Line #63 Main/ImmortalBreaker


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5	->''[[AC:"IMMORTALITY IS ONLY A WORD. ALL THAT EXISTS CAN DIE. EVERY LIVING THING HAS A WEAPON AGAINST WHICH IT HAS NO DEFENSE. TIME. DISEASE. IRON. GUILT."]]''
6	-->-- '''Coaxmetal''', ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment''
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8	The purpose of a weapon, naturally, is to hurt things or even kill them. However, some weapons have a unique or near-unique property -- they can kill an immortal being. The precise means of doing so might vary.
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10	They might be the only weapon capable of [[SoulCuttingBlade destroying the soul directly]], or they might have an AntiMagic property that cancels inherently-magical immortality. It may depend on how magic and LifeEnergy works in the setting. Or it might be a HandWave, it kills immortals because it is an immortal-killing weapon, and that is that. There are a variety of ways this can work.
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12	It's also variable as to whether or not these weapons are especially dangerous to non-immortals as well. They may generate an effect that wounds the undying and obliterates normal people, or it may have the effect of a normal version of the weapon on ''all'' beings.
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14	This can also be a magic spell or similar, instead of a physical weapon. There may be multiple Breakers in a setting, but they should still be extremely rare and/or monumentally difficult to acquire. Otherwise you may as well not bother calling the beings 'immortal' at all.
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16	As a plot device, it may serve as the SwordOfPlotAdvancement or the VillainBeatingArtifact (although this trope can work on immortals that aren't evil as well). This is likely also the weapon to KillTheGod, if the character themselves doesn't have a power that allows them to do so. A character may use this as a basis of claiming that they are the WorldsBestWarrior [[BeyondTheImpossible by killing the unkillable]] (with all the glory, egoism and so on that can ensue). May be sought out by those on a RageAgainstTheHeavens because how else are you going to KillTheGod? It may also be sought by an immortal themselves who feels DrivenToSuicide. If the being is noted for ResurrectiveImmortality, this trope's purpose may be to render them DeaderThanDead.
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18	If immortals, in response to this trope, become more immortal to [[TheWorfBarrage shrug off the breaker]], then you have a LensmanArmsRace, and the immortal's enemies likely have a serious problem.
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20	SubTrope of WeaponOfXSlaying. Not to be confused with MortalityEnsues, when something breaks a creature's immortality to render them vulnerable to normal wounds -- this kills them directly, rather than indirectly. Also not to be confused with tropes about ''methods'' to finish the otherwise-undying like DecapitationRequired. Compare DepletedPhlebotinumShells, which utilise a specific substance or property to target a specific creature and the link between them is usually spelled out, and AchillesHeel. If the immortality is granted by a HealingFactor and the weapon interferes with that, see AntiRegeneration. As a rule of thumb, an Immortal Breaker isn't specific about which immortal it can break. If said immortal is ''terrified'' of this, see ImmortalsFearDeath.
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24	!!Examples:
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26	[[foldercontrol]]
27	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
28	* ''Manga/AyakashiTriangle'': The Gogyosen send a {{curse}} in a bug after Suzu that's supposed to destroy the ayakashi medium's spirit, keeping it from reincarnating. [[spoiler:It ends up in a male copy of Matsuri, who the Gogyosen control to seduce Suzu and spread the curse to her.]]
29	* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': [[BigBad Yhwach's]] [[RealityWarper The Almighty]] allows him to alter the future and change it into any one timeline that he can see. [[spoiler:When Ichigo first cuts him down, Yhwach resurrects himself and reveals that this extends to rewriting futures in which he has died, making him functionally immortal. Uryu chooses that exact moment to shoot him with an arrow made of Still Silver, which forms in the hearts of Quincies struck by Yhwach's [[ThePurge Auswahlen]]. Still Silver has the rather unique property of briefly [[PowerNullifier removing Yhwach's powers]] should it make contact with his blood; Uryu's father, Ryuken, forged said arrow from the Still Silver he extracted from the corpse of his wife, [[TheLostLenore Kanae Katagiri]], and waited until the last second to give it to Uryu [[BestServedCold for that exact purpose]]. Realizing that they will never get another chance to kill him, Ichigo quickly grabs Zangetsu and once again [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe cuts Yhwach down]], this time [[KilledOffForReal permanently]].]]
30	* ''Manga/ChainsawMan'': Devils can be killed, but if one does, it will just spawn back in Hell, and dying there will make it reincarnate in the human world. As the embodiments of humanity's fears, they will exist so long as that fear exists. There is, however, a way to kill a Devil permanently: [[spoiler:Pochita, aka the Chainsaw Devil or Chainsaw Man, has the unique ability to consume a Devil, which removes them from the cycle of reincarnation entirely. As a result, the fear that the consumed Devil embodies will also [[RetGone cease to exist and be forgotten by all but a handful of Devils.]] This is the reason why, amongst other things, the world of Chainsaw Man has no memory of UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust, [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany the Nazis]] or UsefulNotes/NuclearWeapons: the associated devils were consumed by the Chainsaw Devil.]]
31	* ''Manga/DeliciousInDungeon'' proposes EatingTheEnemy as a method of dealing with ResurrectiveImmortality. (Reasoning that the flesh of a creature loses its original identity when it's digested by and become part of another.)
32	* ''Anime/DigimonDataSquad'': When a Digimon dies, it normally [[BornAgainImmortality reconstitutes itself into a Digi-egg to be reborn]]. Kurata, the Digimon-hating BigBad of the series, has invented an energy weapon that causes any Digimon struck by it to self-destruct moments after turning into a Digi-egg, ensuring a permanent death.
33	* ''Manga/FairyTail'': This is the purpose of [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast E.N.D.]], the most powerful demon of Zeref whose AntiMagic flames were meant to be the only thing that could break Zeref's curse of immortality as given by the god Ankhseram. [[spoiler:Of course, it turns out there is another way, but it's only possible through the mutual cooperation of ''another'' sufferer of the Curse of Ankhseram.]]
