Episode 11 (2016 Anime)

"Shadows of Idea" is the eleventh episode in the Berserk 2016 anime adaptation. It covers manga episodes 165 through the beginning of 171.

Overview[]

As Luca walks back to Albion after the Skull Knight took her to the outskirts, the Egg of the Perfect World swallows the dying Demon Child out of sympathy before resuming his climb up the Tower of Conviction. At the same time, enlisting Jerome and Nina's help, Isidro uses a makeshift pulley system to free Casca as she was about to be burned alive. Mozgus nearly catches them after forming a barrier to keep the corpse mounds at bay when Guts leaps off the tower and impales the inquisitor. But Mozgus' bible shielded him from the attack while he fully transforms. As Isidro's group eliminates the last of Mozgus' disciples, the inquisitor's flame barrier dies out as he attempts to give Guts a chance to recant. But Guts instead uses his miniature bombs to blow apart the unprotected chink in Mozgus' armored body to land the death blow. After a brief reunion with Casca, the corpses manage to flood into Albion as Guts gives his group torches so they can outlast the few remaining hours of night.

Summary[]

Getting Luca to the very edge of Albion's outskirts, the Skull Knight advises her to not approach the Tower of Conviction. However, Luca casually tells him that she cannot simply leave, and bids him farewell before running off toward Albion. Noticing that she might not be as reckless as she appears to be and thinking that he might not save her next time, the Skull Knight draws his blade as his ancient enemy, Zodd, emerges from the mist directly behind him.

At the same time, bleeding from the wound that Skull Knight inflicted on him, the Egg of the Perfect World climbs up the outer wall of the Tower of Conviction to reach the top, in order to see the fruit of his labor. The Egg sees Mozgus and muses about what life might have been like if he had been found by the inquisitor long ago. The Apostle eventually comes across the Demon Child, who is dying from using the last of its power to protect Casca. The Apostle takes the Child in his arms and swallows it whole, allowing it to bear witness to what is about to unfold as he resumes his arduous climb.

Isidro and Puck watch from Albion's outer wall as the refugees finish building the pyre and attach Casca to it. As Isidro searches around for a way to help her, Puck notices Jerome, Nina, Serpico and Farnese emerge from the rubble of the Tower of Conviction onto the outer wall, having somehow managed to climb down the nearly destroyed Tower. Though Jerome attempts to maintain appearances before his superiors by holding Nina by her arm, he runs off when Isidro calls him over. As Guts is being kept at bay by the blood, the refugees proceed to set the pyre ablaze. But Isidro uses a plank Jerome helped him fashion to bungee down to free Casca, with Nina pushing a large rock tied to the rope to bring the youth and the girl back up. Mozgus sees this and attempts to retrieve Casca; but Guts, having fought his way through the spirits, sprints directly down the only-slightly-tilted wall of the Tower of Conviction and impales Mozgus on the Dragon Slayer. The force of Guts' attack sends him and Mozgus flying into the outer wall of Albion, destroying a large chunk of it, the frightful refugees taking Guts for a devil while fearing that Mozgus has been killed.

Though Guts has seen the Apostle behind these events climbing up the tower, he also sees Casca and the others fending off Mozgus' twin disciples. To make matters worse, his bible having shielded him from Guts' intended deathblow, Mozgus awakens and forces himself to a standing position while transforming into a full-blown Apostle-like form. Ordering his disciples to capture Casca and to kill the interlopers, Mozgus expresses his intention to punish Guts for his transgressions. Guts and Mozgus attack each other simultaneously, the former learning his Dragon Slayer cannot pierce his opponent's newly gained armored hide. While Guts is distracted by seeing the twin disciples wield their signature saws and fly toward his allies, Mozgus unfurls his wings to hit Guts with a barrage of punches from each of his feathers. Guts can only strike a few of them with his sword to defend himself; furthermore, seeing Mozgus about to breath fire on him, Guts purposely places himself in harm's way so that the flames that did not hit him hit the twins instead, as they were about to charge Casca from both sides. Still spouting flames, Mozgus curses Guts before he rams the Dragon Slayer directly into Mozgus' open mouth, deflecting most of the flames.

