Demon King/Plot

Defensive Battle for Liones arc
After Meliodas' fight with the Ten Commandments, the Demon King greets him in Purgatory.



He admits to having been keeping an eye on the captain of the Seven Deadly Sins throughout and muses that even Meliodas was unable to do anything other than wait for death when caught by the Commandments of Piety and Love. When Meliodas counter mocks him by saying that he is now free from the Commandments' bindings thanks to his curse, the Demon King is unfazed and agrees while also revealing that he can feel Meliodas' quivering and expresses anger towards the certain woman who had changed Meliodas 3,000 years ago into the shadow of his former self he is now. He then informs his son that despite being greatly weakened, the curse he cast on the Dragon's Sin of Wrath would allow him to feed on his emotions every time he dies, allowing the Demon King to regain his lost power and at the same time reverting his traitorous son back to the state he was three thousand years ago.

Prelude to the New Holy War arc


After Meliodas’s fight with Escanor, the Demon King senses that his son has started to return to his former self, much to his delight. He contacts his youngest son and representative, Zeldris, and shows no interest when Zeldris expresses he will find the one who killed the demons guarding Camelot. Instead, telling Zeldris that while his seal is not yet broken, Meliodas will now replace him as the rightful heir to the throne of the demon king. Despite Zeldris obvious shock and visibly anger, the Demon King sarcastically rebukes his calling Meliodas a traitor, as Meliodas shall now be welcomed as the new Demon King. Although Zeldris tries to reason with his father, the Demon King sternly silences Zeldris by saying he will not hear any objection to Meliodas's rule and crown him as the new demon king and kill the Seven Deadly Sins before they become a further threat. Zeldris reluctantly accepts and the Demon King reminds him that he observes everything from the Purgatory.

New Holy War arc


In the Purgatory, the Demon King appears threateningly looming over the emotions of Meliodas, Ban, and Wild when Meliodas said that he has no memory of Estarossa. Revealing that he too cannot remember anything about his middle son, the Demon King disgustingly said that the effeminate nature of Meliodas's emotions made him sick and his son has no need of the existence of these.

Wondering on how Meliodas's emotions returned to his original form and why he and Ban got there, the Demon King quickly realizes that Wild guided them and deduced that they have learned on the existence of the portal to the living world. Wild bravely charges at him, saying that he will finally force through the Demon King alongside Ban and Meliodas, but the King effortlessly flicked him away with a single finger. The Demon King then began pressuring Meliodas and Ban with quick slashes, declaring that they will never return to the living world and soon cutting off Ban's arm.



After commenting on the Demon King's massive power, Ban attempts to steal the King's power, but the Demon King's Magic Power repels the assault back to Ban, instead of absorbing Ban's power for himself. He continues overwhelming Ban and Meliodas with his sword while laughing mockingly at Ban and Meliodas for their efforts. The Demon King is soon attacked by Wild but remaining completely unfazed; he merely grabbed and almost crushed him with his fingers before throwing him away while admonishing them for not giving up, confidently saying that as long as he guards the door, it is impossible for anyone to pass through the door. Not fazed by Meliodas's comments that he is not the one who decides that, the Demon King corrects his son that he is the one who decides everything in Purgatory and unleashes several strikes of thunder at Meliodas, but Meliodas Full Counters it. Remaining unfazed by it, having absorbed it with his magic power, the Demon King gives them the choice of continuing to fight and be killed or to flee, but the king suddenly asks on what Meliodas knows on Estarossa, as he cannot remember him while he remembers all that happened as well as every member of the Demon Clan. When Meliodas tells him that while Estarossa was his son, he was born without the power of darkness and a weak-hearted coward who could not even kill a single insect, the Demon King completes that part by saying that he took pity on him and gave him a Commandment, shocking Meliodas. The Demon King then realizes that Gowther is behind this as he was the only Commandment who betrayed the King and the only one who can do so.



