Everyone was still rather stunned by what the priestess had just said, but she wasn't done just yet.
"There were two requirements to revive Chaos," she said. "Defeating the Demon King was one of them; Ragnar used the Seven Deadly Sins as a means to accomplish that. But I say that makes you all even; you definitely use him plenty as well."
"Are you kidding me!" Heather snapped angrily. "What do you know? How dare you judge us like that! Sure, there might be a lot of things I don't understand about all this yet, but still, Ragnar bought the Seven Deadly Sins as a comrade alongside us. We didn't use anybody!"
"Indeed, it's true I have not lived with him or even spoken to him that much, and I know you all far less," the priestess admitted. "But what I do know advised Hiccup to work alongside the giant harassment Dubs to forge the Coffin of Eternal Darkness in order to see away the Demon King and the Supreme Deity."
Everyone gasped upon hearing that.
"Also, he intentionally delayed the spell to stop time in order to resurrect the Demon King, and in the final battle, he guided your combo move into the lake. Lastly, it was he that reactivated the curse upon Ruby that Meliodas had broken."
Everyone was completely horrified and refused to believe it.
"You stop talking about all that nonsense!" Heather demanded. "That's impossible!"
"Ragnar, don't just stand there and say something," said Fishlegs.
"I regret to say that it's all true, though I would not make it sound so sinister," said Ragnar. "I convinced Hiccup and Dubs to forge the Coffin of Eternal Darkness because the truth of the Holy War was to prevent the human race from reaching its potential. And while it is true I did delay my spell on Meliodas, I knew even if we sealed him in time, separating him from the Demon King would be tricky.
At first, I had hoped that we had destroyed the Demon King, but when I returned to the battlefield, I discovered that he had somehow managed to survive. I also had to prevent Meliodas from returning to the Demon Realm, so I reactivated the curse, forcing us to hunt down the Demon King and put an end once and for all."
"So, you were plotting behind our backs this entire time!" Snotlout glared.
Ragnar ignored him. "I also need to fulfil the second condition of reviving Gustav. I needed an explosive amount of magic."
"So everything the priestess has told us is true," said Astrid stunned.
Meliodas looked at him furiously. "So you also put Ruby's life in danger by reactivating the curse?"
"Believe me when I say I wish there was another way, but I think it was the best way to stop you from returning to the Demon Realm," said Ragnar honestly. "I knew you were the only person capable of destroying the Demon King once and for. Also, I had to keep you here no matter the cost."
"So everything has been alive," said Heather with tears in her eyes.
"No, I sincerely wanted to put an end to the Holy War, and I consider you all my friends no matter what you think of me," said Ragnar. "I had hoped that we could do this in a non-violent way, but after what the Demon King and the Celestial Deity did to their children and Hiccup, I realised the only way for peace is for either one of them or both of them to be destroyed."
Ragnar then looked directly at Heather. "And I did not lie about loving you; the truth is I've never loved anyone as much as you, and I was sincere about marrying you. However, I won't hold it against you if, after all this, you wish to end it completely."
"How can you be so casual about this?" Fishlegs demanded as he comforted Heather, who was crying her eyes out. "And what about Eret? Your scheming got him killed!"
"And you don't think I regret that?" Ragnar asked. "I never wanted any of us to die, but if I hadn't done the things I did, then Ruby would still be cursed and would never have been reunited with the one she loves."
"Now I know why you were so keen to help Gowther," said Hiccup.
"Gowther expressed his wish to end the Holy War; the way things were going, humanity would have been wiped out. In fact, they would have been wiped out already if it hadn't been for you, Dragonborn. Though I didn't know what exactly he had planned but giving a vessel for Astrid's soul was a definite bonus."
"I still don't understand why you want to resurrect a terrifying monster like Chaos!" Meliodas roared furiously. "No, to resurrect a being we don't even know exists!"
"I assure you Chaos does exist," the priestess assured them. "In fact, you've already crossed paths with it."