34	* ''Anime/{{Symphogear}}'': Hibiki's relic, Gungnir, is also revealed to be [[spoiler: The Spear of Longinus that stabbed Jesus on the cross. This action gave it the power of God Killing on the Conceptual level, allowing it to kill Extradimensional Divine Beings who otherwise can regenerate near instantly from any damage done to them.]]
35	[[/folder]]
36
37	[[folder:Comic Books]]
38	* In the 2018 run of ''Franchise/JusticeLeague'', ComicBook/LexLuthor beats ComicBook/VandalSavage to death with [[ItMakesSenseInContext Martian Manhunter's telepathic doorknob]], causing him to revert to infancy. The same run also introduces the Tear of Extinction, a substance that can kill anything living, even gods.
39	* ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'': The Angel of Death's sword was melted down in hellfire and reforged into the Saint of Killers' guns, a pair of Colt revolvers enchanted to never miss, never need reloading, and no wound they give is anything but fatal. [[spoiler:And it turns out they work on God himself, though the Saint claims it won't work if God is sitting on the Throne of Paradise. So he makes sure to sit there before God can, slaughtering the hosts of Heaven to do so.]]
40	* Introduced in ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'' is Radion, a substance that acts as a KryptoniteFactor to the ComicBook/NewGods, including ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}. A weapon made of Radion can kill them.
41	* In the ''ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'' comics, the swordsmith Muramasa was actually some kind of demon, and swords created by him tend to be magical or [[EvilWeapon evil]]. One of them makes wounds that can't be healed even by Wolverine's HealingFactor, and makes it one of few things that's a threat to him - or similarly-powered characters like Sabretooth, whose head Wolvie removed using the sword (he got better.)
42	** ComicBook/{{Daken}}'s claws were bonded with metal from pieces of the sword when it was broken, making him a dangerous threat to his father. Eventually, the sword and the claws (once Wolverine chopped 'em off) were buried - and found by new villains, who melted them down and made ''bullets.'' Uh-oh!
43	* In ''Comicbook/ImmortalHulk'', one BadFuture has [[spoiler:the Hulk become a cosmic being of pure mindless rage and destruction after The-One-Below-All devoured Bruce Banner's mind. This new Hulk, the Breaker-Apart, kills and destroys anything and everything, even so-called immortals. His first seen victim is Craig Hollis aka Mister Immortal whose sole power is CompleteImmortality.]]
44	* ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'': Gorr the God Butcher wields All-Black the Necrosword, an ancient [[ComicBook/{{Venom}} symbiote]] and EvilWeapon that was designed to kill gods. At one point, Gorr used it to develop a "Godbomb", a bomb that could also kill gods.
45	* ''ComicBook/{{Hound\|2014}}'': The Gae Bolga is the only weapon capable of wounding Morrigan, hence the epithet "The God-Killer". A decisive hit is enough to turn her from a gigantic monster bird to an ordinary-sized hooded crow, at which point she states Cú Cullan will no longer hear her should he leave her lair at Brunaboyne.
46	[[/folder]]
47
48	[[folder:Fan Works]]
49	* ''Fanfic/FateOfTheClans'':
50	** Gáe Bolg is able to do this by invoking a death curse, but it's only potent enough to kill an immortal person with the second [[spoiler:and third]] versions of the Noble Phantasm.
51	** Black Barrel Replica can kill even immortal beings by imposing on them the concept of a limited lifespan then attacking them with it. The longer the lifespan, the more damage the bullet causes.
52	* ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'':
53	** The [[WeaponOfMassDestruction Concept Killing Spear]] is one of the few things capable of truly killing [[AnthropomorphicPersonification a Concept]], and anything it kills is [[RetGone erased from existence]]. This is disastrous, as that takes their Concept of reality with them and also erases anything they're responsible for existing. Even if just used to wound, it can inflict irreparable damage. [[spoiler:Rancor mortally wounds Dark World Discord with it.]]
54	** It's unclear if they could actually ''kill'' him, but the Golden Horseshoes which Mimic possessed can bypass Discord's HealingFactor and inflict lasting harm on him. She ultimately busts out one of his fangs, [[WoundThatWillNotHeal which he has not been able to regenerate]] at the time of the story. [[spoiler:Even with another BodySurf, the fang still doesn't come back.]]
55	** A glimpse of an alternate timeline where Majesty got the Rainbow of Darkness instead of Tirek, she uses its power to channel [[TopGod Entropy]], She Who Is[[DestroyerDeity End of all Things]] to kill Tirek. As Entropy is the personification of the End, if she decides something ends, then it ends, even if it's immortal.
56	* ''Fanfic/OneDayAtATimeNyame'': [[spoiler:The Balance, a sword forged by Death of the Endless to kill immortals and [[DeaderThanDead make sure they stay dead]]]]. Anyone who is killed by it has [[spoiler:their soul marked by Death of the Endless, ensuring that they can ''never'' come back to life]]. It's alluded to in the first chapter of the first story, but its name, what it is and how it came to be aren't explained until the very end.
57	* ''Fanfic/FairiesOfTheShatteredMoon'': [[spoiler:End is this, as per ''Fairy Tail'' canon, and proven when he inflicted lasting wounds on [[CompleteImmortality Salem]], who in this universe has the same Curse of Ankhseram, to her amazement.]]
58	[[/folder]]
59
60	[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
61	* ''Film/DriveAngry'' features the Godkiller, a mystically-empowered HandCannon revolver whose bullets can permanently destroy the souls of mortal and immortal beings alike.
62	* ''Film/HellboyIITheGoldenArmy'' features the eponymous spear of Prince Nuada Silverlance, which has a regenerating tip that not only burrows deeper into the target if one tries to remove it, but also inflicts a mortal wound on the otherwise-immortal Hellboy.
63	* In ''Film/TheForbiddenKingdom'', Golden Sparrow carries an enchanted jade dart able to kill immortals, which she has been saving to kill the [[BigBad Jade Warlord]].
64	* ''Film/TheMummy1999'' has the Book of Amun-Ra, which renders Imhotep mortal, though he still has to be killed conventionally after it is used. Without it, he is completely unstoppable and impervious to injury.
