Nanatsu no Taizai 176 Review: The Warbringer

Nanatsu no Taizai, Chapter 176: A Darkness Told

Well, Meliodas is almost killed, and the one that went to his rescue is... King! We did get a bit of a backstory from Estarossa, though, and apparently Meliodas, while acting as leader of the Ten Commandments, was so powerful that even the goddesses cow under the power of Meliodas, and he's basically a shoo-in for the successor of the Demon King. Before an act of betrayal that apparently sparked off the war 3000 years ago between the goddess clan and the demon clan.

We get to see an earlier incarnation of the Ten Commandments with Meliodas in the head -- Galan, Monspiet, Gowther, a young Estarossa, a young Derriere and a young Merascylla is apparent, but there isn't a sign of Gray Road or Fraudrin. Estarossa claims Dolor and Gloxinia are new additions. We know Fraudrin is an understudy, so one of the three we didn't know -- the giant with a helmet obscuring his upper face, a tiny bwaa-headed doll, and the weird dude floating above Meliodas's head is Gray Road, maybe? Estarossa also notes that Meliodas killed two of the Ten Commandments in his wake, leaving the demon world in ruins and caused the goddesses and mortal races to come down upon the demon clan.

Of course, all this talk about betrayal and lighting the fuse for war is meant to spread paranoia amongst Meliodas's allies, because Estarossa is more than aware that they are being spied upon. Though, well, Estarossa may very well believe that Meliodas is a huge chronic backstabber.

We get a short scene when a revived Merascylla is about to suck out Meliodas's soul, but in safety, Ban is hugging Elaine and saying farewell... but while all that is going on, suddenly the world is put into a reverse-camera thing because Ban is moving stealthily through them, undetected, using a skill called 'Zero Sign'. Ban resolves to rescue Meliodas, even if that would doom Elaine to death once more, and he just walks up to Merascylla and snaps her neck all the way upside-down, before using Fox Hunt to rip out all five of her hearts.

Well, she's totally dead -- Gloxinia notes that that was the last revival tear she had for a while, and Merascylla really shouldn't have wasted it on just regaining her hair and boobs. 

Well, Ban is faithful to Meliodas, at least, but still that's eight Commandments against a dying Meliodas, and Ban's lost the element of surprise. I highly doubt that they can manage to put up a good fight. We'll see what happens... next week!