Synopsis: Clare meets an awakened Ophelia after gaining Irene’s flash sword technique. But Ophelia doesn’t realize she’s awakened.

As Irene explained, the flash sword is basically the complete release of yoki in one arm. It’s like letting the arm awaken. The technique requires a strong mental will to keep the arm in check. Clare, however, is having a difficulty with the technique so Irene tells her that she should rest.

While resting, Clare tells Irene that she hasn’t changed at all since she first saw her. Irene explains that Claymores do not age. If Teresa was still alive, she would also look the same as before. Irene asks Clare if she thinks Teresa died because of her. Irene tells her that in a way, it is true. After meeting Clare, Teresa’s abilities as a warrior declined but Irene knew Teresa was happy to meet Clare.

Irene continues to train Clare. She emphasizes that the flash sword requires a strong mental will but Clare always has a fire burning in her heart. Irene realizes that the technique isn’t fit for her. Irene cuts off her remaining arm and tells Clare to take it. With that arm, she will be able to use the flash sword better. Clare refuses but Irene tells her that the arm is now useless to her as she has distanced herself from combat. Clare eventually accepts it and tells Irene that when all is over, she will come back and return the arm. She asks Irene not to die. Irene tells her that she will wait. She also tells her not to worry since she will not die easily.

Shortly after Clare leaves, a Claymore arrives. She is Rafaela and she tells Irene that she has been looking for her without avail since Irene hid her yoki for years. But after Irene used her flash sword, her yoki flowed out again making it possible to track her. Rafaela tells Irene that she has been sent by the organization to execute deserters. The battle between Irene and Rafaela isn’t shown and there is no confirmation whether Irene died. She did say that even if she had her arms she’d only have a chance but she also told Clare that she doesn’t easily. I really hope Irene didn’t die. She’s one of my favorite Claymore afterall.

Anyway, back to Clare she meets Ophelia who now has a serpentine appearance. Ophelia is surprised that Clare has regained an arm. Ophelia says that she’s hungry and she’s starving for some meat. She attacks Clare and is amazed at how Clare’s skills has improved. She throws Clare to a body of water and tries to drown her. Ophelia sees her reflection in the water and finds out that her appearance has changed. She realizes that she has awakened.

She blames the one-horned monster Priscilla for her awakening. She also blames Clare for it and for her brother’s death. She attacks Clare but Clare manages to cut her arms off. Clare tells her that she will be the one to kill Priscilla. Ophelia realizes that Clare has borrowed Irene’s arm thus the improvement in her skills.

Ophelia gathers the human parts of her into her tail and plays a game with Clare. She tells Clare that she must slash her way to the weakest point of her body. If Clare loses, it would mean that she isn’t qualified to fight Priscilla. If she wins, Ophelia will put her resolve in her hands. Clare starts to hack her way through Ophelia’s snake-like body. Ophelia wonders why Clare did that when she could have aimed at the weakest point directly. Ophelia thinks that Clare is stubborn and wonders if Clare has thought about the feelings of those left behind. She then remembers her brother who died protecting her. Ophelia finds it annoying and shoots out tendrils impaling Clare.

Ophelia says that Clare, who is now immobile, has lost. But for some reasons, she tells Clare that if she’s just going to die like that, what will the people she’ll leave behind do. This encourages Clare and in a burst of power, she frees herself and continues to attack. Ophelia wonders why she encouraged Clare but it is too late.

Ophelia congratulates Clare and tells her that she will leave everything to her. She tells Clare that people who put their lives on the line for others are annoying. If Clare dies, she won’t forgive her. She then asks Clare to deal the final blow before she can regenerate. Clare does so and Ophelia falls to the waters. As she fell she remembers her brother smiling as the monster attacked him. She realizes that her brother smiled because he had made sure that she was safe.

Ophelia is a complex and tragic character. At first, we see her as a psychotic warrior who reveled in killing others. Her twisted personality stemmed from her anger towards his brother who tried to save her but ended up getting killed, and her anger towards Priscilla, the Awakened Being, who killed her brother. In the end, Ophelia became that which she has sworn to kill, an Awakened Being. Realizing that she couldn’t do anything, she left her resolve to Clare.

Interestingly, as Ophelia talked to Clare about those left behind, Clare isn’t shown thinking of Raki. Hmmm.

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