The Beherit Sword[expl 1] (literally "Sword of Pump-priming"; Dark Horse: Sword of Actuation) is the result of the Skull Knight's thorned sword being coated in the molten mass of countless ingested beherits stored within him.
Story
The Skull Knight attempting to strike Femto down with his Beherit Sword.
The Skull Knight was forced to unveil his Beherit Sword following Slan's defeat in the deepest level of Qliphoth. He used it to send the subsequent swarm of multiplying trolls and ogres swirling into the Abyss before tearing open a portal leading to Qliphoth's uppermost level, which he used to escape with Guts and return the swordsman to his companions.[1]
Later, atop the twice reincarnated Ganishka, the Skull Knight uses the Beherit Sword in a seeming attempt at Femto's life; however, the sword stroke aimed for Femto is redirected by the demon towards Ganishka, tearing open the apostle-emperor's enormous Shiva form and triggering the Great Roar of the Astral World.[2]
Abilities
An abyssal vortex, torn open by the Beherit Sword.
By virtue of being comprised of numerous molten beherits, the Beherit Sword is likewise capable of reaching into the deepest depths of the Astral World. It can also be used to tear open interdimensional portals leading to other locations within the Physical World, allowing for well-nigh instant travel.[1] A space-distorting sword stroke dealt by the Beherit Sword splintered Ganishka's twice reincarnated form and brought about the Great Roar of the Astral World.[2]
Notes
- 喚 (as in Yobimizu no Tsurugi) is an amplification of 呼 (as in ikai e no yobimizu), conveying an act of initiation of greater intensity (nuanced in interpretation and extending to calling, awakening, summoning, etc.); e.g., the elevation of a "call" to a "scream". This parallels how the sword is comprised of numerous beherits rather than a single one, and how it is capable of cutting through dimensional layers rather than merely summoning a dimensional plane.
- Despite commonly being colored crimson in mediums outside of the Berserk manga, the Beherit Sword has no confirmed color. Additionally, whereas a Crimson Beherit is reserved exclusively for members of the God Hand,[3] the Skull Knight clarifies that the beherits which constitute the Beherit Sword are those he has taken from apostles specifically.[1]
- "Sword of Resonance" is a well-known mistranslation of the sword's name.
Explanations
- ^ A key part of the sword technique's original Japanese name, 喚び水 (yobimizu), is shared with 異界への呼び水 (ikai e no yobimizu; literally "drops of primed water leading to another world"), the name beherits are referred to as in the original volume 13 version of episode 82. 呼び水 refers to pump-priming, particularly relating to water pumping (with 水 meaning "water"). Though "Sword of Actuation" communicates the act of initiation conveyed by 喚, it fails to incorporate the attribute of "water" conveyed by 水.