Summary: Eleven demonic tribes gather in Lucifer's palace to discuss what to do after the five years since Cocytus fell.
They want revenge on the humans, but Lucifer tells them to be patient, that power as great as the humans currently have will lead the one who uses it to his death, and that they should just stand by and wait.
The demons obey his order and then ask him about Azazel, whom they haven't heard from since he broke into the human capital.
In the human world, Azazel is still Charioce's prisoner and gets condemned to fight for his life in coliseum tournaments.
On the other hand, Nina and Jeanne travel in Hipogriff while transported by the Dragonfolk Village elder, heading towards the land of the gods.
While on their way, they must pass through a strong storm that acts as an anti-invasion barrier to the heavens.
As the elder cannot pass through it because it's stronger than the last time she flew over there, she takes Hipogriff and throws it with Nina and Jeanne inside, into the highest skies.
Nina and Jeanne reach Vanaheimr, and guardian angels of the area quickly spot them.
At the same time, in the Vanaheimr sky, El is isolated in a room, unwilling to talk to anyone since he awoke from unconsciousness after fighting the humans.
Worried about him, Sofiel asks Bacchus and Hamsa to look after him. Bacchus, annoyed, tells her that it was logical that he'd react that way since no one likes to obey when things get done the way someone else wants.
Bacchus agrees to take care of him when Sofiel offers him wine in exchange for doing as he has asked.
Jeanne and Nina walk through the forest in the land of the gods. Nina is impressed by the size of everything there and even eats some berries.
As Jeanne and Nina taste the fruits, a female angel appears and attacks them, but Nina restrains her.
Jeanne calms things down by telling her that they haven't gone there to fight but are looking for her son.
Hearing their reason for their visit, the guardian angel guides them to the city.
Walking through the entrance, Nina comments that she imagined the land of the gods to be more lively and bright, and regardless, it's simpler than she thought. After hearing the comment, the female angel decides to lead them to a special hall.
Nina marvels at how nice the place is, but the female angel explains to her that the lights represent the gods fallen in battle. She tells them that not long ago, the kingdom was full of life, but with the return of Bahamut ten years ago, several gods perished by saving the world with their sacrifice. And yet instead of thanking them, the humans take the gods' lives.
Jeanne begs for forgiveness, and Nina grieves and wonders what Chris/Charioce intends by making even the gods detest him. She can't bear being unable to understand him, but even so, she can't accept the idea of everyone hating him.
Charioce visits the new lab facility and oversees the developers and workers hurry to repair and finish Dromos. He needs it since the seal in Eibos has reached its limit, and the dimensional fissure there may open at any moment.
The leader of the Onyx Task Force tells him that they must break the seal before that happens, to which the scholar advisor adds that, perhaps, they should leave everything in the hands of heaven, a comment that annoys Charioce, who gives him a murderous look.
Charioce comments to his right-hand man that once he has broken the seal, he'll have to use Dromos again. The leader warns him that this is too dangerous and that, this time, he could lose his life. Charioce insists that, even if that's the case, he won't hesitate to shoot since that's better than the end of the world. He further says that just as the Onyx soldiers risk their lives and don't know how long their bodies will last, the same applies to him.
The royal scholar only listens from a distance and comments to himself that young people are always in a hurry to die.
In parallel, while Azazel survives the clashes in the coliseum and wonders why he insists on staying alive, El contemplates his ocarina, missing him.
Bacchus tries to cheer El up by bringing him food and telling him that consuming it will make him feel better. However, El ignores him but changes his attitude when he senses Jeanne's presence in the Vanaheimr sky.
Sofiel greets Jeanne and Nina and is happy to see her old friend who saved her from death two years ago.
She takes the opportunity to tell Jeanne that El is with them and safe. Jeanne is so relieved to hear this that she sheds tears of happiness.
Gabriel welcomes her as well, and Nina is amazed to note that all the gods are beautiful.
Jeanne asks Gabriel to see El, but she tells her that he's confined because he used his power to go to war against the humans and only succeeded in getting them defeated by them. And that, since then, he no longer trusts the gods.
Jeanne insists that she wants to see her son, and Gabriel mischievously agrees, telling her that she could make El trust them again.
Jeanne reunites with El, and Nina with Bacchus and Hamsa.
El tells his mother how he survived since leaving him with the slaves and how Azazel —whom he describes as a good person— has helped him ever since.
Jeanne is very surprised by what he tells her, and then El asks her to take him out of where he is and bring him to the surface because, now that he has freed her from Charioce, he wants to bring peace to the world. However, Jeanne refuses because it's too dangerous, and she fears for his life. El insists, but Sofiel intervenes and tells him that he can't do anything in his current condition and that he must listen to Gabriel, but El gets pissed off and says that listening to her won't bring the world peace and that the only one who can do that is himself.
Style: The idea is delivered through the female angel's account of how the gods sacrificed themselves so that others might survive. It's then strengthened by Charioce, who will sacrifice herself so that others might survive.
