The rhythmic thud of crude tools digging into the earth was the only sound in the tense silence of the carriage.

Alva and Xyon exchanged a glance, their postures rigid as they awaited Lidien's command.

Seeing them both bowing earnestly, Lidien smiled as he gently tapped the table with his finger.

"Alva, get a thousand men to follow us into the Dark Wolf Clan. Also... I need all the wagons you retrieved from the escaped slaves."

Alva bowed and immediately left after saying her goodbyes to Lidien.

"And you, Xyon... stay here with Mad Dog... no matter what happens, stay alive... and do not forget the letter I gave you."

Xyon bowed and gripped his hands until his knuckles turned white. He was being left behind, deemed not yet strong enough to stand at his Master's side in the den of the Dark Wolf Clan.

"Yes... Master."

Lidien watched Xyon leave the carriage and sighed as he watched the sun now slightly above the horizon.

'I hope my remaining time will at least allow me to form a Coreflux...'

And then he closed his eyes and once again meditated...

Lidien adjusted the way Azer had taught him to absorb Elemental Essences toward his lower abdomen to form a Coreflux.

Through tinkering and patience, amplified by his time in the Dreamflow, he had conceived a new procedure.

It was a circuit... First, he drew Elemental Essence through his pores, then immediately sheathed it in Spiritual Verve within his blood vessels.

This hybrid energy was then guided into his Sparkline, where his Liquid State Coreflux acted as a powerful heart, pumping the refined power throughout his entire body.

The process promised not only a sturdier Sparkline but a perfectly fluid union of both powers.

With enough dedicated practice, it was now becoming easier for him to enter his trance state directly, making him perceive time as slow... while the outside world rushed by.

Then...

His trance state shattered at the sound of a firm knock on the carriage door.

The outside world, which had been a distant murmur, snapped back into sharp focus. Alva's sweet and mature voice followed...

"Master... everything is ready, and we can proceed as you planned."

Lidien stood and proceeded to his carriage bedroom to wipe himself and change his clothes.

He put on a black leather armor with silver threads, and a black and red cape with an embroidery of a White Rose, colored crimson by dripping blood.

The Symbol of the Blood Rose Clan.

There was nothing special about his armor, and like in medieval times, it could only protect him from blades, but not enough to stop the power of an Ash Stage Demon or a Dawn Stage Blessed.

Yet, Lidien didn't care... for his skin, if he provided enough verve to protect it, it would never be penetrated, unless someone was strong enough to puncture that film... or Lidien allowed it.

"Wish me luck, Old man." He whispered, a wish that even he himself didn't fully believe in.

As he got out of the carriage, he saw Alva, along with thousands of strong men, waiting for him with their resolute eyes.

Then, as Mad Dog greeted him for his departure, Lidien only tapped his shoulder and told him to follow his plan, no matter what it takes.

Lidien stared at the burning gazes of the people waiting for him.

He didn't need to explain what he wanted to do, for they only had one goal... or two.

To attack the Dark Wolf Clan, and to skin those slaves that found themselves inside it.

Nodding at Alva, she already went ahead and commanded everyone to march.

Lidien went back to the carriage, until everything seemed to slow down.

Activating his Incite of Blood, Lidien continued his absorption of Elemental Essence to the fullest, making his blood vessels and Sparkline heat up from the sudden influx of Essence sheathed by Spiritual Verve.

Pain rushed through his whole body, making him sweat non-stop as the power coursing through his veins and very being became viscous... so much that even his Spiritual Verve was having a hard time moving it.

Time stretched, turning hours into days.

Lidien spent the whole night grunting and gritting his teeth until they almost bled.

He endured it, he needed to endure it... there was only a short time left before their slow march could reach the outskirts of the Dark Wolf Clan.

As his Liquid State Coreflux turned Solid, all the Elemental Essence stopped flowing... turning into dust-like particles stuck in his Sparkline.

But Lidien didn't stop... he pushed himself more as the pressure in his body tried to break those solid particles and the Solid State Coreflux in his lower abdomen.

Then...

A shattering sound echoed in his mind and very being... as the Solid State Coreflux itself shattered under the immense internal pressure.

The resulting particles were instantly reabsorbed, purging the last of the raw Essence dust from his Sparkline in a single, cataclysmic surge.

As the purified Elemental Verve replaced the Elemental Essences flowing through him, Lidien released the viscous and black substances that came from the impurities when his Coreflux was made.

It was a separate and ethereal organ, connected to his very Sparkline and Coreflux. It breathed in Elemental Essence from his pores and exhaled pure Elemental Verve, a self-sustaining engine of power.

However, this Elemental Essence was chaotic, for it absorbed all kinds of Elements, and not solely one specific type.

Thus, Lidien succeeded in making it, but failed to have his own type of Element.

Like the Rift's Core, absorbing essences, only to produce a Verve Stone, that could adjust depending on the one who is using it.

Lidien's Coreflux acted the same, yet it produced six kinds of elements. and he knew to himself, it was defective... for Azer giving him the defective one, and the Monarch of Blood not having one.

"I just hope I can destroy my Coreflux in the future and make a new one with a complete method."

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