Elizabeth wondered how her life had gotten thrown so upside down. She'd lost the man she loved, gotten him back, then lost him again. She'd nearly died at the hands of a man who went on to resurrect the demon clan. And now, she was staring Death right in her cold, cold eyes.
Death had greeted her like an old, long awaiting friend. She had been patient and this moment was well worth the wait. Elizabeth had never felt such hatred emanating off of anyone before. The vile creature cornered her like an animal readying to devour its prey and licked her lips with anticipation.
"Say hello to Mael for me, 'Kay?" Death's voice held a hint of delight. Her wild purple hair billowed around her as vibrant as ever.
This was it. This was it for Princess Elizabeth of Liones. There were so many things she hadn't gotten to do yet. She hadn't even gained the courage to tell Meliodas—
No, this can't be the end. Elizabeth couldn't accept this to be her fate. She had to protect her family, her friends, her kingdom like they protected her. She had to stay alive and fight.
"You've had this coming for a loooong time. I will enjoy this more than you'll ever know." Obsidian clutched her scythe and began to swing until she was sent face-first into the dirt.
Elizabeth gasped as she watched the demon go tumbling. Was it Meliodas? She winced from the new cut on her neck, but began to smile hoping it was him. He always came to her rescue. Her wide eyes searched the skies, though there was no sign of him.
Obsidian's face went red as she sat up on her knees, gripping the grass angrily as she looked up and saw both the Fox and Boar Sins coming into view and not Meliodas as intended. "Ban!" She yelled so angrily that it shook the ground.
He laughed, waving at her. "If it isn't weird, dark and creepy."
In a flash, she took off heading straight for him. He tried to counter, but he was punched right in the stomach with such a heavy force that he coughed out blood. Obsidian's movements were lightning quick as she served blow after blow to his face and body. Ban's head whipped to and fro as he suffered at her hands. She didn't come to play games with the Sins today.
Ban was suddenly grabbed by the throat as Obsidian kept him suspended in the air. "Just what do you think you're doing?"
"Saving my friend from a crazy bitch."
"Wrong answer." Obsidian took her knife and plunged it into his stomach. She stabbed him repeatedly as he struggled in her hold. Blood slowly oozed from his wound and she held the weapon there, adoring the sensational adrenaline rush that always came with torture.
She slid the blade from his stomach, and up his abdomen, creating a long bloody gash. She stopped as she could sense the mage, Merlin creeping up behind her. Ice encased Obsidian and she dropped quickly from the weight of the element trapping her.
Ban was teleported safely back to the ground and watched the block plummet to the earth. A loud rumbling could be heard before the ice shattered into pieces. Fire wrapped around the demon's body then vanished after it had successfully thawed her out.
She opened her mouth to make a snarky comment, but that's when she noticed the giant helping Elizabeth.
"Are you okay?" Diane asked with concern seeing the wound on Elizabeth's neck.
"Y-yes, I'm fine."
Obsidian raced for Diane, her body becoming pure flames as she collided with the large mass. Diane had used her ability to make herself stable and the attack had little to no effect on her. Diane swung with her hammer, though the strike was stopped by only the demon's hand.
"If you think you're gonna stop me from killing Elizabeth, you're dead wrong." Obsidian spun around, swinging with her foot right into Diane's chest making her stumble at the powerful kick and drop her companion.
Elizabeth screamed as she began free-falling and Obsidian flew to catch her, only to be grabbed around the ankle by a vine. She hung upside down and a growl escaped her throat. Her eyes shifted from Elizabeth, now safe in Ban's arms, then locked onto King.
"You'll have to go through us," he said, weaponized with Chastiefol.
"How foolish. What a poor successor to Gloxinia."
"King Gloxinia himself has claimed that I am more of a king than he," King retorted. "So, if anyone is foolish, then it's you."