For 60 years, the Demon King effortlessly continues to overpower his son's emotions, Ban, and Wild, all the while looking unperturbed as he blows them far away. When they come to rechallenge him, the Demon King admits to being impressed by their bravery and tenacity but rebuffs them for not having learned anything, as his physical constitution makes any attempt of Wild to harm him utterly futile. Additionally his ability The Ruler can easily counter Ban's attempts to steal his powers instead make him even more mighty and the Full Counter possessed by Meliodas also does not affect him due to him just absorbing the redirected magical energy. Before knocking out Meliodas and blowing away Ban and Wild too, the Demon King notes that Meliodas's Full Counter is just a weak copy of Chandler's magic power. Only with his original magic power can he even hope to fight against him but mocks him for being too afraid, hence making it impossible for him to use it.



Later on, when Ban uses his Snatch again, the Demon King is exasperated by how Ban has not learned that any attempt to steal his power is futile. However, he finds that Ban has learned to "give" instead and as his magic power is inversion rather than absorption, the Demon King is weakened. As Meliodas points out the truth of the King's incredulous magic power, he is unconcerned, instead actually feeling it would alleviate his boredom, but insists that he will never let Meliodas's emotions leave Purgatory.

As he attempts to attack them again, the damage inflicted by Ban being only mediocre and not any hampering, Ban uses the full extent of his immortal life-force to stop the King to buy time. However, the King reverses the inversion aspect of The Ruler and instantly recovers. He easily grabs Ban in his hand and slowly crushes him while being intrigued at how Ban can offer slight defiance. Unfazed when Meliodas saves Ban, apparently activating the full extent of his powers, the Demon King is not at all willing to let Ban and Wild pass the gate even without Meliodas's emotions and attacks, but Meliodas surprisingly deflects it.



Infuriated, the Demon King rages on how Meliodas defied his father, but Meliodas coldly told the King he is no longer his father but is not able to understand why he keeps referring to Meliodas's emotions as a failure. The two trade blows, with the Demon King parrying every blow with his massive sword with ease while telling his son it is because of Meliodas's emotions destroying his plans of passing on the mantle of the King of Demons into his son, which Meliodas scoffs at, telling his father he is more of a destroyer than Meliodas ever was. Soon, the King gets the upper hand, forcing back Meliodas with a slash despite his attempts to parry before submitting him with another sword blow. He muses on how while Meliodas is the only worthy being of his throne, his emotions are unnecessary and prepares to kill him. However, he is suddenly slightly injured by Wild, shocking him as he looks at the beast. Wild holds the Demon King back with all of his life force and power while pushing Meliodas and Ban to the gate. The King quickly regains the upper hand and forces Wild back, killing him finally, but the attack on the King has bought enough time, and his son's emotions and Ban successfully escapes.

The Demon King manages to grab Meliodas towards the exit with his arm, stating he will never allow him to return to the real world. However, the Demon King's arm is severed, surprising the Demon King that his son has used his original magic power with the power of harming him. The Demon King says that he cannot go back because he will ruin all his plans, contenting Meliodas when he first saw his face of anguish.

When in the living word Meliodas finally absorbs all the ten Commandments and emerges with a new aged and stronger body, it is revealed that absorbing all of them, actually allows the Demon King to take possession of that body. After recognizing Elizabeth and the Seven Deadly Sins and regret that Zeldris remains attached to Gelda as Meliodas to Elizabeth, everyone understands that they are not talking to Meliodas but to the Demon King. Zeldris demands his father explain why he is in the body of his brother after having told him to crown him as his successor, leading the Demon King to reveal that he never intended to give the throne to his treacherous son and that what he really wanted was a young and strong body.

After being confronted by Elizabeth and the Sins who demand that he leave the body of Meliodas, Hawk asks how he does that to his own son, to which the Demon King says it is so as not to waste his true potential. The Demon King says that he will free Elizabeth from his curse, but only to be able to kill her brutally, wondering what face Meliodas will put on him when he sees his corpse and if he will become depressed and want to join her in the afterlife or perhaps relieved of not being held back for her. After Gowther saves Elizabeth from his murderous attack, King, Diane and Mael attack him with physical attacks knowing that the magic does not work against him, but the Demon King easily defends himself from all their attacks and incapacitates everyone with a simple movement. He states that the resistance is useless and that Elizabeth must let him end her miserable life for good. Hawk begins to provoke him and warns him to not kill Elizabeth. The Demon King destroy Hawk's little Perfect Cube with his claw, heavily wounding him, saying that it is very irritating and that he will send him to where his brother is. However, Hawk is snatched from his clutch by Ban, who states to take the Demon King out of Meliodas' body.

