Everyone in the Boar Hat sat, watching intently, waiting for Meliodas to answer. He seemed to know the most about the situation at hand, but even he seemed to be at a loss for the reason. While you and Elizabeth picked the discarded pints in the background, the Sins (and Hawk) stared intently at their both official and unofficial leader. Their curiosity was cut short when they heard a voice.

"Because she is the last key to releasing the seal." It was feminine, so quite obviously a woman, and had a snarky, almost condescending feel to it. She sounded quite young as well, although, not much could be gathered from her voice alone. Everyone whirled around in shock, only to be greeted by a most unsettling scene.

As they had assumed, there stood a female Holy Knight. She had a crimson dress on, which led to a metal brace that went up her neck. Her skin seemed to be purple in the only place it was revealed, her chest, but that may have been part of the costume- none of them knew. Her mask was made up of two hands, wrapping around the metal helmet that covered her face. There was a dark opening, where she could see through, but nobody could pinpoint her eye within the darkness. She had either of the women in her arms. She held Elizabeth's arm within her left hand and your unconscious body was floating near her right. Your head was slumped forward, and your entire body hung limp. An unidentified purple gas swarmed around your head, it was what they assumed was keeping you unconscious.

Ban and Meliodas immediately reacted, snarling at the sight of their beloveds being held within the grimy paws of one of the Holy Knights. They both had the exact same thoughts running through their heads. Not again. I can't lose the person I care about most again.

"ELIZABETH! GET AWAY FROM HER!" Meliodas snarled, pouncing over the bar counter as fast as he could. Ban followed close behind, leaping from his seat and toward the Holy Knight. He just needed to reach you.

"If you so much as touch her," he growled lowly, extending his hand out toward you. You were right there, almost within his grasp. All he had to do was move forward and you were safe. Safe within his arms.

But that didn't happen. The unidentified Holy Knight grasped both you and Elizabeth, then snapped her fingers. The three disappeared, their bodies splitting into strips of color and shapes before completely vanishing. Ban's hand wrapped around where you were moments ago, only to be left without you in his hands. He and Meliodas both stood there, silent as they processed what in the hell had just happened.

Elizabeth... she took Elizabeth... Meliodas though, staring at the floor as darkness flooded his mind.

I just got her back. I just got her back, Ban thought, pain whipping through his body.

"FUUUUUUCK!" They both screamed at the same time, bursting through the door with dangerous speed. The others had no time to react, for the scene had played out in just a few moments. For the two Sins, however, it had felt like a painful eternity.

"Captain?! Ban!! What happened?!" King demanded, bursting through the door after his comrades.

"I am not certain," Gowther responded, following the Grizzly Sin outside. "However, that was quite an advanced teleportation technique. The user appeared and disappeared at precise locations at a moment's notice. This is no ordinary mage."

"Guys?! What's going on?" Diane asked, startled by the violent outburst.

"We're going to the kingdom," Meliodas snarled, "Right. Now."

"They took (y/n) and Elizabeth!" King shouted, and Diane's eyes widened in shock. Her best friend was gone... again? Not only that, but so was Elizabeth? "And Captain, the Kingdom is at least 40 miles away! How are we going to get there?!"

"Diane!" Ban shouted, "Throw us! Now!"

He wrapped his arms around Meliodas's torso, picking him up so that it would be easier to throw the both of them. He was angry, full of unmeasurable rage. But he had to keep his cool. He gave a smirk to his superior.

"I changed my mind," Ban hummed, "I'm coming with."

"Ban, this isn't the time to be messing around!" King shouted, not comprehending his comrade's behavior. How could they do such an irrational thing? They needed a plan!

I need to get (y/n), Ban thought desperately, She's all that matters. I almost lost her once already, and I'm not about to do it again.

"You sure?" Meliodas asked.

"I got my reasons," The Fox Sin stated, his voice lowering dangerously, "And you got yours."

"I will go as well," Gowther stated, calmly walking up and hugging Ban from behind. Diane picked the three Sins up.

As soon as I throw them, she decided, I'm going to run to the kingdom as fast as I can and help! I'm not letting them go it alone this time!

"A-are you serious?" King whimpered, watching the scene before him. He knew his teammates were stupid, there was never any doubt within his mind when it came to that, but this was completely preposterous! "Y-you're kidding, right? You've gotta be..."

"You can do it?" Meliodas asked.

"Mhm! You'll just have to deal with it if my aim's a little off, though," Diane affirmed.

"It doesn't matter as long as you get the right direction," Ban huffed, then turned to Gowther. "Hey, why'd you come, Einstein?"

