Everyone at Xeovell were now staring at the mysterious man, who looked like an adult version of Meliodas. The major figure of note was the fact that he had a pair of golden arms bearing the markings of the 10 Commandments.
"I put you through a lot of trouble, didn't I?" said Meliodas with his arms folded. "You and the Seven Deadly Sins."
Ruby looked at him. "Meliodas… is that you?"
Meliodas turned his gaze upon Toothless and Luna. "The rare dragons too."
Meliodas then turned and smiled at them, but Ruby's smile had completely vanished.
"You're not Meliodas," said Ruby. "Tell me who you are."
At the front lines, Hiccup and Snotlout were with the rest of their allies and were about to leave to join the others.
"Sorry, Shanna, if the world wasn't crumbling around us, we would be on a trip by ourselves right now," said Snotlout.
"No, I understand," Shanna nodded. "Both you and Hiccup are needed now. Save everyone."
"Wait for me a little longer, okay."
"Take care of yourself, Snotlout."
"I'm coming with," said Skull as he landed on Hiccup's shoulder. "I get the feeling you're going to need my assistance."
"And I get the feeling we'll be entering the battle of our lives," said Hiccup.
They then suddenly teleported away.
"They disappeared?" Ake stared.
"Yes, they did," said Gabrielle.
At Xeovell, everyone was staring at the mysterious man, who looked like an adult version of Meliodas. The major figure of note was the fact that he had a pair of golden arms bearing the markings of the 10 Commandments.
Zeldris picked himself up and looked at him. "Meliodas, I did my part and fulfilled my promise. Tell me where Gelda is."
"Oh, Zeldris, you fool," he said without opening his eyes. "After all this time, your heart is still bound to that lonely vampire maiden? I'm disappointed; you and your brother utterly discuss me to no end."
Astrid frowned. "That does not sound like the Meliodas I know, even back to the days when he led the Ten Commandments. I don't think this guy is Meliodas."
Luna nodded. "You're right. In fact, that tone of voice reminds me of…" Luna's eyes then widened. "…no, it can't be."
"I knew it," said Ruby.
"Not good," Ragnar grimaced.
"There's no way," said Ludociel. "What stands before us is simply impossible."
"This can't be," said Zeldris. "Why are you in Meliodas' body… Father?"
The Demon King merely smiled evilly.
"What exactly does this mean?" Zeldris demanded, clutching his wounds. "You told us what we needed to do to make Meliodas the new Demon King! We did everything that you asked of us!"
"Did you honestly believe that I would pass on the throne to this traitor?" the Demon King scoffed. "That was my true goal, a new physical form. Young, strong flesh to house me. The various Commandments are fragments of my power. So for Meliodas to take them all in and become the Demon King meant nothing more than to prepare himself to become my new vessel."
"You have no right to do that; leave his body at once!" Ruby demanded.
"This is your own flesh and blood," said Toothless as he and Luna landed. "So act like it and do something fatherly for your son!"
"For my son, huh?" said the Demon King looking intrigued. "Ah, I see. You think fulfilling my son's earnest wish is my fatherly duty, right? Very well, I thought of a good idea. Ruby, I've decided to undo your curse of infinite reincarnation."
"What?" Ruby blinked.
"Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this?" Toothless asked.
"Because this guy has no shred of love in his heart if he has one," said Luna.
"And then I'll kill you as cruelly as possible," said the Demon King. "I wonder how he will react when he sees your cold, lifeless body? Will his despair in knowing that he'll never see you again make him lose all hope, craving death?
Or will he feel relief in knowing that you have been released from the curse bringing him peace and ending his reason to live? Either way, the outcome will be quite convenient for me; you and the Seven Deadly Sins know that my words ring true."
His golden hands reached out for Ruby, but Astrid quickly took on her Dragonborn form and grabbed her, pulling her out of the way in time.
"All clear, Ragnar!" she yelled, putting her next to Ragnar before taking off again.
"Perfect Cube!" Ragnar yelled, putting a barrier around him, the dragons, Eret, Ruby and Alvin.
"Is this thing going to hold?" Toothless asked.
Ragnar didn't answer and looked at the others. "Astrid… Fishlegs… Heather… assume attack magic doesn't work on the Demon King!"
"Roger that!" they said in unison.
"No matter what, we will protect Ruby until our last breath!" Heather vowed, spinning her hammer as she charged at him.
