Nosferatu Zodd (4), the fifth chapter of Berserk's Golden Age Arc, finishes the clash with the demon Zodd. After Zodd spots the crimson Beherit at Griffith's throat, he delivers a chilling prophecy to Guts before flying off into the night.
Guts and Griffith split to either flank of the towering Zodd, leaving him unsure which threat to face, and Griffith seizes the opening to sever one of the beast's arms. Zodd lashes out with his tail, knocking Griffith senseless, then batters Guts using the very arm that was cut away before pressing it back onto the stump, where it fuses in a hiss of steam.
Turning to finish the unconscious Griffith first, Zodd laments losing another foe capable of truly wounding him, but he freezes at the sight of the crimson Beherit hanging at Griffith's throat. Alarm gives way to fear and then to grim amusement as he recognizes it as part of the God Hand's grand design. Smashing through the keep's roof and unfurling batlike wings, he delivers a prophecy to Guts.
Zodd foretells that a true friend of Griffith is fated to die an inescapable death the moment Griffith's dream lies in ruins. He then bursts free of the keep and flies away, leaving Guts to dwell on the warning. When Guts moves toward the wounded Griffith, Casca is already tending him and orders Guts to keep his distance, laying the blame for Griffith's injuries on him.
In this chapter, Zodd is portrayed as a violent, monstrous demon who battles and injures both Guts and Griffith, making him more of a fearsome antagonist than a hero. He ultimately does not kill Griffith, sparing him only after recognizing the crimson Beherit at his throat as part of the God Hand's design.
Zodd singles out Guts for a personal warning rather than simply attacking again, smashing through the keep's roof to deliver a grim prophecy directly to him about Griffith's fate, suggesting Zodd sees Guts as significant.
No, in this chapter neither Guts nor Griffith manages to defeat Zodd; after battering both of them, Zodd chooses to leave on his own, bursting free of the keep and flying off into the night.
Zodd foretells that a true friend of Griffith is fated to die an inescapable death the moment Griffith's dream lies in ruins, then flies off leaving Guts to dwell on the warning.
When Guts moves toward the wounded Griffith after the fight with Zodd, Casca is already tending to him and orders Guts to keep his distance, laying the blame for Griffith's injuries on him.
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