Nanatsu no taizai: The Resurrection of the Lion

After fighting the Demon King, there were huge smiles on the faces of the seven sinners who had battled against such evil... but there was a problem. In the battle, Escanor used the grace of the sun for too long, and to keep his power stronger than ever, he used his own life energy as fuel... and finally, that action was taking its toll.

He managed to say goodbye to his friends, going through each one of them, wishing Diane and King luck on their wedding day, telling Ban not to drink so much, telling Gowther that he treasured all the conversations they had, and wishing Meliodas and Elizabeth happiness now that their curses had been lifted.

And finally... he dedicated his last words to Merlin, his great love. He confessed his love to her, even knowing it wouldn't be reciprocated, saying that he didn't care what Merlin had done during the years he didn't get to know her; he would continue to love her until the end...

...but Merlin only approached him, and as the flames consumed Escanor's body...Merlin gave him a first and last kiss, one that marked Merlin's face with flames, marks that would be proof of Escanor's existence, the existence of the one who truly loved Merlin. Seconds later, Escanor was consumed by the fire...the strongest sin had died, happy to have defended his loved ones.

The events that followed, such as the resurrection of King Arthur, the revelation of Merlin's past, Arthur's connection to the magic called Chaos, and the "defeat" of Cath Palug, unfolded just as in the original story, beginning the arc of the Knights of the Apocalypse.