At that time, Guts sees that not all of Mozgus' body is covered in scales; he throws a well-aimed throwing knife directly into Mozgus' left eye to force him to let go of his sword. While Jerome is amazed by the fight, Isidro attempts to convince him and the others to take advantage of the twins' weakened condition. Expressing reluctance while being unable to run off upon seeing Farnese and Serpico, Nina finds herself jumping off the ledge of the outer wall to an abandoned merchant shack to evade an attack from the twins. Puck assures the others that Nina survived as he decides to deal with the Pseudo-Apostle personally, which shocks Isidro and Jerome. Yet, Puck uses his powers to blind the twins as they fly toward him; then, Isidro uses rocks to knock the disciples' to the ground; upon landing, they are quickly killed by Jerome.

Mozgus, furious that the last of his disciples have been killed, asks Guts if he and his cohorts intend to oppose God himself. Guts retorts that if Mozgus is so intent to offer peoples' lives to God, he should sacrifice himself to his own cause. At the same time, fending off the possessed refugees, Azan sees Mozgus' flames dying out as the corpse mounds resume their progress toward the city, the panicking refugees pleading with Mozgus to save them. However, Mozgus is too focused on fighting Guts to pay the refuges any mind, as his opponent is looking for a way to hit an unprotected part of the inquisitor's body.

Eventually, after beating the swordsman down to an inch of his life, Mozgus tells Guts to listen to the refugees' pleas, explaining that they eagerly await the day of God's triumph over the corruption of this world. He then asks the swordsman if he is so willing to deny these people the joy of seeing such a day to save the life of a witch. Guts rejects Mozgus' proclamation, saying that all the refugees ever do is pray and that they cannot move forward because of their obsession over a single woman. This enrages Mozgus as he resumes his attack on Guts, who finds his opponent's weak point on his chest and places his hand on it. When Mozgus begins to breathe fire to finish Guts off, he realizes too late that the swordsman placed Rickert's explosions on his wound and that, by breathing fire, he unknowingly lit the fuses.

Guts holds the Dragon Slayer protectively over his own body as the explosives detonate, weakening the inquisitor enough for him to be fatally impaled through the now widened wound on his chest. Mozgus, knowing he will die as his fire begins to consume him, expresses joy that he will meet God while intending to take Guts with him. However, Guts uses his strength to fling Mozgus over the battlement toward the ground below. Along with Farnese, who watches atop the wall, the refugees are shocked to see the burning body of Mozgus revert to human form, with the feathers of his monstrous form floating to the ground.

After a brief pause, the refugees find themselves being consumed by the corpse mounds. Those closest to the wall, still believing Mozgus' claims, plead with Jerome and Isidro to kill Casca before it is too late for them. The pair turn around to look at Casca and see her clutching her own arms, sweating and panting. Puck flies over to her to assess her situation, but she swats the tiny elf away. The next person to approach her is Guts, who forcibly pulls her into a protective hug as she limply reaches out to something behind him, moaning. As Azan and the Holy Iron Chain Knights defend themselves from the dead, a group of surviving refugees manage to fall back into Albion and lock the gate behind them with the rest of the refugees and Azan's men left to die.

Eventually, the corpse mounds break through the gate and flood into the city. Surrounded by a sea of corpses on both sides, Serpico diverts everyone's attention to a few stranded refugees surrounding Mozgus' burning body. Realizing that the spirits hate fire, Guts gathers many loose pieces of dried wood and sets them ablaze. While Jerome suggests fleeing into the tower like the others, Guts explains that it is a death trap and that they only need to last the night. Once everybody present, save Casca, is armed with torches, the group slowly walks along the wall toward the large corpse mound before them.

Next Episode Preview[]

Nina cries by herself, alone in a barrel while saying that because she is scared, that means she desires to live. Guts holds Casca close, remarking that he had forgotten. He then yells at Farnese to stop praying and take action, before finishing that what he forgot is that the sun will rise again. Casca then awes at Puck in his battle stance before a remark is uttered about celebrating. Farnese, Serpico and the rest of Guts' party look on at the Kushans surrounding them while Void comments how everything has been fulfilled by one voice.

Characters in Order of Appearance[]

Manga/Anime Differences[]

This section requires expansion.

Notes[]

• During the series' initial run, Casca's skin color was recolored to be noticeably darker in the opening, starting from the premier of this episode.

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