Zeref let out a quiet chuckle.
It wasn't amusement.
It wasn't confidence either.
It was something thinner than that.
Resignation.
He didn't want to use it.
Abyssian's gift.
He had avoided it ever since it was given to him, treating it like a last option rather than a tool. Not because it was weak, but because it meant crossing a line he wasn't sure he wanted to acknowledge.
But Izzea crossed it for him.
Another strike came down.
Zeref raised a trembling arm to block it. The impact nearly shattered his stance completely, driving him further into the ground. The pressure in her attack wasn't fading anymore. It was escalating with every exchange.
He exhaled slowly.
"...No point dying here."
Not because of pride.
Not because of hesitation.
Because there were people still climbing.
Because Eunji would come back to this mess.
And because he knew what it felt like to lose someone and pretend it didn't break you afterward.
Dark flames recoiled around him.
Then shifted.
