What do you think will happen after Elfhelm?

[guidedbylazers]

  I'm really anxious as to what will happen with Casca. I can't help but believe that this whole trip to Elfhelm is going to work out for Casca, but I don't think it's going to go how Guts wants it to go down. Do you think she'll stay in Elfhelm? Do you think she'll join Guts on a seemingly impossible mission? 

  For Guts to defeat the Godhand there is going to need to be some serious stuff to go down in his favor. I've heard theories of how Rickhert will be a badass with the time change, I've heard all kinds of crap of Slan possibly being selfish enough to say screw the Godhand the Idea of Evil pulls me to follow my own ends in lust for Guts... I started thinking and the only thing that really makes sense to me is how we've seen how powerful the Moonlight Child is, but after Elfhelm he will not be a child anymore. Do you guys think his powers will develop exponentially by then? What if the tragic rape that Griffith performed is ironically the seed that creates his own demise. Also, what if Griffith turns against Femto as well? He seems to still have a sense of duty to protect Casca. Rakshas wants to kill Griffith as well. How is this all going to tie together!!?? Please share yr thoughts
   

[jackson_hurley]

Also, what if Griffith turns against Femto as well? He seems to still have a sense of duty to protect Casca.

Well one thing for sure is that Griffith can't turn against Femto because he is Femto or rather the inverse : Femto is living in a Griffith suit for lack of a better term.

The same could be said about the child in some way. I don't think he'll grow super fast as you think. I'm not one to believe the time gap will span on a lot of time.

[Vixen Comics]

  I'm really anxious as to what will happen with Casca. I can't help but believe that this whole trip to Elfhelm is going to work out for Casca, but I don't think it's going to go how Guts wants it to go down. Do you think she'll stay in Elfhelm? Do you think she'll join Guts on a seemingly impossible mission?

I'm more concerned about how Casca and Guts will get along post healing. It really depends on how much Casca can process what has transpired since she lost it. I can only imagine that things are going to progress at more rapid pace than maybe Casca can reasonably handle.

"So yeah--that Griffith guy you admired so much totally fucked us all over, Griffith betrayed the Falcons and used their blood sacrifice to restore his body even though we tried extra hard to save him--also he is now going to take over the world! Remember how he sicced a bunch demonic rape happy cannibalistic creatures on us? Well he's doing that on a global scale now.  We need to go together to kill Griffith who is now a literal monster! And there is a bit of a time factor here because this island we are on right now time passes more slowly than on the outside world and if we stick around any longer we will be severed from the outside world and we will miss our chance to stop Griffith. Oh these people? These are my new friends/family they have kept me sane-ish since you lost your mind. We gotta leave pretty soon if we  are going to kill Griffith, so chop chop let's get a move on."

I'm obviously being very tongue-in-cheek here as in Guts would never say anything like that or throw her to the wolves so to speak, but I do believe all the things I mentioned will be very overwhelming for Casca and Guts may not get the immediate response he is looking from Casca which could also frustrate him, and I can even see him misinterpreting her reactions. The sensitive time factor I think will be the thing that will put strain on things running smoothly between them. Casca may want some time to adjust or think/reflect before she moves forward (not refusing, but hey I need time to process this, hang on a second) and I can see Guts  wondering "what is there too think about he killed everyone--now we kill him." And getting frustrated, maybe even Guts beast will come out a bit.

I don't see Casca utterly refusing to deal with Griffith, what he did was depraved and I like to think she would not let his betrayal of her comrades pass without some kind of retaliation--not to mention what he did to her. But I do think Casca will be in a state of some kind of shock on fully processing the gavity of it, and I'm sorry I don't think it's going to be quick processing. I also don't see her choosing to stay on the island (especially if she knows she'll be severed permanently from Guts and the rest of the world by possibly centuries) but I don't see wanting to leave the island the next day after she is restored unless she is forced to. But...at the same time that warning we got about the nature of the flow of skelling/Elfhelm in relation to the rest of the world and how anyone who stays on there too long is basically lost, just held too much foreboding for it not to be something to worry about. 

