"Damn it!! What kind of magic is this?!"
Blood seeped from Zero's hands as dark green, viscous magical power manifested with terrifying destructive force in his grasp.
It was completely different from Brain's capabilities—heavier, more malicious.
Yet, Ankh appeared much more composed compared to Zero's frantic movements.
His arms were dyed pitch black by the Death Wave.
He threw punches constantly, shattering and annihilating Zero's incoming attacks like two miniature black holes devouring light.
"Magic taught by a god," Ankh replied with a relaxed smile, parrying a lethal blow.
"According to tradition, it should be called God Slayer Magic."
Zero didn't dare relax in the slightest.
He desperately maintained his offensive, sweat mixing with the blood on his face.
He clearly understood that the moment his attacks slowed down, he would face Ankh's lethal counter-strike.
What was suffocating was the hopelessness of it.
Although their attack frequencies were similar, whenever Zero's attacks managed to leave wounds on Ankh's body, they would heal at visible speeds.
Zzzzt.
In the blink of an eye, Ankh would return to pristine condition!
Coupled with physical attacks being completely ineffective against his gravity-manipulating body, even Zero's brutal heart felt utterly frustrated during this brief battle.
Zero's attacks grew increasingly fierce, hoping to overwhelm Ankh's regeneration speed, yet the doubts in his heart grew heavier.
Just as Brain possessed part of Zero's strength, Zero also inherited part of Brain's vast knowledge. In his understanding, such magic had never appeared in human history.
'Superhuman regeneration... Gravity magic with frighteningly high upper limits... and that black magical power that continuously consumes magic power and stamina, accompanied by soul-gnawing pain.'
Zero's pupils suddenly contracted as if remembering an obscure passage from the archives.
He urgently asked. "God's Successor?"
Ankh's punching motion abruptly paused.
He looked at Zero, intrigued. "You know about that?"
Seeing Ankh didn't deny it, Zero's face showed delight—this meant his guess was correct.
Brain's Archive Magic recorded almost all knowledge in the magic world.
As long as something had left traces of existence and one had sufficient magical power to query it, there was basically nothing that couldn't be found.
"Is such a legendary thing true? Can a God Successor inherit divine power?"
Zero's face darkened, clearly scheming in his heart.
If he could devour this power...
Ankh quickly understood how Zero had learned about God Successors.
He remarked dryly, "Archieve Magic is so convenient..."
"But unfortunately, it won't save your life."
With those words, Ankh swung the scythe formed of dark energy in his hand.
Slash!
He released a massive semicircular arc of dark blade energy.
Zero hastily interrupted his own attack, bending backward sharply to evade the lethal cut.
"Swish!"
The circular blade arc centered around Ankh swiftly swept through everything in its surroundings.
CRASH!
High-rise buildings in the ancient city were shattered by a single stroke, nearly leveling the entire city center to the same height in an instant.
"Boom!!"
Just as Zero narrowly dodged the attack, the Nirvana beneath his feet acted up again, emitting violent tremors.
The bases of all six gigantic mechanical tentacles exploded simultaneously.
Losing its support, the entire city of Nirvana began to collapse toward the earth at an alarming rate.
...
Meanwhile, faint cheers from Hibiki could be heard from the Audience Hall tower above.
"Yeess—Well done, everyone!! Nirvana is starting to crumble!!"
Hibiki screamed excitedly via telepathy, incoherent with sheer, disbelief-defying joy.
His message conveyed both the news and his emotions perfectly to all the allied forces.
The six members who had shattered the Magic Crystals simultaneously broke into smiles.
Lyon's voice came through, tinged with joy: "With our worries resolved, all that's left is to defeat Zero, and the mission will be complete."
Natsu said cheerfully, "With Ankh here, there's absolutely no problem."
"Brother, how are things on your end?" Erza inquired anxiously.
One voice after another came through the telepathic channel.
Ankh chuckled softly, observing Zero's livid expression across from him while sensing the collapsing Nirvana city plunging beneath their feet.
"Nirvana is falling," Ankh projected his thought. "All of you, evacuate."
"As for Zero... I'll handle him before Nirvana hits the ground."
Hearing Ankh's arrogant response, Zero's face grew even darker.
He shifted his stance into a fluid, martial arts posture, desperately drawing out every last ounce of his Magic Power for one final gamble.
"Brat! How dare you boast like that! Go to hell!!"
From within a dark green magic circle, dense, evil Magic Power gathered and erupted, unleashing Zero's strongest attack.
"Genesis: Mu!"
WOOSH!
Countless black specters emerged from the magic circle, instantly submerging Ankh like a dark flood!
Endless darkness and the wails of lost souls engulfed him, as if demonic hands were dragging Ankh into the underworld, slowly being devoured by wandering spirits.
Zero's frantic, desperate roar echoed in Ankh's ears.
"God Successor?! Even if he were a god, I would destroy him!!"
Inside the torrent of souls, Ankh curled his lips in amusement.
He puffed out his chest.
Inhale.
A terrifying suction force abruptly erupted from his mouth.
The wandering, repulsive spirits and dark energy, as if finding an exit, were completely drawn into Ankh's stomach like a black hole sucking in light.
The dark world gradually shattered.
The boundless evil Magic Power rapidly thinned until the specters and souls vanished entirely, consumed by the God Slayer.
The outside scenery revealed itself once more.
Along with it came the look of absolute disbelief and despair on Zero's face.
Wiping his mouth, Ankh laughed heartil.: "Excessive death content—I like it. Let me return a similar move to you."
As Nirvana crumbled and fell, the two figures stood on plummeting debris, rapidly descending through the clouds.
The Death Wave swirling around Ankh coiled and enveloped him.
He moved his hands, gathering the energy before his chest.
"Death Calamity: Passage to the Afterlife!"
Dark Magic Power, so dense it appeared abyssal, condensed into a small black sphere.
Ankh sent it flying toward Zero with an unstoppable momentum with a single palm strike.
It moved slowly, yet it felt as if time and space had frozen—as if Zero was facing an inescapable fate destined for natural death.
Though the black hole moved slowly enough to be easily dodged, Zero felt his soul and consciousness being sucked away, locked in place.
He was unable to move a muscle.
The black hole touched Zero's body—silent and soundless.
Zip.
In an instant, both vanished, collapsing into an infinitesimally small black dot.
Then, like a Higanbana flower blooming quietly on the riverbank of the underworld, Zero's body reappeared in reality.
Only—now, he showed no signs of life.
Zero's eyes were hollow, his bloodless face expressionless.
His skin, smooth as porcelain, began to crack and fracture.
The entire process resembled souls being claimed by the underworld guards—utterly silent, without a single sound, leaving the surroundings in dead stillness amidst the chaos of the fall.
BOOM!
Moments later, the roar of collapse finally shook heaven and earth as the city of Nirvana crashed to the ground.
Ankh and the lifeless Zero landed.
One landed safely on his feet, while the other fell like a downed aircraft.
The descent had lasted mere seconds, with only one exchange of Magic between them deciding the outcome.
A notorious evil Magic practitioner had met such an abrupt end.
The continuous sounds of collapse and impact echoed as Ankh hid beneath the rubble, waiting for all remnants of Nirvana to settle.
After a long while, silence finally returned to the forest.
Ankh flung aside the ruins covering him. He dusted himself off and stretched comfortably with a satisfied sigh.
It had been so long since he'd fought this satisfyingly.
"Death Calamity: Passage to the Afterlife" was one of Ankh's proudest original techniques in his Death Calamity series.
Using it on Zero was hardly unworthy of his title as the true Guild Master of Oración Seis.