"Beast of Darkness" is episode 118 of the Berserk manga series.
Synopsis[]
In the scorched land that was once the Misty Valley, Skull Knight sits ominously atop his horse. Feeling as if it had been scorched by hell-fire, he is aware that it was Guts who caused all of the destruction. Pondering about the man's fortune due to his condition, he wonders whether Guts can keep living on such a path. He dismounts his horse and stands before the tree Rosine once considered her home. He reaches into a small gap between its roots, and extracts her beherit. He opens his mouth and swallows it whole before leaving.
Spirits forming a "beast of darkness" shape.
Guts wanders through a dark wood at night, dragging the Dragon Slayer behind him using his one good hand, which is so mangled that the bone in his arm is nearly visible. He hears the voices of small spirits surrounding him, taunting him about his killing of children in the name of his own revenge. They say that he has a dark beast dwelling within him. The spirits all come together and form a canine-like being, which floats along the ground just next to Guts. As it circles around him, the spirits explain it has an insatiable thirst for bloodshed. As it changes its face to look like Guts' own, the spirits add that Guts will eventually be consumed by hatred. Spotting the beherit, they correct themselves, saying that Guts could one day become a real monster, like his friend. It changes its face one more to resemble Femto's mask, and Guts swings the Dragon Slayer at it.
The one strike is enough to make Guts collapse. He is frustrated at how weak he is and how he never seems to make progress in his quest to kill Griffith.
Puck flies over the mountain range Guts is in, searching for him. His sharp ears pick up his location, and Puck flies down to find an unconscious Guts covered by small black spirits. Puck uses his chestnut shell to swat them away, and he comes to the humorous conclusion that since the spirits managed to take Guts down, and since he has just warded off the spirits, that he is therefore stronger than Guts.
Guts wakes. The first thing he sees is Puck who, with a huge burst of confidence, is taking out the attacking spirits. Puck's presence brings some much-needed levity to Guts' dark mood, as he can't take the small elf seriously. Together, they wait for morning to come and make the spirits dissipate. As they do, Guts thinks back on the spirits' words; he will become a monster if he stays on this path.
Guts stands, choosing to disregard this warning, stating that he is what he is and will make his way to "him". Puck flies into his satchel, and though at first Guts is not happy about it, he decides that keeping Puck around does have a strategic value thanks to his healing dust. He allows Puck to make the satchel his mobile home.
They walk through the forest together, bickering playfully now that Guts has called Puck by his name, unaware that they are being followed by Farnese and the Holy Iron Chain Knights.
Appearances[]
Notes[]
- This episode includes two vignettes drawn by Yūko Miyamura, Casca's voice actress in Berserk (1997 Anime), Berserk: Millennium Falcon Arc - Flowers of Oblivion Chapter and Berserk: Millennium Falcon Arc - Holy Evil War Chapter. A humorous recount of this collaboration is narrated in the second "Berserk Gaiden" short story (ベルセルク外伝2・奪われしパンドラの箱), which was published in Young Animal's May 5th, 1998 special issue and drawn by Kentarou Miura.