Griamore turns his full body to look at Ban with Veronica in his grasp. Griamore's hand tightens around Y/N's neck while the other presses his sword into Y/N's chest a bit, causing blood.

"You dog!" Griamore sneers, staring at Ban. "Remove your filthy hands from the Princess or I'll kill your friends!"

"That's pretty dirty of you two to be using women as hostages," Hawk says. "I mean, good job turning the tables Ban!"

"Do as I say and nothing will happen to her," Ban says. "Now listen up, remove the sword from Y/N then put her down." Griamore tightens his grasp on her neck, causing her to choke a little. Ban presses his finger into Veronica's neck a little more. "I'm warning you." Griamore hesitates but soon listens, pulling the sword away from Y/N and dropping her roughly onto the ground. "Good, now we're getting somewhere. Second, bring the Captain back and let the princess out of that bubble. Do that and you'll get your woman back." Suddenly Ban is struck in the back by none other than Jericho. He lets go of Veronica and moves his eyes to look back at her. "Y-You bitch...Jericurl!" Veronica stumbles over to Griamore who's quick to catch her.

"Are you alright?" He asks. She nods and they look over to see Jericho with her foot on Ban's back and Gulia walks over to her.

"That's Jericho." She corrects.

"I guess it's finally time for the real star to show his stuff," Hawk says.

"W-What?" Elizabeth asks.

"Take this!" Hawk shouts, running forwards to Jericho and Gulia. He begins rolling in his side. "Rolling Ham Attack!" He spins towards them only for Gulia to snap her fingers and an explosion blasts Hawks away.

"Hawk no!"

"We've achieved all of our objectives," Gulia says, walking over to Elizabeth. Y/N stays completely still on the ground beside the bubble. "So Sir Griamore, please release your magical ability now." Griamore does so and Elizabeth falls to the ground besides Y/N, she pulls Y/N close and hunches over to protect Y/N, Meliodas and his sword. Gulia walks closer to kneeling to Elizabeth, holding out her hand. "Come, give me your hand." Gulia's hands then slapped away.

"Hold it," Veronica says, now crouched down between Elizabeth and Gulia. "I appreciate the help but I'll be the one to bring Ellie back home. Your objectives, or more accurately Hendrickson were only Meliodas and that sword weren't they? You don't need Y/N nor my sister." Elizabeth looks up at her sister in shock, is she allowing Y/N to live? Moreover, allowing Y/N to come with them? Suddenly Gulia stands up and points her Lance at Veronica.

"What are you doing?" Griamore says, stepping forwards only for Jericho to stand in his way.

"Now I ask that you hand Princess Elizabeth and Y/N over to us quietly. If you refuse-" Gulia is cut off by Griamore capturing both herself and Jericho in his shell.

"I won't allow you to speak to the princess that way." He says, his sword raised.

"Nicely done!" Veronica says. "I've got no idea what your planning to die, nor why you want Y/N even though the plan was to kill her, but you and Hendrickson need to be brought up on charges on a court marshal." Elizabeth looks down at Y/N, tearing up.

"I-I'm sorry." She mumbles before carefully putting her down and running away, hugging the stone with Meliodas in and his sword close to her chest.

"Ellie! Ellie!" Veronica shouts.

"I don't trust Veronica anymore!" Elizabeth thinks, running quickly.

"Elizabeth!" Hawk calls. Veronica begins chasing after Elizabeth. Griamore stays back with the other holy knights and Y/N.

"Would you like us to assist you in recapturing Princess Elizabeth and perhaps making sure that Y/N is dead?"

"Save your concern. I suggest you worry about your fates. And Y/N hasn't moved for ages, I'm sure she's long dead now."

"That's quite unfortunate, it's true we were ordered to bring her back. But it has to be as a corpse, that would be perfectly fine too." The realisation hits Griamore who begins running forwards.

"Princess Veronica!" He shouts. Veronica catches up to her sister and begins grabbing at her to try and stop her. However, the floor where Elizabeth stood begins glowing. Veronica notices too and she pushes Elizabeth away. Another figure jumps into the light and wraps its coat around Veronica.

"Forgive me..." Y/N mutters. Next thing they know the entire area explodes. 

"Princess Veronica!" He continues running as debris flies past him.

"Elizabeth!" The dust clears and what's left is a large crater with Elizabeth knelt beside it with Veronica's arm wrapped around her while her body is over Elizabeth's leg and seemingly dead. Blood and burns cover Veronica and her pants are torn everywhere. Around Veronica's top half lays a burnt, torn jacket with matted fur. Besides the two lays a slightly burnt carving of a wooden bear.

"Veronica..." Elizabeth trails off. "Why...?" Elizabeth stares down at her sister in shock as Griamore and Hawk make it to the sisters. "This can't be happening. Veronica, wake up. Please, open your eyes!" Elizabeth pleads tears drop onto Veronica's face.

"Ellie...?" Veronica questions weakly, her eyes slightly open.

"I-I'm here! I'm right here with you!"

"We're you injured?" Veronica asks.

"No, I'm fine. Cause you took the blast for me."