Several things need to fall into place for things to go well for Guts, but the top two in regard to Casca is her agreement  to leave the island and confront Femto. He needs Casca to not be resentful or angry at him and for some civility (or some of her earlier love and affection) to exist between.

I've heard all kinds of crap of Slan possibly being selfish enough to say screw the Godhand the Idea of Evil pulls me to follow my own ends in lust for Guts...

I have never heard this speculated before personally. But I say that I think Slan is in no danger of screwing over the God Hand especially not for any lust she may feel for Guts. Slan in the best position she can be in where she is right now along side the Godhand, she won't mess with that I'm sure of it.

[Salem]

Excellent response, Vixen.

[Natt_Himmel]

I'm really anxious as to what will happen with Casca. I can't help but believe that this whole trip to Elfhelm is going to work out for Casca...

As am I, this is the top thing that I've wanted to see since I begun to read the manga. A part of me still can't believe its finally happening.

...but I don't think it's going to go how Guts wants it to go down.

As someone who enjoys romantic drama maybe a bit too much, I'd say I would enjoy a new challenge for Guts. As we have seen, not much tends to go the way Guts wants it to and I don't think this time will be an exception.

Do you think she'll stay in Elfhelm? Do you think she'll join Guts on a seemingly impossible mission?

I can't think of many other places she would be able to go. To Erika and Rickert is no longer a possibility, I doubt anyone would let her travel to Falconia (assuming she would even want to) and any other place that isn't inside a hundred meter radios around Guts or Elfhelm.

As to if Casca will join her on Guts mission depends on if Guts will continue said impossible mission, meaning going forward, killing as many apostles as he needs to get to Griffith. I can see some sort of change to the story now with important and seemingly powerful characters such as the Elf Queenesqueg introduced. Whether it is a Narnia-esque war with "good" fantasy creatures vs. "evil" fantasy creatures, or some other sort of tactic is beyond me. But it's still safe to say that I am excited.

I've heard theories of how Rickert will be a badass with the time change...

And there is the second top thing I want to see regarding this manga. There is a lot of potential for Rickert and his own party now. His mechanical expertice is nothing, but exciting and unique. Silat and the Tapasa could very probably learn him a thing or two if necessary, and then there is Daiba, a very powerful magician. So whether Rickert will end up as a Magical mechanic with an expertise in martial-arts or just a cool mechanic, I'm pumped.

I've heard all kinds of crap of Slan possibly being selfish enough to say screw the Godhand the Idea of Evil pulls me to follow my own ends in lust for Guts...

I've always seen their "relationship" as a kid with a toy. Slan's lust seems to just be part of her character and Guts is a toy, which she can play around with. I don't doubt that if Guts were to die she wouldn't give it a third thought.

[CrimsonBehelit216]

What if Casca, after some time, ends up using the Beherit Guts has been carrying around after being unable to cope with her trauma now that it resides on the surface of her consciousness? I remember in one of the recent last episodes the old wizard man (forgot his name) pondered about the Beherit Guts had been carrying, if he was the owner or was delivering it to its owner. After reading, I later thought about the possibility of its real owner being Casca due to the timing of that question and the party's purpose in Elfhelm. There are some things wrong with the theory, like Casca already being a sacrifice, but have we been giving any reason to believe that sacrifices can't become apostles themselves? Or perhaps if it could be possible, her situation and the changes happening in the world could entail to something we never seen before.

[MrFlibble]

  I'm really anxious as to what will happen with Casca. I can't help but believe that this whole trip to Elfhelm is going to work out for Casca, but I don't think it's going to go how Guts wants it to go down. Do you think she'll stay in Elfhelm? Do you think she'll join Guts on a seemingly impossible mission?   

