User blog comment:B214/Chapter 504: Rift/@comment-5303512-20161001162856/@comment-99.13.69.171-20161001221136

1. Yes but was not his Etherious self the whole time.

2. Probably he has curse power to do that, I mean, how did he get free from those bonds in the first place?

3. He already was determined to beat Zeref, but didn't want to die and cause his friends sadness, after Lucy's 'death' he went both Hatred and killing Zeref mode.