"Lighter, if there's a chance later, take Lucy and leave. The Sons of Calydon must not fall here—we have to leave behind a spark. Lucy is the most suitable person!" Before the battle began, Caesar glanced at Lighter and gave her final instructions.
Hearing Caesar's words, Lighter adjusted his sunglasses and nodded. "If that's your final wish, boss, I'll do it. It's just... Lucy probably won't agree."
"She doesn't have a say in this. A lady from the city can't be allowed to die in this desert. This isn't her place. Her family is still waiting for her." Caesar smiled faintly, her heavy tone carrying a hint of relief.
As for Lucy, she hadn't heard a word of their conversation and was completely unaware that Lighter would soon forcibly take her away.
"The time's about right—move in." Seeing that the five had no intention of breaking out, the leader couldn't hold back any longer. With a wave of his hand, the biker gang began approaching the Sons of Calydon, weapons in hand.
Just as the battle was about to ignite, a spatial vortex suddenly appeared in front of the Sons of Calydon. Moments later, a giant war fan shot out from the vortex, striking the leader squarely and sending him flying.
The sudden change stunned both sides. Everyone turned their eyes to the vortex, and soon, a figure slowly emerged from it.
Facing this unfamiliar stranger, no one dared make a move. But before long, someone recognized him by his distinct accessories.
"It's... it's the Uchiha!" one of the bikers hunting the Sons of Calydon shouted.
With that reminder, realization swept through the group. The stranger who had just saved the Sons of Calydon was none other than the legendary Hollow Raider, Uchiha, spoken of in whispers.
However... wasn't Uchiha supposed to be a Hollow Raider? Why would he get involved with the Sons of Calydon? Were they acquainted?
Before anyone could figure it out, the leader who had been struck by the fan staggered to his feet. Pointing at Zhong Yan, he roared, "You damned bastard! You dare attack me?! You must have a death wish—get him! Kill him!"
Blinded by rage, the leader didn't even stop to consider Zhong Yan's identity. His first instinct was to order an attack.
The biker gang hesitated for a moment but then raised their weapons.
Strangely, however, they didn't attack Zhong Yan. Instead... they turned their weapons on themselves.
One by one, the bikers began committing suicide in eerie synchronization. The sight was so shocking that even Caesar and the others widened their eyes in disbelief as they watched them fall.
"This..." Caesar was so stunned she couldn't form words, and Lucy was equally speechless.
Only Lighter, maintaining the calmest mind, pushed his sunglasses up thoughtfully and muttered, "It's like they're being controlled... Could it be that Uchiha guy knows how to use genjutsu?"
The term "genjutsu" wasn't new to Lighter. He had previously interacted with people from the Nin-Village and knew that their elites could use illusions to deceive others' senses.
But even among them, it was unheard of to make so many people commit suicide simultaneously. It was truly terrifying.
As for who was the most terrified, it was undoubtedly the leader who had insulted Zhong Yan. Only now did he realize what kind of enemy he was up against.
"You... you have no idea who my backer is! If you dare touch me, that person won't let you off!" he screamed hysterically, watching Zhong Yan steadily approach.
He wanted to use the threat of his patron to scare Zhong Yan off. Yet Zhong Yan was entirely unfazed—or perhaps, it was precisely that patron that Zhong Yan had come for.
"Get out of my sight!" In desperation, the leader pulled out his weapon and attacked Zhong Yan in a crazed frenzy.
Yet all the Ether blasts he fired bizarrely passed straight through Zhong Yan's body.
The next second, the Ether Crystal weapon in his hand spontaneously ignited with black flames, forcing him to throw away the precious weapon in terror.
Finally, under Zhong Yan's chilling gaze, his vision blurred—and his memories were forcibly read.
From those stolen memories, Zhong Yan confirmed that the person backing these thugs was indeed the Exaltists. However, they had temporarily withdrawn from the Outer Ring and wouldn't return for at least a month.
The reason likely had something to do with Chi and the others—the battle had drained the two Twelve Shields significantly, leaving them unable to quickly regain full strength.
It was clear the Exaltists had become much more cautious after being targeted by New Eridu's authorities. In the past, they wouldn't have been so careful.
Now that the thugs were dealt with, Zhong Yan could finally turn his attention back to the Sons of Calydon.
However, before he could even turn around, a hand suddenly clapped onto his shoulder from behind, followed by a loud, hearty voice: "Friend, thank you so much for stepping in! I'm Caesar, the leader of the Sons of Calydon. What's your name?"
Zhong Yan turned around, a bit bewildered, and found it was indeed Caesar. Her straightforward and hearty demeanor made it seem like she didn't see him as an outsider at all. Maybe it was because he had just saved them.
"Hey! Caesar, don't go randomly chatting up strangers! You'll scare them off!" Lucy hurried forward to pull Caesar back. As someone who had once lived in the New Eridu metropolitan district, Lucy knew much more than these locals about certain matters—including the existence of Uchiha.
A legendary Hollow Raider who had single-handedly slain countless giant Ethereals, Uchiha's identity was so mysterious that even New Eridu's officials couldn't gather accurate intelligence about him.
More importantly, this was Uchiha's first public appearance in the Outer Ring. No matter how thankful they were, they couldn't afford to let their guard down around someone so powerful.
Yet Caesar and the others didn't share Lucy's caution at all. To them, anyone who had just saved their lives was a friend—there was no reason to be suspicious.
Such was the simple and sincere nature of the Outer Ring's people.