Chapter 16: On the Island of Matarona

Chapter 16: On the Island of Matarona

The air on the desolate island of Matarona was heavy with despair. A dense forest surrounded the clearing, where dozens of villagers—men, women, and children—stood bound in rusted chains. The silence was broken only by the occasional crack of a whip and the muffled sobs of the captives.

Among the villagers stood Princess Elizabeth, her white hair, tinged with a faint green sheen, cascading over her shoulders. Her cerulean eyes blazed with defiance, even as her mud-streaked dress—a tattered remnant of her royal heritage—clung to her form.

"Please stop! He's just a child!" she cried out, her voice trembling with fury and desperation.

The object of her plea was a grotesquely dressed Celestial Dragon, his rotund frame squeezed into a suit resembling that of a space explorer. A transparent bubble encased his head, distorting his cruel smile. He gripped a bloodied whip in one hand, the leather glinting in the sunlight. Before him knelt a small boy, his cheek split open, fresh blood staining the dirt beneath him.

Elizabeth's voice faltered momentarily as she stepped forward, grabbing the whip mid-air. The tension in her grip sent ripples through her slender arms.

The Celestial Dragon's pale, sickly face contorted with amusement. "How dare you touch my whip," he sneered, yanking it away and raising a hand to halt a member of Cipher Pol 6, clad in their signature navy attire. "Don't touch her. It's been over two decades since I've seen such beauty. I'll train her myself when we reach Mary Geoise. As for the rest—" He gestured to the villagers with an air of utter disdain. "They'll serve as slaves, as is their fate."

The villagers recoiled, chains clinking as despair rippled through their ranks. Elizabeth clenched her fists, her teeth grinding in frustration. How can I save them? she thought.

The Celestial Dragon smirked. "You should be grateful for your pretty face, girl. It spared you from my wrath."

But his arrogance was soon interrupted. A strange sound—a rhythmic flapping, like wings cutting through the sky—grew louder. Cipher Pol agents stiffened, their heads snapping upward. Even the Celestial Dragon froze, his gaze shifting skyward.

From above, a massive shadow loomed. The villagers, Elizabeth included, shielded their eyes from the sun as they spotted an enormous pink-feathered bird, its black accents shimmering ominously. The creature plummeted from the sky like a meteor, its descent causing trees to quake and the ground to tremble.

The impact was devastating. The earth cracked, dust and debris erupting into the air as several trees toppled like dominos. A shockwave surged outward, tousling Elizabeth's hair and forcing her to shut her eyes against the blast.

When the dust began to settle, she opened her eyes cautiously, her heart pounding. "What just happened?" she whispered.

The villagers murmured in similar bewilderment, while the Celestial Dragon's sneer faltered. Cipher Pol agents stood motionless, their bodies tense as they prepared for battle.

As the haze cleared, a figure emerged atop the fallen bird's massive body. A young man, no older than sixteen, stood casually. His unruly blond hair glowed in the sunlight, and his emerald green eyes scanned the scene with calm indifference. He wore a white, long-sleeved shirt, tucked into black trousers, with a belt that secured a blade—a sword with multiple smaller blades attached.

The boy yawned lazily, brushing some dust from his shoulder. "What a bother," he muttered. "I've never seen such a wild bird before. Not even worth tasting its meat."

Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat. "That bird… Matarona… How did he bring it down?"

The Celestial Dragon growled, his face turning red with fury. "You!" he barked at the Cipher Pol agents. "I thought you captured everyone on this island! Who is this brat?"

One of the agents, a woman with long black hair and piercing onyx eyes, removed her mask. "No one is free," she said coldly. "I've already apprehended him."

Without hesitation, she launched herself forward, her feet propelling her through the air with incredible speed. Her right leg whipped toward the boy's face, but he raised his arm effortlessly to block her attack. Her heel collided with his forearm, but his stance remained unshaken.

The woman's eyes widened. "Impossible..."

The boy smirked, his expression almost playful. "What's with the hostility?"

She leaped back, and for a moment, her lips curled into a confident smile. A thin, glowing pink thread extended from her hand, connecting to the boy's arm.

"It's over," she declared.

The boy tilted his head, examining the shimmering thread attached to his arm. "A string?" he murmured.

The woman yanked hard, and in an instant, he was pulled off his feet, hurtling toward her and her comrades. The Cipher Pol agents wasted no time, taking turns kicking him as he ricocheted between them like a ragdoll. The relentless assault lasted barely ten seconds but delivered over thirty bone-crushing blows.

The boy's body crumpled to the ground, motionless.

"Pathetic," the woman scoffed, letting the string vanish from her fingers. "I overestimated him."

But her confidence evaporated when a quiet voice spoke behind her. "This is just a self-defense, you know right?"

Her heart skipped a beat as she whirled around, only to see him—unscathed and standing mere inches away. Before she could react, his fist slammed into her face with devastating force, sending her flying through the air. Her body shattered through multiple trees before vanishing into the forest.

The remaining agents froze, their smug expressions replaced with shock.

The boy's body on the ground that they were beating was nothing but a clone, as it flickered before disappearing entirely—a clone created with his blade, Lostvayne.

Adjusting his stance, the boy, Meliodas, ran a hand through his blond hair, his smirk widening. "I hope the rest of you are tougher than her. I'm just starting to have fun."

The clearing erupted into chaos as the battle began in earnest.