The soft, wet sound of skin and muscle being eaten by the Matriarch came to a halt as she stared intently at Lidien, scrutinizing him.

Though Lidien had injured the Matriarch with his surprise attack, it didn't help him gain the advantage, for his own injuries weren't healing but only getting worse. Unlike the Matriarch, who had her own healing potion scattered around her.

The Matriarch walked, circling Lidien amidst the flesh and blood of her own kin and the scattered debris and splintered woods. Her claws slowly grew longer and longer as if they were sabers.

Yet, she didn't attack Lidien directly, as her eyes searched for any trap that could explode much worse than her eye had.

But truthfully, there was none, and it only helped Lidien that the Matriarch doubted.

'The said legend is true, child... we, of the Path of Blood, will never die so long as there is blood to flow through our veins.'

The Monarch of Blood gave another hint, but Lidien was too tired of thinking... and as he had said, he would just use his instinct if his thoughts would not help him survive the Matriarch.

And since his escape was already blocked by her, he would use the seed of doubt that the Matriarch was thinking of, even though it never existed.

Lidien lowered himself, against the heaviness and agony. With his almost unlimited verve from his Crimson Shard, the only thing that was hindering him now was his limited blood.

'And what of it? I just need to let her eat my arm and I'll explode it from within.'

He moved... but it didn't blur, as his movements were already constrained by his own body's limit. Even with the help of his own blood flow to give oxygenated blood across his body, it didn't give him the agility required to boost it, but only maintained his ability to move.

The Matriarch smirked and lowered herself... then she imitated Lidien's posture, trying to end it in one strike.

She slashed, and Lidien raised his arms in a desperate guard, the claws tearing through flesh and scattering his blood across her... After a few moments of checking that his blood wasn't exploding on her body, she continued her onslaught against the broken body of Lidien.

And then, a few inches till her maw could rip Lidien's neck, she noticed it... the faint smile that Lidien tried to hide on his face.

Instead of biting, she leaped back and widened their gap... skipping another step behind before lowering her body, alert.

"Cunning child, you're much smarter than any Demon of Pride," the Matriarch said, smiling from ear to ear.

"ah ha... ha ha! AHAHA!"

Lidien laughed, which turned into hysterics as he watched the Matriarch save herself from nothing but doubt.

"Why? Are you afraid to die?"

Lidien once again lowered himself, and ran towards the Matriarch... which surprisingly, it was the Matriarch who was running away from him.

"You will never reach me, child, I could just wait till you die from your own blood loss..."

Splash!

Lidien stumbled over the corpse of a beastfolk, sending him face-first onto the bloody ground... The Matriarch just watched him, she didn't get near him, or run away... and just maintained a safe distance where Lidien couldn't reach her.

Then, Lidien raised his hands towards the Matriarch and smiled, as she instinctively leaped back... Lidien pulled out the last potion that Lily had in the space ring and drank it in one go.

As the potion, which contained Vital Essence--the very power of the Metabolism Pathway that enabled their rapid regeneration--took effect, it immediately channeled the spiritual verve that Lidien provided, drawing upon his vast reserves to heal him rapidly, erasing all wounds as if they had never existed.

Yet, the fatigue was real... and it never replenished his strength, since the potion's ability to regenerate wasn't the same as how the Angel of Life did hers.

The Matriarch's eyes narrowed to slits as the wounds vanished. She had waited for his blood loss to finish him, and now that advantage was gone as the seed of doubt sprouted thorns.

The screaming outside of the palace continued to go on, both of them knew the end was near... it was either Lidien could drain her of her supply, or the Matriarch could kill Lidien, enabling her to go outside.

It was now a battle of tug of war. No one wanted the other to escape... either Lidien using his cunningness, or the Matriarch's Pride preventing her from failing to kill her prey.

As Lidien stood, bathed with blood of either his or the beastfolk, he chuckled.

"I think we can continue this fight for a whole day... but I'm not sure if you will have your Clan alive... maybe like the Snow Fox--"

Rip!

Alva slid in front of Lidien, her maws clamped around the Matriarch's wrist. The Matriarch had thrown her arm up in a desperate defense against the assassination attempt, and Alva ripped the arm clean off.

"Ah, and here she is, the Princess you left alive after wiping out the Snow Fox Clan."

Alva roared, making her bloody snow furs glow white before a single wing erupted from her back, scattering her feathers towards Lidien... giving him strength and erasing all the fatigue he had.

And with a final gesture of respect, Alva bowed at Lidien... her single wing covering her face and body as she kneeled in front of him.

"Master... all of the Soldiers escaped, even their slaves were killing the weakened Dark Wolves... all according to your plan."

Lidien nodded gently and smiled from ear to ear, making his eyes slitted as he stared directly at the Matriarch... who was holding her arm shoulder with a ripped arm, staring madly at him.

"Why not follow me? and build something much more powerful than the Dark Wolf Clan..."

It was Lidien's last attempt to truly weaken the mind of the Matriarch... because he knew, as he had fought her for the last few minutes... both he and Alva wouldn't be able to defeat her if ever she became desperate to sacrifice herself just to kill the both of them.

Yet, what he feared came true... when he heard the Matriarch say.

"You are funny, child... I can just cut all your limbs and have mate with you... making my own tribe."

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