Belial Goer, Drakken Joe’s Lair

Edens Zero Chapters 70 & 71 Review/Recap

While the nightmare Rebecca had last chapter’s important, the crew of Edens Zero has bigger problems. Drakken Joe’s finally caught up with them! Shiki and most of the crew goes to confront him on his turf while Rebecca’s passed out. As a result, the crew’s divided at the worst possible time. I hope that Shiki can stay out of trouble on Joe’s ship, the Belial Goer, but I doubt that it. Mashima’s characters have a habit of causing trouble.

Also, I should note that this week gave us two chapters at once.

Recap

Belial Goer

Shiki’s team arrives onboard Joe’s ship, the Belial Goer. However, it’s actually more than a ship: it’s an entire sector of Guilst that escaped the Chronophage,. That makes it another Space Vegas, with Joe at its head. As the crew investigates Belial Goer (and enjoys themselves) they run into an old face, Sibir. This is the version from the main timeline, though, and not the cruel monster they defeated on Norma way back. He’s just as upset hearing about the alternate Sibir did to Pino.

Right when Old Sibir leaves, though, Drakken Joe appears on TV. He knows Shiki’s on Belial Goer, and he’s one step ahead of him. Using his alchemist ether, he sends his followers aboard the ship. Their mission: kill everyone aboard.

Steel Sorceress

On Belial Goer, Joe’s locked down the docks, stranding Shiki’s team while Joe’s men seize the ship. They make short work of Edens Zero’s automated defenses. Enraged at the sight of her home being ravaged, Witch steps up to fight the intruders. She proceeds to requip into her battle form, Assault Witch.

As Rebecca watches astonished, Witch makes quick work of the enemy. Her Ether Power lets her control the elements like magic. Drakken Joe’s flunkies fall easily. Hermit then confidently explains that this is how Witch earned the nickname Steel Sorceress. With communications with Belial Goer restored, Shiki won’t let Joe’s actions slide. He resolves to confront the crime lord himself, while Joe chooses to send his elite forces, the Element 4, after Shiki’s team.

Review

These two chapters gave me a lot to unpack, in a good way. I’d been curious about how Guilst’s destruction set Drakken Joe loose on the cosmos, and this chapter explains it. He used Belial Goer as his base, but had it flee Guilst before the Chronophage ate its time. If he got his hands on Edens Zero, there’s no telling what he could do.

However, Edens Zero has proven its far from defenseless. Even with Valkyrie’s armory being warmed up, Witch mopped the floor with Joe’s goons. Between her, the other Shining Stars, and Rebecca, I don’t think they have anything to worry about. What I’m worried about is the Element 4. I remember them from Fairy Tail, and they were formidable at that point in the story. This is going to push Shiki and his friends hard.

My guess is that this arc on Belial Goer’s going to cap off the adventures in the Sakura Cosmos. As such, I have high expectations for it. These two chapters have managed to do a good job of hype me up, though. I’m not worried, and I look forward to seeing what happens.

I Give “Belial Goer” and “Steel Sorceress” a 3.75/5 and 4/5, respectively

Click here to see more animanga stuff.