[Arc5] - 70. This is Poetry, Not a Curse
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Coming in aggressively only to try escaping in fear? The world isn't so accommodating.
"[Coordinate Anchor]."
Terrified by Escanor, Galand failed to notice the light spear Merlin hurled at him. In that fleeting moment, overshadowed by the illusion of the descending sun, Merlin's radiance seemed insignificant and unremarkable. Consequently, he was hit directly.
This wasn't an attack, though. It was a demonic secret spell. The spell anchored its target within a specific range; no matter what method they used to escape, they would instantly be teleported back if they tried to leave the area. It was a technique designed for executions.
"Impossible! How could a human use demonic secret spell?!" Galand whipped his head toward Merlin, his twisted armor making his expression grotesquely comical.
Merlin raised her chin, her graceful and proud stance resembling a swan. Escanor couldn't help but praise her:
"Tresses like blackberries, lips like crimson blossoms, surrounded by the enticing fragrance of sweet flowers. A charming mix of untamed wildness and boundless intellect, weaving a mysterious allure. You are the greatest witch of Britannia."
Meliodas, who had been a bystander for a while, stroked his chin and muttered behind Cyd:
"Isn't that a poem Escanor wrote for Merlin ten years ago? And yet, he never read it to her."
Escanor, fond of composing poetry, often wrote poems for Merlin—many, many poems—but rarely had the courage to recite them to her. And giving them to her in written form? He was too self-conscious to bother her with such things.
Today, however, Escanor finally mustered the courage to recite one. Although, given the distance, it was unclear if Merlin even heard it.
Cyd and Meliodas tactfully remained silent. But Galand, already jumpy, suddenly assumed a defensive stance.
"What is this? A curse?"
Mistaking a teenager's love poem for a curse might be the greatest insult—especially when the poet is an emotionally fragile middle-aged man.
"How dare you call my poetry a curse?!"
For Escanor, voicing these words during the day was something he'd never dared before. It was proof that his respect for Merlin surpassed his own insecurities. Yet, for an evil Demon clan member to mock him so boldly?
"Uh-oh," Cyd grabbed Meliodas and started running, shouting to the observing Holy Knights:
"Run! At least 100 kilometers in 10 seconds!"
"We can't run that fast!" Even without knowing what was happening, the sight of what looked like a collapsing sun was terrifying enough!
Bathed in the approaching solar radiance, Galand stood momentarily stunned. When he regained his senses, that terrifying man was already before him, raising his right hand high. The majestic battle-axe, seemingly a mere accessory in his left hand, made it clear that Escanor's raised hand was the world's most formidable weapon.
I'm done for.
"[Divine Sword Escanor]."
The radiant sunlight vanished. The earth collapsed inward, centering on Escanor, while the displaced rubble formed a crown of the land. A roaring wind swept away all evil.
This was not an attack fueled by the magic of [The Sun]. It was merely Escanor's hand chop as the master of the sun.
"To be defeated by me near midday is an honor you should engrave upon your very being," Escanor declared as he turned away. As the earth's crown crumbled, Galand's upper body leaned forward and separated from his lower half.
This time, Galand had no chance of piecing himself back together. Escanor's precise strike had destroyed every heart in his body.
"I thought Escanor would use some massive area-of-effect attack," Cyd commented after running so far for nothing. "Seems like he's matured a bit."
"That said, weren't we still caught in the attack?" Ban, half-buried in the dirt, looked up at Cyd. "I thought I'd be incinerated."
"Incinerated? Really?" The Holy Knights, who hadn't run as fast as Ban, scrambled out of the dirt. They'd been swept up by the aftermath of Escanor's strike. If even the shockwave was this strong, how disastrous must it have been to take the attack head-on?
"A minor spectacle," Cyd remarked. After pulling Ban out of the ground, Escanor leaped over from the battlefield—now reduced to a basin—holding an orb inscribed with strange symbols.
"The [Ten Commandments] have been vanquished. For someone this arrogant to charge into enemy territory alone, his pride was certainly boundless. Of course…" Escanor knelt on one knee as Merlin appeared, reverently presenting the Commandment orb with both hands.
"It's all thanks to Miss Merlin's magical tools."
"Indeed. This was all Merlin's doing. Galand might've been a battle maniac, but he wasn't stupid. He wouldn't willingly face death," Meliodas said softly, gazing at the two Commandments floating in Merlin's hand. "That leaves eight Commandments."
"Galand's loss will make them wary, but only slightly." As the former leader of the [Ten Commandments], Meliodas knew them well. They weren't particularly fond of one another; some might even rejoice at Galand's death.
"To reclaim Britannia from humans, they'll surely split up. Regular demon clans might be manageable, but the [Ten Commandments] are on a completely different level. We'll need to divide our forces, too."
"Currently, those capable of defeating a [Commandment] head-on are King, Escanor, and Cyd. I can barely count myself," Meliodas explained, his tone serious. "You've seen it. Galand's magic-enhanced form was already stronger than me. And most of the [Commandments] possess this extraordinary power."
"Then Meliodas and I should team up," Cyd suggested, pointing to Elizabeth. "With the two of us, she'll be safer."
"King and Diane should act together. Return to the Giant Clan and the Fairy King's Forest. The [Commandments] won't spare those two races."
"No objections here," King said. While Galand wasn't much of a threat to him, Diane was at great risk. Acting together was an easy choice.
"I want to join King's group," Gowther unexpectedly chimed in, eagerly bouncing in front of Cyd.
"Fine," Cyd agreed, knowing Gowther's intent was to mend his strained relationship with King rather than cause trouble.
That left Ban, Merlin, and Escanor as the final group.
"Vice Captain, the duty of protecting Merlin is mine alone." Escanor grasped Cyd's hand with utmost seriousness, as though entrusted with saving the world.
"Please also protect Ban as well."
"If he's beaten to a pulp, I'll consider it."