HELLO!

Dom has returned from her long hiatus! Many apologies for my absence. I had finals (I would like to say that I did REALLY well this semester!), then getting my life back together then life decided to take over for a while. You've all been so patient with me. Thank you so much!

Because you have graced with an AMAZING number of reviews last chapter, I am giving you your sneak peak at the end! THANK YOU!

REVIEWS:

Lick: Oh lick, Let this chapter remind you always of the lengths I would go to show you my undying love.

sassykitten1701: As stated in my PM, I did plan on continuing! Sorry it took longer than I had promised! Please forgive me!

Jenarla xXx: Mmmmm... Speachless. I like it. It is not my intention to kill you, dear. Torture, however, is a completely different story!

Stormie: Mayhaps in the future I will have them reflect on what thjey were up to all day! I will not repent! It is a confession of my love!

NinjaKittinz: BECAUSE I WANT TO INTERUPT! TEEHEE! Thank you for calling my writing art. You make me so happy!

LoveIsNotAChoice: WELCOME and THANK YOU!

BettyBest2: Poor Hawk. He only wants to protect Elli's innocence! hahaha... Hmmm... where oh where has our little lion gone?

woundedowl: HI! You shouldn't slam your head so hard dear! You'll give yourself a goose egg! Yes... Atlas is a brat. lol

LUV: Gowther is super Meta. YOU CAN'T HAVE ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE LUV! SHARING IS CARING! *Dies at the popcorn throwing* Oh luv... you silly. LUV YOU!

Kayla Panek: YAY! I'mma use the line VERY soon. Keep an eye out for that. I'm so happy you're hooked on my story! It means soo much to me!

tnw0918: FEELS TRIP! ALL ABOARD!

lickitysplit: THANK YOU FOR THE AMAZING FANFIC OF MY FANFIC SMUT YOU SENT ME! AMAZING!

Cerulean Grace: I think I died laughing at the review you left me. Manially laughing. Like an evil mastermind with a fluffy cat. Aren't emotional rollercoasters fun?

muggleblue: WHAT WAS HE GOING TO TELL HER?! WHO KNOWS? I like that. Beautiful torture. I strive for nothing less.

Asakura Kairi: YAY LIMES!

To everyone: Reading, writing reviews, favoriting, and following: THANK YOU. You guys are the reason I come back when things are so hectic. I love all of the support you've shown, and I can't even express the gratitude I have for all of you.

I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy (sometimes REALLY messed up) adventure...

Chapter 22: Chaos

"Get us down there, Merlin!" The captain shouted, and the mage nodded her understanding. With a quick snap of her fingers and determination setting in her eyes, Merlin teleported all of them to the town line, finding with an annoyed start that there was something keeping her from being able to teleport inside. A troublesome enough twist made that much worse when she realized that it also meant she wouldn't be able to teleport anyone out…

She had a terrible feeling about all of this, a nagging at the back of her mind; but she couldn't quite place it. More than that… she hoped that whatever was going on here; Escanor was holding his own. It was the middle of the night; the time he was at his absolute weakest state.

From the town line, looking in, the festival they had all been enjoying had turned into the portrait of hell. An entire city engulfed in an inferno. Everywhere they looked, buildings were burning in a flame so hot, Merlin knew just by looking that they were unnatural. This was the same raging fire that had erupted outside of the tavern the night before. A fire that had allowed not one, but two of the Horsemen to escape the sins.

"We have to get these flames out!" Meliodas shouted, each of the sins already on the move before he had finished his order. Each stepping through the invisible barrier encompassing the entirety of the city; that kept the ravenette Mage from being able to teleport anyone outside. She could feel it the moment she passed over it, but could not pinpoint its power source. No matter; there were always more options. What kind of mage would she be if she didn't have more than one way to save people when buildings were burning?

From her right, she saw King using his fairy magic to increase the amount of water flow beneath the city until water erupted from pipes and wells in towering geysers that reached for the sky. When that alone did not put out the flames, Diane knelt to the ground; making the cobblestone beneath their feet tremble as she manipulated the earth below to increase the pressure in which the water erupted. From their place, Merlin could see spouts of water all over the city, erupting like glorious spires.

But only the weaker flames were put out. Blazes that had consumed entire buildings still raged on, unhindered by their efforts. An unnatural fire to be sure… Merlin thought. It was times like this, that the sins really needed a wind magic user as a traveling companion. Perhaps there was a way to choke out the fuel of the fire, without stealing its oxygen supply?