She then slammed her hammer down on top of him, but he easily blocked it with his golden hands no matter how fast she swung it.
"We won't let you have your way!" Fishlegs roared, transforming Chastiefol into its Increase Form and pelting him with razor-sharp swords.
However, he merely blocked them with his golden hands, just like before.
"We'll take you down no matter what!"Astrid yelled, swinging her axe as hard as he could.
Sadly the Demon King was able to block that attack as well.
"I will assist too!" said Mael swinging his blazing fists at the Demon King, but he blocked them easily. "No way! Our attacks don't even get a response out of him, and he's completely defended against them!"
He then swung his golden arms at the four of them, taking them down instantly. He then struck the Perfect Cube shattering it with one blow, knocking everyone back.
"He's strong, but we must find some way to stop him," said Mael as Ludociel helped him up. "We can't just let him kill Ruby!"
"Yes, but how? We're simply no match for him," said Ludociel.
'This is bad,' said Fishlegs. 'With back-to-back battles, my power is at my limit now.'
"I don't understand; your resistance is pointless," said the Demon King looking at them. "I offered to release you, to end your curse and give you a peaceful death."
"You can take your offer and shove it!" Toothless growled as he picked himself up. "None of us wants to see Ruby die, especially by the hands of her lover's been manipulated by his father!"
"The fool, why would he do that?" said Ludociel. "Is that dragging an idiot?"
"I'm finding your continued presence a nuisance," said the Demon King as he raised his golden hand.
"No! Stop, please don't kill him!" Ruby pleaded.
"Begone!" the Demon King roared, swinging his golden hand towards him.
"Toothless!" Luna screamed.
However, something then suddenly blocked his attack, and everyone saw standing there was none other than Hiccup in his Dragonborn form.
"No one is going to die on my watch," said Hiccup.
Toothless stared at him. "Hiccup?"
"Looks like we got here just in time," said Snotlout, who was now standing behind the Demon King.
"Look who's back," Ragnar smiled.
"I knew it; I had faith that he would," said Eret.
Skull then flew down and rested on Ragnar's shoulder. "Looks like we have arrived just in the nick of time."
"Skull, it's good to see you," said Ragnar giving the raven a weak smile.
"Hey, Snotlout," Heather smiled.
"So what do you say that we kick this unwelcome and bastard out of your body, Meliodas," Snotlout offered.
Astrid felt her heart miss a beat when she saw him. "Hiccup, it's you."
Hiccup looked back at Astrid. "Astrid, your body—"
"You can thank Mael for that, but I'm just relieved that you're awake," she said with tears in her eyes.
"And I do plan to make up the 3,000 years we lost, but first, I have to save an old friend," said Hiccup.
Luna approached Toothless, glaring at him. "I knew trying to get yourself killed?"
"I was trying to prevent Ruby from getting killed," he said.
Luna shook her head and looked at Hiccup. "Thanks for saving him."
"No sweat, but I suggest you guys put as much distance as you can. This is going to be one tough battle," said Hiccup.
"You two honestly think that you can kick the Demon King out alone? How arrogant of you," said the Demon King.
"It's not arrogance if it's true," said Snotlout.
"Wait! Even if the two of you can't die, you can't beat him!" Fishlegs warned.
"Unfortunately, I'm no longer immortal," said Snotlout.
Fishlegs' eyes widened.
"I revived Shanna, and to do so, I kinda used up the Fountain of Youth," Snotlout explained.
"You what?" Fishlegs gasped. 'Then that means he'll never…'
"Also, my curse was broken the moment Meliodas separated from my body," Hiccup added.
"So they're both mortal now," said Toothless.
Snotlout then began to crack his knuckles. "All right, let's do this. It's eviction day, you pal."
Hiccup took up a fighting stance. "So you don't mind, we'll be giving that body to its rightful owner now."
"Oh, you foolish human children," said the Demon King, and his eyes glowed red. "Behold the power of a god!"
Then suddenly erupting around them was a terrible storm; everyone immediately found it difficult to breathe and felt hot and cold at the same time. All of them were then suddenly blown away by the wind, even Heather. The storm continued to expand, destroying what remained of Xeovell and the surrounding countryside.
