After taking care of things with Richard, I made my way back outside towards the West Gate.

The Infernals in the camp were already standing in ranks by the time I got there.

"We greet the Eternal Flame!"

Lirian and Frian were standing off to the side as they said this, and Lidaz was once again standing in front of the group.

I nodded at the group.

"What is your decision?"

There was no need for me to raise my voice when asking the question. Nor did I need to give any explanation as to what exactly I was asking.

And judging by their immediate reactions, every single one of them understood.

Over 6,000 Infernals immediately dropped to their knees at the completion of my question.

"My Spear is your Spear, and your Will is my Will. So as long as I breathe, I vow to deliver death and destruction to your enemies. May your Flames burn Eternally and your Spear ever swift!"

"Welcome to my Clan! Rise now and never forget the words you have uttered today! And this goes for all of you! There will never come a day when my spear nor the Eternal Flame that dwells within will forsake you!

"Should the entire Multiverse stand against you, I, Patriarch Raizen, will always stand with you!"

As I said that last part, I allowed my flames to explode and wash over the entire camp.

Of course, it was not meant to hurt them, only to let them be washed in the power of my flames.

To understand that this power will always be there.

Always.

After the theatrics were over, it was time to get down to some form of business.

"Lidaz, are the squads prepared?"

"Yes, Patriarch."

"Good. Assign them as instructed and have them be on standby. They will all be going for further training.

"After that, I need proper structure. Create squads and groups and give them names or ways to identify themselves.

"Next. You all can't live in this camp forever. I'm planning on building a small area for you all. Of course, I expect every single one of you to help. Survey the area around the City and come back to me with a preference. You have the rest of the day to accomplish all of this.

"That's all I have for right now. Anything for me?"

"No, Patriarch."

"Sounds good. I'll be in my office. Ensure I'm not disturbed for the remainder of the day."

"Understood!"

As I turned to head back to my office, I heard Lidaz bark off a few orders, and very quickly a small group of around 20 Infernals separated from the group and followed after me.

All of whom were in the Core Formation Realm.

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The two members of the Ash Guard that were with me seemed to be a bit put off by this.

Hm.

I kinda just realized that the members of the Ash Guard might be kind of null and void at the moment.

It feels a bit bad to say, but they kind of lost all their use the second I decided to accept over 6,000 Infernals into my Clan. I could quite literally have 100 Core Formation Infernals make up a brand-new Ash Guard, instead of the 10 Qi Refinement Humans it was made up of.

Plus… even if I picked 10 Qi Refinement Infernals, they were faster and stronger than the regular human, and all of them were trained warriors.

To add on, even if I looked beyond their natural advantages, the Ash Guard would only serve me for 100 years. It's hard to wrap my head around that length of time right now, but the fact of the matter is that there's a limit to their loyalty.

Of course, they could sign additional contracts, but at the end of the day, this is a job. A very serious job, but a job nonetheless.

The Infernals… I've only just met them, but they are now my people. Not for 100 years but till eternity.

That… that's a big difference.

Alright, I'll give the members of the Ash Guard a chance then. Later though… for now, I think it's finally time I break through myself.

Can't have the boys get too far ahead of me.

I made it back to my office, though no one followed me inside.

Instead, the members of the Ash Guard and the Infernals that followed me spread out in a formation around the City Lord Mansion.

Alright… let's do this.

I took a seat on the floor, closed my eyes, and once again began focusing on forming my core.

There was no pressure of a war at my back to distract me, and it was only now I realized that the fact I had that thought in the back of my mind was holding me back from advancing.

Elder Zal has reminded me about stray thoughts many times in the past, and I thought I had them under control. But it seems even thoughts that float around deep in my subconscious could just as well cause issues.

But there were no such thoughts this time around as I sunk deeper and deeper into a serene state of meditation.

Gather my Qi… shape it… then harden it…

Gather my Qi… shape it… then harden it…

Gather my Qi… shape it… then harden it…

…

I have no idea how long I've been repeating the exact same process over and over again, but I think it's only now that I've finally reached a point where the shape was consistently sticking and staying as a perfect sphere.

Now for the hardening part.

Focus.

Grasp the shape… harden…

…

…

……

There it is… focus… make it hard, Raizen…

The big sphere that I formed in my stomach was perfect and without a single ripple or imperfection. Then, very subtly, the outer layer began to shift from a seemingly part-gaseous and part-liquid-like state to one of hardness.

It was an agonizingly slow process, but my focus and determination never wavered for even a second.

Focus, Raizen… focus…

Time continued to pass, and slowly but surely the hardening process continued.

It continued until the entire sphere was finally 100% now a hardened core.

Good… but I can't lose concentration yet.

The second battle is now to compress it as many times as I can.

Wrap it in my Qi… and then… compress!

A small boom resounded in my body right then and there, but I continued.

I continued until I successfully completed four more compressions without issue. For a total of five.

But I wasn't done… this was only the beginning.

I gathered my Qi and wrapped it around the core once more, and after gathering a sufficient amount, I grit my teeth and squeezed as hard as I could!

Boom!

Another boom successfully resounded, and I began the process anew. There was no time to waste, as this period right after hardening was the only time one would be able to compress their core.

After a bit of time passed, the core would truly cement itself in your body and begin integrating with one's meridians, becoming a brand-new organ in the process.

Trying to compress it then would only result in self-harm.

After my sixth compression, I managed to do it another five times.

Eleven compressions… I can keep going…

By this point, my breathing was labored and I was practically panting.

But I pressed on.

One more… do it…

The process repeated itself, and very quickly I was once again pushing on my core with everything I had now.

It was disgustingly hard after going through 11 compressions by this point, but I won't stop until I literally can't proceed further.

Push, Raizen!

Push…!

"Ahhhhhh!!!!!!!!"

I roared out as I forced the Qi around the core to squeeze down with everything I had remaining in my body!

BOOOOM!!!

This time, the boom that rocked my body could certainly be heard from outside my office, and I'm certain the building shook slightly in the process… I did it…

Twelve compressions… does that mean I'm a genius?

Fuck I feel sleepy…

I'm tired of falling unconscious though…

…Dammit I don't… think… I can… fight it… of…

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