Silly as it may sound, I always get excited to talk about Berserk. It’s one of those series that I can rant over from down till dusk. Writing about it just makes me really happy.
Considering the horrors we’re about to discuss, what does that say about me?
Today, we’re covering:
- The Threatened
- Omens
- Martyrdom
- Collapse
‘The Threatened’ begins with the Egg of the World continuing his story with Luca. Since leaving his hole, he’s observed the people who flocked to the tower. From the refugees to the cultists, he realized they all were drawn to the same thing: fire. Warmth and light in the dark, cold, and cruel world.
In this monologue, the Egg makes specific mention of Nina and Luca, retroactively explaining why the Apostle kidnapped Luca instead of… y’know, Apostle things. He believes that Luca was Nina’s light in the dark, one that shone light on all Nina’s most loathsome qualities while she desperately clung to on for dear life. From seeing this, he’s come to the conclusion that there is one thing missing from the world. One thing that only he could bring about.
This whole sequence is so damn creepy. Almost every panel is wreathed in shadows, if they’re not drawn almost entirely in black. All the smallfolk inhabiting the camp are drawn with feral desperation in their eyes, making them look as cravenly and sinister as the Egg itself. It does a great job of showing you the Egg’s perspective, painting the world as a waking nightmare. Worse: we know all too well that he isn’t entirely wrong.
*Interesting little detail: the Egg of the World as the Brand of Sacrifice on his tongue. Given what we know of the God Hand and their ritual, that shouldn’t be possible. But remember: he had no one to sacrifice. No one except himself. It’s a clever use of the Brand that foreshadows what is to come.
Anyways, forget all that creepy philosophy stuff! Here’s Guts fighting some angels! The chapter is basically over, but we can still squeeze in a few badass action panels before the end!
Also Nina is having a nervous breakdown. Oh no!
Anyway…
‘Omens’ begins with Farnese having a nervous breakdown (why am I getting déjà vu?). Father Mozgus, the man she’s used as the core pillar supporting her beliefs, has been transformed into an angelic monster; yet again, Guts has shattered her world. The faith she’s used to ward off her fears and loneliness since she was a little girl burn away whenever the Black Swordsman appears. Just as Luca’s kindness shines light on Nina’s most loathsome qualities, so too does Guts’ presence illuminate Farnese’s deepest insecurities and unravel the horrifying truth of her religion and her own actions. It’s a clever parallel that plays well into this arc’s themes of faith.
But forget all that! We’ve got more comedic shenanigans with Isidro and Jerome to cover.
I joke, but this does actually move the plot nice and smoothly into the next sequence. Father Mozgus decides he’s wasted enough time, so he prepares to fly off and carry out his witch-burning. Isidro tries to stop him, but as you might expect, the boy can’t do much against the ‘angelic’ Father. Out of sheer desperation, Guts charges forward to stop him, pushing through a barrage of attacks and dropping his guard just long enough for Mozgus’ priests to get ahold of him.
The panel work here is incredible at selling Guts’ panic without using dialogue. Berserk action panels are usually large and frenetic, taking up huge space on the page to illustrate the fight. It has to be in order to make room for the Dragon Slayer and the monstrously huge Apostles.
Here, they’re much thinner, like the panels are closing in around Guts, threatening to crush him. All we can see is Guts charging blindly forward, mirroring our protagonist’s current case of tunnel vision. Only when he’s placed in immediate mortal danger does the panel expand again, giving us a single-page spread of the threat closing around our protagonist. Then…
…we hard cut back to Luca and the Egg. Ooh, tension! Again, again!
As their conversation dwindles, the Egg explains his actions throughout the arc. Had he gone around turning people into monsters to fulfill his plans? Not really. Destiny was always heading towards the outcome he desires; all he did was give things a few nudges here and there to get things going. Confused, Luca asks the question likely on all our minds: why is he telling her all this?
Before he can answer, Skull Knight swoops in from above to go for the kill. Of course, he misses, and the Egg gets away. But not before answering Luca’s question. All he wanted was what most of us would want: for someone to see him, to hear him, and to know his story before he disappears.
The Egg is one of Berserk’s most underrated antagonists. He’s so damn creepy and weird, yet he’s rarely painted as a heartless monster. Sure, he turns people into monsters, but compared to the atrocities Apostles like Wyald or Rosine performed, that’s really not so bad. In his own twisted way, he’s trying to make the world a better place. He’s one of the series’ most intriguing villains, at least for me.
With the Egg’s lair beginning to collapse, Skull Knight swallows the Egg’s Behelit, scoops Luca up in one arm, then flees back to the surface. Just in time to see a dark shape rise from below.
‘Martyrdom’ takes us right back to Guts and the gang. Now trapped by Mozgus’ priests, Guts can do nothing but watch as the Father flies off with Casca in hand and Isidro on his head (I guess he just… didn’t notice). And as an extra little cherry on top, said priests begin to beat Guts bloody.
I think we can all see where this is going.
Several badass action panels later, Guts stands bloodied but victorious over the corpses of his enemies. But he’s got no time to rest. Right as he claims victory, a powerful tremor shakes the landscape, and the tower to collapse.
*Side note: I appreciate how the priests died. They suffered some of the most gruesome deaths in the arc up to now. But as they die, they don’t curse Guts or say any generic villain dialogue. They just thank their God for the time they had, then die praying. It’s oddly peaceful.
Completely unlike ‘Collapse.’ Which starts out with this.
As Skull Knight and Luca escape, we cut back to Azan and his men. The former Bridge Knight has sat out the whole night so far, so he’s absolutely clueless as to what is going on. Then nightmares beyond his comprehension show up and his night gets a hell of a lot worse. He calls for his men to evacuate, and the mound of blood and corpses begins to tear the tower down.
You know. The one with all our protagonists inside. Everyone starts falling, Serpico catches Farnese (where have you been all this time, dude?) and everyone else plunges down with the brickwork. From above, we can see the new shape of the tower: an open five-fingered hand.
Only in Berserk can the shape of a perfectly normal hand invoke absolute dread.
At long last, we’re in the home stretch of Conviction. All the mysteries are more-or-less solved, rising action is complete, and all the players are rapidly approaching their final positions. Now, it is time for the festival to begin.
You know what that means! More horrors beyond our imaginations! Yay!
Oh, look. There’s a bird circling overhead. A big ol’ white falcon.
And it’s coming in to land.
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