If Casca doesn’t regain her minds and normalise her relationship with Guts I’d be really surprised. The plot cant really move forward without her, Guts’ entire motivation for his journey was to keep Casca safe and restore her mind. Whether or not they will leave is another story, they still both have the brand, and the talismans that have protected them thus far have a limited lifespan, also there is no civilised world to go back to, at the moment there is no good reason for Guts or Casca to leave Elfhelm.

  For Guts to defeat the Godhand there is going to need to be some serious stuff to go down in his favor. I've heard theories of how Rickhert will be a badass with the time change, I've heard all kinds of crap of Slan possibly being selfish enough to say screw the Godhand the Idea of Evil pulls me to follow my own ends in lust for Guts... I started thinking and the only thing that really makes sense to me is how we've seen how powerful the Moonlight Child is, but after Elfhelm he will not be a child anymore. Do you guys think his powers will develop exponentially by then? What if the tragic rape that Griffith performed is ironically the seed that creates his own demise.

Maybe, but he is very powerful already, he’s strong enough that neither Griffith nor his apostles can control him. It could be the reason Griffith has largely ignored Guts is that the child would intervene if he tried to hurt him or Casca. Perhaps he will kidnap Casca to ensure the moonlight boy and Guts don’t interfere with his plans, if Casca were to tell Guts the truth about the Boy’s identity that would put Griffith in a very vulnerable position.

Also, what if Griffith turns against Femto as well? He seems to still have a sense of duty to protect Casca. Rakshas wants to kill Griffith as well. How is this all going to tie together!!?? Please share yr thoughts
   

Femto is Griffith, they’re two sides of the same coin the Falcon of light and darkness, but they’re not split personalities. It will be interesting to discover why Rakshas has a fixation on Griffiths beauty and why he wants to kill Griffith. he was also present when Skull Knight caused the howl of the astral world, maybe he was thinking "Well fuck, how am I meant to break free from Griffiths dominance when Ganiskha didn't stand a chance?!" Maybe he curses the God Hand for turning him into an ugly monster, who knows. 

[Bruth]

This has been brought up before, but I'm interested to see if the art style has a shift back to a more realistic aesthetic or keeps the cartoonish/whimsical style.
As for relationships between the characters, I expect Casca will be distant from guts but also understanding, again this depends on what we might see inside her mind in the coming chapter.
Overall, I'm more interested in seeing how Casca's restored state will affect the new mission for the crew

[Blade]

The impression I get starts with what happened when Griffith merged with Casca's Demon Child.

To me, that's Griffith's future Achilles' heel, the thing that will expose him.

Besides the Neo Band of the Hawk, we now have Rickert's situation to consider.  He may full well form a 'resistance' against Griffith's regime, and Guts might later meet up with him.

I get the feeling this is going to turn in to an epic showdown that will change the world yet again.

[Killakcin]

I'm sure there is going to be some sort of inciting event. Guts' current quest will be accomplished when Casca returns to her senses. I can see this happening in a couple different ways.

1) Casca decides she wants to kill or confront Griffith in some way. This could be due to a sense of duty, vengeance, justice, etc. However, I think it would be more interesting if she wakes up an knows that Griffith is essentially possessing her child's body, and wants to save him.

2) There is an assault on Elfhelm, and the party is forced to flee. If this does happen, I don't think they will be attacked by the Neo Band of the Hawk. My money would actually be on Ubik. That panel of him at the end of the Falconia ark looks like a war party to me, and where else would they be marching besides Elfhelm? Having Ubik show up offers some interesting implications for whoever is destined to use the Beherit. He is the one who convinces people to use the Beherit, and may be able to convince someone in the party to use it.

Either way, I'm very excited to see what happens next. Guts has been trying to reach Elfhelm for over a dozen volumes, and whatever happens next will be pivotal for the story going forward.

[Menosgade]

The impression I get starts with what happened when Griffith merged with Casca's Demon Child.

To me, that's Griffith's future Achilles' heel, the thing that will expose him.

 They haven't "merged" as far as we know. But I do agree with you. The child will probably be key in dealing with with Femto.