"Hey you!" Merlin glanced forward, interrupted in her thoughts as she moved as quickly as the others down the street to see Ban waving down a man ahead of them. She hadn't thought much about how strange it was that the man wasn't screaming or trying to put out the fires until she heard the fox sin yell again.

"What the fuck?!" Ban narrowly missed being cleaved in half by a large sword – not that it would have slowed him down. "I'm only try'na help!" he shouted as the man swung again without so much as a grunt as a response. What on earth is -

"MERLIN!"

The mage's eyes flicked to the side, unflinching as she put a hand up; blocking a downward slash with her magic and sending the swordsman flying backward before he had the chance to raise his sword against her again. She side stepped another who had come rushing behind the man she had sent flying, only to do the same to him.

Minions of some sort? Merlin's hard glare softened slightly as confusion ebbed its way into her expression. These were not minions of any sort. The two men who had attacked her were dressed much like… citizens…

A quick glance around confirmed a fear growing in the pit of her stomach; all of the sins were having the same problem. People of the city attacking without provocation or warning – coming out of the burning nooks and crannies of the burning street in drones. Something was terribly wrong here, and it wasn't just the fire spreading faster than she could keep track of.

"Captain, these people, they're citizens of Sudbury! And they're only growing in number! We have no other choice but to run." She called out, sounding ever the calm strategist she was, while adding enough urgency to get her point across. This was a fight they weren't going to win. Power was nothing compared to numbers, and theirs were quickly being over shadowed.

The captain agreed, pulling Elizabeth up into his arms before she could get hurt and started running down the road, avoiding people who milled towards them like the living dead, each of the sins following suit. Something about all of this felt eerily familiar, like a terrible case of deja vu.

Running from the mob of crazed towns people, the group found themselves entering into the city square where they had been celebrating but hours before. The joyous sounds and sights of people dancing and drinking to their heart's content, all a distant memory. A figment of a dream.

For the scene they found in the square was painted in a bloody nightmare. The air filled with the screams of people attacking each other. Men, women, and children dead in the streets; no one spared from the ensuing massacre. Blood mingling with the spilled ale from broken barrels. Madness everywhere Merlin looked, without any reprieve.

In all of her years as a Holy Knight, Merlin had seen more than her fair share of death. She had caused more than her fair share as well. But this… nothing could prepare any of them for this. This wasn't just a portrait of Hell. This place was hell. The embodiment of pure chaos.

The stampede of raging town folk who had chased them into every human's worst fears, encircled them, catching the attention of anyone still fighting in the square, who joined in the growing mob around them. Every being had the same burning in their eyes that mimicked the raging flames engulfing the buildings. Like they had been possessed by those flames.

Flames… Merlin's eyes flicked with understanding before they narrowed on the milling crowd growing larger around them. How could I have not seen the connection? Merlin cursed herself silently as all of the pieces fell together.

"And another horse, blazing in fire, rode out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another…" Merlin muttered, recalling a very specific scripture of the horsemen, reciting it aloud to share her knowledge with the others who were no doubt listening.

"Someone certainly knows their ancient lore." A voice called from high above, and the mob grew quiet as if to give this familiar voice room to speak.

As I thought… The puppet master speaks, and all of the puppets lie down for her entrance…

"It's the puppet master!" King hissed, his sacred treasure already changing into spear form and poised for the attack, pointing at the spire above them. Whether intentionally, or not, the fairy king drifted to so that he was between the woman glaring down at them from her place on the tallest spire and his beloved giant.

"No, to be more precise, this is the horseman of war." Merlin pointed out, watching the woman carefully from the corner of her eye. Merlin had had her suspicions since the first time she had seen the woman, back before they had known who their enemy truly was. When Elizabeth still had her memories. Merlin was certain now; War was a mage. One with power comparable to her own – now that the horseman had made her appearance it was clear she was the power source of the magic that kept Merlin from using teleportation. This had been a trap from the start; one that had taken quite a few of their weaknesses into account, one that had very quickly begun to cut off their options of escape.

There was no telling what kinds of nefarious schemes she had up her sleeves for them.

"Very good!" The puppet master, or War, giggled in delight, then extended her hands out, gesturing all around, "Well, what do you think of my celebration? I do hope you like it. I made it all for you!"

Merlin's eyes narrowed on the horseman, stealing glances at the tightly packed mob growing with each passing moment. These were the towns people; innocents. The puppet master had taken over another city and they were marching to her twisted commands. Merlin took another step backwards, feeling another back suddenly pressed to hers. They were running out of room.