Point of view: Nina's and Charioce's predominate as they see what it costs to bring peace to the world.
Tone: Imperative
Fixed literary devices:
- Transversal themes:
- Love
- Identity and Secrecy
- Transversal symbols (motifs):
- Fireflies
- Blue light
- Winged lion
Mutable literary devices:
- Episode Themes:
- Sacrifice and Survival
- Reunion
- Capture and impossibility of escape
- Peace
Conflict: Sacrifice vs. Survival
Thematic elements:
- Sacrifice vs. Survival:
- Gods fallen in battle sacrificed themselves for the sake of humans, but they don't thank them and only look out for their survival.
- Charioce is willing to sacrifice himself to stop the imminent catastrophe that's about to happen if the interdimensional rift breaks for the world to survive.
- Azazel sacrifices demons in the coliseum to ensure his survival, although he doesn't know why he's fighting for his life.
- He tells Jeanne how he has survived since the moment they separated from each other.
- Capture and Impossibility of Escape:
- El is confined, and neither Gabriel nor Jeanne will let him escape.
- While in prison, Kaisar can't escape his cell.
- Azazel remains imprisoned and has no escape as long as he has a demon shackle on and is guarded at all times.
- Peace:
- El claims that only he can bring peace to the world and that listening to Gabriel won't lead them to that reality.
- Charioce is willing to sacrifice himself by shooting Dromos to bring peace by preventing the chaos that Bahamut can unleash.
- Love:
- Nina fails to understand Chris/Charioce's reasons for doing what he does, but she can't hate him, let alone bear to have others hate him because she knows it's good in him.
- Jeanne reunites with her beloved son El after two years of separation.
- Identity and Secrecy:
- Nina is torn between the two faces of the man she loves and wonders what the motives are behind his actions.
- Jeanne learns that the one who helped El all this time is Azazel.
Symbols:
- Books: They symbolize knowledge. Lucifer has a bookshelf and is always reading because they're linked to him in a metaphorical sense since he's like a scholar, an enlightened one.
- Light: Lucifer emits light as the Morning Star. He's the fallen angel of light. And, as with books, they also symbolize knowledge and enlightenment.
- Fireflies: One of the meanings of fireflies is death. The Japanese people have given fireflies a very melancholic symbolism. They believe these creatures are the souls of soldiers who have died in battle, seen as heroes. By moving upward, they emphasize their status as heroes.
- Blue lights: As a parallel to the symbolism of the fireflies, there's the symbolism of the ascending lights in the hall of recognition to the gods fallen in battle at the hands of Bahamut and humans. The blue light is an angel light usually attributed to the archangel Michael.
- Winged lions: While for Charioce it has a messianic meaning, being in the land of the gods symbolizes divine power.
Scenarios:
- Hell
- Cocytus
- Lucifer's Palace
- Land of the gods
- Vanaheimr
- Forest
- Angel City
- Gabriel's Palace
- Royal City of Anatae
- Coliseum
- Prison Island
- Dromos
- Eibos
References:
- City of God: Brazilian movie whose slogan is 'If you run, the beast catches you; if you stay, the beast eats you'.
The theme of the episode is linked to El, Azazel, and Kaisar as they are in a situation they cannot escape. - St. Mark's Lion: While for Charioce it has a messianic meaning, being in the land of the gods, symbolizes divinity.
Foreshadowing:
- Foreshadowing lines:
- Charioce's death:
- Lucifer: The power that humans wield won't last forever. A power so great for the one who wields it must wane, just as it happened to Belzebuth ten years ago.These lines foreshadow Charioce's death, for when Dromos will no longer represent any danger to the demons when he dies.
- Charioce: When the time comes, the seal will break, and I'll have to shoot this one more time.Onyx Soldier Leader: It's too dangerous. Next time you'll lose more than just your left eye.Charioce: Even if I die, I won't hesitate. Isn't it the same for you? It's better than the world ending, isn't it?Like Lucifer's lines, Charioce's lines confirm that he risks death by using Dromos a second time. And it can also be deduced that Charioce fears the fissure breaking prematurely, unleashing Bahamut.This conclusion can be drawn since, thanks to Gabriel, it's known that Dromos possesses a destructive power equal to Bahamut's, and the latter is sealed in Eibos.
Characters:
- News:
- Ridwan (female guardian angel):
- General description: She guards the forests of the land of the gods from invaders. Apparently, she's the guardian angel in charge of the area.
- Physical description: Blond and blue-eyed female. Petite. She wears glasses, and her weapon is a spear.
- Psychological description: She harbors resentment against humans, who, instead of thanking the gods for their sacrifice for a peaceful world, kill them mercilessly.
