Meliodas woke up the next morning and checked out of the hotel. He walked towards the center of the city, closer to the large castle. There he saw where the lacrima was being displayed. A large crowd stood in front of the lacrima while many armed guards stood in front of it. Just in front of the lacrima, was a small wooden stage.
'That lacrima must be it.' Meliodas thought to himself as he stood in the crowd. Several minutes passed until a slim elderly man with long white hair and a large amount of facial hair walked on stage. He wore brown regal attire and wore a rounded mitre on his head with a strange symbol on it. The moment he walked on stage the crowd began to cheer.
"Your Highness!"
"Long Live his Highness!"
The crowd's cheers began to die down as the man began speaking.
"My children, my sacred kingdom has, through the use of Anima, produced ten years worth of magical energy! Sing together! Dance together! Let us share in each other's joy!" The king declared loudly. The crowd began to cheer loudly again as he continued talking while Meliodas observed silently.
'That lacrima contains all of Fairy Tail...the problem is even if I were to somehow gain control of that lacrima, would I be able to revert everyone to their normal forms?'
---
Several hours passed since the King's speech. Meliodas sat in the corner of the tavern at a table by himself, listening in on the conversations of a few drunk guards who just got off duty.
"Hey did you see the look on those Fairy Tail shits faces when we captured them?!"
"Yeah! They couldn't fight us at all, how pitiful! I can't believe they fell for that trap!"
"Oh man, I want to see their expressions as they're locked up in the castle's dungeon!"
'They got caught?!' Meliodas thought. Immediately, he clenched his fist and grit his teeth. A look of rage filled his eyes as he jumped up from his seat and ran out the door of the tavern.
Meliodas ran through the streets at full speed as he ran towards the castle. 'Looks like I don't have time to be discreet. I don't have a plan but that doesn't matter. I have to save them!'
Meliodas arrived at the main entrance of the castle. A couple of guards standing outside looked at him.
"You lost kid?" One of the guards asked. Meliodas didn't say a word and clenched his fist.
"Out of my way!" Meliodas yelled as he leaped forward and punched through the front gate. The large iron gate collapsed with a loud crash as Meliodas ran into the courtyard. Immediately after, a loud bell began to ring behind him as one of the guards started shouting.
"Intruder at the front gate! He's breached our defenses. Stop him at all costs!"
Meliodas continued running through the courtyard as dozens of guards began running out of the buildings to the left and right of him. Directly in front of him, a few guards stood with what appeared to be cannons facing him.
"Fire the magical cannons!" A voice yelled. The cannons fired a bright beam of magic straight at Meliodas. Meliodas reached for his sword handle and prepared to full counter but stopped. 'Dammit, I can't use that here.'
The beams from the cannons collided into Meliodas, creating a small explosion where he was standing. The guards that were coming in from the left and right of him surrounded the spot where Meliodas was shot.
As the smoke began to clear from the area, Meliodas was revealed standing up. He had his arms out in front of him. There was slight damage and burns on his arms. Apart from that, he had very little injuries on the rest of his body.
"He's still alive!" A guard yelled.
"Wait I remember him! That's the blond demon!" Another guard yelled.
"Get out of my way!" Meliodas yelled as he charged forward at full speed, knocking out any guards that were standing in his way and sending them flying.
"Reload the magical cannons and fire them again!" A guard shouted.
"I won't let you!" Meliodas drew his blade and dashed through the guards and their cannons. The cannons collapsed into small pieces on the ground as the guards using them gushed out blood. Meliodas continued to run forward towards the doors of the castle as more guards chased behind him.
---
"Your majesty!" A guard shouted as he burst into the throne room. Standing next to the king were two other men. One of the men was a young man with arrowlike eyebrows and white and black hair. He wore a long white coat with gold trimmings.
"What gives you the right to suddenly barge in?" One of the men asked.
"I-it's an emergency. The castle has been breached. The guards are all fighting in the main courtyard!!"
"A breach?!" The king exclaimed.
"Huh? What idiots would charge into the castle during this time?" Another one of the men standing next to the king asked. This man was an older looking man with a defined chin and a blond pompadour. He donned a set of pink armor.
"I-it's actually one person sir…" The guard said nervously.
A look of frustration wiped over the king's face. He looked at the men standing next to him. "I can't afford to have an inconvenience like this ruin today's plans! Hughes. Sugarboy. Kill the intruder at once!"
"Yes your majesty!" The two men replied before running out of the throne room.
"You!" The king said as he looked at the guard. "Go find Knightwalker and Pantherlily now!"
"Yes your majesty!" The guard said as he turned around and ran out the door. As he exited the room, another guard came in.
"Your majesty, I have an urgent report!" The new guard said. Faust looked at the guard angrily.
"If it's about the intruder, I'm already aware!"
"No your majesty...the fallen have escaped with the prisoner. Two exceed, one green and one blue. They were last seen flying towards the courtyard."
"The courtyard? I see…" Faust's angry expression calmed as he stroked his beard. 'So it's time for THAT.'
---
Meliodas continued his assault on the guards. Cutting through each one swiftly before they had a chance to make a move.
The courtyard reeked with the scent of blood and metal as the bodies of dozens of unconscious guards were lying on the ground. Only a couple of guards were left standing in front of Meliodas.
"Tell me where you're keeping Natsu and Wendy!" Meliodas yelled as he walked towards the remaining guards. The remaining guards stood frozen in fear in their spots, unable to move a muscle. They had just witnessed a single man destroy an army by himself with barely a scratch on him.
"T-t-t-they're i-i-nn…" The guard could not contain his fear as he started to wildly stutter, unable to form a proper sentence to respond to Meliodas.
"Now, now. That's something we can't tell you." A voice said from behind the guard. Meliodas stopped walking as three more people walked out.
"And you guys are?" Meliodas asked as he clenched his sword.
"Hughes." Said the young man with arrowlike eyebrows. "I'm one of the amazing Captains handpicked by King Faust himself."
"Sugarboy." Said the man wearing pink armor. Standing next to them was a large, muscular cat-like man with black fur. He wore sturdy custom armor with a cape. Mounted on his back, was a large sword.
"Pantherlily." The large cat man said. "You may be an enemy, a child no less, but your swordsmanship is commendable."
"A young child defeated the palace guard by himself?" Sugarboy questioned as he looked around the courtyard at the bodies of many guards on the ground.
"That's no ordinary child. You must be one of those damn mages from Fairy Tail." Another voice said from behind the three Captains who approached him. Meliodas's eyes widened as he saw the person approaching. It was a familiar young woman with long red hair that covered over one eye styled in a ponytail. She wore a revealing black breastplate top that exposed much of her stomach and cleavage with black gauntlets and greaves. Around her neck was a black scarf.
"Erza?" Meliodas questioned.
"I am Erza Knightwalker. You must be familiar with my Earthland counterpart." Erza said.
"I see…" Meliodas said. 'This just like how Mystogan and Jellal are counterparts.' He glared at the four captains standing in front of him with fierce eyes.
"I'll say it right now. You four won't beat me, and I will save my friends!"