"You've got our attention. Let the people of this town go!" the captain yelled, even toned, despite their dwindling rate of getting out of this situation unscathed. Despite that even tone of his, and his impeccable handle of his emotions, Merlin could feel his power growing at an alarming rate as it also began to fluctuate dangerously; much like it had in the grand library in Camelot.

Fantastic… Merlin hissed sarcastically in her own mind. On the one hand was the Horseman of War; intent on burning them alive or death by mind slaves. On the other, their captain was losing control, and there was no telling how far his wrath would go to destroy the puppet master. At this point, though, she wasn't sure how far her own wrath, her own need to deal vengeance for so much wasted life, would go to do just the same.

Merlin chose the lesser of two evils, blatantly ignoring the alarm bells in her own head in favor of destroying the enemy. She had contingency plans in case he lost all control…

War snorted a chuckle with raised brow, seeing just as clearly the corner they had been backed into as Merlin did. "But what would be the fun in that?" she cooed sarcastically.

There was a split second shock to Merlin's skin, and she understood immediately as Gowther transmitted the captain's plans to her. She took a deep breath and steeled her gaze as she counted back from five in her head.

5… Deep breath in. Merlin felt Ban at her left tense.

4… The captain effortlessly pressed Elizabeth behind himself before shouting, "Fine! Then we'll just have to make you!"

3… Her lungs were filled to capacity and she held her breath. Merlin's hand, hidden at her side, conjured her sacred treasure; The Morning Star of Aldan.

2… The horseman let out a long musical laugh at the captain's brazen words, lifting her hand into the air and issuing a silent command with the flick of her wrist, "I'd love to see you try…" she dared, her voice dropping to a dangerous tone.

1… All at once, the surrounding mob began to advance on all sides. Merlin released her breath, and with as much force behind it as she could, the mage threw her magical orb into the air directly above them, "AMPLIFY!" she called and as it reached the peak of its arch, Gowther extended both arms glowing with his own sacred treasure, "Twin bow Herritt." Rays of blinding light soared out, hitting the magical orb which erupted into the same light, brightening the sky brilliantly; making the Horseman flinch back.

All of the puppets immediately around them froze in their tracks and Meliodas launched himself, sword drawn, up at the Horseman before she could collect herself.

Through the light, Merlin watched as the captain leaped higher and higher, until she couldn't see him anymore through the haze of bright light. There was a thunderous clash of metal on metal – the sounds mimicking an entire war's worth of clashes, before something came crashing to the ground like a meteor; their captain coming to a skidding stop with black, demonic eyes glued to the sky above. War smiled down at them through the clearing haze, twisting a blazing sword at least twice her own size in her hands as she tsked, "Now, now, I'm not done playing with you yet."

The light of Gowther's magic disappeared as it was consumed; swallowed by a mixture of flame and shadow that moved like the wings of a tyrant dragon. Merlin cursed silently as she managed to teleport her sacred treasure back to her possession before the darkness overhead could swallow it too. The puppets immediately at the front of the mob began to cry out in screams of agony that filled the blazing night air in a terrifying chorus. People clutched their heads, crumpling to their knees or lashing out at their neighbors with rage and fear in their eyes. All around them, a gory battle to the death broke out as the released puppets ignored the sins completely, losing all semblance of their humanity.

Diane gasped loudly, Ban cursed, jumping forward to try and pry some of the towns people off of each other, but they thrashed as if he were not even there.

War sighed with pleasure, running sensual fingers up her own neck and flushed cheeks, "Do you feel that?" She moaned. Her head rolled as her hands continued their slow crawl through her long blonde hair, then back down to run down her figure. It was a sickening display of complete and utter euphoria at the expense of innocent people. She didn't just enjoy the disaster she caused. She got off on it. "It wouldn't be as entertaining if I just let you take my precious puppets from me, so Famine left a little present! Every puppet here in this disgusting city will lose their minds and start to kill each other if you release my living puppet magic!" She laughed at the irony that wasn't wasted on Merlin.

She's the one keeping everyone alive…

The mage ground her teeth while keeping a stoic façade. Her mind running through every scenario, every spell… calculating every possible move. There had to be a way. Her golden eyes flicked to the captain as she recalled his warning from before; Absolute Cancel was not an option. It would mean the death of every possessed citizen in Sudbury. Behind the fighting puppets in the square, more were filtering towards them, intent on picking up where the others had failed.