"What?" said Ruby confused.
"What are you saying?" Fishlegs asked.
"We've already crossed, have it?"
"Yes, you've travelled upon its back on your journeys," said the priestess. This only confused everyone even more. "It, too, has eagerly waited for its time of resurrection."
"What is she talking about?" Toothless frowned.
Hiccup immediately turned to the Black Dragon. "Are you saying that Chaos is actually—"
Everyone's eyes fell upon the Black Dragon.
"You can't be serious, the Black Dragon?" Tuffnut laughed.
"Yeah, that thing is as a hunk of would you put together," said Ruffnut.
"Not completely," said Hiccup. "Have any of you ever wondered what powers the Black Dragon while it's moving?"
Toothless blinked. "Now that you mention it, how does this thing move around?"
"While we were exiled, I came across this strange crystal that radiated power," said Hiccup. "I instantly realised that I could use it in order to power the Black Dragon."
"Chaos is the will of power that does not have a physical body," the priestess explained. The Black Dragon then fell apart instantly, and in the very centre was a black crystal. "What you see before you is just a provisional form in which the two gods managed to seal it."
"I put a lot of hard work into making that," said Hiccup looking disappointed. He then went up and picked up the crystal. "This crystal was bright white when I found it; now it's as dark as night."
"Then where did essence go?" Gustav asked.
"It took up residence within you, Gustav," Ragnar explained. "It happened the moment you awoke as the King of Chaos."
"Are you saying the power that was once inside that crystal is now inside of me? To be honest, I don't feel any change, but…"
Meliodas practically marched up to Ragnar. "So that magic that Gustav accidentally used…"
"What do you mean?" Gustav asked, confused.
"Ragnar, return Gustav to how he was right now!" Meliodas demanded.
"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't," said Ragnar plainly. "The decision to coexist with in Gustav was made by Chaos; I had no say in the matter. This is proof that Gustav is the chosen King of Chaos."
"What about Gustav's will and what he wants!"
"Yelling at me won't change a thing."
"You two need to calm down right now," said Hiccup, quickly placing himself between the two of them. "Fighting amongst ourselves is not going to solve anything; proved anything can be solved."
"Sir Hiccup is right; there's no need for any of you to fight over me, a tiny baby bird," said Gustav.
Just as he said that, a piece of the ground morphed into a baby bird.
"When I was little boy, I dreamt of growing up to be a virtuous person who stands up and protect others," said Gustav closing his eyes and not noticing that the entire landscape began to change. "No matter how hard you try, no matter how honourable your intentions are, it is simply impossible to protect everyone. And while such a realisation is a simple logical conclusion, the moment I gave in to that life and accepted it, my heartfelt crushed by hopelessness."
Everyone was still rather shocked as stonewalls erupted around them, closing in on them.
"It's happening again," Snotlout moaned.
"I don't like this at all," said Heather.
"And within that time of despair, I met Ragnar," Gustav continued. "He showed me the way how to get out of the hopelessness that I was drowning in. He said be a king who makes the impossible possible, and make the world a place where you can protect everything you want to and hearing those words alone turned my entire outlook around. I asked Ragnar to be my mentor, I learned many things from him, and that is when I made the promise… that I would become a wonderful king and create an incredible were the likes of which no one has ever seen!"
He finally stopped and looked around and found that all of them were now standing in a completely twisted land. There were buildings that were shaped to look like mushrooms, chequerboard walkways that went in all different directions and huge chasms that seemed bottomless.
"W-what is this?" Gustav gasped. "What is going on?"
"I get the impression that Gustav doesn't know what he's doing," said Toothless.
"Gustav!" a voice cried out.
Gustav immediately recognised the voice belonged to Cath, who was in the remains of the Black Dragon.
"I see that you have finally woken; I'm glad I have waited so long," he said.
"Okay, what is that?" Snotlout asked.
"That would be Cath; we found him and brought him back with us from where the Druids trained," Astrid explained.