65	* ''Film/TheMummyTombOfTheDragonEmperor'' has a dagger used by the [[BigBad Dragon Emperor]] in his attempt to kill Zi Yuan, the witch who cursed him in the beginning of the film. She survives and stabbing the Emperor through the heart with the dagger becomes the only method capable of killing him, which is why [[spoiler:Zi Yuan willingly takes a deadly blow to retrieve it from him]].
66	* ''Film/WonderWoman2017'': When she leaves Themyscira, Diana takes with her the Godkiller, a sword forged by Zeus and said to be the only thing capable of killing another god, which she intends to use on Ares. [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope It doesn't work]], simply disintegrating when she stabs Ares with it. Ares explains that the sword isn't the Godkiller, [[TakesOneToKillOne Diana herself]] [[DoubleSubverted is]].]]
67	* In ''Film/WrathOfTheTitans'',
68	** Zeus' Thunderbolt is capable of killing any lesser immortals such as lower Gods.
69	** The only weapon capable of killing [[TopGod Kronos]] is the Spear of Triam, which is itself a fusion of three {{Legendary Weapon}}s: Zeus' Thunderbolt, Poseidon's Trident, and Hades' Pitchfork.
70	[[/folder]]
71
72	[[folder:Literature]]
73	* In ''Literature/BattleGround2020'', the faerie [[PhysicalGod Queen Mab]] speculates that the Eye of Balor, a legendary FantasticNuke, wielded by a [[AboveTheGods Titan]], could be powerful enough to negate her CompleteImmortality. [[spoiler:{{Subverted\|Trope}} when she tanks a direct hit with no long-term harm.]]
74	* In ''Literature/TheBelgariad'', the Orb of Aldur is a CosmicKeystone that represents one half of the mind of the Universe, so its power surpasses that of the Gods. It deals the MadGod Torak a WoundThatWillNotHeal [[SelfGuardingPhlebotinum in retribution for being improperly used]]; thousands of years later, [[spoiler:Garion kills Torak with the [[{{BFS}} Sword of Riva]], which has the Orb set in its pommel]].
75	* ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'':
76	** The Anti-Art Attachment is a suit of PoweredArmor armed with a massive array of powerful weapons, designed to fight magic in general and Magic Gods specifically. Among its weapons is a massive drill that can apparently use a person's willpower to kill Magic Gods.
77	** Main character Touma may or may not be a living example of this. His unique power, Imagine Breaker, negates any (other) supernatural power. This would make it potentially capable of harming and killing gods, but Touma has yet to actually hit any with it directly (and he has a ThouShallNotKill policy on top of that). Touma also has an epithet, "The One Who Purifies Gods and Slays Demons", which ''sounds'' like an example of this trope but apparently isn't - according to the Magic Gods, this name represents [[spoiler:his ability to come to an understanding with them through conversation]]. Aleister Crowley, who has the goal of wiping out the Magic Gods, considers Touma essential to this goal despite also having the aforementioned Anti-Art Attachment.
78	* ''Literature/TheCosmere'':
79	** In ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy'', where the FunctionalMagic of Allomancy is fueled by specific metals, Kelsier seeks out the legendary Eleventh Metal in the belief that its allomantic effect will help kill the tyrannical ImmortalRuler. [[spoiler:Subverted when the Metal is revealed to grant a form of {{Psychometry}} instead, and the legends were planted by the GreaterScopeVillain.]]
80	** ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive''
81	*** In ''Literature/{{Oathbringer}}'', a unique dagger from [[spoiler:the GodOfEvil [[BigBad Odium]]]] permanently kills [[spoiler:Jezrien]], bypassing his ResurrectiveImmortality and either [[YourSoulIsMine trapping his soul]] or leaving him DeaderThanDead. [[spoiler:Since his immortality was part of the Oathpact that keeps Odium's [[TheLegionsOfHell Legions of Hell]] contained, this is Bad News.]]
82	*** In ''Literature/RhythmOfWar'', [[spoiler: the Fused discover how to create weapons charged with "anti-Light", Light which has had its Intent inverted and which destroys normal Light on contact. A weapon charged with anti-Stormlight can kill a spren, while a weapon charged with anti-Voidlight can kill a Fused beyond even Odium's ability to bring it back.]]
83	** Nightblood, which was introduced in ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}'' and later reappears in the ''Stormlight'' books, is a powerful and unique sentient sword who feeds off Investiture of all types, including life energy. Nightblood has this gotten stronger over time to the point Nightblood is now the most Invested ''thing'' in the Cosmere aside from the [[PiecesOfGod Shards]] themselves. Anything struck by it explodes into black mist, and is completely destroyed in all three Realms, making it uniquely capable of killing things that normal Shardblades can't, like Heralds and Fused, and possibly even Hoid. [[spoiler:Near the end of ''Rhythm of War'', it achieves several impressive feats in quick succession: first it disrupts Ishar's Bondsmith powers, collapsing the perpendicularity he summoned and breaking the Connection he was using to try and steal Dalinar's destiny. Then, when Nightblood briefly clashes with Ishar's [[ForgedByTheGods Honorblade]], both Szeth and Ishar are thrown back by the force released and the Honorblade is chipped by the impact. And then Taravangian stabs Odium with it, and two things are revealed: Nightblood ''does'' have a maximum capacity for the amount of Investiture it can contain, and it's still nowhere near a Shard's level. But it ''did'' [[KillTheGod kill Rayse]], leaving the Shard with no Vessel and open for Taravangian to [[KillAndReplace take for himself]].]]
84	** The Dawnshards, the four [[SemanticSuperpower primal Commands]] used by the {{God}} Adonalsium to create all things, were powerful enough to [[KillTheGod shatter Adonalsium]] when wielded together by mortals.