"Why are you doing this?" Elizabeth cried, tears streaming down her face leaving streaks through the dirt on her cheeks.

The horseman smiled, while biting her lip, unable to contain her ecstasy, "There is no hunting like the hunting of man, dear, and those of us who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter." The malice practically oozed from the woman in waves as her smile exuded her delight, "In other words… because I want to."

"You're insane!" King motioned with his hand, sending his spirit spear soaring at his target at an incredible speed, only for War to defend against the attack with her blazing sword, her movements effortless as she parried and blocked each strike with ease. Sparks flying with each thunderous clash.

"All of the best people are!" The horseman pulled back and struck the spirit spear with more force than she had up till then, the blade splitting the spear's handle in half and sending it clattering to the ground in front of a shocked King. His eyes darted between his shattered weapon and the horseman above, face betraying his stunned confusion. Is this the same woman we fought in Direneth? Was the question written over his face.

The horseman seemed to relish the expression on his features as she pointed her blade menacingly at King and Diane in turn, "Do try to survive, I have special plans for the two of you…"

Puppets still under War's control had begun to climb over the frenzied towns people trying to kill each other, throwing each of the sins back into a fight. And they were at a severe disadvantage.

Merlin used her power to push back a group of puppets lunging all at once, turning quickly to cancel the magic pills keeping Diane in her shrunken state. In the blink of an eye, the Giantess had returned to her original height and was clothed appropriately for the battle. The regained stature allowed for Diane to better deal with the onslaught of puppets on her side, keeping King covered while he used his magic to reassemble the broken spirit spear and transforming it into the guardian to help keep the puppets at bay.

Damnit… What did Famine do to these people?! It has to be more than magic. Something affecting them from the inside! Merlin continued to process the situation.

Think! There has to be a way to cure whatever is causing their madness!

Cure…

Merlin's head flung around to stare wide eyed at Elizabeth being protected by the captain, his movements quickly picking up speed as he and Ban dealt with as many puppets on their side as possible. Tears were still streaming down her cheeks; the mage watched as one slid the length of her jaw to her chin then dripped harmlessly to the clenched fist pressed to her chest. Elizabeth had healed the captain once with her tears alone, without even realizing it. And more than that, Merlin was almost positive that those same tears had helped to stop the bleeding when the captain's wounds wouldn't close not too long ago, despite her not having memories of being able to heal anyone.

Would it be enough? The odds were against them, and Merlin felt the entire world around her go quiet as she blocked it out. It's a long shot, she told herself. There's no guarantee that Elizabeth's dormant powers will activate.

It's the only option we have…

With renewed determination, the mage conjured her sacred treasure once more. "Elizabeth!" Merlin shouted, pulling the silverette's distressed attention to her before tossing the magical orb to her, "Hold this into the air!"

Elizabeth caught the orb, stumbling a bit as she cradled the object, looking between the crystal in her hands and the mage before nodding and holding it high above her head.

"AMPLIFY!" the mage shouted again, holding off another mob attack with obvious effort as she used all of her power to amplify the surge of magic already growing from the crystal in Elizabeth's hands. Gowther slipped away from his own fight to take aim and fire his sacred treasure at the orb once more.

It was like an implosion. All sound was absorbed before an intense light radiated from the orb that rivaled the sun. The light blanketed out around them like a heavy fog instead of rays of light, making it difficult to see anyone who wasn't standing close to them. That light was warm and enveloped the entire square before billowing out to travel down the connecting streets.

Like a breath of fresh air, the thick light dissipated, leaving only the sound of groans and the still burning fires in its wake.

Merlin grinned to herself as she turned to the puppet that had been in the upswing of an attacking and noted with satisfaction the normal color returning to his eyes – all traces of the flames' reflection gone from his confused gaze.

"It would appear play time is over…" The horseman hissed displeased, taking slow steps backwards as she glared down at them, but Merlin could see that her focus was not the sins, but Elizabeth. She gave them one last smile before turning and bounding across the building roofs.

"I don't think so!" The captain, and all the others – save Gowther and herself - gave chase after the horseman. Merlin hesitated a moment, sparing a glance around at the people climbing to their feet, and looking around in alarm. They had all just woken to the nightmare that was their lives now. Blood they had not wished to shed was on their hands, and she felt a pang of sympathy for them.

