114 Demon Among Fairies

"So you've met actual fairies? I find that hard to believe, considering how they became

extinct ages ago. But no matter, you'll join them soon enough." Hades replied.

"Well I am over three thousand years old. You should be nicer to your elders." Meliodas said smugly.

'Three thousand?!' Hades' eyes widened at Meliodas' comment. 'That youthful appearance he possesses and that dark magic I felt earlier when he fought Bluenote...could he have truly...I'll have to test it for myself.'

With his pointer and middle finger extended out, he made a strange motion with his right hand. Meliodas felt a magical presence gather around him as three strange black seals formed around him.

The seals exploded, creating an explosion of black and purple smoke. Hades watched as the smoke cleared. His eyes widened as he saw Meliodas was not inside of the smoke. Meliodas reappeared behind him. Before Hades could turn around he felt a sharp pain to the back of his head as Meliodas kicked, sending him tumbling across the observation deck.

Hades managed to stop himself and got back up on his feet. Meliodas charged at Hades, his hand on the handle of Mel Force. Hades raised his hands in front of him in response, pointing his index and middle fingers at Meliodas with his thumbs raised. A small purple ball of magic flickered at the tip of Hades finger.

The ball of magic fired in a fast beam at Meliodas. Meliodas quickly reacted, swinging his sword at the beam.

"Full Counter!"

'Reflection Magic?' Hades thought as his piercing bullet was now sent back towards him. He fired another one at the bullet, only for his bullet to be overpowered by the one Meliodas had reflected.

"What?!" Hades shouted in surprise as the bullet hit him in the shoulder, pushing him back. Blood began to drip down from Hades' shoulder. 'That was no ordinary counter magic. He reflected it back at triple the output I had originally put into the attack.'

Meliodas charged at him with Mel Force out in front of him. Hades immediately raised his hands out in front of him, forming a magic circle. Bright chains shout out from the magic circle towards Meliodas. Meliodas seemingly vanished from in front of Hades, much to his surprise.

"Thousand Divine Slashes!"

Meliodas reappeared again behind Hades. At that moment, he felt his body get cut numerous times, causing Hades to take a knee to the ground as blood gushed out from multiple parts of his body.

"That sword is certainly sharp, as expected of a blade forged by the legendary blacksmith." Hades commented, noticing Musica's signature music note symbol. Meliodas was surprised to see Hades standing back up, with the cuts he inflicted on him being surprisingly shallow.

'This guy is sturdy…' Meliodas thought to himself.

"Your swordsmanship is certainly to be commended. However…" Hades quickly made a strange motion with the index and middle fingers of his right hand extended. Three purple magic seals formed next to Meliodas, with one underneath and one over him. Meliodas put his arms up as he braced himself for the impact.

"You do not dance with magic freely as I do." Hades finished as he released the seals. A massive purple explosion formed within the seal, blowing the entire top part of the airship observation deck off. Shattered glass and debris rained from above them as the smoke cleared.

"Oh you're a lot more durable than I had thought." Hades commented as he saw Meliodas standing with his arms up in front of him with slight bruises and blood on his body. In the blast, his shirt had entirely burned off, revealing his bare muscular body. Meliodas immediately lunged at Hades, surprising Hades. 'He is able to move that fast after being struck directly with Amaterasu 100?!'

"Enchant Hellblaze!"

Black flames clad Meliodas' sword as he cut diagonally downward across Hades chest. Hades jumped back from the impact as blood dripped from the gash in his body. He winced at the intense burning pain he felt from the wound and felt his right eye beginning to throb underneath the eyepatch.

"How strange...this burning sensation. It's unlike anything I've ever felt. Those flames were no ordinary flames. I could feel it. They were dark. That dark power you possess...your youthful appearance, and your supposed age. It all makes sense now! Are you one who has also walked the path of darkness?" Hades asked excitedly.

"I think the path you're thinking of may be a bit different from mine...but to answer your question, I walked down that path once before, and my friends got me out of it. And I won't walk down it again!" Meliodas responded.

He lunged forward at Hades again to cut him. Hades put both of his hands out in front of him as Meliodas cut at Hades.

More cuts formed on Hades body as Meliodas slashed at him. A grin formed on Hades face and suddenly, a white chain shot out of Hades' hands. Meliodas swung his sword at the chain, but to his surprise, it latched onto Mel Force. Hades pulled the chain towards him, pulling both Meliodas and Mel Force with him as Meliodas had a firm grip on his blade. Hades took a deep breath and let out a loud yell as Meliodas was just in front of him.

"Katsu!"

Meliodas' eyes widened as he felt an incredibly dangerous and potent magic he couldn't see immediately slam into his body. The area in front of Hades exploded, leaving a large hole in the deck. Mel Force detached from the chain as Meliodas let go and it flew into the ocean through the massive hole in the wall of the deck.

"Hmph...there should be nothing left of-" Hades' eyes widened as he saw a figure standing up in the smoke. The smoke cleared, revealing Meliodas' tattered body. Blood gushed out of multiple large gashes spread across Meliodas chest and back. His arms were heavily bruised and dangled at his sides.

"You've impressed me again. I had expected to destroy you completely but here you are, standing in one piece. It makes me regret having to kill such potential." Hades commented. He began walking forward towards Meliodas but immediately stopped as he felt a dark sensation coming from Meliodas.

"Oh ho? What is this sensation?" Hades questioned. Hades watched as darkness leaked out of every wound in Meliodas' body. The wounds on his body began to shrink down and Meliodas' eyes turned pitch black and a spiral shaped black henna formed above his right eyebrow.

Without saying a word, Meliodas launched himself at Hades. He threw a hard darkness clad punch at Hades' chest. Hades coughed up blood as he was sent hurtling through the back end of the observation deck. Hades quickly recovered in the air and latched back onto the observation deck with several white chains shooting out of his hands. The chains dispersed as Hades wiped the blood trickling from his mouth and stared at Meliodas.

"So you really are one…" Hades commented. He coughed up more blood before starting to laugh.

"You really are a demon that frolics among fairies!"