Chapter 17: CP6.
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The black-haired woman of Cipher Pol 6 had no time to react. Meliodas' fist smashed into her cheek with such force that her body soared through the air, crashing through the dense forest canopy before disappearing into the shadows of shattered trees.
As her comrades stood frozen in shock, their eyes widened further when the crumpled figure of Meliodas lying on the ground began to dissolve, fading into nothingness. It was only a copy—an illusion conjured using the Lostvayne blade.
Standing amidst the chaos, Meliodas rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. His emerald eyes glimmered with restrained energy as he glanced toward the remaining Cipher Pol agents. A sly smirk spread across his youthful face.
"Let's hope you're stronger than her," he said, his voice steady but laced with mockery. "Because now, I'm starting to enjoy myself."
Behind him, Elizabeth gasped, her gaze fixed on the boyish figure before her. He's so small... He looks like a child, she thought, her heart racing. How can someone like that possess such incredible strength?
The villagers, who had been trembling in fear, began to stir with newfound hope. Cries filled the air, a desperate plea for salvation.
"Young man, help us! Save us, please!"
"Don't let them take us! We don't want to become slaves!"
"Have mercy! We beg you!"
Meliodas turned his head slightly, his expression unreadable as the villagers' cries echoed in his ears. Their faces, streaked with tears of terror and despair, ignited a flicker of memory deep within him.
A voice from a lifetime ago whispered in his mind:
"So, Lord Yulion, what do you say to a batch of slaves? We have strong men for labor and beautiful women for pleasure. We are renowned as the finest slavers across the lands. As a young king with growing power, surely you—"
The memory snapped as a young King Yulion grabbed the slaver by his collar, hoisting him off the ground effortlessly. His voice, cold and sharp, echoed in the past:
"Sell me every slave you have, and I'll pay you enough to disappear forever. But if I ever hear of you capturing another soul, I'll send my army to find you—and they won't show mercy."
The memory faded, replaced by the present. Meliodas' green eyes darkened as he watched the Celestial Dragon whip the villagers mercilessly, his voice dripping with malice.
"Silence, you filthy slaves! If you don't shut up, I'll kill him—and all of you! Your lives are disgusting! You exist only to serve me! You should be honored!"
The Dragon's laughter was cut short as Meliodas' energy shifted. His eyes burned with a silent rage, a storm waiting to be unleashed.
"Cipher Pol 6, kill him now!" barked the Dragon, his voice cracking with fear.
Four agents in matching blue suits lunged forward, their movements a blur as they closed in. But before they could strike, Meliodas vanished.
Their attacks hit empty air. Shock rippled through the group as they scanned the area, only to find him already standing before the Celestial Dragon, his blade drawn.
The Dragon's pupils contracted. Time seemed to slow. Meliodas' golden hair swayed in the wind as he raised his sword, the tip gleaming in the sunlight.
But before the strike could land, a pink thread shot forward, coiling around Meliodas' wrist and yanking him backward. He flew through the forest, crashing through trees as splinters rained around him.
At the other end of the thread stood the black-haired woman, blood trickling from her forehead, her smile unhinged.
"I'm the leader of Cipher Pol 6," she declared, her voice laced with defiance. "Don't think I'll let you harm a Celestial Dragon while I'm still standing!"
Meliodas gripped his sword, slicing through the thread with a single motion. The woman's triumphant expression twisted into disbelief as he grabbed the severed line and yanked her toward him with a force that left her helpless.
Her wide eyes met his as she hurtled toward him. How? How is he pulling me with such a small, frail-looking body?
When she reached him, Meliodas swung his blade with precision, his voice calm yet final.
"Harm him? Who said I was going to harm him? I'm here to kill him."
The blade sliced into her shoulder, narrowly missing her neck. A burst of invisible energy followed, carving a path of destruction through the forest behind her. Blood sprayed as she collapsed to the ground, consciousness slipping away. Her final words were a whisper:
"I... lost? To a child... This has to be a joke…"
The remaining four agents roared in fury, activating their Zoan Devil Fruits. One transformed into a fox, its sharp teeth gleaming as it charged a sphere of red energy in its maw. With a snap, it unleashed a blazing laser beam that tore through the forest, obliterating everything in its path.
Meliodas didn't flinch. Instead, he summoned four clones using Lostvayne. Each clone charged toward the Cipher Pol agents, blades poised for battle.
The real Meliodas leaped into the air, his movements faster than the eye could follow. He intercepted the laser beam mid-flight, his sword glowing with energy.
"Full Counter!" he shouted, redirecting the beam skyward with doubled intensity.
But he wasn't done. Rising above the attack, he waited until the beam reached its peak. Then, with a downward strike, he redirected it back toward the agents below.
"Full Counter!"
The beam descended like a crimson comet, engulfing the Cipher Pol agents and his clones. Before the explosion could spiral out of control, the clones struck in unison, their voices ringing out:
"Full Counter!"
The resulting detonation painted the sky red, the shockwave sending waves of hot wind across the battlefield. Villagers shielded their eyes as Elizabeth's hair billowed in the fiery breeze.
In the midst of the chaos, Meliodas hovered in the air, his emerald eyes glowing and his golden hair shimmering. His voice carried across the scorched land:
"Execution Cube."
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