Fishlegs was able to use Chastiefol's Pollen Garden Form to protect himself, the Seven Deadly Sins, Ruby, Skull and the dragons. Ludociel managed to create a barrier around himself, Mael and Alvin to protect them from the storm as well.
"Oh no," said Ruby looking at the destruction outside. "Xeovell could be… Heather, is everyone all right?"
"Mael and the others seem safe. However, both Hiccup and Snotlout are outside in this storm somewhere," she said. "What should we do?"
"I'm sure the two of them are okay," said Eret.
Astrid just looked at the storm. "All around us, there is an incredibly dense energy storm that is brimming with malice. I'm afraid no creature will be able to endure it."
"That can't be," said Eret.
The Demon King looked pleasantly surprised. "I see; you're enduring it."
Both Hiccup and Snotlout looked completely unaffected by the storm.
"Compared to the conditions of Purgatory, this is a walk in the park," Snotlout smirked.
"And my body has had 3,000 years to adapt to any kind of conditions," said Hiccup.
The Demon King then extended his golden hand in an attempt to grab the two of them, but they moved with blinding speed and avoided him, much to his surprise. He quickly turned and blocked a punch from Snotlout, and they quickly avoided a swipe from Hiccup's sword as he flew in.
However, the clash did cause the storm to subside, giving everyone a better view of their surroundings.
"What's happening?" Ludociel asked. "Why did the storm suddenly stop."
Fishlegs had no idea, but he was grateful as he had just used up the last of his strength. Pollen Garden dispelled, and Fishlegs collapsed with exhaustion reverting back to his original form.
"Fishlegs!" Heather cried and quickly caught him in her hands. "You okay?"
Fishlegs just smiled up at her.
"Brother! Look at that!" Mael yelled.
Everyone turned and saw that both Hiccup and Snotlout battling against the Demon King and, surprisingly, were evenly matched. They gracefully dodged every single one of his attacks and managed to land an attack of their own.
Snotlout grabbed the Demon King's head and began slamming his head onto his knee as hard as he could. Hiccup then came in with a powerful hook kick and then struck a roundhouse kick on the same leg.
The Demon King kept on trying to strike them down with his golden hands, but he just couldn't land a hit. Once he saw an opening, Snotlout began swinging a barrage of fists at the Demon King, but he was able to block. Hiccup flew across the battlefield and attacked from multiple directions with his sword.
Everyone just watched, amazed at the battle, but then the Demon King landed a hit on Snotlout hitting him hard in the stomach. Hiccup came flying in, but then he was struck in the back by a powerful blow with the Demon King's golden fist and then slammed him down on top of Snotlout.
"That was so foolish," he said, looking down at the two of them. "Did you really think the two of you can handle me all by yourselves?"
However, he then suddenly keeled over, indicating that he had taken damage from the two of them.
"It's not just two," said Hiccup as he got up.
Snotlout nodded as he did the same. "Yeah, we're not fighting alone."
"Amazing both Sir Hiccup and Sir Snotlout's attacks are effective," said Eret.
"Yeah, you're right about that, but that's not all," said Fishlegs.
"There's no doubt about it, stemming from inside the Demon King; it must be him," said Ruby.
Inside the spirit world, both the Demon King and Meliodas were, in fact battling each other control.
"My son, I see that you have returned, but I won't let you have it your way," said the Demon King. "I am the Demon King; delivering death is my duty, and ministering fear is my mission. You know this."
He then raised his sword and swung it down towards Meliodas, but he quickly avoided the blade.
"Yeah, I do, and that's your sin!" said Meliodas.
Back in the real world, Demon King was actually backing away from both Hiccup and Snotlout.
"It's unbelievable, the Demon King is backing away from both Sir Hiccup and Sir Snotlout's attacks," said Eret.
"Meliodas is fighting, giving it his all within the spirit world; his perseverance won't let him quit," said Ragnar.
"So the Demon King is both fighting the real world and in the spirit world at the same time," said Toothless.
"Not only that, but both Hiccup and Snotlout seem to have gotten stronger much more than before," Astrid observed. "Snotlout's physical body must have gotten stronger within Purgatory while Hiccup's spirit strengthened."
"And even though they are no longer immortal, the new powers they have received are far greater," said Fishlegs.
"Meliodas… Sir Hiccup… Sir Snotlout…" said Ruby.
In the spirit world, the Demon King was fully aware of what was going on in the real world.
