The Kamui activated remotely—this time, its target was aimed directly at the man's neck.
As his vision turned surreal, the man didn't even register what was happening. But the moment the spatial vortex completed its operation, a burst of powerful ether energy erupted in the air.
His neck was twisted and broken.
With his neck severed, his body trembled for a moment before collapsing helplessly to the ground, life force draining at a rapid pace.
As expected, Kamui's neck-twisting technique was incredibly effective, no matter the circumstance—though it might be less useful against those with faster reflexes.
"The Sacrifice… if they're this interested in the Sacrifice, could I use it to lure them in?" After eliminating his obstacle, Zhong Yan turned to face the massive monument before him, considering whether to make the Sacrifice a pawn in a larger plan.
But after some thought, he dismissed the idea. The Sacrifice was too unstable. With its ability to corrode and infect, it might even consume people entirely. Such a power was too dangerous—no matter what, it couldn't be allowed to remain.
With that, Zhong Yan didn't hesitate any longer. He once again guided Susanoo to draw its bow.
In the next second, the arrow was loosed from the string and struck the monument with precision. A terrifying explosion erupted from the impact point.
The entire Pioneer's Memorial Plaza was engulfed in the devastating blast. Had Zhong Yan not placed the Prototype in a safe location beforehand, it surely would've been destroyed by the storm.
At the center of the explosion, Zhong Yan could clearly see through the Sharingan a figure radiating dense ether energy, thrashing violently.
It howled in agony, its body being mercilessly torn apart by countless blade-like projectiles.
Within moments, its form had shrunk to a third of its original size—and continued to dissolve at an even faster rate until it vanished completely.
With its disappearance, the dense ether energy surrounding the area gradually faded, and the weight in Zhong Yan's chest finally lifted.
The Sacrifice was dead. A hidden threat had been eliminated. Zhong Yan had completed his mission.
However, as for the Exaltists, he still hadn't gotten any solid intel. That man earlier—if Zhong Yan hadn't acted with lethal intent, he likely wouldn't have won. The safest choice had been to strike to kill.
Still, no matter. Now that he'd become a thorn in the Exaltists' side, it was only a matter of time before they clashed again.
And when that time came, not even the so-called god within their ranks would escape.
…
After eliminating the Sacrifice, Zhong Yan paid no mind to the wreckage left behind in the Pioneer's Memorial Plaza. He used Kamui to store the Prototype back into the Kamui space, then departed from the Hollow.
Shortly after his departure, a figure appeared in the ruins.
Dressed in a black robe with her head hidden beneath a hood, her face was obscured, but based on her frame and build, it was clear she was a woman.
"What an overwhelming power…" she murmured in a soft voice, gazing over the destroyed Pioneer's Memorial Plaza.
She leapt down from a high perch, gliding like a swallow and landing smoothly before approaching the spot where the monument once stood.
"The Sacrifice has been dealt with. He's got some guts… isn't he afraid of attracting all their attention?" With the Sacrifice's presence now entirely gone, she was surprised—not just by Zhong Yan's strength, but by his audacity.
The Sacrifice had far more entanglements than anyone imagined. Back then, Koleda's father had fled with a pile of cash precisely because of the Sacrifice. In fact, the one who sealed it in the monument had been him.
The president of Belobog Heavy Industries had died because of the Sacrifice. Even executives from Vision Corporation were somehow involved.
It was hard to imagine how massive and complex the network of power behind all this might be, if one were to connect all the threads.
That's why she thought Zhong Yan was bold—killing the Sacrifice was akin to smashing someone's slice of the pie. It was basically making enemies.
Still, judging by his personality, he didn't seem like someone afraid of trouble. The real question was—did his strength match his courage?
"Maybe… I should help him." The idea struck her suddenly.
After all, she was alone now. With her power alone, she couldn't change anything. She had to constantly hide from the Exaltists hunting her down.
If Zhong Yan dared challenge the Exaltists, it meant he truly had the strength to back it up. And those mysterious freaks had already made plenty of powerful people suffer.
"That settles it. I'll help him—as an ally."
As she spoke, a face as exquisitely sculpted as if by divine hands slowly emerged from beneath her hood. Beneath her long lashes, her eyes sparkled with rare vitality.
And those eyes—were identical in design to the core of an Ethereal.
…
Koleda was speechless at the sight of the massive machine that had suddenly appeared before her.
In fact, it wasn't just her. Grace, Anton, and even Ben—all of the Belobog Heavy Industries employees—were struggling to believe their eyes.
The Prototype that had been taken by Khors Belobog and gone without a trace for so many years… was now suddenly right in front of them, brought back by an outsider, no less.
"You… how did you find this thing?" Koleda's voice trembled. The Prototype was deeply tied to her missing father. This might be the clue that finally led her to that bastard who'd vanished years ago.
Hearing the question, Zhong Yan understood what was on her mind. He explained without delay, "I visited the Pioneer's Memorial Plaza from the era of the Old Capital. I found this there. It had Belobog Heavy Industries' logo on it, so I brought it back."
"But aside from this machine, there was nothing else left in the square. I also encountered a tough opponent there. By the time we finished fighting, the entire square had been leveled."
Zhong Yan spoke calmly, but Koleda listened intently, hanging on every word.
Nothing else? That meant her father hadn't been at the Pioneer's Memorial Plaza.
She felt a tinge of disappointment—but she didn't lose hope.
At least now, the Prototype was recovered. After so many years, their efforts had finally yielded a tangible result.