All of this destruction… all of this death. For what? What was the purpose of luring the sins out like this? Those unanswered questions made the mage even more uneasy than anything else. It had been a tight spot, but surely the Horseman of War had expected them to be able to do at least this much? She had already put a contingency in place in case they had tried to release her puppets. She had made it a bloody nightmare. So, what was the point? What had been her end game? It was clear that War hadn't been looking for more soldiers. At most, she had succeeded in only pissing them all off…

Merlin approached Gowther, but the goat sin merely shook his head, "I was not able to permeate the Horseman's mind," He answered stoicly before she even had the chance to ask. "I will ensure the safety of the rest of the citizens of the town and find our missing comrade Escanor," he finished and Merlin offered him one of her rare sincere smiles before she ran after the others with a sinking feeling in her chest.

What are you after War?

The Horsemen had taken it too far this time. Meliodas ran ahead of the group, tracking each move that War made on the roofs of the still burning buildings all the way to the edge of the city. He growled under his breath when she jumped to the ground and stopped long enough to smile back at them.

A voice deep down told him something was wrong; that she was doing this on purpose. Leading them somewhere to toy with them further. But the growing heated fury in his blood propelled him forward after her regardless.

For once, Meliodas couldn't care less that his anger was growing, or what implications that would hold. He would unleash his wrath on the witch who had played with the lives of countless people for the sake of drawing them out. It was time the horsemen felt justice for the sins they had committed.

Playtime was definitely over…

Meliodas barely registered the calls of his comrades as he took off faster after the Horseman, blood thundering in his ears, heat igniting as hot as the flames claiming the buildings in town, burning beneath his skin.

He had to give it to the puppet master; she was faster than he gave her credit for. Stronger too. In town, when he had launched himself for his attack, she had surprised him with that flaming blade, and how quickly she maneuvered with it. Her blows were nothing like the ones of a madwoman who used others to do her dirty work – they were the strikes of an expert swordswoman. In that, she had fooled them all. But no more. He was ready for her tricks this time, and with the forest path he was chasing her down, there were no town's people in the way of their impending battle.

He hadn't been paying much attention to the directions as they ran, but based off of energy signatures, he could tell they were headed in the direct opposite direction of where Mama Hawk had settled with the tavern. Up ahead, Meliodas could see the trees and forest path opening into a massive clearing that sat below a large cliff side a good mile and a half opposite them.

The dragon sin ran past the threshold of trees, his senses immediately picking up on the same strange barrier magic that had surrounded the town. He gave himself little time to think about it as he had to come to a halted stop.

War had come to a stop in the dead center of the clearing, then spun on the very tips of her toes; vanishing into thin air just as the rest of others caught up to him. Blonde hair whipped around as Meliodas used his power to search for her energy, only for his gaze to zero in on the towering Cliffside further away.

"What's this bitch got, a height fetish or somethin'?" Ban growled, already in a stance to take off after her should she turn tail and run.

However, watching the Horseman on her pedestal high above them, Meliodas got the sense that she was unfazed by the change in advantages. Her lips remained in a chilling smile despite the odds having shifted in their favor. That smile only grew into a dark chuckle as she unfurled her arm out towards them, her hand poised for an action that the dragon sin could not quite make out from this distance.

Until he heard the snap echoing through the clearing and reverberate through his head like the explosion of a canon. The sound making him stumble backwards slightly as it rocked him down to his very core.

Meliodas squeezed his eyes shut against the pulsing pain that shot through his head, his hand coming up to cradle his temple just as another wave overwhelmed his senses. This was a pain unlike anything he had felt; something deep within him began to boil and fester into a searing tar that drove the dragon sin to his knees, both hands clutching the sides of his head in hopes that it would, by the grace of the goddesses, alleviate the pressure building.

He heard the muffled shouts of his comrades and even the warmth of another hand touching him tentatively on the shoulder, but all of those things were drowned out by the voices in his head. Voices demanding his power. Cries for blood. The insatiable lust for death rising in his body from the base of his spine to the tip of his skull.

The blonde shook his head violently, barely recognizing his own furious cry as he tried to silence the darkness. His darkness. He was losing control. No, this was different from the times he had lost his temper and unleashed his wrath. His control was being stolen from him. Ripped from his being; creating his own personal brand of agony.

"G-Get… Get AWAY!" He managed to growl through clenched teeth. Dark patterns had begun to swirl out from the mark above his right eye to tattoo his face and climb down his body. He could not reel them in. The little control he had left was used to stall for as long as he could.

"M-Meliodas?"

