to the gacha pool anyway...
Chen Xiyao shook her head and refocused on the game.
-
Having just left one battlefield, Kachina's trio quickly arrived at another, where they found another Contending Spark.
Here, they encountered the legendary competitor Amru, a veteran of the Night Warden Wars.
Amru's squad was already engaged in combat with monsters. In such large-scale team competitions, it was inevitable that some monsters would be drawn into the fray—something the trio, having participated in several Pilgrimages, were well accustomed to.
The trio joined the battle, first eliminating the monsters before defeating Amru's squad to claim their second Contending Spark.
Kachina: "We actually beat a legendary competitor..."
Mualani: "Stop daydreaming! Let's move out with the Sacred Flame!"
With limited time, every second counted.
Ishkab left behind some healing balm before departing.
As they moved toward the center, the number of opposing squads increased. Yet the trio continued to advance smoothly until they reached the location of the next Contending Spark—only to find they were a step too late.
Pressing onward, they arrived at the foot of a cliff face.
Kachina pulled out her Turbo Twirly. Mualani and Ishkab each grabbed one of the Turbo Twirly's handles with one hand, while using their other hand to steady Kachina.
"We're up! Good job, Kachina!" Mualani cheered.
"You're welcome," Kachina replied.
Several squads were vying for the next location, with two already locked in a fierce struggle. The trio immediately joined the fray.
Their arrival drew the combined ire of both teams, but the additional numbers proved insufficient against their coordinated teamwork.
Ishkab, in particular, was devastating. Her conical blade struck with pinpoint accuracy, delivering just the right amount of force.
The battle ended swiftly, securing another Contending Spark for the trio.
With all the sparks collected, their mission was complete—though they seemed to be running slightly over time.
"Look over there! There's a Spiritway! We can use that to get back!" Ishkab exclaimed.
Approaching the Spiritway, Ishkab pulled out a scooter—the kind with handlebars and wheels specifically designed for riding Spiritways.
Its origin, of course, was Xilonen's Workshop.
"Come on, Kachina. You helped us climb the cliff earlier. Now it's our turn to take you home," Mualani said.
"Alright!" Kachina replied.
With one arm wrapped protectively around Kachina, Ishkab gripped the railing with her other hand and surged up the Spiritway.
Kachina: "Thank you all!"
Ishkab: "Don't mention it. We won the competition together. Without you and Mualani, I couldn't have taken on so many opponents. After all, I'm just a medic, not much of a fighter. Have more confidence, Kachina! You're already an incredibly skilled warrior!"
Traveling via the Spiritway proved remarkably fast. Before long, the trio arrived at the main entrance of the Stadium of the Sacred Flame.
"Contestants who have gathered the Sacred Flame, please return to the stadium immediately!" an announcer boomed. "Run! Faster!"
Ishkab set Kachina down, who immediately dashed forward to deposit the three Contending Sparks into the vessel, igniting the Sacred Flame.
As the trio approached, they saw Lumine and Paimon waiting by the entrance.
"Congratulations, contestants Ishkab, Mualani, and Kachina!" the announcer proclaimed. "You have successfully completed the Pilgrimage of the Return of the Sacred Flame group event!"
Cheers and congratulations erupted from the crowd as Lumine and Paimon clapped enthusiastically.
"The three contestants will be resting in separate rooms. Contestant Kachina, please follow me."