85	* ''Literature/{{Dragaera}}'':
86	** {{Downplayed\|Trope}} with the SoulEating Morganti blades: they're by no means a surefire weapon against the Jenoine AbusivePrecursors, but they are one of a very, very few ways that anyone other than a PhysicalGod can have a chance at killing them. While the slightest scratch leaves a human DeaderThanDead (if the soul has been utterly destroyed, obviously no amount of healing magic - not even the expensive revivification spell that's used to revive the dead - applied to the now-empty body will help), a Jenoine [[spoiler:takes quite a lot of stabbing.]]
87	** The seventeen Great Weapons are Morganti blades of great power and were created specifically to kill the gods. They also do a dandy job against Jenoine, demons, or other beings.
88	* Gryffindor's sword in ''Literature/HarryPotter'' is a variant. When Harry killed the basilisk at the climax of ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'', it absorbed the basilisk's venom (as it has the magical property of absorbing anything that can make it stronger). This turned the sword into one of the few weapons capable of destroying Voldemort's [[SoulJar horcruxes]], therefore breaking his immortality and allowing Harry to kill him for good at the finale of ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows''.
89	* In ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'', the Subtle Knife is prized partially due to the belief that it's the mythical God-Killer, a weapon against [[GodIsEvil the Authority]]. Turns out it's just an AbsurdlySharpBlade and DimensionalCutter, and that [[spoiler:God is frail enough for a light breeze to kill him anyway]].
90	* "The Immortal" by Creator/JorgeLuisBorges: The immortals reason that, whereas they gained their immortality from [[ImmortalityInducer the waters of a spring]], there must exist another spring that would take it away, and scatter the world [[WhoWantsToLiveForever to search for it]]. The narrator finds it by chance and dies happy.
91	* Creator/NKJemisin's ''Literature/InheritanceTrilogy'': The blood of demons is a deadly poison to gods, who are otherwise unkillable by anything less than a more powerful god. Since the gods sired demons with humans, demons are mortal but SemiDivine, so their blood can literally infect a god with the concept of mortality.
92	* ''Literature/Overlord2012'': As the Tomb of Nazerick [[NormalFishInATinyPond came from a world with far higher levels of magic]], no magic weapon in the new world has enough {{Mana}} packed into it to even ''pierce the skin'' of its stronger inhabitants. Gazef's sword Razor's Edge may be sharp enough to cut steel like it was paper, but it's no exception to this... [[WrongContextMagic which makes it surprising when Ainz admits that it can hurt or even kill him]]. Though Razor Edge is a relatively weak enchanted weapon compared to Ainz, it is somehow able to bypass Ainz's immunity. This is because it was created using the near-extinct WildMagic native to the new world (which has very few rules or limitations), whereas most other magic weapons are created using VancianMagic brought from Ainz's world long ago (which had the advantage of being more powerful and easier to learn).
93	* ''Literature/RaiKirah'': The silver {{Morph Weapon}}s of the [[AncientOrderOfProtectors Ezzarian Wardens]] are the only way to kill [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demons]], and only when brought into a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind with the demon and its [[DemonicPossession host]]. Otherwise, the demon can BodySurf away at will, even when its [[KillTheHostBody host is killed]].
94	* Valkyrie's ShockAndAwe powers in ''Literature/SkulduggeryPleasant'' are capable of destroying ghosts which is implied to be otherwise impossible.
95	* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': Tennyo has a "Death Blow" that can kill anything, down to the soul.
96	* In ''Literature/TheWoadToWuin'', [[spoiler:Apropos]] gains an unbeatable Healing Factor, goes DrunkWithPower, and becomes a murderous warlord thanks to an ArtifactOfDoom [[spoiler:getting stuck in his chest]], so Sharee undertakes an arduous quest to find a weapon capable of killing an immortal and put him down with it. When she comes back with said dagger, she's unutterably furious to find that he's already had a MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment and destroyed the artifact, rendering her quest moot.
97	* ''Literature/TheLicaniusTrilogy:'' Any of the five Named blades can kill the Venerate (demigods who can usually [[AchillesHeel only be killed in one specific way unique to each of them]]). The eponymous Licanius takes this one step further: not only will it kill members of the Venerate, but it stops them from coming BackFromTheDead.
98	* ''Literature/{{Uprooted}}'': The UltimateBlacksmith Alosha spends a century enchanting a sword to kill ''anything'', intending it to be a weapon against [[GeniusLoci the Wood]]. [[spoiler:When the Wood-queen is stabbed with it, it begins to drink her life force at a tremendous rate, but the Queen {{Body Surf}}s away before it can finish her off.]]
99	[[/folder]]
100
101	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
102	* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Buffy wields Olaf the troll's hammer (which since being taken from Olaf [[TookALevelInBadass got upgraded to a "troll god's hammer"]] when Anya reasons that a god's weapon kills gods. With assists from other Scoobies [[spoiler:Buffy pulverizes Glory with it but doesn't finish her off although presumably it would crush her skull as easily as her limbs. That falls to Giles, who smothers Ben when Glory retreats to his form]].
103	* In ''Series/Forever2014'', the immortal [[BigBad Adam]] reasons that the weapons that caused the first death of the immortal characters (for Adam, an ancient Roman ''pugio'' dagger; for the protagonist Henry Morgan, a flintlock pistol) will end the ResurrectiveImmortality should they be used to kill the same immortal again. [[spoiler: Adam turns out to be mistaken, as Henry resurrects even after being shot with the same gun that killed him the first time. (WordOfGod says Adam was just plain wrong, but {{Fanon}} speculates about whether it might be because the ''bullet'' was what killed Henry, not the gun itself.)]]
104	* ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'': The blood of a Hind is a poison so potent it's capable of killing even a god.
105	* ''Franchise/KamenRider'':
106	** In ''Series/KamenRiderOOO'', defeating a Greeed simply reduces it to its indestructible [[HeartDrive Core Medals]], physical manifestations of its desire to live. With enough energy, the Medal containing its consciousness can then construct a new body for itself. That is until Eiji gains access to the [[SuperpoweredEvilSide PuToTyra Combo]], which has ThePowerOfTheVoid and can therefore [[DeaderThanDead shatter Core Medals]].