A vein pulsed in the demon's forehead. Fire flowed from Obsidian's mouth with the powerful roar of a dragon forcing King to get out of dodge. She held her hand out, summoning Metamorphosis and using it to cut herself free. She gently landed and looked up. She was surrounded by enemies, but that didn't phase her. Nothing these Sins did could ever make her uneasy. One thing about the reaper, as hot headed as she was, she was cool under pressure. Her eyes darted from one Sin to the next, keeping track of their positions relative to where she stood.
Obsidian took a deep breath as her power level increased. Her eyes became completely black and she snarled at Meliodas's friends. She would kill anyone who got in the way of her goals.
She leapt into the air and flew straight for Merlin while King trailed behind her. As long as she could keep the fight at the most a 2v1, she couldn't lose. Obsidian glanced back feeling King's presence and seeing the glint of Chastiefol, she moved her head back as it glided past her face. When she looked forward again, she was met with Gideon swinging right at her. Her body vanished and King took the brunt of the attack.
"Sorry, King!" Diane apologized.
"Don't worry about me! I'll be fine!"
Obsidian barreled into Merlin with a strong enough force to knock her backwards. She flew after the mage and pinned her arms behind her back.
"Out of all the Sins, I hate you the most," Obsidian spoke in her ear. "I don't know what it is about you, but you remind me of someone. And that's what pisses me off more than anything else."
"If you're jealous of my beauty and grace, I can't fault you for that." Merlin smiled.
Obsidian pressed her foot into the mage's back and tugged on her arms. "Arrogance is something you people have in common. Meliodas was arrogant, too, and look where that got him."
"Envy is a sin, don't you know that?" Merlin was feeling rather good despite her crippling fear that they would not win. She was slammed downwards and coughed at the dust clouding around her.
Through the dust emerged Obsidian and she swung with her scythe, slashing the air angrily with nothing but pure aggression. Merlin rolled over quickly to avoid the blade and she was on her feet in a matter of seconds. The determination in Obsidian's eyes made one thing perfectly clear—One misstep and Merlin was dead.
The two women fought valiantly, though Obsidian's magic easily overwhelmed the powerful Merlin. When it came to raw power and sheer will, Obsidian had her beat. She struck Merlin with her knife, narrowly missing taking out her eye, and the latter dropped to her knees with a mouth full of blood.
"See, mage? That's where you belong. On your knees before me." Obsidian towered over her now. "Look around you. You Seven Deadly Sins are pathetic."
In an attempt to run up on her, Ban was suddenly struck by a knife to the gut. His face twisted into a look of surprise seeing how fast Obsidian had moved to reach him.
Ban coughed. He squinted, seeing Obsidian still standing before Merlin. "How did you—" He realized that there were now two Obsidians.
The knife in his body was yanked out spraying blood and splattering the double's face. To her, the blood of her enemies raining onto her was a shower of champions. The battlefield was where she belonged. She was a warrior, a defender of her people.
A follow up attack by a slew of daggers pinned Ban to a tree. He stayed there pincushioned and struggled to be free of the knives embedded in his bloody flesh. The Obsidian clone beamed in his face, having a blast fighting against the friends.
"She's as strong as Meliodas!" Hawk was astounded by her immense strength.
King was about to assist Ban until another Obsidian appeared before him. This one's eyes were pure black and she held a devious grin.
"What's wrong, fairy king? Am I too much for you to handle?" The doppelgänger teased.
"You didn't think I was his Second without a reason, did you?" A smile stretched across the real Obsidian's face as she forced Merlin's head back.
"Don't worry, Ban! I'll take this hussy!" Hawk kicked his back leg in the dirt, preparing to attack.
Obsidian's eyes flickered to Hawk. "The mouth on you is really starting to piss me off." She dragged Merlin by her hair to reach him. Though Hawk tried to run, she picked him up by the ear to inspect the little swine.
"Hey! Let me go!" He flailed his legs.
"Come on, don't be like that." Her smile faded as she looked into his eyes. "What is—?" She gasped and nearly dropped him from her hands.
"Master!" Ban called frantically.
"I got him!" Diane began to run towards Obsidian.
