Cloud Cluster

The Apostles rush the emperor, who answers with a storm of lightning. Most weather the barrage, though one that dies drops from the sky and nearly crushes Guts' companions. Guts and Serpico remain stranded together on the capsized boat. Unsure what to do, Serpico is urged to head back to the group, since Guts is too hurt to move on his own and Serpico lacks the strength to carry him. With the Dragon Slayer still fixed in the hull, Guts trusts the planted sword to keep him safe from the bolts until he recovers enough to reach the wharf himself, and Serpico obeys.

A great roar announces Zodd, perched on a tower above the harbor. He dives at Ganishka alone, shrugs off a shock of lightning, and passes straight through the fog-formed Apostle, wheeling around again and again to try to wound him. His repeated passes finally scatter enough of the mist to rally the other Apostles, though many are still cut down. The survivors end up caged within Ganishka's body as it reshapes into an electrified dome. Watching lightning dance along his sword from below, Guts realizes only at the last instant that Zodd is nose-diving blindly toward him from inside the fog. Zodd bursts out and plunges into the harbor, hauling Guts down into the water with him.

This twenty-one-page chapter of the Millennium Falcon Arc first ran in Young Animal issue 13 on June 23, 2006. It underlines that no ordinary physical assault harms Ganishka, since even Zodd's charges simply tear through his vapor without lasting effect. The forced plunge sets up the uneasy meeting between the two longtime rivals beneath the surface.