He heard his name, Elizabeth's shaken voice breaking through the darkness long enough for his fears to consume him with the possibilities of what he would do if she stayed.

"GET HER AWAY FROM ME!" He shouted, the pain only increasing as he lost a little more of his control and the darkness began to tunnel his vision.

That warm hand was pulled away from him, but he could still feel her presence. Her light still permeating the clearing and it made him sick that his body and darkness ached to snuff that light out.

He could sense all of the sins taking steps away from him. Straining to open one eye, Meliodas turned his head towards them, seeing the fear marking all of their expressions. Elizabeth's filled with a fear not of him, but for him. Please… run away. If you stay here… I won't be able to- Meliodas' thoughts cut off as the pain ripping through him intensified tenfold.

"GET HER AWAY!" He roared angrily, feeling his grip beginning to slip. The last strands of his will and control between his fingertips.

King had moved to grab Elizabeth's wrist, pulling her away with some effort as she fought to stand her ground. "N-No! Something's wrong! I can't just leave!" She cried frantically.

The darkness that had been ebbing into his vision finally clouded his sight, snatching those precious last strands of control from his grasp. His consciousness submerged in the pitch black darkness that invaded his senses; unable to escape.

Merlin ran fast down the forest path, her senses telling her that her comrades were just ahead.

That was when an invisible shockwave hit her, and her eyes widened in something she didn't portray very often; fear.

The mage only allowed herself to falter a moment at this new menacing energy before she catapulted forward, moving as fast as her legs could carry her. Heeled boots digging into the dirt to help her move faster.

As she reached the clearing, passing through the barrier that would once again disable her ability to teleport, Merlin's worst fears were realized as she took in the sight before her.

The captain was on his knees, hunched over in much the same agony as the puppets had when they had released the magic over them. With each passing second, Merlin could feel the dragon sin's power growing exponentially. This was unlike any of the power she knew him to have. This was more than his wrath.

"N-No! Something's wrong! I can't just leave!" Elizabeth cried frantically, pulling against King's hold on her wrist as she tried desperately to get to the captain's side.

There was another increase of his power suddenly, and the blonde had gone still. Hands no longer clawing at the sides of his head. Merlin's heart nearly stopped beating in her chest as she felt his power continue climbing. Dwarfing everyone combined in the clearing. She was watching the evolution of her captain go from demon to monster right before her very eyes.

And, she was afraid… Terrified.

Merlin rushed forward, "Go! Get Elizabeth away now!" She commanded and King nodded, having Chastiefol shift into pillow form and sweep the silverette off her feet and into the air, flying away from the clearing.

"FIND THE LION!" Ban called after them, swinging around just as their captain began to climb to his feet with slow movements. The darkness radiating off of the blonde was suffocating. Once on his feet, the captain's eyes came up to glare at them; completely consumed by the blackness they knew to be his demon heritage.

Merlin swallowed thickly in the deafening silence that stretched over the clearing. None of them blinked. Every breath held. One wrong move, and they were all dead.

That's when it happened. The slightest shift of the captain's foot and Merlin's hand flew up to counter, "PERFECT CUBE!" she called, and just as she hoped, Meliodas came to a sudden standstill as his path was impeded by her magical sealing technique. This one far stronger than any other she had ever cast before.

The blonde snarled from behind the magical glass, his fists coming up to pound on it in a rage.

"Nice catch Mer-" Ban had begun to congratulate her when his words cut off by the shaking of the hand she held out to continue pumping as much power into the cube as she could.

Diane came to stand beside her, "Merlin? What's wrong? We shouldn't have anything to worry about now that he's trapped in Perfect Cube, right?" The Giantess asked, giving her a small reassuring smile.

Merlin watched with narrowed focused eyes as Meliodas threw his fists against the wall several more times, and on the last hit, felt the dread seep into her veins as a small crack began to form on the surface.

"On the contrary, dear…"

Sneak Peak of Chapter 23: In The Nick Of Time

Merlin felt the strain of having poured all of her power into Perfect Cube, and a sweat had broken out over her brow as she struggled to remain in control.

The blonde glaring her down behind the magical glass, still beating on it with rage in his features. Truly the visage of a monster. He used all of his body to move with him as he threw his weight against the glass over and over; the cracks growing in size as time passed. Until finally, with a focused punch at the center of the fracturing wall...

It shattered.

Perfect Cube was supposed to be inescapable... Merlin thought, her breath coming out in pants from exhaustion.

And the captain broke through it with nothing but his fists.