107	** ''Series/KamenRiderZiO'' has a TakesOneToKillOne rule for its monsters, as they revive if they're not defeated by a power that matches their own; as a result, Zi-O has to go out and [[PowerCopying Power Copy]] other Riders to get the match needed. However, Zi-O's upgraded forms are powerful enough to kill them permanently even without copying.
108	* ''Series/Lucifer2016'': Stygian blades are one of the few things that can harm demons or angels. Asriel's sword could also, in theory, kill anything, which means a CessationOfExistence for angels, demons, or gods. And it's one of the pieces of Lucifer's flaming sword.
109	* The Dark One from ''Series/OnceUponATime'' is ageless and virtually unkillable by any conventional means. Even if their body were to be destroyed one way or another, they would be resurrected (with a sacrifice, of course) with the Vault of the Dark One and its key. The only ways to permanently kill the Dark One are:
110	** The Dark One's dagger, a kris blade with the Dark One's name inscribed on it that can control their will, [[spoiler:created by Merlin as a means of slowing down the first Dark One, Nimue]]. Should someone kill the Dark One with it by stabbing them in the heart, they themselves inherit their curse and become the new Dark One, the name on the dagger changing to theirs; a flashback eventually shows this happening to the current Dark One, Rumpelstiltskin.
111	** The sword Excalibur, which is what the Dark One's Dagger was made from, can permanently kill the Dark One while also destroying the Darkness inside them, ensuring they can't be resurrected by the usual ritual.
112	** The Olympian Crystal, which has the power to kill any being or entity in the show's verse, as it's magic that comes directly from the Gods. Incidentally, it is also the only way to kill Gods (who are otherwise completely immune to all magic besides their own), and is used to kill Hades.
113	** Meanwhile, [[spoiler:the only possible ways that the curse can be broken is either by [[ThePowerOfLove true love's kiss]] or willingly passing it on to the Guardian.]]
114	* ''Series/OhsamaSentaiKingOhger'': We find out late in the show that Gira is an immortal being. [[spoiler:Rcules]] requests the power to kill immortals from the near omnipotent BigBad Dagded so that he can kill him. [[spoiler:After Dagded enchants the Ohger Calibur ZERO with the power to kill immortals, Rcules immediately turns it on Dagded and is able to kill him with Gira's help. It turns out that all of Rcules's villainous actions for the past 17 years were a long con to get an opportunity to kill Dagded.]]
115	* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'':
116	** The Colt is a revolver created by 19th century gunsmith Samuel Colt that kills virtually anything it's fired at, even a [[ThePhoenix phoenix]] in one season six episode. Its reputation as a slayer of otherwise unkillable beings is such that [[spoiler:the Winchester brothers get an unpleasant surprise when it turns out not to work on [[{{Satan}} Lucifer]], one of the five things in all of creation that it can't kill]].
117	** An Archangel blade, normally carried by archangels, can kill just about anything and actually has one up on the Colt - unlike the Colt, it can kill the devil, a fallen archangel.
118	** [[SinisterScythe Death's scythe]] is able to kill anything and anyone, ''including'' Death himself. Dean is given the scythe by Death to kill his brother, only for Dean to [[HoistByHisOwnPetard use Death's own weapon against himself]] and die.
119	** The First Blade, a fragment of donkey jawbone used by [[CainAndAbel the biblical Cain]] to kill his brother Abel, is effective against most immortal entities, including [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Knights of Hell]], angels, and [[{{Psychopomp}} Reapers]]. However, it only works if the wielder bears the Mark of Cain, a primordial {{Curse}} obtained by killing its previous bearer.
120	** The Equalizer, aka Hammurabi, is a gun created by God Himself that is capable of killing literally anything, at the cost of [[MutualKill killing the shooter as well]]. [[spoiler:Though it fails to kill God when Sam shoots Him to try and stop Him from killing Jack. It also fails to kill Sam. As Castiel says, "writers lie".]]
121	* ''Series/TheVampireDiaries'':
122	** The Originals are the first vampires to ever exist, and are immune to all vampire weaknesses like sunlight and wooden stakes. However, stakes made out of the White Oak tree used to create them can kill them.
123	** When Esther turned [[spoiler:Alaric Saltzman]] into an "Enhanced" Original vampire, she made him immune to even the White Oak stakes. The only way he could die was if Elena Gilbert died first.
124	** Arcadius is a powerful psychic who killed himself to create Hell, yet still remained as a NighInvulnerable spirit able to control his new dimension. This is why the only weapons that can kill him are those made of his own bones.
125	* In ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'' and the surrounding Xenaverse, one of the few things that can kill a god is a Hind's Blood Dagger. Technically there have been at least two of them, but they're extremely hard to make since Golden Hinds became extinct during the series (Zeus personally eradicated the entire species to eliminate the threat; the one survivor was saved by being turned into a human by Ares as part of a deal with Hercules.)
126	** The bones of a Titan can also kill a god.
127	[[/folder]]
128
129	[[folder:Music]]
130	* The Astral Hammer aka Hammer of Glory from the ''Music/GloryHammer'' mythos when fully charged can promptly kill the otherwise totally immortal evil wizard Zargothrax, who previously survived the complete destruction of Earth whilst underground on it. [[spoiler:It cannot channel this power in other dimensions, as Angus finds out when he tries to use it on Zargothrax in the alternate dimension of the Terrorvortex in "The Siege of Dunkeld".]]
131	[[/folder]]
132
133	[[folder:Mythology & Religion]]
134	* In [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek Mythology]], there is a prophecy that if a [[MixAndMatchCritters half bull half snake]] monster were to be sacrificed, the person who did it would be capable of killing the gods, who otherwise were absolutely immortal.
135	[[/folder]]
136
137	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
138	* One sample power from ''[[TabletopGame/DontRestYourHead Don't Lose Your Mind]]'' is 'Knife'. It's a knife than can kill ''literally anything'' and then some. Using it to murder immortal beings is frankly, mundane; the knife ''can'' [[YouCannotKillAnIdea kill abstract concepts and ideas.]]
