I Will Eventually Embark On The Path Of No Return Called A Hero

[Arc5] - 66. The Stolen Sword

---

"Splat!"

Ban's body turned into a red smear on the barrier of the [Perfect Cube], resembling a crushed tomato splattered against a wall.

"Ban, you're far from being there yet," Meliodas remarked casually, rubbing his shoulder as he surveyed the Holy Knights around him. "Who's next?"

There was no need to guess—Meliodas himself had turned Ban into pulp.

"Damn it! This was supposed to be my chance to fight against legends! How could I fall here?!" grumbled Howzer, half-buried in the ground. He struggled to free himself, but having exhausted his magic on a flashy move earlier, he lacked the strength to climb out.

Compared to the frustrated Howzer, Gilthunder was much calmer—likely because he was lying flat on the ground. Sitting upright would be a dangerous proposition right now.

"Oops!"

Meliodas, who had just splattered Ban, was sent flying by a punch from Cyd. He hurtled through the air like a cannonball, grazing Howzer's raised hair before crashing into the earth.

See? If you're not careful, being at too high an altitude will get you caught up in the crossfire. Fighting legends requires more than just guts—it also requires survival skills.

But why had things come to this? Or more accurately, why was Cyd getting involved in the antics of Meliodas and Ban?

The "Fight Festival"—a name that sounded as silly as it was—was a real event on the continent of Britannia. It was initially started by veteran Holy Knights as a way to train the younger generation. However, for some reason, Ban the "Greed" had decided that pummeling Meliodas the "Wrath" might improve the latter's mood.

Everything made sense up until that point. Even Merlin, the "Gluttony," provided a venue where participants could go wild without causing damage. As for why Cyd, the deputy captain, got roped into this absurdity, that's another matter entirely.

Merlin had "accidentally" placed Cyd in the arena, and when Ban, determined to clobber Meliodas, got sent flying into Cyd, things spiraled out of control. According to Cyd's later explanation, he had no intention of interfering with the squabble between Meliodas and Ban. However, when Ban turned into pulp, and that pulp splattered all over Cyd...

Naturally, Cyd felt he had to return the favor to Meliodas. Meliodas, of course, refused, leading to the current chaos.

Of course, neither Cyd nor Meliodas posed the greatest danger. The most perilous presence was Escanor, waiting outside the barrier like a predator. Ever since he heard that Merlin had prepared the arena, he'd been standing there, ready to enter and wreak havoc the moment the barrier showed any cracks.

Far too dangerous!

"Hey, Meliodas, are you feeling better now?" Cyd asked, pressing Meliodas's head into the ground like kneading dough, effectively blending him with the Ban-pulp below.

"Cyd, your way of cheering people up is as heartwarming as ever!" Meliodas quipped. Anyone else would be dead by now, but Meliodas was no ordinary person. He even managed to get back up and reverse the move, pinning Cyd into the ground.

How to describe this? The gruesome scene of blood and flesh should have been horrifying, but somehow, the sight of the same gore transforming into a person only to revert to a mess again became oddly comical over time.

Elizabeth, unsure whether to be worried or amused, turned to King, who was observing the fight with a cold and aloof expression, seemingly indifferent to the barbaric spectacle before him.

"Lord King, aren't you going to join in?"

"I don't like getting my clothes dirty," King replied, tilting his chin up haughtily. In truth, he detested fighting without his Spirit Spear. Without it, his "graceful" fighting style—essentially an elegant version of flailing—was no match for Cyd's brutally efficient combat techniques. Entering the arena would guarantee he'd be turned into King-pulp.

"By the way, Lord King, are you really leaving?" Elizabeth hesitated before cautiously asking.

"Yes, Princess Elizabeth, we really must go," King replied, uncertain of how to explain the situation. Telling her the truth might only make things worse.

"We'll visit from time to time. After all, the [Seven Deadly Sins] exist to protect Liones. Even if there's no crisis, we'll check in occasionally."

"That's wonderful," Elizabeth said with a genuine smile, which only deepened King's guilt.

He was lying. Without a crisis, the [Seven Deadly Sins] would never return to avoid triggering Elizabeth's awakening. And with Zaratras back in the fold, any potential danger to Liones had been minimized. Thus, their return was unlikely.

"Captain, you sure like dumping things on me. At least leave it to the Vice-Captain!" King muttered, glancing at the broken sword lying nearby. Perhaps because no one thought the pieces of the [Coffin of Eternal Darkness] could be reassembled, Meliodas had temporarily set it aside, focusing on the battle instead.

Facts have proven that no one wants to release the demons. Not to mention who can gather the conditions to unlock the [Coffin of Eternal Darkness], humans don't have the courage to do so. Just seeing the corpses of the demons can make people feel fear from the bottom of their hearts.

"So what is the captain so nervous about? Humans nowadays don't even recognize the Demon Clan." King held the back of his head and leaned back on the cushion that the Spirit Spear had transformed into, stretching lazily.

"How crazy must someone be to want to break the seal?"

[Maybe she is so crazy that she wants to crush the things she likes and then reshape them into the shape she likes, and she likes to destroy the things that others love the most.]

"!" A cold light flashed in the golden eyes. The moment the creepy voice rang in the ears, the soft cushion under him turned into countless patterns that covered Elizabeth and Diana. The other Spirit Spear turned into the [Guardian] form and punched towards the broken sword.

"Boom–!"

The ground suddenly sank, and in the dust that was surging like waves, the [Guardian] slowly raised its fist.

"What's wrong, King?" Merlin removed the barrier the moment the abnormality occurred, and Meliodas ran to King's side. King's expression was extremely solemn.

"I'm sorry, Captain. I made a mistake and the key was taken away."

Only a pool of black blood remained under the [Guardian]'s fist, and the broken sword disappeared.

"Someone took the sword away while I was distracted."

"No, King, your reaction was not wrong." Meliodas could see the situation. King prioritized protecting Diana and Elizabeth, which led to the sword being taken away.

"To be able to escape from King's hands, one must either have strength as strong as King or be able to teleport..." Merlin thought of her disobedient apprentice, but heard from Meliodas that he had already dealt him a fatal wound.

"The blood of the Demon... It seems that the Captain is not quick enough."

"It seems like it was my mistake. I don't know why she wanted to unlock the [Coffin of Eternal Darkness], but she can't do anything without the blood of the Goddess." Meliodas clenched his fists and turned to look at the bewildered Elizabeth.

"Sorry, Elizabeth. It seems you'll have to keep being a waitress for a little longer."

"Ah? I don't mind at all!" Elizabeth replied, her heart lifting at the thought of staying close to Meliodas.

Above, Cyd gazed at the increasingly thick clouds gathering in the sky.

Seated on his throne, Bartra's eyes snapped open.

"The signs of Holy War have grown stronger!"

===

Read upto [Chapter 99] in advance! - patreon.com/kurato6180