Beast Warrior

Farnese succeeds in calling forth all four Elemental Kings, and a bulwark rises around the Seahorse. She and Schierke wake, and Farnese can scarcely believe her own skill as she gazes up at the aurora marking the Kings' presence. Praise pours in from the crew around her, yet it is Guts naming her the group's new protector that brings her to tears.

With the ship secured, Guts and Schierke prepare to depart. She warns him that she has felt the Sea God's power and that confronting it will demand the armor's full strength. Guts says he trusts her, and she promises not to let the Beast of Darkness claim his mind. Kneeling so Schierke can climb onto his back, Guts lets the Beast rise at her word. She summons her luminous body and binds it to his ego, pulling the Beast's influence back. In the waking world her limp body slides off Guts and is caught by Serpico.

The wolf helmet stops short of sealing over his head, settling into a shape closer to an ordinary helm, much as it did during the fight with Daiba at Vritannis. Guts assures the others he holds control and heads off toward the Sea God's cave with Schierke's luminous form. Both Isma and the black-haired boy catch faint voices drifting from the sea. Reaching the cave mouth, Guts and Schierke sense movement stirring within.

Farnese completes the summoning of the Four Kings, warding the Seahorse and earning Guts' recognition as the group's protector. Schierke binds her luminous body to Guts' ego so he can wield the Berserker Armor's full power while keeping the Beast of Darkness in check, the helmet taking a controlled form. Guts sets out for the Sea God's cave, and both he and Schierke sense activity as they arrive.

This Fantasia Arc chapter runs twenty-one pages and was published in Young Animal issue 23 on November 26, 2010. It parallels the earlier Vritannis battle against Daiba in showing Guts using the armor in a partly controlled state.