139	* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': Elspeth's sword (and later spear), the [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=380426 Godsend]], is the only thing able to destroy the gods of Theros and the enchanted sky they live in. It was forged by the blacksmith god Purphoros when his spat with another god reached a boiling point, but it fell to earth next to a young Elspeth, who took it and planeswalked away without knowing of its true power for much of her life.
140	* ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'': The Lady of Pain, Sigil's enigamatic ruler, has the ability to send her shadow over those who truly anger or annoy her. The target is sliced apart by thousands of invisible blades, dying instantly regardless of whether they're an ordinary human commoner, a demon, or even a god. Anything killed this way [[DeaderThanDead stays dead]].
141	* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': The Emperor's FlamingSword is one of very very few things that can utterly obliterate a [[OurDemonsAreDifferent daemon]]. Otherwise, [[FightingAShadow its spirit inevitably returns to the Warp and reforms]].
142	[[/folder]]
143
144	[[folder:Video Games]]
145	* ''Franchise/BlazBlue'' has the Immortal Breaker weapons, the TropeNamers. These can kill even beings like [[AllPowerfulBystander Observers]]. The most important example is Tsubaki's short sword Izayoi, which transforms into a LaserBlade in its unsealed state. Mai's spear Outseal, however, is also stated to be an Immortal Breaker.
146	* The sword Dragonslayer in ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV'' is the only weapon capable of killing a dragon (which are [[DragonsAreDivine beings akin to gods]] in the game's setting). It is used in this capacity twice; in a failed attempt to assassinate [[GodEmperor Fou-Lu]] by [[spoiler:Soniel]], and to [[spoiler:MercyKill Elina when [[BodyHorror the extent of Yuna's experiments on her become known]]]].
147	* Under normal circumstances, the Guardians of ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'' and [[VideoGame/Destiny2 its sequel]] cannot be killed permanently without dealing with the relevant Ghosts first. The Weapons of Sorrow, steeped as they are in Darkness-related power, can bypass that, insulating the Guardian's corpse from the Ghost's Light.
148	* The Godsbane from ''VideoGame/DragonsDogma'' is a divine blade said to be able to guide the chosen to a true freedom, but is also the only weapon that can permanently kill [[spoiler:the [[{{God}} Seneschal]], who [[WhoWantsToLiveForever gets stuck beyond the Rift for the rest of their life]].]]
149	* ''VideoGame/EldenRing'': the Rune of Destined Death functions as such. The demigods are said to be immortal, but when (half of) Destined Death was used against them, they were killed like anything else. It's implied that the Rune is nothing less than the very ''concept'' of Death itself. [[spoiler:The player has to unseal the Rune near the end of the game to enable the burning of the Erdtree, which is blocking access to the Elden Ring.]]
150	* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'':
151	** The Dragonborn are [[TheDreaded feared by the immortal dragons]] for being the only thing that can truly kill them. Normally, a dragon can [[ResurrectiveImmortality reincarnate after dying]], but Dragonborn [[YourSoulIsMine absorb the souls of nearby dead dragons]].
152	** The Shout [[WeaponOfXSlaying Dragonrend]] is made of the [[LanguageOfMagic Draconic words]] for "mortal", "finite", and "temporary." It strips [[BeastOfTheApocalypse Alduin]] of his invulnerability, allowing him to be defeated. It also forces normal dragons to land.
153	* ''Videogame/{{Everhood}}:'' This turns out to be the true power of [[spoiler:[[PlayerCharacter Red]]'s arm. This power was granted upon Red to bring an end to Everhood-granted immortality once it grew stagnant and the people it was bestowed on began losing their minds. The Incinerator also appears to have the same power, but for those that are still afraid of death even as life has lost its purpose and flavor, there's Red]].
154	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'':
155	** The Ascians have ResurrectiveImmortality. While they can die, they always come back by pulling a GrandTheftMe on an unsuspecting victim so that they can body hop. However, white auracite is eventually found by Moenbryda, a stone that can be used to trap the Ascian's soul before being shattered with a "blade of light" to permanently kill an Ascian. [[spoiler:Nabriales is the first to find this out the hard way, as [[PlayerCharacter the Warrior of Light]] channels their aether into the white auracite, blasting Nabriales and permanently killing him. The rest of the Ascians have a MassOhCrap when they realize that the Scions of the Seventh Dawn have found something that can truly get rid of them, forcing the Ascians to play some XanatosSpeedChess once they find out.]]
156	** ''Endwalker'' plays with this once the Warrior of Light and their allies travel to a place that doesn't obey the same rules of death as the rest of Eorzea. [[spoiler:In the Thirteenth, aka the Void, the abundance of dark aether makes it impossible for souls to return to TheLifestream after death. Voidsent thus cannot truly be killed while in their homeworld, instead regenerating after enough time — assuming another voidsent doesn't consume them before they have the chance (and even then their aether lives on within its new host, potentially altering their personality if strong enough). However, memoriates such as Zero, a unique [[HalfHumanHybrid half-Hyur half-voidsent]], have the ability to transform their foes' aether into a crystal after defeating them, ending them permanently.]]
157	* ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'' sees the [[NighInvulnerability immortality spell]] [[spoiler:[[MyBelovedSmother Freya]]]] cast on [[BigBad Baldur]] broken by [[spoiler:[[ChekhovsGun the mistletoe Kratos used earlier in the game to fix Atreus's quiver strap]]]], after which he becomes killable once more.
158	* ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic IV'': Emilia Nighthaven seeks out the Blade of the Gods, a sword that can kill immortal beings, in order to put an end to Gavin Magnus, a wizard who inexplicably has CompleteImmortality. [[spoiler:It turns out that even ''the god-killing weapon'' [[SubvertedTrope can't kill Magnus]], since he gets right back up seconds after being skewered with it. He's only stopped when Emilia shatters his Crystal Pendulum, rendering him brain dead.]]
