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"Familiars" is episode 239 of the Berserk manga series.

Synopsis[]

As Guts stares out the window of the cabin, he notices a cloud of fog roll in from the beach. An instant later, his Brand of Sacrifice begins to bleed. The rest of the group wakes and Guts warns them of the approaching enemy. Schierke can sense that their foes are not the usual nightly wave of spirits, which shouldn't appear thanks to Guts and Casca's talismans.

GutsFiresCrossbow

Guts kills the intruding crocodile with his crossbow.

The door of the cabin bursts open, revealing their enemy: a spear-wielding crocodile. It throws its weapon at Isidro, who dodges it, and is shot numerous times by Guts with his repeater crossbow. It drops dead instantly. Schierke realizes that the crocodile is acting as a familiar for a magic user - the crocodile was being possessed by a spirit which was, in turn, under the control of a magic user, giving said magic user control over the animal.

Serpico glances outside to see more spear-wielding crocodiles emerging from the fog and advancing on the cabin. Due to it being a night of the full moon, Schierke deems her magic's potency enough to summon the protection of the Four Kings, like she did in Enoch Village to protect the church from attacking trolls. Guts uses bandages to bind his hand to the hilt of the Dragon Slayer so that his grip won't come loose as he swings it. Schierke attempts to convince him not to fight in his weakened state, but Guts insists that he's fine. Schierke relents, but warns that the full moon is the time that a person's mind is most unhinged.

Isidro begins the counterattack by throwing some consecrated berries at the crocodiles. To his delight, they explode on impact, a side effect of using them during the full moon. Serpico's sylphs are also more effective and powerful, having no trouble lifting him into the air when he jumps or slicing the crocodiles apart.

Isidro is having more difficulty in dealing with the crocodiles. His being a child means that he is used to fighting enemies much larger than himself, and thus tends to attack from below; since the crocodiles are animals, they also have a low posture, meaning that Isidro literally cannot attack from below. Puck provides a solution: stun the crocodiles with consecrated berries and strike while they are distracted. Isidro manages to dispatch one enemy this way, but the tactic proves too effortful to be of use against so many opponents.

Enter Guts, who easily cleaves several crocodiles apart in a single swing. Though his condition has greatly improved, he is unnerved by the fact that his hand is shaking, a consequence of over-using the Berserker Armor. Guts takes a moment to bolster his resolve and then staightens, ready to continue fighting. Unbeknownst to him, the little black-haired boy in Casca's arms is watching him intently.

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