The Demon King sarcastically asks him how he intends to get him out, which Ban says he will simply do. Calling him a foolish child, the Demon King says he has the power of a god and releases a toxic and caustic storm over the entire area. Ban, however, supports it without problems, stating that compared to what he experience in the Purgatory that is just a nice breeze.

The Demon King tries to attack him with his claws, but Ban uses his speed to evade and punch him in the face that the Demon King manages to block, having to stop his storm in the process. The two then enter a physical contest, after receiving a kneeling of Ban, the Demon King responds with several quick aces that Ban manages to evade and respond with many short and quick blows. The Demon King however manages to strike him in the stomach and back, claiming that he was a fool believing he could do something against him by his own. However, the blows begin to affect the Demon King, to which Ban says he is not alone.

Inside the body, the emotions of Meliodas confront the Demon King. This affirms that even if he managed to return, he would not let him do what he wants, since bringing death and fear is his duty and his own existence. However, Meliodas evades his sword and elbows him to knock him down, claiming that this is also his sin.

After regret not having destroyed them in the Purgatory, the Demon King continues his fight against Meliodas and Ban. In both scenarios, their attacks are completely bypassed. Ban responds with a strong kick to the head, while Meliodas confronts him with a sword of darkness. The Demon King is surprised that Meliodas repels his attacks, to which Meliodas tells him to leave at once because his true body in Purgatory feels lonely. The Demon King reminds him that now that his body awoke the power of the Demon King, he could no longer be in that world for more than a day, but Meliodas affirms that it is okay as long as he can break the curse of Elizabeth and say goodbye to the Seven Deadly Sins.

In the living world, Ban manages to strike hard at the Demon King, while in the spiritual world, Meliodas cuts off his chest and one of his horns. There, the Demon King tells Meliodas that there is no need to go and look for Elizabeth, because she is already dead and that he could never have her in his arms again. Meliodas calls him a liar, but even so Meliodas succumbs to the sadness of this possibility and there the Demon King sees the opportunity to attack him. This gives the Demon King the opportunity in the living world to regain strength after having been stamped against the ground by Ban, holding him by the neck with his claws and piercing the abdomen with his fingers. The Sins try to talk to Melidoas to help Ban, but the Demon King tells them that their voices never reach him in the spiritual world.

There, the Demon King tells a badly beaten Meliodas that embracing the despair in that spiritual world is accepting death. The Demon King tells him to sleep and leave everything to his father because there is no one out there waiting for him. However, Meliodas is backed by Elizabeth and the Sins, who entered the spiritual world thanks to Gowther's magic.

The Demon King is infuriated by their presence there and attacks with intention of eliminating them. However, Meliodas is able to repel his attack and knock him down with several holes in the chest. As the Demon King ask how is he able to have that power, Meliodas stats that he has lost any chance of defeating him since his friends's existence and emotions have given him strenght.

In the real world, The Demon King suffers the damage of Melodias's attack that forces him to release Ban. There, he decides to cut off his son's power source by murdering Elizabeth and the Sins whose physical bodies were immobile under the magic of Gowther. Mael and Ludociel jump to protect them, but the Demon King says that some Archangels like them have no right to challenge a god.

The Demon King sends his ornaments to the sky which are transformed into a great face called Tansoku no Kenjin. When Ban uses his Snatch to send the face to the ground, the Demon King sends him flying with an elbow, ordering everyone to stay out of their family affair with their son. The Tansoku no Kenjin releases a powerful attack from its mouth, which devastates much of Camelot. Ludociel manages to use his Sanctuary to protect himself along with Mael, Hendrickson, Elizabeth and the Sins, but the Demon King says that nothing will be left of him in five seconds. Ban resists Tansoku no Kenjin's attack and decides to stop the Demon King before he kills the others, but the Demon King manages to keep on par with him in a fight.

However, someone intervenes by stopping the Tansoku no Kenjin by piercing it with his sword, leaving everyone surprised when he reveal himself to be Zeldris.