"I wish to see how you and the captain interact, since you fight so much but are still considered friends," Gowther replied, "This mission also seems to be driven by emotion now, as far as I've deduced. I wish to see how this plays out and learn."

"Learn what?" The crimson-eyed man snorted, but before the Goat Sin could reply, he was being reared back by Diane. She threw one last look at the three men.

"Bring back (y/n), okay?" She said, her voice quivering ever-so-slightly, "Elizabeth too. Their part of the team now."

Meliodas nodded, and Diane returned the gesture. She reared her arm back, then ran forward, jumping up as high as she could then throwing the men. The wind rushed past them as they went soaring through the air, the force of Diane's throw so powerful that they could hardly move.

"Holy shit, I'm gonna die," Ban wheezed, barely able to make the words out.

"What? Did you say something?" Meliodas shouted, only for his voice to be drowned out by the roaring wind.

"I cannot pick up on the sound of your speech," Gowther commented, speaking to nobody in particular.

"Sir Dreyfus! Sir Hendrickson! You must know!"

A young Holy Knight, quite new to the army, but quite powerful, came running toward the Holy Knight Grandmasters, who were staring each other down. Their attention shifted to him as he panted, gulping for air maniacally as he attempted to tell them the news.

"Sirs! You must know!" He gasped, repeating himself.

"Spit it out!" Dreyfus demanded.

"If there is such a dire emergency, we would like to know the reason," Hendrickson agreed, but in a seemingly more civilized manor.

"We've detected a great power approaching from northwest of the kingdom!" The man finally said, beginning to regain his bearings and speaking less erratically. "It's moving at an extremely abnormal speed, and there seem to be three large sources of power clustered together!"

"Who is it?" Dreyfus questioned sharply.

"We aren't positive, sir, but..." the man hesitated, "we think this power can only belong to-"

"The Eight Deadly Sins," Dreyfus finished, cursing under his breath.

"If that's the case," his partner's lips curled into a sadistic smirk, "Then we must have obtained our targets. Dreyfus, we will continue this later. Don't you think that we should deal with the threat to the kingdom, the Deadly Sins, first? Our petty differences can be settled at a later time."

The brunette was silent, his internal battle raging. He hated this man and all that he had done... and the Eight Deadly Sins were not threats. Not truly. So why should he wait? Because he needed to keep up the facade, of course. He would never be forgiven if they found out...

"Do not forget," he stated finally, after a prolonged silence. "I will never forgive you."

"I have a great memory," Hendrickson mused, "Do not fret."

The silver-haired man placed an incantation orb in front of his mouth, and his voice boomed all over the castle. Everyone within its walls could hear his demands. "CALLING ALL KNIGHTS AND HOLY KNIGHTS WITHIN THE CASTLE!! THE EIGHT DEADLY SINS ARE CLOSING IN!! FORTIFY THE NORTHERN GATE AND WESTERN WALL!!"

The Knights, both Holy and and not, clamored around the castle. There were whispers of the beginning of the prophesied Holy War, and others of sheer horror. Some believed they could easily take on the traitors, with such large numbers and powers such as their own, how could they not? No man, or group of three, could withstand an entire army of trained Knights- especially when the majority of them had uncanny abilities. That was a popular belief. Others, the smarter ones, were more unsure of their chances.

"DEPLOY HOLY KNIGHTS OUTSIDE THE NORTHERN WALL!! PREPARE TO COUNTERATTACK!! WE WILL NOT BE DEFEATED SO EASILY!!"

There were cheers of agreement and excitement. Holy Knights who had been itching to fight the traitors, or even in the war, were finally being given their chance. Training had been vigorous and tiresome, quite repetitive as well. This, the thought, was a nice change of pace. The Knights stood outside the gates, and there was an eerie silence over the kingdom. That is, of course, until they saw what seemed to be a meteorite headed straight toward them. It came crashing down with a deafening boom.

"Landing confirmed!" Shrieked a Holy Knight at the front of the group, one of the more confident of the group. "Preparing to counterattack!"

The three Sins came bursting out of the smoke and dust their crash landing had provided. None of them had sustained a permanent injury, nor would they had been effected at all if they had. They were part of the Eight Deadly Sins, and they were quite the dangerous trio. Two of them were fueled by emotions of pure, unbridled rage toward those who had taken their loved ones. The third had no emotion at all- a deadly combination, no matter who you asked. When they came bursting from the rubble and into the mayhem that the kingdom now was, one thought resonated within everybody's mind, no matter which side they were on.

The fight had officially begun.