Love's Tears (Gloxinia x Oc)

Chapter 4: A New Face

As the battle eased, the Sins chatted amongst themselves. Merlin ranted on about Lostvayne's abilities, Meliodas and Arthur rambled on about whatever... probably swords... or something, and Elizabeth made small talk with Slader. People bubbled with excitement at Albion's demise – most likely readying a celebration for the victory. But the joy didn't seem to last more than a few minutes before another threat (quite literally) came crashing down once more.

A humongous boom much like thunder echoed over the rolling hills beyond the walls; pebbles of the cobble roads trembling. Towering above the walls, a dust cloud of tossed up earth and sharp scattered stones littered the grassy fields like rains of arrows. The mere shake of the ground caught everyone's eye, the trees shivering like they too were fearful.

Not more than a second passed until it was too late. A burst of dusty cloud exploded near where they stood, blinding them for whatever could have caused such a storm. Shielding their eyes, pieces of demolished street flew through the air while bust blanketed the city in bits of mud and dirt. Cries and screams muffled, people tried not to be blown away by the howling winds.

"Seventy-two steps, eh?" The silhouetted creature spoke gruffly in a deep voice as coarse as sandpaper. "I thought it would only take me seventy steps to get here, but I'm out of practice after 3,000 years!" He cackled as the speaker became clear. A monstrous being, nor animal nor man, built with a body of blood-red metal. His long neck was crooked over in scaled like spikes, his hunched back and arms of skin and bone only adding to his malformed body. Old iron devil horns curved from his misshapen head while another point dragged down from his chin like a short beard; the silver matching that of his twisted wooden spear in his gaunt fingers. His face was carved in a mangled grin made of razor teeth like a mountain range; thin empty sockets where eyes were supposed to be. It was far from a pretty sight, a freak of nature.

Meliodas drew his sword, fury blazing in his eyes, covering Elizabeth behind him (who looked terrified beyond belief).

"You're... Galand of the Ten Commandments!"

"It's been a while, Meliodas," Galand slummed forward in strides, "just as I thought, it's you, eh?" He wickedly laughed, "to think that after all this time, you'd still be in that form!"

Hawk chewed the inside of his cheek, a frown on his face. "Merlin. I need to get my Magical Eye fixed."

Merlin glanced over; Arthur curiously peering at the talking pig. "What?"

Hawk lifted his snout, "I mean, this can't be right, can it? A Power Level of 26,000?"

They stared right into the face of the beast, now even more of a threat than beforehand. His complexion was darkened in shadow; apart from the glow of a single green eye. Galand stepped forward, and another step. Closer and closer, the heavy thud of metal under his path.

"A member of the Demon race," Slader spoke, "sealed away for 3,000 years, Galand of the Ten Commandments."

Merlin tilted her head. "True, his Power Level is more than we imagined, but something seems off," she gazed to Hawk, "Hawk, what's his magic?"

Hawk wrinkled his nose with a hum, "magic? Um... magic, zero?" He shook his head in disbelief, "what's going on? This Magical Eye must be really broken!"

"I see. It must be the effects of the Goddess race's seal, eh?"

Diane held up her fists, ready to fight. "That means now's our only chance to attack."

Galand rubbed his spur for a beard between two fingers his hooked neck bent to look around. "So this is where Humans nest. Quite a lot has changed in 3,000 years - but as usual, they're in a clump. Their habit of gathering together hasn't changed." He scoffed, "it's too cramped." Swinging his spear, the pure force of the movement was enough to reduce every house in the vicinity to rubble. Horrified, no one dared to move. The whole place had been flattened in less than a second.