159	* The titular weapon from ''VideoGame/InfinityBlade'' is the only thing that can kill the Deathless, the immortal superhumans and self-styled gods of the post-apocalyptic setting, forged by [[UltimateBlacksmith the Worker of Secrets]] as "a weapon to slay the unslayable". Every Deathless wants their hands on the Infinity Blade so they can rule over the rest of their kind with the threat of true death. [[spoiler:The third game has the Worker of Secrets disperse several mass-produced Infinity Weapons across the continent, which are weaker than the original but still capable of killing the Deathless permanently, in order to plunge the continent into chaos and keep the heroes occupied. They do not however work on the Worker of Secrets himself since he wasn't stupid enough to forge a weapon that could kill him.]]
160	* The Heartless in ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' can be bested in combat, but will eventually reform unless slayed by a Keyblade. This is the only way to release their hearts, and overcome their ressurrective immortality.
161	* ''VideoGame/RecordOfAgarestWar'': The Oathsworn AKA Werdefahrt is an '''immensely powerful''' [[LegendaryWeapon artifact-grade]] blade capable of [[spoiler: slaying the otherwise-infallible [[BlackKnight Gurgs]] and even [[KillTheGod the very gods/goddesses themselves]], despite being '''completely drained''' of its energy it is still able to seal Gurgs/dangerous demonic beings, though it is then a shell of its original self at that point in [[VideoGame/AgarestSenkiZero Zero]], its power is regained in the [[GoldenEnding True Ending path]] fortunately.]]
162	--> '''[[spoiler: [[UltimateBlacksmith Hass Calinou]]:]]''' [[spoiler: "Werdefahrt. Summon the power it holds, and gods must bow before you."]]
163	* ''Franchise/{{Nasuverse}}'':
164	** In the ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' and ''Literature/TheGardenOfSinners'' stories, the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception function as such. Someone with these eyes can perceive the "point of death" in all things around them. If something is stabbed in its point of death, it dies. It does not matter if it can regenerate, if it is immortal, or even if it's a nonliving inanimate object: [[NoSavingThrow if it's stabbed there, it dies, no exceptions.]] (Inanimate objects tend to irreparably fall apart if stabbed, or, in another case, liquid poison was stabbed and immediately became non-poisonous.) The only caveat is that the possessor of the eyes must be able to comprehend the "concept" of that thing's death: if they don't understand what death means for that thing, they cannot perceive its point of death.
165	** Appearing in ''Literature/AngelNotes'', ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'', and ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', the Black Barrel is a special gun that can kill gods and other immortal beings because its bullets are designed to destroy the mystical substances Grain and Ether, which are what the immortals run on and what their bodies are mostly made of.
166	** In ''Literature/AngelNotes'', Ado Edem wields the Slash Emperor, a {{BFS}} that becomes larger and more powerful the more Grain and Ether is in the area and the target. It can kill immortal beings.
167	** Harpe, the scythe that killed Medusa, is a weapon made to kill immortals.
168	** ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'':
169	*** Avenger-class Servant Edmond Dantes wields black-colored hellfire that can inflict [[WoundThatWillNotHeal unhealing wounds]] and can incinerate souls. In ''VideoGame/MeltyBlood Type Lumina'' it's revealed this is how he killed the body-stealing Roa in another timeline.
170	*** In the "Chaldea Thriller Night" Summer event, [[spoiler: the Singularity's mastermind, Xu Fu, had been inscribing every form of murder into [[MaskOfPower a mask]] over the course of ''2200 years'' that, once completed, would be able to end immortal beings. The incomplete version was able to nearly erase Kiara when she came to investigate, and had Xu Fu's intended target, Yu Mei-Ren, died a seventh time to the mask, its power would've been completed. A rather twisted form of IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy was the reason behind it, as Mei-Ren was perhaps the only being Xu Fu ever connected with, and seeing the latter's downcast spirit at being separated from her beloved Xiang Yu only fueled Xu Fu's desires further.]]
171	* ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'': In the ''Mask of the Betrayer'' expansion, the Spirit-Eater curse can be used to consume immortal beings, including the minor bear-god Okku [[spoiler:and the remnants of Myrkul, the mostly-dead god who created the curse to begin with. In one of the endings, the PlayerCharacter goes on a rampage throughout the planes, using the curse in a one-being war against the gods and slaying many before being defeated (and the gods aren't completely certain they're really dead).]]
172	* In ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'', the UltimateBlacksmith Coaxmetal can be persuaded into forging the Blade of the Immortal, a simple dagger that is the only weapon in the entire ''D&D'' multiverse that can permanently kill [[PlayerCharacter The Nameless One]], who has an otherwise absolute ResurrectiveImmortality. He doesn't need much persuading; immortality is one of those chains upon entropy that he seeks to break, and he needs a drop of your blood merely to figure out how you can die. [[spoiler:Even then, the blade is not capable of killing The Nameless One under normal conditions; it can only kill him if he is somewhere ''outside'' TheMultiverse or in a Pocket Plane where the normal laws of reality do not reach. Luckily, TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon is located in just one such place, and the player can obtain a NonStandardGameOver by slitting The Nameless One's throat with the Blade the moment you set foot on it.]]
173	** There are 2 powerful [=NPCs=] that can permanently kill your immortal self if you cross them. The game then [[NonStandardGameOver immediately ends]] with the words [[HaveANiceDeath "You have tested your immortality against the wrong creature and have been destroyed."]]
174	* ''VideoGame/SekiroShadowsDieTwice'': The Mortal Blade is a cursed sword that can kill immortal beings. Problem is, the curse is that anyone who tries to draw the sword from its sheath immediately dies. Fortunately, the "killing immortals" part only seems to apply to the actual blade itself, so when Wolf drops dead from the curse, [[ResurrectiveImmortality he just gets right back up as usual]], and can draw the blade freely without any problems after that. [[spoiler:There's also a second Mortal Blade, though it seems this one doesn't have the power to permanently kill immortals since you'll likely [[ThatOneBoss die to it yourself dozens if not hundreds of times]]. Rather, it has the power to bring the dead back to life in the prime of their power]].