 And that is because Femto is virtually untouchable. Not even Ganishka could do anything to him. Skull knight with Beherit sword couldn't. Guts definitively can't, and he tried 3 times. Something different has to have the way to reach him. And we don't really know what the boy is, except he is somehow linked to Femto, he isn't human and is highly associated with the non-physical word.
Check, check and check IMO.

2) There is an assault on Elfhelm, and the party is forced to flee. If this does happen, I don't think they will be attacked by the Neo Band of the Hawk. My money would actually be on Ubik. That panel of him at the end of the Falconia ark looks like a war party to me, and where else would they be marching besides Elfhelm? Having Ubik show up offers some interesting implications for whoever is destined to use the Beherit. He is the one who convinces people to use the Beherit, and may be able to convince someone in the party to use it.

 I can't really believe that. An assault to the island would require a large amount of time and apostles, wich we don't know if Griffith can afford. Also, the island is highly protected by magic barriers, creatures (the mermaids are basically scouts if they wish), magic users, the Elf Queen and expert apostle-killer crazy painless dog, Guts. That's quite a lot 

 However, if Griffith himself would go there... that's another story.

 For now I believe Casca will recover, and she will stay there some time, alongside the group. That is because:

 1. because an attempt against Femto is currently impossible as I mentioned;
 2. she needs time to recover physically and mentally, including practicing the sword;
 3. it's safe;
 4. it's Guts' current mission. He had to choose between Femto or her, and here we are;
 5. there's really not much back in the normal world to go back to, there is only Femto, his city (wich none in the group know until now[they will probably know with magic or a vision I believe]), Rickert and a monster clusterfuck.

[Griffith]

Something like this but a shorter time frame (I hope ):



Then this:



You're welcome. Actually, I have no idea, and I think that's the correct answer because Miura always invents something new and major along the way that couldn't possibly be predicted, like Trolls, Sea Gods, current Emperor's, and even cursed armor. So I imagine it won't be different following their departure from Elfhelm. I mean, some people thought we were heading for the final confrontation around volume 20, and technically we still are, Miura's always got bigger, more textured, varied, and just complicated plans. So, basically, while we're trying to extrapolate how existing threads could be tied together, Miura's adding threads.

[jackson_hurley]

Something like this but a shorter time frame (I hope ):

God! That was far in my memories! Thx for bringing it up again. (You almost fooled me in those days)

[Sareth]

God! That was far in my memories! Thx for bringing it up again. (You almost fooled me in those days)

It continues to fool people even today.

[Killakcin]

They haven't "merged" as far as we know. But I do agree with you. The child will probably be key in dealing with with Femto.

 And that is because Femto is virtually untouchable. Not even Ganishka could do anything to him. Skull knight with Beherit sword couldn't. Guts definitively can't, and he tried 3 times. Something different has to have the way to reach him. And we don't really know what the boy is, except he is somehow linked to Femto, he isn't human and is highly associated with the non-physical word.

Check, check and check IMO.

I was thinking about this recently, what if Casca sacrifices her child? I don't know how that would effect Griffith, but it may be a way to make him vulnerable.

[jackson_hurley]

I was thinking about this recently, what if Casca sacrifices her child? I don't know how that would effect Griffith, but it may be a way to make him vulnerable.

To be honest I don't think that will ever happen. I'm not even sure it can be done.

Casca's child is too important for her and I don't see what she would gain in sacrificing him.

[Walter]

They haven't "merged" as far as we know.

The boy and Griffith were fused into one vessel. Griffith even says as much when reflecting on the Hill of Swords about the child, and its reaction to being near its parents.

[Killakcin]

To be honest I don't think that will ever happen. I'm not even sure it can be done.

Casca's child is too important for her and I don't see what she would gain in sacrificing him.

Yea, I don't think God Hand or Apostles can be sacrificed. However, Griffiths vessel may not be immune and may be weakness that can be exploited.

