We're now back to point where Battler re-entered the game. Erika has just accused Natsuhi, and you know what this means : CATFIGHT ! Eva lunges at the "culprit", and nobody intervenes (well, Battler tries, but gets an elbow to the gutt for his troubles). Erika triumphs, as she's proved whodunnit and howdunnit. There's just the question of whydunnit left. Natsuhi still denies everything, so Erika'll have to figure it out by herself.
Over at the trial, Natsuhi has gone into BSOD, and Beato is stripped of her witch rank and thrown to a pack of hungry goats. Everything appears desperate, and this would be a very good time for Battler to step in.
Any minute, now ?
And then Dlanor steps in, claiming that Battler has an OBJECTION. He has no clue how to proceed, but at least it's an opening. He'll have to battle everyone : Erika, Dlanor and her two lackeys, Bernkastel, and of course Lambdadelta the Game Master. Odds aren't good, especially as he has no plans.
Oh dear, I don't have the heart to detail the following scene. Let's just say that all of Battler's attempts to instil doubt into Erika's truths are curb-stomped by Dlanor's Knox principles, and it soon reaches pathetic levels of far-fetched-ness. (Seriously, Rosa walking through the lounge holding a suitcase with someone hidden inside ? That's just SAD...)
After everything else has failed, Battler resolves to use his last resort, that would throw back everything into the darkness : Natsuhi isn't the culprit !
That's IT ? Knox's 2nd principle : Supernatural insight cannot be USED. Does Battler have any proof to support this CLAIM ?
No, he doesn't. (Virgilia is nowhere to be seen.)
The trial for the 5th case is thus FINISHED.
Battler is pierced by this final attack, while Beato succumbs to the goats' onslaught. All of Beato's minions disappear. Everyone leaves, with Dlanor remaining the last to see Battler's corpse expire. She had expected him to be BETTER. What a PITY.
Well, er, so much for Battler saving Beato. But then, this episode is titled End of the Golden Witch. I'm not excluding yet Battler making some sort of comeback. (I mean, I've read the spoilers. I just have no clue how it will happen.)
This isn't the end, by the way : we'll next have a scene where Erika investigates Natsuhi's motive. But that'll be for next session, as I'm getting tired.
I just want to mention that the music played during the trial has been consistently awesome, alternating between a few tense tunes, Erika's whimsical but menacing theme tune, and that One-Woman Wail for the parts about Natsuhi's despair.
I also loved the device of displaying all of Beato's counter-theories in a big screen, and then crossing them out as they're eliminated. It was also a nice idea to give them (and Erika's counters) a big blank screen when they're actually stated. It gave them more gravitas.
