The moment Hope opened his eyes, raised his arm, and threw a punch, the power, speed, and dominance he had compressed to the limit... exploded with a ferocity dozens, even hundreds of times greater!
Wuji Zen Tremor involves compressing all power to its absolute limit to enter a state of Zen, and then releasing it all in an instant; essentially, it is a matter of brute force and overwhelming stats.
It could be described as a charged-up version of the Whale Slaying Overlord Fist.
Wherever the fist pointed, a ring of invisible shockwaves spread forward and outward with overbearing force. Everywhere they passed, the Ultimate Darkness was solidified by the Magnetic Field Power, shattering like black glass piece by piece.
What burst from the cracks was not light, but even more chaotic magic turbulence and residue; however, before they could even begin to wreak havoc, they were crushed by the following shockwaves.
Power compressed to the limit and then released gave "Wuji Zen Tremor" absolute destructiveness.
Almost at the same instant the Ultimate Darkness shattered, that devastating power rushed in front of Zeref.
The air emitted a sharp sonic boom under the pressure, and the space forcibly Coفرed showed unnatural ripples. Over a dozen layers of instant-cast defensive magic automatically surfaced around Zeref.
Wall of Darkness, Magic Barrier, Spatial Deflection, Weaken... no matter what magic it was, under the caress of Hope's full-power strike, they shattered silently like soap bubbles in the sun, without even making a sound.
Facing this unstoppable, law-breaking punch, Zeref, who was out of tricks, didn't have shock or solemnity on his face. Instead... a pure, joyful smile bloomed from his heart.
That smile broke through the melancholy and deathly silence that had shrouded him for years, like a lake frozen for four hundred years finally being touched by warm sunlight for the first time.
"Finally..."
He whispered, his Voice so soft it was nearly crushed by the wind of the punch, but the relief and anticipation within it were heavy enough to Crush mountains.
"...I've finally waited for someone who can kill me."
Facing this terrifying fist force, Zeref didn't make any defensive or evasive moves. Instead, he faced the ripples of destruction and slowly, with absolute determination, opened his arms.
Hope's fist slammed solidly into Zeref's open chest.
Immediately after, an indescribable roar erupted.
Centered on the two of them, the cliff of the isolated island and even the surrounding sea for hundreds of meters suddenly sank. A violent ring of air, mixed with Magnetic Field Power and magic turbulence, expanded outward in a perfect sphere.
A massive hole was torn in the dark clouds of the Sky, and the sea surface below collapsed into a temporary bowl shape, with circular waves dozens of meters high roaring into the distance.
Amidst the violent roar, one-fifth of the land on Tenrou Island affected by the impact was completely Crushed under the absolute power.
But in the next instant, time for the vanished parts of the island began to flow backward, restored to their original state by Hope using the 'Arc of Time'.
In the core of that devastating shock, Zeref's figure fell heavily onto the edge of the cracked rock in the distance, with half his body hanging off the cliff.
He knelt on one knee, barely supporting his body with one hand, head lowered, coughing violently. Each cough brought out flecks of bright red blood.
The clothes on his chest had long since turned to ash. On his exposed skin, web-like cracks spread around a clear fist print.
Between the flesh and blood, the curse of the god ankhseram remained stubbornly, its endless vitality frantically repairing Zeref's collapsing body.
Hope slowly withdrew his fist. The violent aura and lightning around him gradually subsided, leaving only his eyes, still sharp as knives, fixed on Zeref kneeling in the distance.
He could feel that the power of "Wuji Zen Tremor" was enough to heavily injure or even kill the opponent, but the immortal power provided by the 'Curse of Contradiction' still managed to hold onto Zeref's life at the last moment.
It seemed something was still missing.
It must be that the power is still insufficient, Hope analyzed.
The sea breeze blew past, carrying the scent of gunpowder and magic residue, bringing Zeref's intermittent but crystal-clear laughter.
"Heh... cough... haha..."
He looked up, the hearty smile on his face never fading; instead, it seemed somewhat unreal and fanatical due to the heavy injuries and leaking magic.
From the web-like wounds on his chest, the power of the curse emerged, struggling to spread at an extremely slow speed, trying to connect those terrifying gashes.
Hope's power was indeed not enough to kill him, and the 'Curse of Contradiction' could only keep him alive; the repair of his body could only be described as arduous.
Zeref estimated that it would take at least six months for his injuries to recover.
"Did you feel it? Hope..."
Zeref's Voice was hoarse, his face wearing a strange expression of satisfaction. "That punch of yours already touched the 'upper limit' of the curse. I can feel ankhseram's curse wavering."
He tried to stand up, but his body swayed, and more blood flowed from his nose, mouth, and the dense wounds on his chest.
Hope didn't go over to help. Since the immortality of the 'Curse of Contradiction' was still there, the blood could flow as it pleased.
"You've already proven to me that you have the potential to kill me. It just needs some time, and I can afford to wait."
Zeref panted, his gaze burning as he looked at Hope. His eyes were no longer the deep, inscrutable eyes of the Black Wizard, but more like those of a weary traveler who had finally seen the finish line.
"You gave me the Hope of death. Now, it's time for me to fulfill my promise."
"This is the story of a pitiful woman..."
Nineteen years ago, when Zeref was once again living in seclusion, he met a scarlet dragon in a deep mountain forest. He saw at a glance that the dragon guarding itself against him was actually a Dragon Slayer Mage who had completely 'dragonized'.
After showing a friendly attitude and exchanging words, Zeref learned her name... Irene Belserion, the creator of Dragon Slayer Magic.
He hadn't expected that this mother of dragon slayers, who had mysteriously disappeared four hundred years ago, would have fallen to such a state.
Possessing a human heart yet being firmly imprisoned in a dragon's form for four hundred years, the psychological torture had brought Irene to the brink of a mental breakdown.
Zeref could feel her pain.
So he helped Irene, using a 'Shape-Shift' magic to change her from a dragon into a human form. Although she was still a dragon in essence, she could at least move about with a human appearance.
Irene's mental state didn't improve much after becoming human, as she found she had lost her sense of taste and even the need for sleep no longer existed.
Then came something that put even more mental pressure on Irene: she gave birth to a child, a child who had existed in her womb for four hundred years and could finally be delivered now that she had a false human body.
Looking at her tiny daughter, Irene, as the pioneer of the 'Enchantment', became consumed by a heavy obsession and uncontrollably conceived a terrible thought.
In order to truly become human again, she actually attempted to attach her own soul to her newborn daughter.
There is a specific term for this method—Possession.
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