Chapter 388 The Battle of Powerhouses, Zero Hand is Absolute
The battle raged on, the battlefield glowing with the remnants of golden light from Clever's Supreme Execution.
Four golden arms still loomed, each brimming with energy, poised to strike Oliver down.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Oliver stood his ground, his aura growing thicker and more menacing as his strength continued to rise.
His focus remained unshaken, his movements precise as he prepared to counter Clever's relentless assault.
Clever wasted no time, commanding the four remaining arms to attack in quick succession.
The first arm swung down with the force of a collapsing mountain, but Oliver sidestepped with uncanny precision, delivering a crushing blow to the golden construct.
The arm cracked, shards of golden energy scattering into the air.
The second and third arms attacked together, attempting to pin Oliver between their massive strikes.
Oliver, now at [70%] power, caught one arm mid-swing, his raw strength stopping it in its tracks, while he unleashed a devastating punch that shattered the other into golden fragments.
The force of his counterattack sent ripples across the battlefield, the ground beneath them crumbling under the sheer intensity of their clash.
"You're not keeping up, Clever," Oliver taunted, his grin sharp despite the sweat on his brow.
Clever snarled, his golden statue emitting a low, resonating hum as the fourth arm charged forward.
This time, the attack was swifter, imbued with an aura-infused burst of speed.
Oliver didn't dodge.
Instead, he braced himself, his aura flaring to its peak at [80%].
The arm collided with his crossed forearms, but because of Oliver's incredible defense and strength, it wasn't him that was moved, but the arm that broke.
He was just that strong.
Your [Domination] power completely depended on how you wielded the one you got, and [Universal Strength], even though it wasn't considered as one of the "strongest ones", was still really good.
Especially in the hands of Oliver, who perfectly handled it.
"Damn you!" Clever roared, his statue trembling with fury.
With all four arms destroyed, he activated the final phase of Supreme Execution.
"HANDLE THIS, THEN!"
The energy from the shattered arms surged back into the statue, condensing into a single cataclysmic strike.
The golden hand grew massive, radiating destructive energy.
It was no longer just a weapon, it was a force of nature.
Clever commanded it forward.
[You should move :)]
Stark was warned, and so the boy immediately backed away, preferring to simply watch for now.
If Oliver could win, then it would be good as he was able to leave, but if he did in fact die, Stark would simply nuke Clever again.
Oliver planted his feet, his aura now reaching [90%].
He raised his fists, ready to meet the strike head-on.
The collision was apocalyptic.
The golden hand slammed into Oliver with enough force to obliterate everything within its radius.
A golden shockwave erupted outward, consuming the battlefield in a blinding flash.
When the dust settled, Oliver stood at the epicenter of the destruction, battered but unbroken.
His aura had risen to its full normal capacity, [100%].
The golden hand was gone, shattered into oblivion by his sheer power.
"You little shit..." Clever roared with all of his might, "Your confidence will be your downfall!"
"You can't beat me, and I still have two more transformations, each just as strong as the previous ones combined," Oliver smiled, absolutely certain this was his victory.
Though the difference between level 180 and level 200 was large, it didn't meant that one couldn't defeat the other.
But Clever wasn't done.
His statue, though visibly damaged, roared to life once more.
Clever's expression twisted into one of pure determination as he prepared to unleash his ultimate skill: Zero Hand.
If Supreme Execution and nothing else worked, then Zero Hand, the skill he used in the trial to protect himself from [Heaven's Spear], was his only solution.
The golden aura surrounding the statue began to condense, shrinking and compressing into a single point.
The energy became crystalline, forming a massive diamond hand.
The air grew heavy, every molecule vibrating with the overwhelming pressure of the attack.
"Zero Hand!" Clever declared, his voice echoing across the battlefield.
The diamond hand hovered in the air, shimmering with unmatched power.
It was, in fact, even bigger than the one he used to protect himself in the trial, a result of his transformation into a monster.
It was no ordinary strike, this was the culmination of Clever's strength, a technique that sacrificed all his aura to create a singular, unstoppable force.
Oliver's eyes narrowed, his body tensing as he prepared for the incoming attack.
But Clever had other plans.
The diamond hand surged forward.
"200%," Oliver grinned, "Now you can't even hope to hurt me, fucker."
And at that moment, Oliver committed his greatest mistake.
He was all-powerful, he was extremely strong, almost no one could beat him.
And yet, even being outsmarted once could mean the end of his life.
This was that moment that every classifier feared.
He got positioned to handle the giant diamond hand, the size of a big city block, deflecting it or destroying it.
"Idiot..." Clever whispered, knowing that he had won at that moment.
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Because instead of striking, the "Zero Hand" veered off course.
In a split second, it suddenly opened and reached out to Oliver, wrapping around him like an unbreakable cage.
The immense strength of the hand locked Oliver in place, its crushing grip rendering him immobile.
"I GOT YOU, DUMBASS!" Clever shouted, his voice filled with triumphant glee.
Oliver's expression shifted from confidence to shock.
He struggled against the grip, his muscles straining as he pushed his power to its limits.
But the diamond hand didn't budge.
"What the-?!" Oliver exclaimed, his voice tinged with disbelief.
The grip tightened.
Oliver could feel the full weight of Clever's aura bearing down on him, amplified by the power of the statue. It was unyielding.
Zero Hand was too powerful, and restrained like this, even his current strength didn't make it budge.
It was the entirety of Clever's aura and the full power of the statue too, it just wasn't breakable.
"You thought you could handle everything, huh?" Clever sneered, leaping onto the diamond hand.
He crouched down in front of Oliver, staring directly into his restrained face. "How does it feel? You're a fucking idiot, and now you're about to be squeezed to death."
Oliver's eyes widened, his composure cracking under the sheer impossibility of the situation.
This wasn't something he could simply break free from. Zero Hand wasn't just powerful, it was absolute.
And there was no "haha you think I'm weak, but I have a comeback", Oliver was genuinely fucked, you can't escape Zero Hand.
He tried to push back, summoning every ounce of his strength.
His aura flared wildly, reaching [300%] for a brief moment, but it wasn't enough.
The system itself seemed to mock him.
[You cannot in current position.]
Frustration filled his gaze as he struggled in vain. He was truly trapped.
Clever smirked, savoring his victory.
"What's wrong, old man? Out of tricks already?" He leaned closer, his grin widening. "You're done. And when you're dead, I'll destroy this country like I should've done from the start."
With a commanding gesture, Clever ordered the statue to tighten its grip.
The pressure increased, the diamond hand beginning to crush Oliver's form.
Slam!
Clever delivered a sharp kick to Oliver's face, though it had little effect beyond hurting his own foot. "Damn it," Clever hissed, clutching his throbbing leg. "Your face is like a damn rock."
He shook off the pain and turned back to the statue. "Crush him already! I've got better things to do than play with this guy."
The statue obeyed, its massive form leaning into the diamond hand as it applied even more pressure.
The ground beneath them cracked and groaned under the immense weight of the attack.
For the first time in the battle, Oliver seemed truly defeated.
The indomitable force that had carried him through countless fights now appeared powerless against Clever's ultimate move.
The battlefield grew silent, the only sound being the creaking of the diamond hand as it closed in on its prey.
Oliver's fate seemed sealed.