Upon self-detonating, he could send the resulting ripples of force out to destroy the nine frigid clones. Few people would have the resolve to make a decision like that in the mere time it takes a spark to fly off of a piece of flint. But devas were the type of people who had experienced countless battles, and could react on an instinctual level in many situations.
As Patriarch Polarity River exploded, the resulting shockwave shattered the 500-kilometer frigid domain and overwhelmed the nine frigid clones. At the same time, the patriarch's nascent divinity shot out and began to flee at the highest speed possible.