Dean remembered the last time when he read about the Fourth Pillar in the book Art of Ascendance. At the time, he didn't understand the concept behind it. He thought that it was because he didn't start training the Third Pillar yet, but he was wrong in his assumption.
Even after he began to train Density in advance, he couldn't understand well the concept of Nourishment. Will wrote about that Pillar in a very resumed and brief way, as if he himself didn't know how to explain it.
Will wrote the phrase: "Refinement will only depend on how you see this energy that sustains you within your heart. You will need to figure out the most part by yourself. Everyone will have a different perspective about it. I have my own, and I can't put it into words that will be fit universally, so I won't write anything about it in the book. Otherwise, I will only delay your apprenticeship."
Nonetheless, when Dean saw Rick's "Willpower" being used at its maximum potential, he understood what Will meant.
To understand Refinement, one needs to see it, rather than decipher it by training the other Pillars or trying to catch up with the explanation.
Most of the processes for the usage of "Willpower" are made within the mind of the Ascendant. For this, high amounts of creativity and self-knowledge are needed.
When Dean saw that bright, powerful, yet controlled blue energy coming out of Rick's body and enveloping his chain, the first thing that he imagined was iron getting hammered and melt in the furnace, all its impurities getting expelled and just leaving behind the most precious part of the metal.
'That's it! Refinement is an individual concept. While it is like forging iron to me, it may be a completely different thing for others! Maybe his perspective has something to do with the change in color of the energy...'
Rick continued to pour more and more energy into both, his muscles and chain. He let the sword aside since it wouldn't be a good choice to reinforce two different weapons. That high amount of "Willpower" that he had was impressive. Maybe his reserves were even bigger than Hector's.
The group already saw him utilizing his full power before, but they always got impressed by how far Rick went.
They could only guess the measure of his power, but Rick, most likely, was above Rank 5 in all Pillars.
The Dread was fighting against Kevin at that moment. Yet, it couldn't prevent itself to get wary of Rick. That man was on another level. Not just his roughly developed mind, but also his sharp instincts, were telling him that.
When seeing the Scythe's hesitation regarding Rick, Kevin pushed it even more. He couldn't let any openings for the Dread focus on his leader now. It was crucial that he absorbed all its blows and keep himself standing as much time as possible.
The Dread desperately tried to get Kevin off him by using all his four arms to unleash a savage flurry of blows that wounded the bulked man all over his body.
Anyhow, Kevin was serious now. He was using his spell Titanium Armor at full force, and he poured nearly the same amount of "Willpower" when deciding to use Hatred to prevent the Scythe to choose to run away.
"He is yours, Rick, Clay! Do it faster because I won't last much more time!"
Rick finally got into range and resumed his fast spin on the chain by swinging it in the air. The force of the rotation added to that final swing caused the strength of that blow to multiply by several times, and with "Willpower" reinforcing both the chain and his body, it became even more frightening.
Dean watched in a daze while that chain ripped off one of the arms of that Dread mercilessly and yet let some extra harm on its back.
"Solar Beam!" Clay shouted again and another attack pierced through the Scythe's armor, this time crossing its entire body. The harm this time was even higher. Nevertheless, Clay gave the signal to them that his reserves of "Willpower" got completely depleted.
Dean's shock was getting lessened by now. Also, the backlash of the technique he used on the Scythe finally ended, so he could move properly.
Unfortunately for him, when he was about to act, the Dread finally gave a different reaction toward those blows.
Its antennas got stiff and grew up a bit more. Then, a sharp sound began to get emitted from them.
That loud sound was even more stunning than the Screamer's signature yell.
It lasted some seconds, but it seemed to be longer than that.
After this... nothing happened. The group even got surprised upon facing that situation. They knew that there was something behind that sound, but their bodies received no harm.
Rick was prepared to charge in, and Kevin was still standing in front of the monster to keep holding it, but they hesitated for a moment.
'A bluff? Can a creature of this low caliber regarding intelligence do something like this? It isn't even in their instinct...' Rick thought.
'I am in a dilemma. It should keep making offensive movements against me because of the Hatred spell. That was a scream of pain, maybe? But why it made the sound with the antennas instead of roaring as the Scythes do?' Kevin reasoned.
Dean was having the same thoughts, following the same logic, but he could find rapidly the solution for that question.
'It wasn't doing sounds out of pain. In truth, it doesn't even seem to feel pain. However, a Dread would do such a sound only for two reasons: Harm their enemies in a direct way or... call reinforcements.'
And Dean was right in the second option.
As soon as that Dread emitted that sound, the group began to hear noises of... wings flapping... and hurried steps.
It didn't take long for numerous Scythes to appear in the distance, aiming to help their superior.
Dean looked at that wave of Dreads with the same very expression as when he saw that Scythe evolving.