"No! It can't be!" said the priestess in a panicked to voice.
"Gustav!" Cath cried, jumping towards him.
"Hey, Cath, it's good to see you," said Gustav running towards him with his arms outstretched. "I'm glad you're here too."
"Ragnar, stop him!" the priestess yelled. "Don't let that thing and near Gustav!"
Cath looked as if he was about to jump into Gustav's arms, but then he opened his mouth, revealing several sets of razor-sharp teeth.
"Watch out?" Hiccup yelled, tackling Gustav to the ground.
"Gustav!" Ragnar yelled as he and Ruby dashed towards them.
"Is he all right?" Ruby asked.
"Are you hurt, Gustav?" Hiccup asked.
Gustav looked down towards his right arm and found that it was completely missing and then screamed in pain.
"What just happened?" Luna stared.
"Cath, what are you doing?" Toothless asked.
Cath sat there eating Gustav's arm.
"Everyone, grab hold of that thing!" Meliodas yelled.
"That won't do; capturing it won't be enough; you have to kill it. Otherwise, we'll all be getting something we don't want," said the priestess. Everyone looked at Cath, who began to grow in size and now grew some legs and his tail splitting three. "A taste of the power of Chaos."
"What is that thing?" Snotlout asked. "That green theme monster bit Gustav's arm off."
"But I thought he was supposed to be Gustav's friend," said Heather.
"Priestess, do you know its true identity?" Ragnar asked.
"I do; I didn't recognise him earlier because his appearance and magic with different from before," she said. "That reaches the physical reincarnation of design and obsession with the power of Chaos. He craves the power to become the King of Chaos himself, the beastly tyrant who challenged Chaos to fight… Cath Palug. Legend has it he lost the fight to Chaos and committed so much evil in the land where he was exiled that he was sealed away by the Angels."
"So we fighting him?" Snotlout asked, looking at Hiccup. "What's the call?"
"Easy, we don't know what he's capable of. Let's be careful," Hiccup advised.
"Sir Hiccup! Sir Snotlout! I beg of you, wait!" Gustav yelled as Ruby healed his injury. He then sat up and looked at Cath. "Cath, please, I don't understand. You must have some reason for doing this, right? After all, you risk your life to protect me time and time again."
"I only did that so you would eventually awakened your power, Chaos," said Cath in a hungry voice. "Sure, you taste okay as you were, but you taste exquisite once you are woken."
Gustav looked very hurt upon hearing this.
Suddenly everything became dark around them.
"What's this?" Heather asked.
"Is this also the power of Chaos?" Ruby asked.
"Hey, come on, just let me eat you already," said Cath's voice.
Suddenly they found themselves in what appeared to be a large mouth.
"It's going to suck us all in?" Hiccup yelled.
"Be careful. This isn't an illusion!" Meliodas warned as he swung his hand, unleashing a wave of darkness.
Toothless and Luna fired off some plasma blasts.
"Exterminate Ray!" Ragnar yelled, unleashing a blast of magic.
Unfortunately, their attacks had no effect.
"I can't tell if anything we're doing is working," said Snotlout. "This is a pain in the ass."
"Come on, hurry!" Heather yelled as she punched the wall with all her strength. "We have to get out of here!"
"This is bad," said Fishlegs. "None of us have our Sacred Treasures, and we're drained from our fight with the Demon King."
Gustav just stood there looking down at the mouth. "Cath… I just have one question for you. What exactly am I to you?"
"Why my tasty, delicious meal that I've waited so long to enjoy, of course," said Cath cheerfully. "Don't delay me any longer; let me eat you."
Gustav then glowed bright light, must everyone's surprise.
"This is…" Ragnar gasped.
"This disturbance that I sense in the dimension that Cath Palug created…" said the priestess looking at the dark orb in front of her. "This is…"
The orb was then suddenly sliced into pieces, and everyone fell to the ground.
"Did we manage to make it back?" Fishlegs asked.
