"Guess she's letting off some steam with the poor bastards outside," Zen remarked with a light smile, focusing intently on his task.
With one hand, he channeled energy into the young man, while his other hand meticulously drew a magical circle in the air. Both tasks appeared intricate and challenging, judging by his intense concentration and perspiration. After a few minutes, he abruptly shifted his focus, creating a force field to deflect a dagger inscribed with intricate runes.
Simultaneously, Zen's spear materialized in his hands, and he thrust it toward the dagger-wielding assailant. The man, recognizing the incoming spear, quickly used his two identical daggers to block it but was forcefully thrown back by the sheer impact.
"I have no time for these silly games, Elro. I'm busy!" Zen declared, his voice domineering, without even glancing at the man.
Elro, clad in lightweight silver armor similar to Supreme General Jin's, pushed himself off the wall and assumed a fighting stance. "Zen, you're overstepping your boundaries. Not only did you steal a Misfit, but you're also creating such an abominable creature! You've gone mad!" he shouted furiously.
Zen ignored him, focusing on his work. "Leave!" he said dismissively.
Elro, still in battle stance, demanded, "In the name of the council, I order you to surrender the Misfit and that creature this instant!"
Finally turning to face Elro, Zen smiled and said, "Make me."
Elro's resolve wavered slightly at Zen's unsettling smile, but he quickly regained his composure and charged at Zen with unprecedented speed. He reached Zen and struck at two blind spots, only to find his attacks blocked by Zen's spear almost simultaneously.
'Such speed!' Elro thought as he pulled back and attacked from another angle, only to have his daggers blocked once more. Despite his relentless efforts, Zen deflected every attack with ease.
"Finally, success!" Zen exclaimed, his smile widening as he looked at the complex magic circle with intricate runes before him. He turned to face Elro, who was still trying desperately to stab him.
Zen observed for a moment, then sighed and grabbed Elro's attacking hand, delivering a powerful punch to his gut. Elro's eyes widened as he was propelled backward like a meteor, crashing into the forge's sturdy walls and causing them to shatter. Elro lay motionless, seemingly out of commission.
Turning back to his creation, Zen said, "Gotten rid of the nuisance. Time to conclude this."
He drew a small magic circle seal over the creature's chest. Immediately, the red runic lines on the young man began to glow, and he transformed: his wings vanished, scales disappeared, claw-like hands became normal human hands, and his golden hair turned jet black with a few gold strands.
"Great, now he'll have a human constitution but retain his other abilities," Zen said, smiling at the young man lying naked on the table.
"It's almost a shame to part with it, but I believe Ren will put this body to good use," Zen remarked with a sigh as he telekinetically maneuvered the body into the magic circle, which had become a portal.
"Don't fail me, Misfit," Zen said, pushing the young man into the portal. Just as the young man had entered the Portal, a dagger struck the portal's runes, causing a disruption and a loud explosion as it disintegrated.
Zen, though unmoved by the explosion, he was momentarily stunned before turning toward the source of the dagger. Elro was seen holding his stomach, blood dribbling from his mouth, and judging by the blood on the floor, he had vomited significantly. Nevertheless, he smiled.
"You used a secret technique to temporarily enhance your strength?" Zen asked, his expression deadpan.
"So what? I stopped you, didn't I?" Elro replied proudly.
"You've doomed my greatest creation to spatial storms and distorted time flows, and you stand proudly before me? You must have a death wish!" Zen's anger flared, and his spear appeared in his left hand.
'Damn it. He's already lost the monster, yet he still wants to fight a general of the council. He's insane,' Elro thought as he readied himself for battle.
"You used a secret technique, right? You should be strong enough to handle my full power," Zen said as he vanished and reappeared almost instantly in front of Elro, jabbing his spear at him. Elro managed to block the spear but was soon struck in the gut, sending him flying through the ceiling and into the sky.
As Elro decelerated, Zen appeared behind him and delivered a devastating kick, slamming him into the ground. When Elro landed, Zen stomped on him, causing cracks to form across the region before kicking him into a black mountain.
Zen appeared in front of Elro again, unleashing a rapid barrage of punches, seemingly trying to embed him deeper into the mountain. After about a minute, Zen calmed down and stopped, surveying the mass of flesh and bones covered in silver armor, surprisingly still alive, before allowing a slight smile to form.
"You think you can destroy my creation like that? Dream on!" Zen said with contempt.
A loud boom erupted outside the realm. Zen turned, picked up the unconscious Elro, and vanished from the spot.
Outside the hidden realm, Qia and Supreme General Jin were still locked in a fierce battle. The other soldiers struggled to keep the white dragon at bay, suffering heavy casualties. Five were incapacitated, though not dead.
Qia had switched her weapon from a rifle to dual handguns, each equipped with blades. She engaged in close-quarter combat with Jin, rapidly shooting and defending with her gun blades. Despite her efforts, a few bullets hit Jin but caused minimal damage.
At that moment, Jin noticed something approaching and prepared to cut it, only to find it was Elro's unconscious body. He caught Elro and, using the momentum, retreated from Qia.
"General Elro? What happened?" Jin asked, but Elro remained unconscious.
Simultaneously, a mad laughter came from the front of the hidden realm. Supreme General Jin turned to see the source.
"Hahaha! That's it! I'm done with all these rules! I am he who creates, and within my creation lies both my destruction and the birth of chaos. Among all gods and celestial beings, I am he who shapes and unravels destinies, the architect of order and the harbinger of its undoing! I am Zen, the purest manifestation of creation! And under my wrath, you all shall fall under my all-encompassing chaos! Hahaha!" Zen declared, his laughter echoing.
Jin's expression shifted from stoic to somber. He barked orders: "Men, return to my side at once! You," he pointed at one of his soldiers, "immediately hurry to the council and request backup. We are about to face the wrath of a titled Law God!"
Zen raised his hand, and a gigantic spear appeared above him. Along with it, various siege weapons, thousands of humanoid puppets, dozens of giant golems, and thousands of orbs formed a domain with debilitating effects on their strengths. The council soldiers and even Jin's expression became more grave.
With a grin, Zen proclaimed, "Let the slaughter begin," as he hurled the spear toward Supreme General Jin and his soldiers.