Meliodas approached the location that Conwell mentioned before he left. It was about 30 kilometers east from Megalo City right by the coast. Looming above Meliodas was a huge cliffside over 200 meters tall. At the base of the cliff was a large door made of some kind of metal. Standing in front were two masked individuals. Meliodas clenched his fists as he saw the masks, recognizing Phonoi's signature mask design.
"Get lost kid!" One of the men outside shouted as they noticed Meliodas approaching.
"Wait, hold on!" The other masked individual shouted. "That's no ordinary kid! That's Mel-"
The masked man was interrupted as a loud crash echoed through the area, both guards knocked aside as Meliodas kicked down the huge door. Meliodas walked through the entryway, entering a spacious room that looked like some kind of dining area. Dozens of Phonoi members were seated at the tables, some of them not wearing their masks. They all stared wide eyed at the entryway.
"It's him! The Blond Demon!" One of them shouted.
"Didn't the boss put him on the "High Threat List?" Another questioned.
"So if I kill him, I'll get a promotion!" An unmasked individual said as he put his mask back and jumped up into the air towards Meliodas. The individual raised his right arm up as a green blade made of wind magic went up his forearm.
"Wooo! Promotion here I come!" The man shouted happily. Meliodas remained standing firm in his spot with a noticeably agitated expression on his face. The man slashed at Meliodas' neck with his blade, only for it to snap as it made contact with a darkness-covered part of Meliodas' neck. Meliodas glared angrily at the man and the man immediately jumped backwards from his spot.
The other members of Phonoi jumped out of their seats, surrounding Meliodas but not making a move as Meliodas stood silently in front of them.
"All of you...just kill for fun…" Meliodas muttered. He raised his left hand up, and a bright light began glowing from it, taking the form of a massive great sword.
"I WON'T LET YOU GUYS KEEP DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING! IT ALL ENDS HERE!" Meliodas yelled as he swung the massive greatsword.
---
Conwell walked amongst a crowd of people, with a bag in his left hand filled with various foods. His eyes widened as the ground began shaking and he sensed a huge magical presence coming from the east. Several passersby in the area began screaming as a few windows cracked and pots fell over.
The shaking stopped after a few seconds and Conwell looked in the distance at a huge cloud of black smoke.
---
The area surrounding Meliodas was burned into ashes, the ground singed black and the cliffside completely gone. The sand from the nearby beach that was not directly in the blast had crystallized from the immense heat. Around him, there were no traces of any Phonoi guild members. To Meliodas' surprise, one wall of the guild remained standing, only slightly burned by Meliodas' attack. On the wall was what appeared to be a handleless door with Phonoi's marking carved into it.
'That area must be protected by an incredibly strong barrier.' Meliodas thought as he looked at the door. Suddenly the door swung open and a lone figure walked out, with the door closing shut immediately behind him. The man had curly dark blue hair and pale skin. He had noticeable bags under his eyes and several small cut-like scars on his face. He wore the traditional cloaks and garbs that Phonoi wore, except his were decorated with intricate gold designs along the trimmings.
"Huh...so you've come to us, Meliodas." The man said as he stared at him. 'No wonder he defeated the elite assassins I sent after him...he's a monster.'
"Are you Blu Tsukihou?" Meliodas asked.
"No. That's the previous guild master. I'm Cyrus Ellenwing, the current guild master." The man replied. "Although I'm surprised you know that name. I'm guessing you learned it from Schneider?"
"Why?!" Meliodas shouted angrily. "Why go so far to try and kill Schneider?! All he wanted to do was live his life peacefully!"
"That's the way of Phonoi. You don't just get to leave whenever you choose. There's only one way to leave this guild, and that's by dying. Whether or not it's from dying in a mission or dying from natural causes it does not matter. Death is the way of Phonoi as it always will be!" Cyrus retorted.
"Schneider didn't have to die!" Meliodas said, his bangs starting to rise up and his eyes turning pitch black. At the center of Meliodas' forehead, a black circular marking appeared, surrounded by another marking that extended uneavely outward that fell towards Meliodas' right eye and extended slightly below it to his cheek.
Cyrus immediately leaped backwards, his back now against the door he came from. His already pale skin became noticeably paler, almost white as his hands began shaking. 'What the hell is that power?! I heard rumors that it was him that defeated Rezeria...but I didn't expect this kind of power!'
"Heh...looks like there's no going back now." Cyrus commented, regaining his composure as he took a deep breath. "If I die fighting you, then this is how I will leave Phonoi!"
Cyrus forced a smile on his face as he began walking forward towards Meliodas staring at his pitch black eyes. 'Damn...I've lived with death my whole life, killing others without a second thought...but in all my assassinations, I've never once met someone as menacing as this guy…'
Dozens of shadowy figures began to appear from the ground, taking the form of Cyrus. Each of them drew shadowy blades as they surrounded Meliodas. Gravity core in Meliodas' hand began glowing, before disappearing in the next instant. Meliodas put his hand on the handle of Neo Mel Force.
[Lightning Sword Flash!]
Meliodas vanished from Cyrus's sight, reappearing behind Cyrus. Each shadowy clone of Cyrus vanished immediately as a fountain of blood erupted from Cyrus' back. Cyrus fell to the ground, face first, a pool of blood forming underneath him. Meliodas sheathed his blade and turned around to look at Cyrus.
"So in the end...I wasn't even a challenge for you." Cyrus grunted, blood dripping from his mouth. "It seems you've long surpassed yourself at the time you defeated Rezeria…"
The door once again swung open, much to Meliodas' and Cyrus' surprise. Standing at the door was a strange glowing figure. Meliodas could immediately tell the figure was some sort of thought or astral projection. The figure was an old man with wavy light blue hair that went down to his lower back that wore the same garbs as Cyrus. Cyrus turned his head and his eyes widened as he recognized who it was.
"B-Blu Tsukihou…" Cyrus grunted.
"Ah, Cyrus." Blu commented with a warm smile. "It looks like you failed. But your failure wasn't in vain. Rest easy now, and know that your death will be what causes Phonoi to be reborn! And as for you Meliodas. I leave this door open to you. If you wish to find me, then by all means, walk through and keep walking until you reach the ends of heaven and hell!"
Blu's figure vanished, leaving Meliodas by himself as Cyrus went silent. Meliodas down the long corridor in front of him. He took a deep breath, causing his demonic features to recede before taking a step into the corridor.