"You always did have a real knack for getting into trouble," Veronica says, smiling weakly up at her sister. "And that's why, I had to, look out for you."

"Like when we both snuck out of the castle together, we fell but you took the brunt of it and protected me. I just kept crying while you tried to make me feel better, ignoring your pain the whole time." Elizabeth sniffs.

"Did I?" Veronica asks.

"That's right. And it made me so happy." Elizabeth says. "Because that I knew how much you cared, even though the two of us weren't related by blood. That's why..." She trails off, crying more. "That's why...-" Veronica reaches a hand up to Elizabeth's cheek, cupping it.

"Ellie...None of that matters. Any of it." Veronica says, nonetheless still weakly smiling. Elizabeth places her hand over her sisters.

"I'm sorry! I was so horrible, I can't believe I said I hated you! Please forgive me!" Elizabeth says, her voice cracking. "I'm so sorry!"

"I do love you, Ellie," Veronica says as he hand drops from Elizabeth.

"I do too! I do too!"

"Cause through it all, we're sisters aren't we?" Veronica says. "Griamore."

"Yes." He nods, his helmet now off.

"This is my final order...Keep Elizabeth... safe" She says, her voice getting weaker.

"Your final order princess?!" Griamore asks. "Don't say such things." He gasps as he sees Veronica's closed eyes and stilled frame.

"Big sister?" Elizabeth says gently.

"Princess Veronica?" Griamore says, tears falling down his cheeks. He louts out a loud yell of anguish at the loss of a close friend...no, lover.

=

The loud yell gains the interest of Gulia, who smirks.

"It's almost time," Gulia says.

"For what?" Jericho questions. As on cue, the wall around them disappears, causing Jericho to fall.

"For his loss of composer and the disruption of his magic." She looks over to Y/N only to see her not there. She smirks. "Seems as though the attack also dragged the dog out of its kennel. Wonder if she survived the explosion." Jericho walks over to Y/N's forgotten weapon and picks up it, smirking,

"If she has then I'm betting dibs on her axe," Jericho says, swinging it about.

=

Elizabeth looks down at her sister and takes notice of the coat around her, she then looks to the wooden bear carven which she had seen Y/N fiddle with many times.

"Y-Y/N was also caught up in the blast," Elizabeth says, more tears falling. "I-I don't see her body anyway, w-was she tor-" Elizabeth can't finish her sentence nor even think of her friend's torn and mangled corpse somewhere. Elizabeth holds the bear close, crying more. 

"S-She can't be gone too," Hawk says sadly, trying not to cry at the thought of one of his first friends being dead. Although the girl was constantly threatening to cook and eat him, she was still someone who would do anything to protect him. Griamore, who's still crying, bows his head for the sin.

"She may have been a sin, but she had died trying to protect the princess and although she f-failed, she still looked past her sin to protect her and for that, she earns my respect," Griamore says. Elizabeth flinches when Griamore mentioned Y/N dying. She doesn't believe it. Y/N wouldn't just die so easily. She has to be alive...right?

"It appears it was the correct move for me to set up a 360 degree around town," Gulia says, as she and Jericho walk close to them. Griamore turns his head. "Of killer mines."

"You two are nothing but filthy swine!" Hawk shouts.

"You bi-" Griamore's cut off by Gulia blasting them.

"Sure that was wise? He's a grandmaster's son after all." Jericho says.

"The Eight Deadly Sins attacked and that's when he and Princess Veronica met an untimely end," Gulia says, walking towards Elizabeth. "A believable story right?" Griamore and Hawk lay unconscious on the ground from the blast.

"Your one scary woman," Jericho says, following in pursuit. Gulia grabs Meliodas's sword before looking back at Elizabeth. Jericho's moved Y/N's axe over her shoulder.

"Now, Princess Elizabeth. Let's be on our way home." Gulia says. "I ask that you cooperate and not offer any pointless resistance."

"Don't leave me, Veronica!" Elizabeth shouts, hugging her sister close. She squeezes the bear carving. "Please Y/N! Help me, if your alive please help me!" She pleads, clutching the three things that matter close to her. "Help me! Please, Sir Meliodas! Y/N's gone, please help me!"

"Shout all you want, your hero can't rescue you from within that stone and Y/N is most certainly dead or she would have come to your rescue already. Come!" Gulia says, starting to get annoyed.

"Meliodas!" Elizabeth lets out one last scream and the stone begins emitting black and purple rays. The stone begins cracking before suddenly shattering and a large mass of black and purple cover the area. 

"Captain?!" Ban questions, now with the group but still weak. "No wait, I've sensed this before! It can't be." Ban remembers the demon that attached the fairy forest. The mass of black and purple disappears and in its place it Meliodas with black markings on the left side of his body that glow purple- his eyes hazed over. On top of the mountain, a pair of eyes snap open, blood covering their face. They recoil at a smell but keep smelling.

"Meliodas...what have they done..."

【Ａｓｐｅｎ】

15/06/2021

Last Updated: 29/09/2023

Sorry for this being so short, this was just the last little bit of the episode but of course, managed to stretch it out a little. Anyway, hope you enjoy it and see ya next!!!