Ragnar looked at Gustav, who was now wielding Excalibur in his hand, but it looked different. The hilt on one side had the wing of an angel, and on the other, the wing of a demon. The handle also had a white and red patchwork design. Also flying out of the blade were strange birds of light and bats of darkness.
"When the holy Sword fulfils its role as a key, it will become a true Holy Sword and return to its master side," said the priestess.
Cath looked at Gustav happily. "I am so overjoyed. You're amazing, Gustav. I can't stop drooling; let me eat every last tenancy morsel of your entire being!"
"I am relieved to hear you say that…" said Gustav with his eyes closed as Cath pounced on him. "…because it means I can strike you down without hesitation."
He then opened his eyes and raised the sword, and brought it down onto Cath. The moment the blades struck me immediately burst into flames and was sliced in two. There was a huge explosion as the remains of Cath disintegrated into nothing.
Gustav looked at everyone looking rather weak. "Everyone… are you okay? D-did you—"
He then collapsed.
"Gustav!" Ragnar yelled, catching him in his arms, and gently placed him on the ground.
"Ragnar, I think it would be best if we bring Gustav to Berk quickly," said Ruby.
Ragnar gave a small smile. "How kind you are; you are really too good to people, Sissy. But after all, I've done, I can no longer associate myself with you… any of you. Or rather, I can no longer allow you to get involved with my selfish whims. Hiccup, everyone, thank you for everything until today."
"Ragnar, wait, which you still talk about this!" Heather pleaded.
Ragnar then snapped his fingers, and they disappeared. "This is how it should be. I chose to walk this path myself." He then looked down at Gustav. "My dear Master Gustav, I will protect you no matter the cost, and that includes my life."
Hiccup and the other suddenly found themselves back at Berk in the banquet hall, much to the surprise of everyone present.
"The Seven Deadly Sins have returned?" King Topaz gasped.
"Why were we the ones sent here?" Astrid asked.
"Wait, what about Ragnar and Gustav?" Heather asked, noting that they were missing.
"They're not here, so I'm guessing they stayed behind," said Snotlout.
"Why? I don't get it?" Heather cried.
"Well, after everything that just happened, it might have been awkward if they came back with us," Fishlegs theorised.
"What do we do now?" Ruby asked. "I admit I'm at a loss about this. Ragnar may be distraught, but I'm not sure how we can help."
"And even if we could help, how are we supposed to get back to them?" Hiccup added.
"Don't worry about it; he's probably all smiles as we speak," said Meliodas bitterly.
"Easy, Meliodas, we wouldn't blame you if you were upset, but…" said Fishlegs.
"I would say there was a little harsh, don't you think?" Snotlout agreed.
Hiccup looked at Meliodas. "Meliodas, I'm not defending Ragnar's actions. However, if he had done what he did, you might still be possessed by the Demon King, and Ruby would be dead."
Meliodas just remained quiet.
Ragnar, meanwhile, was inside one of the castles that surrounded the landscape and was enjoying the view.
"It's wonderful, so this is what a fragment of Chaos looks like," he said in wonder. His eyes then turned to Gustav, who was still fast asleep from exhaustion. He then turned to the Holy Sword, with birds and bats were still flying out of it. "As for this amorphous Holy Sword, is this its original form? Are these signs that it still has plenty of room to change? Or could it be that Gustav's magic is not fully formed yet? If that's the case, then this is most intriguing indeed."
"I haven't seen you make that face in a long time," said Gustav's voice.
Ragnar's eyes widened when he realised that Gustav had regained consciousness.
Gustav merely smiled at him. "That smile, that is the Ragnar I always known."
"Are you criticising me for being able to smile even after I cut ties with my team?" Ragnar asked.
"Not at all," said Gustav as he sat up. "That is so like you. Tell me, Ragnar. Why did you never discuss Chaos with the Seven Deadly Sins? Why did you choose until today to even bring it up?"
