Diane tries stomping Meliodas, who continues dodging her attacks. "You're small Holy Knight, but you're pretty tough," Diane comments. "Yeah, and you're huge, but you're fast on your feet," Meliodas replies. They continue fighting, with Meliodas having the upper hand. "Each one of them seems to think that the other's a Holy Knight." Hawk screeches. "It can't be, both of you have to stop it! Now that's enough!" Elizabeth shouts and they both get out of the trance they were in. "Princess? Mother? What are you doing here?" Diane asks. "We should be asking you that!" Hawk shouts. "Captain, you're here?" Diane asks, seeing the blonde. "Where's that Holy Knight?" She asks. "Hey, you're right." Meliodas says, looking around. "Poor big lady. Are you all right?" The boy asks, running to Diane, seeing an opportunity, Celeste pulls the princess back. "Elizabeth, here's the plan..." She then whispers in the princess' ear what she needs to do. Just then, the bell rang, and Diane and Meliodas were back in the trance. "Sir Meliodas no!" Elizabeth says, running to the boy. "Come on, you're in danger here." She pulled the boy to safety.
"You're hiding everyone from me again!" Diane shouts, slamming Meliodas into the ground. "All right, this has gone on for long enough, there has to be a Holy Knight nearby, I'll go find them and break this spell. Keep them safe Hawk." Celeste says, running through the woods. "I'm so scared, I don't wanna die, please!" The boy cries, running to the man. "I'll protect you. I swear, even if it means trading my life for yours!" Elizabeth tells him. 'If what Lady Celeste said is true then we should be able to do this in no time.' The princess thinks. "You'd do that?" The older man asks. "Yes!" Elizabeth shouts. "Touching to see a princess who, actually cares, but is that truly what you would do, or an empty promise?" A female Holy Knight says from behind the princess. "I don't believe it! Another Holy Knight." Hawk points out as the female knight twirls her whip around summoning bugs, one of which landed on Hawk's snout, causing him to scream. "Storm Rondo! Now, my little beetles their flesh is yours to pierce with your sharp wings and horns." The knight says. "No, I'm scared. Don't let it get me!" The boy says, running away.
"That kid's whining is really annoying me. You die first." The knight voices and her bugs surround the boy, causing him to scream and Elizabeth to stare in shock. "Let me see, 'Even if I had to trade my life for yours.' was that the phrase?" The knight quotes Elizabeth. "For all your brave platitude, you never believed you'd actually have to follow through with it, did you?" She asks. "Oh, that's sick," Hawk says, and Elizabeth begins walking forward. "No, Elizabeth!" Hawk calls out to her. "What, really?" The female knight asks. "I promised," Elizabeth starts, walking through the bugs getting cuts all over her body. "I gave my word to you, even if you die along the way. I would do it even if I were left all alone. I would still protect the kingdom and all its people from the Holy Knights." She finishes wrapping her arms around the boy. 'And now it's your turn, Lady Celeste.' She thinks, remembering what the Goddess told her.
"I've noticed something. Every time that bell rang Meliodas and Diane were either put into a trance or were freed from it. That boy's either working with the Holy Knight or he is the Holy Knight. I also detect someone's magical power, and I know they won't come out unless I'm gone. So, I'll pretend to go search for the knight, and you figure out a way to lure them out and do whatever you have to, to make it seem believable. If you get hurt along the way don't worry, I'll heal you, got that?" Celeste asks, looking at the princess. "Got it." Elizabeth nods. "Good." Celeste gives a smile and a pat on the back.
