"So this is the feeling of power. It's incredible!" Chen Pingchuan cackled, waving his hands as the very air around him seemed to warp with his power.
Just as Porcupine fell to the ground, plunging the crowd into a panic, a group of men in black appeared like specters at the edge of the square. They emerged from the other end of the street. They wore tight black combat suits, their faces obscured by black masks that revealed only pairs of cold, merciless eyes. A powerful aura radiated from them.
The spectral forms of the newcomers and the dangerous aura they emitted with every movement naturally drew Chen Pingchuan's attention. He stood ramrod straight, like an unshakeable mountain, radiating an air of supreme arrogance. With the haughty disdain of a god peering down at ants, he challenged them scornfully.
"Hmph. Where did you ants crawl from, and what is your purpose here?"
The leader of the men in black could clearly feel the terrifying, overwhelming pressure rolling off Chen Pingchuan and secretly weighed his options. They were on an important mission and could not afford to get dragged into a pointless fight over a moment of pride, wasting their strength for nothing. He suppressed his rage and spoke in a deliberately low, yet composed voice.
"Apologies, we have no intention of interfering in your battle. We were merely passing by when we heard the commotion and came to investigate. Since you do not require our assistance, we will take our leave. Farewell."
The leader of the men in black had thought this concession would be enough to appease the other party, allowing them to retreat peacefully and unscathed.
However, a cold, arrogant laugh suddenly echoed through the air. It was like a blast of frigid wind, making his body involuntarily seize up.
"Haha, what a pack of fools courting death! Did you think this god was negotiating with you? What a joke! Speak or die. Choose."
Chen Pingchuan's eyes were filled with nothing but contempt. The blatant scorn made the leader's stomach churn as fury burned in his chest. But he was no reckless fool to be easily swayed by emotion or impulse, so he fought to suppress his inner rage. Even so, his voice trembled slightly from the effort of restraining himself.
"We are from the Doomsday Holy Sect. We have come only to prevent the impending world-ending calamity. There, I have answered your question. Now, may we leave?"
The man's hands clenched into tight fists, his knuckles turning white from the pressure.
Since when had he, a Legion Commander of the Doomsday Holy Sect, ever suffered such humiliation? If the situation here wasn't so similar to the signs of the Tree of Calamity recorded in the Doomsday Prophecy Book, why would he ever bow his head to this man's inexplicable power?
But the man's forbearance did not earn him any restraint from Chen Pingchuan. On the contrary, his arrogant voice rang out again, like an inviolable divine oracle.
"Hmph. You think a few flimsy lies are enough for this god to let you go? You're dreaming! Now, I'll give you two choices. Either kneel and submit to this god, or... die!"
The light on Chen Pingchuan's armor flickered incessantly, as if cheering on its master's boundless provocation.
Hearing such an outrageous demand, the leader of the men in black could no longer contain himself. His long-suppressed anger erupted like a volcano.
"Such arrogance! Let's see what you're really made of! Attack!"
At the leader's command, his subordinates surged forward like a tide. He himself did not move first. Instead, the man in black directly behind him suddenly tensed, his muscles bulging and veins popping. At a glance, he resembled a Genetic Enhancer who had consumed a gene serum. Possessing strength and speed that far exceeded an ordinary human's, he roared and slammed his feet into the ground. He lunged toward Chen Pingchuan like a cannonball, each step leaving a deep imprint in the earth and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Simultaneously, the expert beside him flickered like a ghost, leaving afterimages in his wake. As his hands danced, blades of energy shot toward Chen Pingchuan like lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp ZZZT, as if the air itself was crying out in pain.
Feeling the power of these two, Lilia and the others felt a chill run down their spines. The intensity of their attacks was clearly at least seventh-level; otherwise, they wouldn't feel such mountainous pressure.
Yet their target, Chen Pingchuan, remained completely unfazed. He simply hovered in the air. That's right, he had risen from the ground, looking down on his enemies like a god surveying mortals.
In addition to the two who resembled a seventh-level Gene Enhancer and a seventh-level Gene Empowerer, two others joined the assault.
The third attacker's eyes gleamed with a strange light as his hands rapidly traced mysterious runes in the air. At his gestures, the surrounding space began to twist, as if reality itself was being kneaded by an unseen hand, growing blurry and indistinct. Chen Pingchuan felt his vision warp, throwing him into an illusory maze where he lost all sense of direction.
The fourth attacker instantly split into hundreds of clones that swarmed Chen Pingchuan. Each clone radiated a genuine aura, making it impossible to tell them apart. They attacked in unison, unleashing a dense web of weapons that threatened to engulf him from every direction.
Faced with this sudden, ferocious onslaught, Chen Pingchuan remained perfectly calm.
With a cold snort, the light from his armor flared, instantly forming an impenetrable energy shield that deflected all the attacks. The collision of the shield and the assaults produced a deafening roar, and a brilliant light, like a solar flare, erupted to illuminate the entire square, blinding everyone.
"Ants!" a flicker of disdain crossed Chen Pingchuan's eyes as a cold, metallic voice emanated from his Mecha. "Divine Punishment—Fire Spear!"
Instantly, countless spears of flame materialized around him. They blazed with a scorching heat, like instruments of punishment forged in Hell. With a casual wave of his right hand, Chen Pingchuan sent the fire spears raining down upon the men in black, their speed too overwhelming to follow with the naked eye.