In hindsight, my scaling chains make perfect sense.
Elizabeth gutter stomped weakened Zeldris DK, but had a way harder time dealing with the Indura even before they began to evolve. So there's no way they can be multiple demon mark multipliers (one-shot gaps) above Ludoshel and Mael.
And none of the Sins, except True Magic Meliodas (specifically True Magic, mind you) and Escanor (since he didn't have his Grace prior to the final battle with DK Zeldris), were even regarded as candidates for breaking DK's curse.
And, while Griamore was kind of wrong because TM Mel is > DK,
for him to even say that Meliodas is on par with DK in this True Magic implies his base form isn't on par with 50% DK/DK Meliodas at all.
Half of y'all are cornballs, and I was completely justified in what I did.