After the last lingering flame completely dissipated, Zhong Yan released the Susanoo that had been protecting everyone.
After a brief silence, he looked at the enemy before him and spoke to the people behind him in a solemn tone, "Step back a bit. Don't get caught in the crossfire of our battle. Whatever happens, I'll explain everything to you later."
As his words fell, a vortex of space appeared. With a clenched hand, a massive war fan instantly materialized in his grip.
"You'll pay the price for what you did today." Smelling the faint scent of blood in the air, Zhong Yan realized that the earlier explosion had taken many innocent lives.
As the mastermind behind all this, regardless of his reasons, just the fact that he attacked him and Ellen's group was enough for Zhong Yan to sentence him to death.
"I never believed in evil receiving retribution. Uchiha, I know everything about you. Even now, you still feel guilty about that arrow back then, don't you? To be honest, you and I aren't so different."
Feeling the anger and killing intent radiating from Zhong Yan, the young man couldn't help but tease him.
In his view, a man like Zhong Yan—who had once wiped out thousands of civilians with a single arrow—was no different from them, who never showed mercy in their actions.
The only difference was that he hadn't undergone the transformation.
But that didn't matter. As long as they transformed him, there would be no difference between the two sides.
However, Zhong Yan didn't believe a word of this nonsense. The brainwashing abilities of the Exaltists were unparalleled. Aside from the lucky escapee Airi, no one had ever slipped through their claws.
Whether for himself or the people around him, Zhong Yan had to wipe them all out.
Only then could he feel a long-lost sense of peace.
"The Public Security Bureau should be arriving soon. Before that... let's take care of that guy." Zhong Yan thought to himself. The identity of "Uchiha" involved too many complications. If the authorities found out, his chances of returning to a peaceful life would vanish.
So, as long as he eliminated the fool in front of him before getting exposed, everything would be resolved.
"Looks like you really want to kill me, Uchiha." Sensing Zhong Yan's gaze, the young man instantly understood his intentions and mocked, "Terrifying... even a Ethereal like Nineveh couldn't last a few rounds against you. If it were me, the outcome probably wouldn't be much different."
"In that case, why don't we play a little game, Uchiha? I've hidden around three thousand ether bombs across different districts of New Eridu. Honestly, setting that many nearly drained me dry—but at least I got it done."
"You... have about three days to deal with all of them. Of course, you can choose not to play. Worst-case scenario? Only a tenth of New Eridu goes up in flames. And all the casualties? They've got nothing to do with you."
"Causing that much chaos will definitely put the officials of New Eridu on alert. If they unleash that thing, we'll have no way to fight back. So, you see, I really am going all-in to play this game with you, Uchiha."
Hearing his words, while Zhong Yan remained silent, the people behind him—like Anby—could no longer contain their shock.
Three thousand bombs... to be dismantled in three days, and without any location clues? That was practically impossible.
More importantly, even though he'd given Zhong Yan a choice, no matter what Zhong Yan decided, they all still had to face the threat of three thousand bombs.
"What kind of sick joke is this? Three thousand bombs? Forget three days—even three months might not be enough to defuse them all!" Nicole was the first to voice her frustration, while the others remained silent, unable to find any words.
Elsewhere, once he confirmed that three thousand bombs had indeed been planted across New Eridu, even someone as composed as Zhong Yan couldn't help but widen his eyes.
"Do you have any idea you're going to die by my hand?" Zhong Yan said coldly. Given the situation, his only move was to threaten the man with death, forcing him to reveal the bombs' locations and how to disarm them.
Yet, Zhong Yan couldn't fathom just how insane this particular clone of the Creator truly was—a madness that surpassed the limits of humanity, enough to send chills down anyone's spine.
"I never planned to make it back alive. If you want, I can kill myself right now, right in front of you. What I want... is simply to tell you about the three thousand bombs. Because I'm genuinely curious—can you really save that many people? Or do you just lack any empathy, and plan to ignore this mess entirely?"
As he spoke, his expression twisted into something deranged, like an artist who, after years of preparation, had finally completed a masterpiece that brought him immense satisfaction.
Seeing this, Zhong Yan knew there was no reasoning with a lunatic—so he chose to act.
The gaze of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan locked onto the young man. In the next second, searing black flames engulfed his body.
The intense pain further distorted his already twisted face. Yet even then, he showed no fear—instead, he let out a chilling laugh.
The more he laughed, the stronger Zhong Yan's unease became. Amaterasu's flames flared in tandem with his rising emotion.
In the end, despite having numerous escape methods, that clone of the Exaltists' leader was burned alive right there.
After his death, Amaterasu's flames extinguished—but that didn't mean the ordeal was over.
They were now facing an even greater challenge: how to defuse the ether bombs scattered throughout New Eridu's districts.
A tenth of New Eridu being blown away... that estimate might even be conservative. If those three thousand bombs were left unchecked, at least a fifth of the city would be reduced to ashes.
And the resulting casualties? At a minimum, six figures.
"Three days, huh..." Zhong Yan murmured.
Three days to dismantle three thousand bombs. If he relied on his strength alone, it would be impossible.
So, with Anby, Ellen, and the others in mind, he had no choice—he'd need to gather more help.