So Begins, the Beautiful End.
- Original Airdate: July 4, 2021
Written by: Takuro Fukuda
Directed by: Kazuya Kamihoriuchi
Summary
More old acquaintances meet again...I think?
Touma has just learnt that with the powers he gains, he will disappear from Earth quicker. Everyone is shocked by this revelation, but Touma is still determined to find a way to not vanish from the world while still fulfilling his destiny. Meanwhile, Desast goes after Ren and Tassel runs into Storious while trying to find Luna. Now, how will the story between two former friends spanning 2,000 years turn out?
Episode Tropes:
- The Bad Guy Wins: Storious kills Tassel and claims his book, and begins the merger of Wonder World with the real world.
- Blood Knight: Deconstructed with Desast. Touma deduces Desast's devil-may-care attitude stems from his lack of a purpose. Desast doesn't really deny it so much as walk away.
- Call-Back: This is not the first time that Mei loses sight of a child she's watching over, as it happened in Chapter 3 as well. Though this time, it's Luna she loses, not Sora.
- Character Development: Touma's message about the futility of power for its own sake finally begins sinking into Ren, who's losing much of his battle-lust to curiosity about inner strength. This irritates Desast, who provokes Touma in retaliation only to be confronted with the fact he's having similar feelings.
- Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: Ren and Desast are both grappling with this conundrum mentally, responding in different ways: Ren actually ignores Desast's attempts to fight so he can ponder, considering the idea of making a change. Desast meanwhile provokes Touma in retaliation for Ren's 'faltering', only to lose all motivation to the novelist's uncanny ability to bluntly point out the issue he'd wanted to ignore.
- Did You Think I Can't Feel?: Conversed. Desast was made by Storious on a whim, without any reason behind it, but the very mention of it ends up being a Berserk Button. This allows Touma to connect the dots between this sudden outburst and Desast's interest in Ren. Touma pointing Desast's feelings out causes the Megid to lose all motivation to fight and walk off.
- Disappears into Light: Upon his death, Tassel dissolves into glowing bubbles.
- Empathic Environment: Upon Tassel’s death, the bright cheerful skies of Wonder World are replaced by a raging crimson thunderstorm.
- Environmental Symbolism: The idea of Ren and Desast Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life is conveyed through scenes of them standing in monochrome and vibrant environments respectively - with a vision of Ren’s friends approaching him to boot.
- Friendly Enemy: Storious had some sort of respect for Tassel despite their opposition, given his face upon killing him isn’t one of smug satisfaction but restrained horror. Not that it stops him from speaking ill of Tassel’s final moments when confronting Touma.
- Hope Spot: Tassel trying to talk down Storious from claiming his book seems to work for a moment. But it's all for naught and Storious still stabs Tassel anyway.
- Internal Reveal: Touma learns that Storious has claimed the Omniforce Wonder Ride Book and the sword Caladbolg for himself.
- It's All My Fault: When Storious kills Tassel, the latter blames stumbling onto the powers of Wonder World for his friends’ decline.
- Killed Off for Real: Storious points out that killing Tassel in Wonder World would make him Deader than Dead.
- Lethal Chef: Sophia can't cook to save her life even when she's using a recipe, as Daishinji finds out to his horror.
- Mood Whiplash: The episode's plot weirdly alternates between food gags and organic waste hitting the fan.
- Redemption Rejection: Done by Storious against Tassel who stabs him as he tearfully begs him to end their conflict.
- Some Kind of Force Field: The swordsmen link their power to Touma's to erect one when Tassel's death causes Wonder World to bleed through.
- The Stinger: Mei and Luna conversing in a park, then Luna makes herself scarce while Mei is distracted.
- Trailers Always Lie: The preview for this episode implied Desast would die this Chapter. He outright walks out on his duel with Touma once his feelings toward Ren are revealed to be more complicated.
- Ren meeting up with the others was a symbolic daydream as opposed to actually occurring.
- Wham Shot: Storious gathering all five books from the Wonder World's Chosen at the end of the episode.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Storious tells Touma to dispose of Desast, as he has no more need of the latter.