"Did you hate me for what I've done, Gustav?" Ragnar asked. "From resurrecting you as the King of Chaos for the sole sake of my own curiosity? As well as my 3,000-year-old ambitions?"
"What do you mean?" Gustav asked, confused. "Why would I hate you? I mean, yes, Chaos is a will of power, one that moulded this world and us humans. A mysterious being that even birthed the gods, right? That means as long as the person wielding it has a good heart, such power can be used to create a cheerful world. You guided me because you believe that I could be the kind of King capable of that, right?"
Ragnar gave a small chuckle. "My goodness, you are really something else."
Suddenly the bat surrounding the Holy Sword vanished, leaving only the pure white birds.
Hiccup and the others, meanwhile, were looking out from the balcony of the Palace, still troubled by what Ragnar had confessed.
"When I said that Ragnar was probably smiling, I wasn't being critical," said Meliodas, breaking a long silence. "I wasn't being sarcastic either. I just know what kind of personality he has. You have to admit Hiccup; he's always been curious."
Hiccup chuckled. "True, when a first-round mean he knew nothing of the outside world and asked so many questions. Though, to be honest, I thought I knew him; I guess after the tragedy that fell upon us changed him."
"Who wouldn't?" said Astrid. "His closest friends had either been killed or cursed."
"So, are the Seven Deadly Sins really disbanding for good this time?" Heather asked.
"Every beginning has to come to an end at some point, doesn't it, Heather?" said Snotlout. "I mean, we already lost Eret."
"And we were originally formed to fight against the Demon King, who has now been defeated," Fishlegs added.
"I still can't believe that he's gone," said Ruffnut.
"I always thought he was invincible," said Tuffnut.
"Granted, our original mission may be over, and maybe this is the end of this chapter, but that doesn't mean a new story is about to be written," said Hiccup.
"Hiccup, right? We can't leave them to their own devices," Meliodas agreed.
"But did he defeat that monster cat?" Fishlegs asked. "Aren't we okay for now?"
"That cat might be gone, but Chaos isn't. All of you should have felt it; Gustav was able to create a world without even knowing it. And even then, Cath still had the power to take his right arm. They have abilities we're completely unfamiliar with."
Meliodas then clenched his fist. "If Gustav can't exercise control over the power of Chaos and he ends up being consumed by its darkness… that set up after the birth of a whole new menace, and this time the continent will become a living hell."
"How awful," said Ruby.
"I still don't understand why Ragnar never mentioned anything about Chaos all the time we've known him," said Heather. "Why did he keep it a secret for so long and only now tells about it?"
"Good question, but I guess we'll never know unless we straight up ask him," said Meliodas bluntly.
Hiccup sighed. "You really don't understand why, do you?"
Everyone then turned and looked at Hiccup.
"Hiccup?" Meliodas frowned.
"Tell me, if the Seven Deadly Sins defeated the Demon King once and for all, that would mean that Xeovell has finally been free from the Demons, wouldn't it?" Gustav asked. "And what a hurry and get home too, Xeovell soon."
"Gustav… there's something you should know," said Ragnar's sad expression. "It's about Xeovell."
However, before he could go into any further detail, the entire building shook.
"Gustav…" said Cath's voice. "…you're in here, right?"
"Sensing that presents once again," said Gustav. "But I was certain that we had put an end to that creature."
Ragnar didn't look surprised in the slightest. "We're dealing with the power of Chaos, but don't worry, I've sworn to protect you."
Ragnar then began chanting in an ancient tongue.
Cath was, in fact, standing on top of the building, and he had become even larger and had grown to pairs of extra legs.
"I can smell you…" said Cath "…such a delicious smell. Hey, Gustav, come out and play with me again. I definitely won't lose to you a second time."
Then suddenly, he was blasted by a powerful beam of magic and floating directly above them was Ragnar pointing his staff down at him.
"Leave Gustav be monster cat; I'll be your playmate," he said..
Cath merely glared at him.