"All right, that should've been enough time." Celeste thinks, running back to the princess. With Elizabeth, the boy hugs her back and the knight releases the bugs making Hawk scream. Elizabeth falls onto her hands. "Are you okay?" Hawk asks. "I'm fine. You're okay? you're not hurt, are you?" Elizabeth asks, looking at the boy. "So, you'd risk your life to save a poor boy, like this one?" The boy asks and the bell rings. "That's quite commendable of you." He says and the bell rings again. "However," He starts turning back into his original form shocking Elizabeth. "Reality can be rather cruel." He finishes. "That Holy Knight was the boy? We're the victims of illusions?" Hawk asks, rubbing his eye with his ear. "You did this, you're responsible for everything. Their behavior." Elizabeth says looking up at the knight who just laughs. "The Seven Deadly Sins are nothing more than little playthings to me." The holy knight says. "Turn them both back to normal, now." Elizabeth pleads only to be forced up by the knight grabbing her hair. The knight knees her in the stomach. "You bastard!" Hawk shouts charging at the knight only for him to get hit in the nose by the knight's staff, causing it to spray blood.
"As we speak the two sins are engaged in battle and will be dead within moments, and that woman is out there chasing nothing." Ruin claims, Elizabeth stands up. "Turn them both back to normal!" She shouts. Ruin goes to hit her with his staff, but it is stopped by someone. "You really don't know how to treat a princess." Celeste says, pulling the staff away from Ruin. "Lady Celeste, you came back just in time," Elizabeth says before passing out. "No way!" Ruin says, shocked by her presence. "I'll just break this." Celeste says, raising her knee and slamming the staff on it, breaking the staff in half. "B...but she ran into the forest!" The female knight says in shock. "I did, but it was all part of my plan." Celeste shares tossing the staff aside, breaking the spell on the sins. "Meliodas to you!" Celeste shouts kicking Ruin over to the sin who punches him sending him flying all the way to the prison. "Meli, deal with him I'll take care of Elizabeth." Celeste tells Meliodas, who nods chasing the knight. "Oh no, Ruin." The female knight gasps, watching her teammate. The sound of someone's fingers cracking causes her to turn around to see Diane. Seeing the other knight being dealt with Celeste goes over to Elizabeth.
"Elizabeth, you did a good job out there." Celeste praises her earning a smile from the princess. "Hawk come here." The goddess calls to the pig who does what he's told. "Lightweaver's Grace." Celeste mumbles, and they're surrounded by green particles that heal the two and cause grass and flowers to grow. "You might still be weak, so I advise you to rest for a while. My healing abilities aren't at their best right now, seeing as I haven't used them in a while." Celeste informs. When Diane is done with the knight she looks over at Elizabeth whose head is laid on Celeste's lap. "You did a good job, mother." Diane compliments. "Yeah, but she still doesn't have her strength back, we should take her back to the town." Celeste suggests. "Hold on. Would you please? I want you to take me along with you. I wanna be there with you, Lady Diane, Sir Meliodas, and Sir Ban." Elizabeth tells them. "You can't do that, you still don't have any energy." Hawk tells her. "You know, I made a promise. That I would never stop fighting to protect the kingdom and its people." Elizabeth shares.
"That can't happen now, sorry to say." Diane tells her. Celeste looks away, then back at Diane. "You know, going back to the town would take up way too much time right now." She says, pursing her lips. "But there's enemies lined up waiting." Diane looks down at the Goddess. "I'll just put up one of my barriers." Celeste shrugs. "For now, put her in your backpack." Celeste suggests. "Okay, I'll see what I can do." Diane tells her taking off her bag. "Huh? Hey you!" Hawk shouts seeing the shepherd sneaking away. "You're a soldier from Baste Prison, right?" Hawk asks running in front of the man. "Uh, no! That Holy Knight forced me to come here!" The man tells him. "But you know where they're holding the sin and the doctor's daughter. You better tell me before I have to get rough." Hawk warns. "No, wait those Holy Knights mean business. If I tell you what you want, you have no idea what they could-" He gets cut off by Diane's stomp behind. "Here's a question for you. Would you rather have this done to you by the hands of the Holy Knights or by us?" Diane asks holding the female knight, the man turns and smiles nervously but decides to tell them anyway.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
