Whatever amount of time had passed Ayano's conscious finally came to. She couldn't see anything but she could hear voices.
"You've really aged Barta!" it sounds like Melliodas's voice
"And you haven't changed a bit" King Barta replies
"Captain" Merlin calls out and Meliodas looks at her "I hate to break it to you, but their's an ice sculpture over there that needs our attention"
"Ayano!" Meliodas runs over to her "Elizabeth what happened?"
Elizabeth goes over to him "Lady Ayano was frozen by the holy knight mage that kidnapped us, she was trying to protect me"
"Merlin can you unfreeze her?" Meliodas asks as he places his hand on Ayano's frozen hand
"Perhaps" Merlin walks over "I can raise her body temperature to an extreme magical level that might melt it"
"I-Isn't that dangerous?" Elizabeth asks worriedly
"For a normal human yes" Merlin replies
"but for Ayano, no" Meliodas adds
Elizabeth whispers to Meliodas "Sir Meliodas, is it because Lady Ayano is a demon?"
"huh?" Meliodas looks at her surprised "hey how did you find out?"
"Well the Holy Knight mage mentioned it was a rumor and Lady Ayano then told me it was true" Elizabeth explains and waves her hands quickly "but I have nothing against her at all, I was just worried about her"
"I got it" Meliodas turns to Merlin "Well Merlin, if you could?"
Merlin snaps her fingers and slowly the ice begins to melt. Meliodas watches with worry until the ice is gone and Ayano's body falls forward. Meliodas puts his arms out and catches her with ease.
"Lady Ayano" Elizabeth says reaching out to her
"you might not want to touch her Elizabeth" Meliodas says as he picks up Ayano's body "her body temperature is starting to going down, but right now it's about at the level you'll burn yourself" he chuckles
"How come you can touch her?" Elizabeth asks concerned "aren't you burning yourself"
"..don't worry about me" Meliodas smiles "I'm perfectly fine"
"She'll wake up as soon as her temperature goes back to normal" Merlin informs him
"Thanks Merlin. Now, we defeated Henderickson in order to rescue Elizabeth. So much for his plans to revive the Demon Clan. All that's left is liberating the kingdom. So what'll be be Dreyfus?" Meli says and turns to the door where Dreyfus is standing
"You're the criminals who were conspiring to overthrow the kingdom! Everybody knows that you killed my older brother, Captain of the Holy Knights, Zaratras!" Dreyfus yells.
"You're wrong" Margaret speaks up "I saw it, ten years ago on the morning of the kingdoms birthday celebration... You and Henderickson worked together to kill Grandmaster Zaratras, I was so scared that I ran and told Gilthunder right away. We were discovered by Vivian, that's how she held us captive."
Dreyfus goes quiet after Margaret speaks. He looks at the ground, like he is fighting with himself over being found out.
"I admit defeat. Kill me" Dreyfus drops his sword and lowers to his knees
Ayano whines and opens her eyes
Meliodas looks down at her "morning"
"...can you put me down?" Ayano questions noticing that she was in Meliodas's arms
"Aw" Meliodas complains as he puts her down onto her feet
Ayano walks over to Dreyfus "Now, why would you want us to kill you?"
"After that incident, Henderickson changed. I never knew he'd be so mad as to attempt to revive the Demons, though" Dreyfus began to tell them "By and by, the crack between us became a gulf. As a warning against me betraying him, he killed my son. Though I suppose it was my own actions that brought his demise, I don't know how this happened. I just wanted to be a father my son could be proud of" He looks at the ground.
"Griamore's alive Dreyfus" Ayano tells him
Dreyfus begins to cry and Meliodas smiles.
"Well it's all over then, the matter's settled" Meliodas says wrapping his arm around Ayano's waist
"and just what do you think you're doing?!" Ayano looks at him annoyed
"Just loving my fiancé" Meliodas replies with a smile
"You're still in the dog house mister" Ayano looks away "don't think for a second anything is fixed between us"
"you can't stay mad at me forever" Meliodas turns around "hey Merlin wha-"
King Barta starts to cough up blood
"Your Majesty?!" People call out and we all turn to him worried
"Step aside," Merlin says and everyone back away from the King. She puts her hand over his face "He's extremely weak. We must return to Camelot with him to administer treatment"
Elizabeth looks worried
"It's okay Elizabeth, do you remember the vision I told you about?" King Barta asks and Elizabeth nods
"Sister Margaret, I think we should let Lady Merlin take father to treat him," Elizabeth says looking at her older sister
"If you say so Elizabeth," Margaret nods, trusting her sister's words
"Rest assured, Princess Elizabeth. I will do everything in my power to do just that," Merlin tells her and start picking Barta up, "Let's go, Arthur," Merlin looks at him
"Ah... Wait!" Arthur looks at Meliodas before rushing to him and grabbing his hand, "Meliodas! It was fate's design that led us to each other! Please! Lend me your strength as the Grandmaster of the Holy Knights of Camelot!"
"Sure! If I ever feel like it," Meli says and Arthur looks shocked, "We have rescued Elizabeth and saved Liones as well as cleared our names," Meli looks at me and grins, "There's also cleaning up the town and my Boar's Har tavern to consider. I can't just up and leave right now" Meli says then looks at him with a grin "There's one more adventure I need to take with my fiancé first"
"hm?" Ayano looks confused
"Another adventure with Ayano?" Arthur questions.
"Merlin, what about you? Aren't you going to rejoin us?" Meliodas asks
Merlin smirks at him "If I ever feel like it" she teleports away with Arthur and King Barta
"Meliodas what did you mean by an adventure?" Ayano asks confused
"Well of course I have to return to you what I took" Meliodas replies seriously
Ayano looks at him surprised "but I thought-"
Suddenly the castle was split in two, Meliodas grabs Elizabeth as King caught Ayano on Chastiefol.
"Oh thanks King" Ayano smiles as she steps off Chastiefol
"Ayano are you alright?" Meliodas asks turning to her
"yep just fine" Ayano tells him
Jericho and Gulia both start screaming
"Captain" King says "I can feel demonic magic flowing out from within them"
"Yeah. They were New Generation Holy Knights," Meliodas says looking at the two female Holy Knights "This is bad. This is probably the same as the transformation that happened to Dale! The demon blood if out of control!"
Jericho's demon blood had awakened she was from her shoulders up, out of the chest of a demon. Diane stood up and stopped Demon Jericho from attacking, she gripped hold of Demon Jericho's had.
"DIANE!" King yells and goes to help Diane out.
"King! What are you going to do?" Elizabeth asks
"To kill Jericho!" King replies "Diane shouldn't be pushing herself so much!"
"I'm... fine! More importantly what's happening to Guila and the others?" Diane asks
"The demon blood inside the New Generation Holy Knights is going berserk" Ayano speaks up "or more importantly, something is making them go berserk"
"Do you mean somebody's provoking this?" King asks "how-"
"Ayano has a point" Meliodas interrupts "It's no coincidence that all the New Generations started going berserk at the exact same time"
"You're perceptive as ever. The New Generations were those humans who couldn't be Holy Knights. They were failures" A voice says "In their hearts was an inferiority complex against Holy Knights and anger at their own powerless selves. Their negative feelings react to the demon blood to create magic. But an ancient incantation spurred the demon blood to go berserk the one time. Their frail egos are swallowed up in the black muddy waters and their bodies are taken over"
They all look to see someone walking towards them. Meli pushes Ayano behind him, his hand on her hip as the other points his sword at the person.
"It...It's you!" King says as he looks at the person.
"HENDERICKSON!"