Back in the field, the young woman remained seated on the bench as a spatial tear opened behind her. Zen stepped through with a smirk, patting the dragon's head as he approached her.
"Finished bullying old Faust, Zen? You know it's not really polite to pick on those older than you," she remarked without turning around.
Grinning, Zen replied, "Oh, come on. If I hadn't reincarnated, I'd be much older than Faust. Besides, I showed him enough respect by asking for the Misfit and minimizing the damage. That should be enough."
Qia giggled. "I'm sure it is, but the real question is: what are you planning to do with the Misfit you brought in? He seems quite confused in your domain. What's your big project this time?"
Zen's eyes sparkled, and a smile crept across his lips. "Do you have the items I requested?"
"Yes, of course," Qia said. "But I don't understand why you need mortal beings for this project."
"Come on, Qia, you should understand. I'm creating my greatest masterpiece—a perfect being, one unbound by these foolish laws, capable of defying fate and destiny," Zen said, standing up with impatience and walking aimlessly.
"Sounds like a perfect abomination to me. Do you think the other gods will approve of this?" Qia asked, signaling to the dragon, which shrank to the size of a lizard and flew to her shoulder.
"Well, as the third strongest god, I only need the approval of the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th strongest gods. As long as they're on board, I have nothing to worry about," Zen said, as they both vanished from the field.
In a brightly lit room, various figures lay on separate tables—some huge, some small. There was a huge black dragon with a golden horn, a blue bird with blue flames, a large white bird with metallic like feather, a man with golden hair and an impeccable physique, entirely naked; a woman with white wings and a golden halo, also naked; and a 3 meter tall, dark-skinned man with long horns and huge bat wings. Nearby, a withered flower stood out among the scene, its petals drooping.
Zen and Qia appeared in the room, Zen now wearing only pants, revealing his well-toned torso.
"Is everything here?" Zen asked.
"Yes," Qia began, pointing at each figure. "The Black Dragon Sovereign...," she indicated the black dragon.
"...the Blue Imperial Phoenix...," she pointed to the flaming blue bird.
"...a Minokawa...," she continued, pointing at the white bird and the antlered dragon-like creature.
"...a hero with strong body cultivation...," she said, gesturing to the man with golden hair.
"...an Archangel and an Archdemon," she finished, pointing at the woman with white wings and the dark-skinned man with bat wings.
"Great! Now I can begin—wait, the angel is female?" Zen asked, puzzled.
"Well, you never specified a gender. And by the way, the Phoenix and Minokawa are also female," Qia replied nonchalantly.
Zen was silent for a moment before breaking into a grin, showcasing his perfectly white teeth. "Well, the perfect being shouldn't embody only masculine traits," he said, walking over to the hero's table. With a snap of his fingers, the angel's table appeared beside him. He placed a finger on each of their heads, his eyes glowing with a golden light as a white aura enveloped both bodies.
After the purification, he placed his hands on their chests.
"Having fun, are we? No wonder you're grinning," Qia remarked, raising an eyebrow.
Zen broke into a cold sweat as he noticed his hand resting on the angel's chest. He looked at Qia, who wore a cold smile, and said with a wry grin, "You know I'm not a necrophile, nor do I condone it. This is strictly professional."
Qia rolled her eyes. "Sure."
Zen focused on his work. Magical circles appeared on both bodies, each inscribed with a strange diagram.
"Liquefy!" he commanded, turning the angel's body into a fluid form without scattering.
"Transfer!" The angel's fluid form seeped through the magic circle into Zen's body, causing strange lines to appear on his skin, extending from his arm across his torso to his other arm. The fluid then passed through another magic circle and gradually entered the hero's body.
The angel's features—starting with the chest, then the torso, internal organs, head, arms, wings, and legs—formed on the hero's body. Once the transformation was complete and nothing remained on the angel's table, Zen dropped his right hand and concentrated on the merged form.
"Merge!" As Zen spoke, the angel and hero both liquefied again, attempting to merge into a single being. After a moment of blending, they solidified into a new form.
"Solidify!" The liquefied figure condensed into something distinct from the original two.
The result was a being with pink, plump lips, a perfectly shaped nose, a well-defined curve, bright golden eyes with long lashes, creamy gold hair, broad shoulders, and fair, pale skin. The body was slender, with masculine features, including a flat chest—its gender unmistakably male.
Zen sighed in relief. "Phew, it worked! Now, just a few more times," he said, looking at the remaining corpses.
Qia smiled helplessly. "Yep, it's going to be a long day."
"You think?" Zen replied, as Qia petted the foot-long dragon on her shoulder.
With a sigh, Zen said, "Whatever. Let's get this over with," as the demon appeared on the empty table beside him.
"Liquefy!" Zen continued his work.