Chapter 59. Show Me Some Respect, This is My Ultimate Move

[Arc5] - 59. Show Me Some Respect, This is My Ultimate Move

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"Meliodas! Are you going to betray the Demon Clan again at this point?!"

Dreyfus screamed in despair and rage.

He could never forgive Meliodas—no one in the Demon Clan could. As the leader of the [Ten Commandments] and the heir to the Demon King, Meliodas had betrayed his own kind and killed two of his subordinates, leading to the total collapse of the battlefield against the Goddess Clan. Countless defenseless demons had perished, all because of a goddess!

If not for the previously unremarkable second prince, Estarossa, defeating the strongest of the Four Archangels, Mael, the Demon Clan might have been eradicated.

What had they done wrong? Yes, they were hideous, reviled, but the Demon Realm was an inhospitable wasteland, forcing them to seek a better life in Britannia. At least this would allow future generations to live without such savagery.

They were shunned merely because they looked and seemed evil. If they fought for their right to survive, what was wrong with that?

The beings of this continent had no right to claim exclusive ownership of life. Even the Fairy King, betrayed by humans, and the Giant King, spurned by his own kind, had joined the Demon Clan.

At least in the Demon Clan, there was no betrayal; they were comrades warming each other in a dark, frigid world.

Yet, the strongest demon, the one embodying their hopes and future, had betrayed them to join their sworn enemies, the Goddess Clan, just for that goddess's laughable dream.

Peaceful coexistence? What a ridiculous idea! This was war, fueled by hatred that would never end until one side was annihilated.

Born in the Demon Realm, you, the fiercest demon, turned against your own for such a laughable dream.

So, your punishment was well-deserved.

The goddess lost her body, the Demon Clan was sealed away, and yet you still lived! As you clung to survival on this continent, working to resurrect the Demon Clan, here you are once more obstructed by a traitor.

"Meliodas, you've let your emotions cloud your judgment. Have you forgotten the glory of the Demon Clan?"

"Facing anyone else, I might feel some guilt, but with you, Fraudrin, I feel only rage." Despite Dreyfus's agonizing cries, Meliodas's face remained icy as he gripped the [Lostvayne], his hand trembling.

He couldn't forget. "Moving on from the past" meant the past had to be destroyed first. This demon in front of him, possessing Dreyfus's body, was the one who took his beloved's life right before his eyes!

Even if it was a curse, that didn't mean he could let go or forgive!

"Surviving like this… though third-rate, I commend your tenacity. Now, get out of Dreyfus's body."

"Shut up, Meliodas! Even if I'm third-rate, I still have the honor of the Demon Clan! I'll fight for our future till my dying breath!"

Dreyfus gripped his sword, holding back his fury against the oppressive force surrounding him.

There was no hope of victory—no, not even survival. But as long as he held onto this body, the [Seven Deadly Sins] couldn't do anything to him! He was a demon with a substitute for [Selflessness]; even if he wasn't as powerful as the other [Ten Commandments], the Druids couldn't purify him.

"Did you think we had no way to separate you from Dreyfus?" Merlin's grin sent a chill down Dreyfus's spine. "True, not even Zaratras could easily drive you out after all these years, but he could if he risked his life."

"That last part wasn't necessary, Miss Merlin!" Zaratras, feeling the threat, turned to Cyd for help. "Cyd, please tell me Merlin doesn't intend to use me as a sacrifice when we're winning so easily!"

"Merlin, timing is key for jokes." Cyd patted her shoulder with a wry smile. "You must have mastered the Druid's iconic magic, right?"

"Of course, as Britannia's top mage, how could I not know the iconic [Purge] magic?" Merlin flicked her fingers at Dreyfus. "Zaratras couldn't manage it, but me? I can do it in my sleep."

"Damn it, I need to escape!" Dreyfus leapt into the air—if he got purified, he was done for; he couldn't just sit there!

But no matter how hard he tried, the surroundings didn't change.

"Why am I still in the same spot?!"

"Just a bit of teleportation; I placed you back where you started as you jumped. Better than hitting you in mid-air, no?" Merlin shrugged, though her narrowed eyes radiated pure malice.

"Like a mouse in a cage. Wonderful. I've never had the chance to use [Purge] on a possessed Holy Knight. I hope your screams will amuse me."

With a snap of her fingers, Merlin unleashed a light that could expel foreign souls and obliterate unnatural entities onto Dreyfus.

"Damn it! This is the Goddess Clan's power! Curse you, goddesses!"

Amid the demon's defiant screams, Dreyfus collapsed, and a massive demon with a gaping mouth on his chest took his place.

It was Fraudrin, the demon who had occupied Dreyfus's body for over a decade—and Meliodas's enemy.

"Damn it, even if I die, I'll take as many down as I can!"

Fraudrin suddenly grew, towering over Diane from the Giant Clan.

"So your magic is Full Size?" Meliodas sneered. "But you're just a larger target. Do you think size will give you an advantage?"

"I don't plan to fight." Dark markings spread across his body, converging into a pulsating lump on his chest.

"I'm blowing up Liones! Think you can protect everyone? Elizabeth? I'll make you watch your beloved perish again."

"He's going to self-destruct! Merlin, can [Perfect Cube] contain him?" Meliodas gripped the [Lostvayne] tightly.

"I'm afraid it's too big, Captain."

"Gowther, can you control his mind?"

"No, he's blocking me with all his power."

"We should just destroy him." Escanor cracked his neck. "Such an annoyance. Even in death, he seeks to taint his surroundings."

"No, Escanor, that would trigger the explosion. Let me turn him to stone." King raised his hand as his spirit spear transformed into [Fossilization].

"I can pull out the explosive core and let Merlin teleport it away." Even Ban, usually a troublemaker, offered a helpful suggestion.

Fraudrin's face darkened instantly.

Do you all have to disrespect me like this? Even my final explosion has so many countermeasures?!

After a moment, Meliodas waved his hand.

"Ban, pull out that core for me!"

"I've been waiting for that." Ban drew his sacred treasure, Courechouse, a weapon he wielded with finesse from years of use.

"Watch this!"

Ban swung his staff, but just as Fraudrin tried to resist, a giant bear spirit locked him in place—a guardian from King's awakened spirit spear, now more monstrous than ever. Compared to the cute appearance in the past, the guardian in the awakened Spirit Spear form not only had three heads and six arms, but also had muscles all over its body.

Smack—!

A massive chunk of flesh landed in Ban's hand, leaving a dent in Fraudrin's chest.

"Over to you, Merlin." Ban tossed the soon-to-explode core to Merlin, who simply shrunk it with a potion and threw it to Cyd.

"Vice-Captain, your turn."

Cyd looked at the core, hesitated, then clasped it between his hands.

"Is this your solution?" Merlin's brow twitched. She was only testing Cyd's response.

"I think it'll work fine." Cyd braced himself. "I can feel it's close to blowing, but don't worry; trust me."

"Idiots. You're all going down with me." Fraudrin coughed blood; without his heart core, he was doomed, but he'd take someone with him.

"Oh, do your worst." Meliodas spread his hands, even leaning in to watch Cyd.

"Are… are you all mad?" Fraudrin couldn't believe it—they actually trusted Cyd to contain an explosion that could obliterate Liones?!

"Trust? Isn't that natural?" Meliodas smiled, his confidence returning as he gazed at Cyd's hands.

"The hands that united the [Seven Deadly Sins] can surely contain a bomb like this! So…"

"Merlin, hurry with [Perfect Cube]; I think this thing's about to blow!"

"Meliodas, if you say one more moving thing, pigs will fly tomorrow!"

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