Conquering the Labyrinth ｢
Synopsis[]
The aspiring first-class mages now face their second test: conquering the Ruins of the King's Tomb. A simple task, or so the proctor claims, but there's a reason this particular dungeon remains unexplored.[1]
Plot[]
The Ruins of the King's Tomb.
First-class mage Sense and the eighteen examinees that passed the first stage of the First-Class Mage Exam gather at the entrance of the Ruins of the King's Tomb for the second stage. Sense, the proctor of the exam, explains that although her exams have historically shown low success rates and speculation regarding the difficulty of her next exam has been brought up, their task is simple and should be feasible for any future first-class mage. She delivers their assignment, which is to raid the Ruins of the King's Tomb, a dungeon, and to make it to the innermost depths. As she is a pacifist, Sense clarifies that anyone that successfully reaches the bottom will pass. Blei questions if Sense intends for every examinee to fail given that the tomb has never been cleared, but Sense responds that any first-class mage should be able to achieve what is considered impossible and move forward, even in unexplored territory. Methode asks what they should do to prove their success, to which Sense reveals that she will be accompanying them, however, she will not provide any form of aid. Sense then supplies each candidate with a bottled escape golem developed by Lernen and instructs them to break the bottle to escape in the event they cannot continue, as she does not wish for promising mages to die. Additionally, she discloses that breaking the bottle will result in an automatic failure, and the bottles will break at dawn of the next day, signifying their time limit.
Sense provides the escape golems.
The candidates discuss their strategies for the exam, and Denken proposes they work together. Ton refuses, as there is no incentive to keep their teammates alive unlike the first exam, and cooperating is a risk that could lead to individuals being sacrificed. He voices his distrust for Denken specifically, as he appears to have experience with dungeons, and elects to go in on his own. Edel, Dünste, and Blei also choose to go as an individual group, followed by Wirbel, Scharf, and Ehre. Frieren and Fern are the next to enter, as Frieren believes that cooperating as a large group is no longer feasible. Sense follows them, believing them to be the safest to accompany.
Himmel tells the Hero Party about the type of journey he desires.
Frieren leads Fern and Sense through the dungeon, with Fern mapping it out as they go along. Fern comments on Frieren's vast knowledge of dungeons, which Frieren attributes to Himmel's past enjoyment and excitement towards them. She thinks back to her time in the Hero Party, where Himmel would constantly insist on mapping out every corner of a dungeon before proceeding forward. His actions puzzled Eisen and Frieren, and Himmel explained that it is best to enjoy themselves, as the journey he desires is one that consists of enjoying their adventure while also saving the world.
Back at the entrance, Kanne and Lawine enter the dungeon together, leaving Denken, Richter, Laufen, Methode, and Länge as the final five examinees on the surface. Denken criticizes the other examinees that went in for not choosing to cooperate, as they could've easily cleared the dungeon together. Richter reminds Denken that not everyone thinks the same way as him and that they probably did not favor such a strategy. He tells Denken to think of them as the brighter individuals that chose to stay and none of the remaining members would be foolish enough to fall for simple traps.
Frieren gets stuck in the mimic.
Frieren and her group arrive at a room, where Frieren observes a chest's mana. She concludes that there may be a grimoire inside, but Fern warns her that the spell to analyze treasure chests, Mikheit, revealed it to be a mimic. Frieren responds that the spell is only 99% accurate, and historic discoveries were made by those that considered the 1%. Feeling certain about the presence of a grimoire, Frieren opens the chest, and she is immediately eaten by the mimic. Fern attempts to pull her out to no avail, and Sense observes the interaction, wondering if she made the wrong decision to follow them.
Methode defends against the gargoyle.
Denken leads his group through the dungeon, and they come across a room with two gargoyle statues. The gargoyles activate, resulting in a confrontation between them and the mages. They engage in battle with Methode defeating one of the gargoyles by returning its attack. Laufen bashes another one to the ground, however, it manages to release an attack at Länge. She attempts to block it with defensive magic, but the force of it flings her back into a room that immediately closes and activates walls of spikes that move toward her. Denken manages to defeat the other gargoyle and attempts to free Länge from the room by attacking the sealed wall, but he is unsuccessful. With no other option, Denken instructs Länge to break her bottle and she complies, releasing the golem. The golem pushes apart the walls and breaks Länge out of the room, carrying her on its shoulder and bringing her back to the surface. The remaining four examinees witness the wreckage, and Denken realizes that letting their guards down for even the slightest moment could result in their deaths.
Frieren's delight over her findings.
Fern continues attempting to free Frieren from the mimic, without much success. Frieren suggests she push her deeper into the mimic to make it gag, which should force her out, and Fern does as told, rescuing her from the mimic. Fern wonders how Frieren would escape if she got stuck without anyone to help her, and Frieren describes that she would typically blow them up from the inside, though she preferred not to use this method as the resulting explosion would turn her hair into ringlet curls. They continue traversing the dungeon, with Frieren making them explore every corner. Fern notices that their expedition is going oddly smoothly, and Frieren agrees, considering the dungeon is uncharted and that they are close to the depths. She tells her not to let her guard down and initializes a break, where she marvels at the treasure they discovered.
The Spiegel awakens in the depths.
While they observe Frieren, Sense wonders how Fern is able to be so talented at her age, despite not showing any passion or obsession. Fern responds that she likely exhausted all her passion when she was young, where she trained tirelessly to become a full-fledged mage as repayment to someone dear to her. Sense asks why she continues pursuing magic, and Fern refers to Frieren's delight when discovering magic and magical items. As Fern also felt joy when witnessing this, she desired to continue pursuing magic so she could continue seeing her master happy. Sense smiles and acknowledges that she was right to follow Frieren and Fern after all, as they could find joy exploring even a cruel dungeon. As they continue on, a demon awakens in the depths.
Scharf hides his teammates from the clones.
As Wirbel, Scharf, and Ehre proceed down the dungeon, Ehre becomes restrained by Sorganeil. She detects and mentions the presence of three concealed mages to her team members, and they are subsequently attacked. Scharf guards them with Jubelade, and Wirbel notices that their attackers consist of their clones. He notes that this must be why the Ruins of the King's Tomb have never been conquered and instructs Scharf to match up against his clone, Ehre against Scharf's clone, and himself against Ehre's clone.
Denken, Methode, Richter, and Laufen prepare to fight against Frieren's clone.
Denken's group fights against a clone of Laufen and manages to defeat it. They analyze the clone and discover it to be a near-perfect replica made of magic with the same level of mana and skill as the real Laufen, though it is easily identifiable as a clone. Methode points out that if the caster of the clones can control multiple ones simultaneously, it must be a major threat, and Denken expresses that teaming up was the correct choice to make in order to have multiple options to deal with them. They approach a door and enter, arriving in a large room where a clone of Frieren descends. When Richter asks if they are capable of dealing with it, Denken acknowledges that had this not been an exam, he would have broken his bottle long ago, and the four mages prepare for battle.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
Locations in Order of Appearance[]
Episode Notes[]
- The initial scene where Sense refers to the speculation surrounding the exam does not appear in the manga.
- The sequence where Denken and his team members fight against the gargoyles is extended in the episode and shows Methode defeating the first gargoyle instead of Laufen, who defeated the first gargoyle in the manga. The scene where Denken's group fights against Laufen's clone is also extended and depicts Methode casting the final blow.
- The Spiegel awakening is an original scene in the anime.
References[]
- ↑ Crunchyroll: Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Episode 23.
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