Obsidian thought fast and hurled the swine at her. Hawk screamed as he rocketed towards Diane at a terrifyingly fast speed but was caught in the giant's hand.
"My life flashed before my eyes!" He wailed as tears sprayed from his eyes.
"What a pest." Obsidian's lip quirked.
As Diane stood there panting with Hawk in her hand, she looked to the worn down King, mutilated Ban and the captive Merlin. If they couldn't defeat this vile demon, what chances did she have? Seeing the blur of pink pass her by, she followed the movements of Gowther.
Obsidian paused. "So, it's your turn now?"
"Why isn't your love for Gilthunder enough for you to cease your actions?" He inquired curiously.
"I have no love for a human."
"Your heart and mind speak what your mouth cannot." He reached for her and she instinctively dodged his touch.
"Stay away from me, doll," she ordered. "What would you know about love?"
"My friends have reminded me what it means to love. I loved someone, too. Her name was Nadja."
"Cute story, I don't care."
"I saw you two. I saw the way you look at Sir Gilthunder and the way he looked at you. You hold something for him, do you not?"
"I'd advise you to stay out of my business, little boy."
"I only seek to show you your truth."
Obsidian drew her dagger and got into a fighting stance. "I will bleed you dry before you ever get that chance."
Gowther and Obsidian's fight was a big display as their magic powers collided. Bright shades of purple and orange illuminated their faces and the surrounding area. Obsidian couldn't shake the boy's words and it fueled her rage as she continued to assault the Sin with her burning fire. The pyre burned hotter, morphing into a brilliant violet to match her flowing locks and boiling temper.
When Gowther refused to give in, she screamed in frustration. Obsidian propelled herself forward with her pyrokinesis towards Gowther. He got into a good stance and readied his magic, only to have her glide past him and circle him multiple times so fast that he couldn't keep up. Gowther shot with his Double Bow Harlot and effectively missed. He couldn't keep up with the reaper's movements with the intense heat encircling him.
Gowther felt the immediate pain of a gaping wound through his neck. Blood dripped from Obsidian's blade and she removed her knife from his throat. She closed her eyes and had her back to him, not bothering to turn around hearing the loud thud of Gowther falling to the reaper's might.
"You're all in my way and I won't allow it any longer." She backflipped out of the way of another vine then attacked the plants springing up around her with fire. Her aura intensified and the murderous intent did as well. "Meliodas used to really be somebody. He had it all—power, control, his family... and yet he squandered it all for this little girl who can't even protect herself."
Obsidian lifted her hand and Elizabeth levitated into the air, her feet dangling a few inches off the ground as she felt a force choking her.
"Please, stop!" Elizabeth squeezed her eyes shut. It all seemed like a terrible nightmare.
Obsidian's power terrified her. This was the power of Obsidian the Reaper. The culler of souls and the right hand of Prince Zeldris. She was not one to be trifled with. She was calmer than she'd been during the entire battle. Obsidian stared down Elizabeth, her face completely blank as she closed in her hand a bit more.
Her clones looked on in delight as their host prepared to kill the fallen goddess. The Obsidian taunting Ban clutched his chin and forced him to watch the scene and he seethed with such hatred.
"Your bloodline ends."
"No!" Merlin cried out.
"Be quiet!" Obsidian screamed and four pillars of fire shot up around herself and Elizabeth to separate them from the rest.
Elizabeth was dropped to her knees and she whimpered. The demon walked forward. Her hand pulled on the blade of her dagger, blood welling from the fresh cut on her hand. She hovered her hand over Elizabeth's face and blood dropped onto her skin.
"Now tell me, goddess, how would you like to die?"
* * *
From miles away, Zeldris and Gloxinia could see the giant blaze lighting up the sky with its viscous purple glow. Even from where they were, they could feel the intense heat radiating from what looked like something catastrophic.
"What the hell is that?" Gloxinia asked, awestruck.
