On Byzel's rock, the four stood without making another move, but even the air grew heavy under the clash of their auras.
Meliodas spoke first, with a sigh of feeling. "Does it really have to be like this? Gloxinia, Drole, I'll ask one last time. Are you sure you want to stand with the Ten Commandments?"
Gloxinia answered coldly, "You really haven't changed, Meliodas. At this point, what road do we have left?"
Meliodas exhaled. "All right, so be it."
He swung down Lostvayne without hesitation—
—but halfway through, a spear blocked the blade.
Like King, Gloxinia bore a Sacred Treasure carved from the Sacred Tree's boughs: the Spirit Spear Vasques. And Gloxinia was stronger, having long since released Vasques's full power.
The vines wrapped around him earlier were one of the spear's forms, and now, entering battle stance, the spear returned to its base form and Gloxinia showed his true appearance.
Red hair spilled down, revealing long, pointed ears—and most striking of all, the beautiful butterfly wings unfurled behind him.
But Meliodas, with his power restored, was plainly stronger than Gloxinia. After two seconds of deadlock, he knocked the blocking spear aside.
On the other side, Drole moved, his hardened fist smashing toward Meliodas—only to be caught on Charles's open palm.
Drole possessed a wondrous Demon Eye which, in the original events, read thoughts, saw through power levels, even peered at fate.
Yet even that eye hadn't seen how Charles appeared before him. As his focus settled on Charles, he also saw that staggering power level.
A second later, Charles's rising kick launched Drole flying.
As he tumbled back, Drole saw Charles giving chase; his four hands flashed through different mudras.
The earth shuddered, and two colossal stone palms rose on Charles's flanks, clapping together like swatting a fly.
Drole planted his feet, steadied himself, and stared intently at the meeting palms.
He hadn't been seeing things. Someone with a power level like that couldn't be handled so easily.
Sure enough, the palms' centers glowed red, softening to magma in seconds.
Boom!
Shards flew. Wreathed in flame, Charles burst through the crumbling stone.
"Heavy Metal!"
Drole triggered his ability at once; his blue-violet skin turned silvery gray with a metallic sheen.
Giants command the power of the earth—and within the earth are not only rocks, but countless metals.
With magic, they can metallize their skin and massively boost their defense.
Even so, when Charles closed in and drove a fist into his chest, pain so intense it nearly blacked him out ripped through Drole.
He spat blood; the metallic sheen vanished—the blow had knocked him out of Heavy Metal.
After driving Drole back, Charles drew a long breath and clenched his fist again. Just as he moved to press the attack, a column of magic lanced at him.
Charles tilted his head and let it hiss by. It struck the still-intact portion of the maze behind him and blossomed into a small mushroom cloud.
His brow twitched. "Boss, keep your own opponent busy. Don't let him mess with someone else's fight!"
Meliodas flickered to Charles's side. "Old friends, you know? It's a little hard to go all out."
Gloxinia guided his spear back, but couldn't help clapping a hand over his chest wound.
It wasn't mercy from Meliodas; Gloxinia had paid dearly to get that shot in for Drole.
"Spirit Spear Vasques, Form Seven—Moon Blossom: Dew of Life!"
Above Gloxinia's head, the spear became a strange plant; the bud unfurled to show its stamen.
Vast, gentle magic coalesced on the stigma and fell as tangible drops onto Gloxinia.
Light rippled across him, and within a second his wounds were gone.
The same scene repeated on Drole; the burns and broken bones in his chest vanished as well.
Neither Charles nor Meliodas moved to stop it; Charles even quipped, "So fairies can do that, huh? Figures King's a fake Fairy King with no wings—if he had that trick, we'd be having a much easier time."
Meliodas smiled, then looked at Gloxinia and Drole. "We knew it wasn't just you two. Have the others come out."
They hadn't stopped Gloxinia's healing because they knew the real fight hadn't begun.
As Meliodas finished, several figures appeared around them.
"Meliodas is as sharp as ever."
The man with the neat mustache was one of the Ten, Monspeet of Silence.
"What's with all the chatter? Let's just kill the traitor already!"
The woman clad only in darkness over the bare essentials, exposing swathes of skin, was Derieri of Purity.
"Been a long time, Meliodas."
The short man shared at least nine-tenths of Meliodas's face—different hair color, and a Demon Clan mark on his brow.
The current leader of the Ten Commandments, Meliodas's younger brother, son of the Demon King—Zeldris of Piety.
"That's right. I've always wanted to see you again."
The silver-haired man, save for the Demon Clan mark on his forehead, was the spitting image of the wanted poster Liones had put out for Meliodas—Estarossa of Charity.
Compared to Zeldris's naked hostility, Estarossa seemed moved by the reunion with the "elder brother" he'd always admired.
Yet from him, Charles sensed the deepest malice.
Charles glanced over the six. "Only six Commandments? I thought you'd all show up."
Meliodas's eyes hardened. "Yeah—and it's the strongest six. That's a pretty stacked roster just to deal with us."
Zeldris's gaze slid from Meliodas to Charles. "So you're the one who took Galand's Commandment. Perfect. Hand over what doesn't belong to you."
Charles flexed his wrist and grinned. "That's my spoils now. If you want it, come take it."
Meliodas tightened his grip on his short blade. "No helping it. Charles—what's next is a real knock-down drag-out."
Charles & Meliodas vs. six of the Ten Commandments. The battle—not a fight, but a melee—was about to explode.
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