- Previous:
- Nina: Thanks to the village elder, she arrives in the land of the gods with Jeanne, where a guardian angel attacks her and Jeanne while defending the territory. Jeanne intervenes and reveals her reasons for being there, and the angel then guides them to the city.Entering the city, Nina is struck by how simple and empty the place is. The guardian angel explains the reason after taking them to a room that honors warriors who have fallen in battle. The angel tells her that while for the Bahamut incident gods and humans joined forces, mankind doesn't thank them with prayers and only eliminates more gods, as happened in the recent war.After realizing how much the gods despise Charioce, Nina further questions what motivates him to act as he does. Nina can't understand it, but she can't stand everyone hating him, as she knows there's goodness in him.Nina and Jeanne are led to Gabriel and Sofiel. Nina comments that all gods are beautiful and waits patiently until Jeanne asks Gabriel for permission to see her son.As she accompanies her, she notices that Bachus and Hamsa are there as well, though she ignores them because she's overjoyed to see Jeanne and Mugaro reunited after so long apart.
- Chris/Charioce: He orders the developers of Dromos to hurry and get the weapon ready as soon as possible. The interdimensional fissure in Eibos may expand at any moment, and you must prevent that from happening by breaking the seal first (*).(*): Charioce is willing to sacrifice himself in order to save the world from the chaos that could be unleashed if Bahamut is released too soon.Given the concern of the leader of the Onyx Task Force, he tells him that his situation is the same as his and his men's and that he'll shoot Dromos without hesitation, even if it costs him his life.
- Jeanne: She arrives in the land of the gods with Nina's and the village elder's help and asks Ridwan to allow her to see her son.The angel first takes them to a hall of homage to the gods who have fallen in battle. Jeanne asks for forgiveness for all the harm humans have caused the gods by not worshipping them and killing them mercilessly. Subsequently, Ridwan guides her and Nina to Gabriel's temple.Upon entering the temple, she's happy to see Sofiel safe and sound and to hear from her mouth that he's okay. Then, Gabriel welcomes her and negotiates with her to visit his son. Gabriel grants her permission, thinking that if Jeanne persuades him, he'll regain confidence in the gods.Upon reuniting with El and lovingly hugging after two long years, Jeanne learns what has happened to him since she left him with the enslaved demons. He tells her that Azazel took care of him all this time, which surprises Jeanne, as her son insists that he's a great guy and a good person since he helps the demons who need it most.When he tells her he wants to go to the surface to bring peace, Jeanne refuses because it's too dangerous. However, El insists and tells her that listening to Gabriel won't get them anywhere, as he's the only one who can bring peace to the world.
- El/Mugaro: He's confined and doesn't want to talk to Bacchus, Hamsa, or anyone else, as he feels betrayed after being used by Gabriel to go to a battle that he ended up losing and that didn't lead him to be reunited with his mother.Bacchus and Hamsa try to cheer him up but to no avail. Only Jeanne's presence in Vanaheimr manages to animate him since it means that his attack on the humans wasn't in vain, and his mother managed to escape from Charioce's hands.After reuniting with her and hugging each other, El tells her everything he has gone through since they separated.He tells Jeanne that Azazel helped him survive the last two years and that he trusts him. And then, he asks Jeanne to take him to the surface because he wants to bring peace to the world. However, Jeanne refuses. El insists that she agrees to his request, as following Gabriel's instructions won't lead them to the peace he wants to bring.
- Azazel: He's been sentenced to fight for his life against other demons in the coliseum. However, he doesn't know why he's still fighting for his life after all the evil he did by dragging people important to him to an unhappy fate.
- Sofiel: She asks Bacchus and Hamsa to help her cheer El up. She persuades Bacchus to do so after offering him wine in exchange.Sofiel receives Nina and Jeanne, whom she's happy to see. She thanks her for saving her two years ago and calms her down by telling her that her son is safe and sound and that they have him confined to ensure his safety.
- Gabriel: Welcomes Jeanne and tells her that she can see El, as perhaps she can regain her trust in the gods.She's quite manipulative, and none of her actions are based on anything that doesn't suit her. She's adamant that she will succeed in manipulating El to further use him in her plans against Charioce.
- Bacchus: He's upset with Sofiel for forcing El to go to war. Nevertheless, he agrees to encourage him when she promises to give him wine if he does. Bacchus does what he can, but El doesn't accede. When Nina and Jeanne arrive, he gets very happy but is sorry when Nina doesn't greet him or Hamsa, but Mugaro.
- Hamsa: He's in favor of following Sofiel's instructions and helps Bacchus to raise El's spirits. He rejoices at the sight of Nina.
- Onyx Task Force leader: He worries about Charioce, who has decided to sacrifice himself as soon as Dromos is completed and can shoot it.
- Royal scholar: He does what he can to complete Dromos on time, although he doesn't guarantee anything. Remarks that the young like Charioce always are in a hurry to die.
- Dragonfolk Village elder: She manages to get Nina and Jeanne high enough so that by throwing Hipogriff to Vanaheimr's they can reach the land of the gods when she's no longer able to face the storm that acts as an anti-invader barrier.
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