As for Casca's motivation, it is hard to see Casca coming up with the idea her self, or even agreeing to it if someone else suggested it. However, if the Child asks to be sacrificed, it may be a different story. If it would rather die than be possessed by Griffith, it might ask her to sacrifice. How could she say no at that point?

Idk, this is just some wild mass guessing, but it would make good use of the Beherit as a Chekhov's Gun.

[Menosgade]

I was thinking about this recently, what if Casca sacrifices her child? I don't know how that would effect Griffith, but it may be a way to make him vulnerable.

 Even if it did, you forgot the major point of a sacrifice. She'd become an apostle herself. Unless you're talking about sacrificing him with the Dragonslayer 

[Griffith]

I don't think Casca would sacrifice her child, and if it would adversely affect Griffith & the God Hand I don't think they'd offer the bargain! I mean, they aren't benevolent wish-granters bound by the Genie's Code or something, to be undone with a trick ala Jafar. I think the complication of Casca's connection to Griffith and the God Hand is challenging enough with her being mother to god's vessel.

On that note, this all made me wonder if between Griffith's own powers and the child's conection to Casca if he/they will be aware of her reawakening and how they could react.

[Killakcin]

On that note, this all made me wonder if between Griffith's own powers and the child's conection to Casca if he/they will be aware of her reawakening and how they could react.

Hmm, interesting. That could give Griffith a reason to show up at Elfhelm. I wonder if Casca will even remember her child. It may be something she only knows subconsciously.

[SkullGirl]

If Casca gets healed it will probably take a few days for her to remember everything. Their stay on Elfhelm will probably be for quite a while if Casca needs more recovery or wants to spend time with Guts alone. I just can't imagine for Casca to give up on her own child that even tried to protect her. Becoming an apostle would destroy Guts completely and it would kinda ruin the story as Guts he swore himself to never lose anything again, especially for Casca's sake.

Hmm, interesting. That could give Griffith a reason to show up at Elfhelm

I don't expect him to show up at Elfhelm since he is probably busy with developing Falconia. Besides I wonder if he will notice it if Casca is fully recovered.

[Masacrator SR]

1.- casca gets healed, thats for sure, a couple of episodes to amend things with guts and be a somewhat functional couple.
2.- Rickert arrives to silat's village and we learn more about the astral world and the merge.
3.- Skully visits elfhelm and ask for advice to dannan on how to strike down godhand, then meets guts party and more of his past is revealed
4.- Except guts,casca and puck, all crew (plus molda,cucca,yoni,tune and some sorcerers) will travel to mainland (with the help of the merrows or some stuff to keep at bay sea monsters) and see how's the world doing ( Roderick being worried for the situation on Ys, rescue survivors or something important worth the risk ).

not in that order , more likely , mixed. Obviously just my opinion.
and thats just after elfhelm....

[llafnwod]

3.- Skully visits elfhelm and ask for advice to dannan on how to strike down godhand, then meets guts party and more of his past is revealed

Do we know how SK is doing? The last I recall seeing of him was in a wide shot after Femto uses his sword stroke to split Ganishka open. I don't think we've even seen him this arc. He's a resourceful guy and probably got away, but whatever he's doing, I doubt its following Guts' party.

In any case, if he were able to easily get to Elfhelm, he probably could have let Guts and Casca hitch a ride again the last time they met and saved them a lot of trouble.

[Walter]

Do we know how SK is doing? The last I recall seeing of him was in a wide shot after Femto uses his sword stroke to split Ganishka open. I don't think we've even seen him this arc. He's a resourceful guy and probably got away

We don't need to guess at how or if Skull Knight escaped. He traveled to the top of Ganishka using the Beherit Sword technique, allowing him to pass between dimensions. He could use the same thing to escape the blast. Also, he basically has a flying horse.

In any case, if he were able to easily get to Elfhelm, he probably could have let Guts and Casca hitch a ride again the last time they met and saved them a lot of trouble.

He can easily get to Elfhelm using the above technique.  And SK works in mysterious ways. He probably has a good reason for not becoming a pack mule for Guts and his people.