"That's O!" Zeldris stared up at the roaring flames that continued to illuminate the sky. "Come on!" He took off in her direction and didn't even check to see if Gloxinia was keeping up. No one was more important to him than Obsidian. He had to make sure she was safe.
The scene before them was one that made their jaws drop. The Seven Deadly Sins were each in various states of disorientation and Obsidian stood over a cowering Elizabeth with blood splattered all over both of their faces. Obsidian wore it proudly like the warrior she was and even taunted the goddess by licking her bloody blade.
"Bathing in your blood will be so rewarding." Obsidian held her weapon up. "With your death, the Demon Clan will be one step closer to winning this war."
Elizabeth's head lolled to the side, her hair sticking to her face from a mix of blood and sweat. She breathed heavily and couldn't even muster the energy nor spirit to look up at Obsidian any longer.
"Meliodas..." Was the only thing she had the strength to mutter.
"What was that?" Obsidian cupped her ear. "Even in the face of death, you still cling to the notion that he will save you? In this world, you have to learn to save yourself, princess."
Ban struggled to free himself with Obsidian's double still keeping him pinned to the tree. She held a toothy grin, having an absolute blast.
"What are you?" He asked hoarsely.
"I am Death," the double replied and licked the wound in his chest. "First the goddess, then the mage. Maybe the fairy king after that. I want you specifically to sit right here and watch your friends die one by one while you're helpless to stop me."
"Look around you, Fox Sin." The Obsidian that had previously stood in King's way was now standing in the center of the battlefield. "You cannot escape your fate. This is inevitable."
"This is the demons' world now." Obsidian's long fingernails carved into the girl's face. "Derieri would love to kill you, but unfortunately for her I'm going to take the pleasure in doing it myself." Elizabeth squirmed as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Make a move and you'll regret it," Zeldris threatened Merlin who had tried something slick. His sword dug between her shoulder blades and her body froze.
She stopped her torturing and her eyes locked on her boyfriend's who could see her facial expression change tremendously. "Zel?"
The brief distraction was enough for King to summon the last ounce of energy he had to strike with Chastiefol directly through Obsidian's back. The feat was a risky one, but it had to be done. She gasped as the weapon penetrated her body and delayed her response for a counter.
Her doppelgängers disappeared, retreating back to their host. Obsidian squeezed her eyes shut when her heart burst in her chest and let out a pained wail. The dark blood splattered all over Elizabeth's face and she, too, kept her eyes closed so she didn't wish to see whatever was to come next. Obsidian's hair extinguished and fell into her sweaty face as she bent over. Mustering up enough strength, she aimed the four pillars to become one giant blaze and attacked King.
Zeldris acted quickly while Gloxinia kept the nuisances in check. The prince flew straight towards his girlfriend.
He grabbed a hold of the spear protruding from the gaping hole in her chest. "Don't move," he instructed and gave no warning before he ripped it out. Obsidian fell forward and Zeldris moved to catch her. "Don't worry, I got you. I always got you." He held her close.
Gloxinia walked towards them and observed the defeated heroes. "What should we do about them?"
"Forget them. We have to deal with O." He glared at Elizabeth. "But bring her."
The three demons and Elizabeth vanished leaving the Sins in their various states of consciousness. Ban slowly lifted his head, adamant about retrieving Elizabeth.
"Ban, take it easy." Merlin had broken out into a major sweat thanks to the horrible heat.
"We have to go after them," he said.
"We will, but not like this." Merlin's hatred for the demons had truly grown. First they killed Meliodas and now they had taken innocent Elizabeth. They wouldn't get away with all they had done. All the trauma they'd put the Sins and their friends through. This was a war the demons wouldn't win.
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Whew! This chapter was hard as hell to write trying to incorporate all the Sins. It's been a long time since I've written a fight scene so 😂 I've had a bit of writer's block lately but I'm trying to map out the next few chapters and update more frequently, so thanks for being patient with me lol. Also I'm thinking about adding character bios to the beginning of the book for my OC's, what do y'all think?