"How irksome; I knew I should have dealt with the three of you properly back in Purgatory," the Demon King cursed.
He then swung his sword at Meliodas once more, but he continued to stay one step ahead of his swings, so the only thing he accomplished was destroying the landscape. Meliodas then formed a sort of darkness surrounding his hand and used it to reflect the Demon King's attack.
"How is it that you are able to deflect my strike?" said the Demon King with a twinge of fear in his voice.
"I suggest that you give up and get out of here," Meliodas advised. "Your main body is feeling lonely in Purgatory."
In the real world, the Demon King was getting battered by both Hiccup and Snotlout. First, he got hit by Snotlout's fist, and then he was brought to the ground by a powerful kick from Hiccup. He quickly got back up and then had to avoid getting swiped by Hiccup's blade.
"This is futile," said the Demon King to Meliodas. "Now that you have awakened to the powers of the Demon King, even if you drive me out, you won't be able to stay here in this world for long. Not even for a day."
"That works for me," said Meliodas as darkness covered his hand. "So long as I have enough time to undo Ruby's curse and say thank you to the Seven Deadly Sins. Now let's get this over with."
Hiccup continued on with his assault swinging his blade without pause, putting him on the defensive until he finally struck him across the face. Snotlout then used this opportunity to jump in, but the Demon King quickly recovered head butting him. Snotlout then grabbed the back of his head and slammed him into the ground as hard as he could.
"What's wrong, Demon King, is your son's body suddenly harder to use?" Snotlout mocked. "Or maybe something else; maybe you were rejected by your son."
"If you had been in your original body, we wouldn't stand a chance," said Hiccup. "Those emotions that you think a weak and useless are, in fact, what gives us strength, and that is the reason why you're losing here and now."
Demon King picked himself up, glaring at them.
"Yeah, the reality is he's way stronger than this," Snotlout agreed.
In the spirit world, Meliodas and just charged up to the Demon King and successfully sliced off one of his horns with his blade of darkness.
The Demon King merely laughed. "So you're not seeing the situation outside, I take it? Then I should be the one to enlighten you."
"What is it?" Meliodas asked.
"I dealt with the Ruby situation ages ago. I did so after my curse was undone."
Meliodas' eyes widened in horror.
The Demon King then turned his head to his son. "Even if you somehow managed to return, you'll never get the chance to hold your loved one again."
"You're lying! Cut the crap!" Meliodas yelled.
"You really can't accept reality, can you?"
Meliodas then suddenly felt a massive amount of despair. 'I-I didn't make it in time.' His eyelids then suddenly felt heavy, and he started to become drowsy. 'What's happening? My eyelids feel heavy.'
The Demon King took advantage of this and swung his sword, but Meliodas was still awake enough to avoid the attack. However, the Demon King then struck him once again, and there was no way he could dodge in midair, so the attack landed.
In the real world, the Demon King warped his golden fists around the necks of Hiccup and Snotlout. He then slammed them into the ground constantly before finally tossing them aside like rag dolls. The Demon King then plunged his hand into Snotlout's chest.
"Snotlout, no!" Heather cried.
The Demon King smirked. "Don't get carried away."
"They're both starting to get crushed," said Heather horrified.
"But why? The Demon King's power increase?" Fishlegs asked.
"Meliodas, no!" Ruby cried. "Don't let him do it; you use your hands to her both Sir Hiccup and Sir Snotlout!"
"It's a useless attempt; Meliodas won't hear your voices no matter how loud you scream," said the Demon King smirking.
"This is awful," said Heather.
"Something could have happened in the spirit world, which gave the Demon King the other hand," said Skull. "If that's the case, I may have an idea."
The Demon King was now looking down at a broken Meliodas.
"To know despair here in the spirit world is the same thing as embracing death," the Demon King explained.
Meliodas tried to pick himself up, but he didn't have the strength.
"Sleep, my son; rest your eyes. All these other matters, just leave them to your father. You have no one else waiting for you now. There is only you and I; just go to sleep. Just go to sleep. Drift off to sleep."
Meliodas slowly closed his eyes.
"No," said a voice.
Meliodas' eyes opened wide, and the Demon King stared in complete horror as standing there were Ruby and the Seven Deadly Sins, minus Hiccup and Snotlout.
"We're here, Meliodas," said Ruby as she lifted him up onto his feet with tears in his eyes.