Chapter 173

is the 173rd chapter of the manga, Nanatsu no Taizai.

Short Summary
Meliodas attempts to finish off Drole and Gloxinia but the rest of the Ten Commandments unexpectedly appear, trapping Meliodas.

Long Summary
After cutting through Drole's left shoulder, Meliodas lands and immediately jumps back up, unleashing Kamichigiri. However, Drole defended him and Gloxinia against the large wave of Hellblaze using Heavy Metal. Using this opportunity, Gloxinia summons Basquias' Form Seven: Moon Rose to cast Inochi no Shizuku on himself, healing his wounds. He promptly does so for Drole after the Giant falters to his knees. Meliodas then appears next to Gloxinia to punch him but the Fairy evades by moving back a long distance. Undeterred, Meliodas appears behind Gloxinia and lets out a flurry of slashes, which Gloxinia dodges gracefully. He attempts to launch an attack, only for Meliodas to appear above him and elbow him to the ground.

When Meliodas attempts to slash Gloxinia, a recuperated Drole immediately summons Giga Pick, creating a large diamond to impale Meliodas. Evading the pick, Meliodas then kicks Drole across the face, sending him back. Watching, Escanor calls Meliodas incredible for gaining the upper hand against two of the Ten Commandments with ease. Gowther clarifies that Meliodas is constantly making sure one of them is down so he can fight the other one-on-one, which is only possible because of Meliodas's strength. King then says that it's obvious that Meliodas is still holding back a bit and that it's clear he at least knows the Ten Commandments.

Ban recalls how Galand called Meliodas a traitor to the Demon Clan before asserting that in the end, "The Cap'n is still the Cap'n." Diane admits she doesn't know what they're talking about but says that Meliodas doesn't seem to have an underlying motive and is a genuinely good person, like King. When Gowther tries to add that "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," King asserts he still hasn't forgiven him. Intently watching, Elizabeth wishes for Meliodas to come back safely. As they both struggle to get up, Gloxinia calls Meliodas as strong and as sentimental as ever before questioning why he's allied himself with irredeemable Humans.

Drole then claims Meliodas could even become the Demon King if he wanted but because he can't fight unemotionally, he'll face a miserable defeat. Mildly surprised that despair has warped them this much, Meliodas raises Lostvayne and prepares to kill them. Suddenly, 7 unknown objects crash into the ground around Meliodas. Still watching through Gilfrost's crystal ball, Arthur exclaims something came out of the sky from every direction. As King and Diane stare in awe from the magic they're feeling, Gowther realises Meliodas released too much bloodlust during his fight while Hendrickson claims this is the worst possible thing that could've happened. Ban then yells at Meliodas to get out of there. The smoke created from the objects landing clears to reveal the rest of the Ten Commandments surrounding Meliodas, with Zeldris facing down Meliodas directly.

Question Corner
Q161. Ichigo (From Saitama Prefecture): Does Dreyfus keep his hair long because that's the way Fraudrin likes it?

Nakaba: Yup!!

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Drole
 * Gloxinia
 * Meliodas
 * Ban
 * Diane
 * Elaine
 * Elizabeth
 * Escanor
 * Vivian
 * Gowther
 * Hawk
 * King
 * Arthur Pendragon
 * Cath
 * Griamore
 * Hendrickson
 * Fraudrin
 * Grayroad
 * Melascula
 * Zeldris
 * Derieri
 * Estarossa
 * Monspeet