In the Sky Trial, participants enter using Wing Shell or by riding flying mounts to engage in team "battles." Riders cannot leave their mounts.
The sixty-four shortlisted teams will be randomly divided into eight groups, and the venue will also be octagonal, with all eight teams in each group entering together.
Each team has a "goal" hole in the air, about the size of a human head, in their own corner. Each team also has an "Sky Ball" shaped like a rugby ball, with the thickest part in the middle only slightly smaller than the goal.
Each time a team scores a goal by putting their Sky Ball into the opponent's goal, they score one point. However, each goal can only score a maximum of one point. Conversely, if a team scores against their own goal, they lose one point, with a minimum of zero points.
Every time a goal is scored, the match is paused, and all eight teams return to their initial positions to restart.
The "Sky Ball" is made of a special material; it is very sturdy, but not indestructible. If the "Sky Ball" is destroyed or goes out of bounds, then the player can only defend until the round restarts.
Unlike the Sea Trial, there are no players with balls here; they can attack each other, but the use of powerful offensive Sky Island Shells such as Repel Dials and Flash Dials is prohibited...
The player with the ball cannot attack others, nor can they be directly attacked.
However, it can attack "Sky Ball" that have left your hand, so you can use "Sky Ball" to attack.
Furthermore, on the field, there are defensive and offensive zones in front of the goal. You can't defend right next to the goal, nor can you rush directly to the goal and put the ball in...
In addition, the Sky Trial takes place in the Holy Land's dueling arena, which naturally enhances its visual appeal.
At the same time, looking at the rules of these eight teams competing together, it is clear that it is advantageous to the large clans. The two largest clans, each with more than ten teams that have qualified, will inevitably have smaller teams from the same clan in the same match. If they are lucky, there may even be three or four teams from the same clan in one match.
If Axedevo hadn't been tricked by Sig, there might be more than ten teams from three major clans making the cut!
"In other words, the maximum score for the Sky Trial is seven points... Well, compared to the theoretically highest score that can be obtained in the Strength Trial, it's not much." Sig had roughly understood the rules.
"However, in the past, the winners of the Sky Trial and Strength Trial usually only scored twenty or thirty points in total, and the difference between the top few was often within five points, so the Sky Trial are still very important," Angel reminded them at this time.
Of course, it's impossible to expect Sig to master all the Sky Ball techniques immediately.
According to the previously planned strategy, Sig only needed to be responsible for defense or creating opportunities – that is, to fight against players who don't have the ball.
Sig, who doesn't use Sky Island Shells as a means of combat, is actually in an advantageous position according to the rules.
In addition, under special circumstances, Sig can also serve as a surprise attacker—the entanglement of Armament Haki can greatly increase the power of Sky Ball. If it were Yasopp, he could completely snipe the opponent's goalkeeper directly from his own doorstep.
Soon, the list for the first group was drawn, and Angel's name was prominently featured.
"Me too, me too, me too..." Enel muttered to himself.
If only two teams qualify and are drawn into the same group, that would truly be a stroke of good fortune for Mutel.
Unfortunately, Mutel were clearly not very lucky, and he still missed the extremely rare opportunity; otherwise, it would have been a sure thing.
"This is not good. Three of the groups are from the Kusa Clan, and there are no other teams from the same clan!" Ohm, who had participated in one trial and witnessed many others, had already noticed the problem.
This draw wasn't very good...
"However, we were the first group to play, and judging from the rest situation and the rest time afterward, we had a big advantage." After saying that, Sig gave everyone a reassuring speech.
A slight unease followed, but I quickly calmed down—"Seven" was right.
Each "Sky Ball" session lasts fifty minutes, with a ten-minute break in between for rest and preparation. Starting with the first group, the trials proceed in turn. After all eight groups have finished, it will be 10 p. m. After a two-hour rest, the main event, the "Strength Trial," will begin.
The trial participants in Temur were undoubtedly the best rested, so going first was the most advantageous for them—not only were their opponents not well-rested, but they would also have nine hours of rest afterward, ignoring the progress of other groups, to prepare for the subsequent "Strength Trial."
In contrast, the younger brother wasn't so lucky and was drawn into the fourth group.
"Why do you look at me like I'm having such bad luck? My opponents are all from different clans, there's nothing better than this!" Enel said, annoyed by Sig's gaze.
"Enel, you should call him brother-in-law!" Angel corrected.
"You can call me Big Brother," Sig added.
Enel:!!!
Enel's displeasure aside, Sig then said, "The Kusa Clan? I can try contacting them. If we can form an alliance, four teams, each taking four points, isn't that acceptable?"
Although Sig wasn't familiar with them, his ability to soothe and Psychological Suggestion others made him quite adept at persuading them.
"An alliance?" Angel's expression turned awkward for a moment, then he sighed, "But even if they agree, we're not from the same clan, so there's no constraint on breaking the agreement at the last minute."
Sig could sense that Angel's initial strange expression stemmed from a feeling that doing so was dishonest and went against the original intent of the Trial of God.
However, considering that the Trial of God has already been ruined by "them," if they don't first use the rules to obtain an elder's seat, it will be even more impossible to change things...
Then, following Sig's logic, I abandoned that slight fastidiousness and began to think, eventually arriving at the conclusion that it was "unreliable".
"Isn't that perfect? If they want to back out, we should at least get four points first, right? If they back out, we'll get those three points too!" Sig said matter-of-factly.
"Huh? You're really confident." Enel said sarcastically in a condescending tone.
"No, you should say 'What a confident brother-in-law,'" Sig corrected.
Enel:...
Although Angel had some doubts about Sig's plan, out of respect for her husband, she did not stop Sig from trying it.
While the draw for the next three groups was still ongoing, Sig quietly made his way from the Spectator to the area where the Kusa Clan's trial participants were located.
Seeing that this prominent figure who had performed exceptionally well in the "Sea Trial" had actually come to seek them out, the Kusa Clan members dared not be careless.
Kusa has three teams in Group 1, which should have been a big advantage for them, so they will definitely try to get five points from each team.
Of the first group, the only one who could truly concern them was the unpredictable Mutel.
"We're in the first group, so I'll get Door Opening... How about an alliance? We'll have four teams, and each of us will take four points from the other teams."
"None of the three teams in the first group are your strongest teams. For you, it should just mean you got one less point than your optimal plan."
"As long as we're in the league, there won't be any surprises. Otherwise, if we breach your goal but don't breach ours, you'll only get three points. If there are three teams, you'll be three points short!"
"It's true that Mutel isn't as good as you guys, but you got twelve points in total, while we only got four!"
"Rounded up or down, you only lost one point, but gained eight..."
After a brilliant, analytical negotiation, Sig left with Kusa's agreement to form an alliance...