Chapter 147

[Third Person's PoV] 

Merlin lowered his head, holding onto his hat as his eyes began to glow blue. As the members of the Seven Deadly Sins charged at him, he leapt up, flipping to avoid their initial attack. While upside down, he spun in the air, and magic-enhanced playing cards shot out from him in every direction.

Alpha quickly summoned a thick root to block the cards, which impaled themselves in the wood. The cards glowed brighter and exploded. Epsilon, meanwhile, strummed a string on her guitar, sending a massive wave of sound that detonated all the cards early, causing a chain explosion.

As Merlin landed, the ground shook, and multiple tree roots emerged, snaking toward him with lethal intent. Merlin split into multiple figures and began running along the moving roots. Gamma flew overhead, sending balls of pressurized gravity towards him. Merlin dodged with acrobatic flips and cartwheels.

Zeta blurred as she rushed alongside the roots, her shadow expanding and producing multiple figures, each wielding a chakram. Merlin grabbed his hat and pulled out a bottle of beer, chugging it down. The Seven Deadly Sins watched in confusion until Merlin placed two fingers near his mouth and spat the alcohol out, turning it into flames.

He wielded the flames like a fire-breather, creating a wall that burned the roots. Shadow Zetas jumped through the flames, their arms crossed, landing and throwing their chakrams, which were connected by invisible metal strings. Merlin dodged, wrapping the strings around his arms and pulling Zeta toward him, kneeing her in the stomach.

The battlefield turned chaotic as more and more of Merlin's figures appeared, overwhelming the place. The Seven Deadly Sins cast spells that decimated the surroundings, using every element at their disposal.

They surrounded themselves in lightning, running around and wielding their weapons at Merlin. His cane, seemingly unbreakable, blocked their attacks. Zeta's claws lengthened, gaining a metallic sheen and an electric charge, making them even more deadly. Epsilon used sonic attacks to both defend and maneuver quickly.

Delta and Merlin engaged in a savage hand-to-hand battle, grinning ferociously. Their punches were not fast but powerful and aggressive. They punched each other in the face, sending their heads back and causing nosebleeds. Merlin wiped his nose with his white gloves, while Delta licked her blood, stepping forward to punch again. Merlin blocked her punch with his forearm and punched her in the stomach, lifting her off the ground. She grabbed his forearm, pulling him close, and headbutted him with enough force to cave the ground beneath them.

Eta, meanwhile, created multiple weapons from a green, corrosive substance. As her weapons hit the ground, they smoked and eroded the surface. Merlin teased, "Talk about scary," but Eta remained stoic, launching the acidic weapons at him. When he dodged, she snapped her fingers, causing them to explode and bathe Merlin in green acid.

Half of Merlin's face melted away, revealing his skeleton, but he kept smiling, walking towards Eta. She continued bombarding him with acid until he was reduced to a skeleton. Even as a skeleton, he grinned and approached her, commenting, "I can't say I like my new makeover; it has much to be desired."

Eta grabbed his spine, lifting him up, and tore him in half. "If you ever applied to be a chiropractor, you'd be fired on the first day," Merlin quipped before punching her in the face with his bone fist. She turned her head back to him, annoyed.

"You annoy me," she said.

"Thanks, it's a gift," Merlin replied, his smirk unwavering.

Eta's hands turned green as she began melting Merlin's bones. Once he was a puddle, she started to relax, only to see that her own hands had turned into bones.

"Note: My Magic Element affects me as well," Eta stated plainly.

She was about to join the others when she heard, "Hey look, Twinzies~" Merlin's skeleton said, leaning from behind her and stretching his skeleton hands next to hers.

Before she could react, Merlin swung his arm and karate-chopped the back of her neck, hitting a precise spot that left her paralyzed and unable to use her magic. Eta slumped down like a puppet with its strings cut, unable to move a muscle.

Meanwhile, Merlin punched Delta in the chin, rattling her brain. Delta tried to punch back but ended up seeing double, missing entirely and hitting the floor. 

Merlin approached Epsilon, who was creating sonic booms and breaking the sound barrier. Walking through the chaotic sound waves, his skin was ripped and bloodied, but he pressed on. As he reached her, Epsilon tried to swing her Axe Guitar, but Merlin dodged and slapped his hands over her ears. Epsilon lost all sense of balance and couldn't get up despite her efforts.

Zeta had Merlin wrapped in metal strings. "Are you the real one or another illusion?" she demanded.

"Who said those were illusions? And honestly, I don't think you're in any position to be asking me questions," Merlin replied.

Zeta pulled on the strings to threaten him, but she felt pain instead. Looking down, she saw blood coming from her body. She blinked in confusion until the image shifted: it wasn't Merlin who was wrapped in metal strings, it was her. She saw two Merlins holding the ends of the strings, who high-fived each other.

Gamma held a finger to her face. "What did Lord Husband call this move…? Oh right… Singularity."

Gravity began to compress above her finger, forming a tiny dark ball. Before it could complete, Merlin appeared behind her, clasped his hands together, and slammed his fists into the back of her head, sending her crashing to the ground.

Beta, flying on a bird made of wind, found herself in a familiar situation. "Seriously, what is up with you and choking me out?" she choked out.

"You're an archer; your main weak point is opponents behind you," Merlin teased.

Alpha was breathing heavily, exhausted from hours of fighting as the sun began to rise. Surrounded by a forest and destroyed wood golems, she was on her knees, using her sword for support.

"Just who the hell are you!" she screamed in frustration, her normally straight hair in disarray.

Merlin smiled. "I think you already know the answer to that."

Alpha's lips quivered as she slowly stood up. She bit her lip until it bled and held her sword up towards him, tears in her eyes. "Why are you doing this to us? Have we failed you or done anything to dishonor you?" she asked, tears streaming down her face.

Merlin slowly walked towards Alpha, undoing the top half of his disguise. He held Alpha's face with care and kissed her on the lips. 

*Thump*

While kissing her, Merlin punched her in the stomach with enough force to knock her out. He sighed, put his disguise back on, and gently laid her on the ground before walking away.

'My lord… As a being close to you, I can feel the anguish you are going through. Why, why are you doing this? Why are you hurting yourself by doing this?' Bellion asked.

'I already told you why, Bellion,' Merlin responded, before putting on his happy-go-lucky expression.

Seeing the others awake and staring at him, Merlin grabbed his hat and started to run merrily. "I got a train to catch up to!" he exclaimed.

He conjured a small cart that needed two people to operate, and two Merlins appeared, working the handle up and down until the cart started to move. Merlin looked back at them, undid half his face, and winked before speeding away.

The remaining Seven Deadly Sins stared with widened eyes, unsure if what they saw was real.

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A/N: If I'm being honest I was planning on killing all of them, it was going to be along the lines of taking away their Mortality and taking away their fear of death but then I thought of the backlash I would receive and was like I better not.