175	* The Nobitsura Kage from ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior2013'' is the only weapon that can kill an Ancient, one of the immortal demons that rule the Shadow Realm. [[DismantledMacGuffin It is in three pieces]] when Lo Wang first comes across it, and only by assembling the full sword can its full Ancient-killing power be realized. Because the Nobitsura Kage cannot even be touched by an Ancient without killing them, Whisperers are employed to carry out the BigBad's plan.
176	* ''VideoGame/StarCraftI'': Zerg Cerebrates usually enjoy ResurrectiveImmortality courtesy of the Overmind that controls them, but ThePowerOfTheVoid, such as that wielded by Protoss Dark Templar, can disrupt that process. One Cerebrate in the Zerg campaign has an OhCrap moment when it realizes that one of its kin has been killed in a way the Overmind can't fix.
177	* ''VideoGame/UnderNightInBirth'': Hyde's sword, the Insulator (also known as the Indulgence of Sever Rending), attracts attention from a selection of characters due to its ability to kill anything by destroying their very existence. Hilda, for example, wants it to free herself of her ties to Kuon the Eternal, while Linne has realised WhoWantsToLiveForever and has Hyde promise to finish her after [[MilesToGoBeforeISleep they take care of one more thing]].
178	* During the Yogg-Saron raid encounter in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', he will periodically spawn Immortal Guardians in Phase 3. The Guardians can be brought down to critical hp, which reduces their damage output, but you will need to enlist [[ShockAndAwe Thorim's]] assistance to to finish them off for real.
179	[[/folder]]
180
181	[[folder:Web Animation]]
182	* In the ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'' episode "Hercules vs Sun Wukong", it's demonstrated that Hercules' arrows, dipped in hydra blood, are so poisonous that even divine beings are not safe from them. [[spoiler:While they might have posed a threat to the otherwise immortal Sun Wukong, the monkey king is able to use his speed and magical abilities to dodge the arrows long enough to land a fatal blow on Hercules]].
183	[[/folder]]
184
185	[[folder:Webcomics]]
186	* The [[ReforgedBlade unbroken version]] of [[{{Excalibur}} Caledfwlch]] in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' is capable of breaking the [[InfinityPlusOneSword Unbreakable Katana]] and killing the [[CompleteImmortality unconditionally immortal]] BigBad [[TimeMaster Lord English]].
187	* ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'': Knowing they one day might have to fight their immortal former ally Jagganoth, six of the Demiurges worked together to device a binding spell against him called the Binding of Immortal Souls. [[spoiler:With Allison using the Master Key to further enhance the binding, it succeeds at holding Jagganoth... For a single minute. Solomon David later steps this up by using a DangerousForbiddenTechnique called the Transmigration of Immortal Souls, which creates a soul-devouring black hole that traps Solomon and Jagganoth inside it.]]
188	* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'': The Snarl, a sentient manifestation of pure deific hostility, can inflict CessationOfExistence on anything it strikes, mortal or god alike. The PhysicalGod Thor admits that the nature of gods' existence makes them even ''more'' vulnerable to its power.
189	* The TalkingWeapon Chaz from ''WebComic/SluggyFreelance'' can "kill most things that can be killed," up to and including gods, when [[PoweredByAForsakenChild powered by innocent blood]]. It was brought into the mortal world when King Farahn made a DealWithTheDevil to obtain a weapon that could kill the SemiDivine Kron, because its absolute killing power was capable of overcoming his godly HealingFactor.
190	* ''WebComic/TowerOfGod'': Whereas [[GodEmperor King Jahad]] has CompleteImmortality granted by the [[CosmicEntity Administrators]], Enryu -- who proved himself [[EvenMoreOmnipotent more powerful]] than an Administrator anyway -- left behind a gigantic "Thorn" meant for killing Jahad. It appears to be basically a concentration of raw energy that can be absorbed and used by a person. FUG, who want to kill the rulers of the Tower, are hunting ardently for the scattered pieces of the Thorn.
191	[[/folder]]
192
193	[[folder:Web Original]]
194	* ''Literature/LoomingGaia'': The Divine Executioner, a golden scythe wielded by Mankind's Discrace, is the only known weapon capable of permanently killing a divine. Divines normally resurrect within a year if they're killed, but the Executioner completely destroys their soul.
195	* In the ''Website/SCPFoundation'' ''End Of Death'' canon where DeathTakesAHoliday, one of the most valuable [=SCPs=] is [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-4514 SCP-4514]]: a switchblade that can somehow still kill people. As usual, they start lining up [[RedShirt D-class personnel]] to test the object, but then progressively higher and higher-ranked personnel [[WhoWantsToLiveForever start submitting themselves for testing]]...
196	[[/folder]]
197
198	[[folder:Western Animation]]
199	* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': After dying and losing [[CelestialBureaucracy a court case in Heaven]] in "The Most Adequate Christmas Ever", Stan flees and threatens to kill angels with a normal gun, which would be ineffective against immortals. Then, he pulls out a Heaven Gun, which is golden in color and can shoot TechnicolorMagic bullets that can kill anyone.
200	* ''WesternAnimation/HazbinHotel'': Demons originating from sinners are nearly unkillable: they can be shot, stabbed, and beaten mercilessly but they can't be destroyed (perhaps as [[AndIMustScream part of their punishment]]). However, the Exorcists, angels who are sent yearly to thin out Hell's population, wield blessed weapons that can destroy a sinner for good. [[spoiler:Later it's found these weapons are just as effective at killing the Exorcists themselves.]]
201	* ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'': The Dragon Talisman's [[HavingABlast "combustion"]] power is capable of injuring users of the Dog Talisman, who otherwise have CompleteImmortality. However, the only time this is shown, [[GoodThingYouCanHeal the target also has the Horse Talisman, and its healing powers undo the damage]].
202	* ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'': 'The Darkest Spell,' which Eclisa taught to Moon when Moon asked for a spell that could kill an immortal. It can completely negate an enemy's HealingFactor, even one as potent as Toffee's. The spell's incantation even specifically asks for the power to 'break the one who can't be broken.'
203	[[/folder]]

Context Main / ImmortalBreaker