Four Knights of the Apocalypse Volume 2, Recap and Review:

In the first volume of Four Knights of the Apocalypse, we were introduced to Percival, the child of Holy Knight Ironside. Percival begins his journey after the death of his beloved grandfather, Varghese. In chapter five, Percival is told of the prophecy, he’s one of the four Holy Knights destined to “bring destruction to the world,” and “the end to King Arthur of Camelot.” Each Knight represents a “calamity,” Famine, Pestilence, War, and Death. Percival is Death. Four Knights of the Apocalypse Volume 2 opens with the Holy Knights meeting to discuss a new prophecy and the details regarding the four. A mysterious leader announces that the four are likely to be “young lads.” He suspects that they will be “apprentices,” not Knights.

Pellegarde is in attendance and knows that they’re wrong. Percival isn’t even an apprentice yet. The four Knights are described as “a boy bearing gold colored magic,” “a boy with holiness and evil in his eyes,” “one with no fixed appearance,” and “a child with verdant, wing-like hair.” Pellegarde reveals to Ironside that Percival survived and he thinks they should raise him into a Knight. Ironside attacks him, which has no effect. He claims that he can’t allow Percival to live because he will “destroy the world.” Elsewhere, Sin, Percival, and Donny discuss the prophecy and the Kingdom of Camelot. Percival is not convinced he’s going to be destroying the world and Donny points out that Camelot was destroyed 16th years ago. Sins convinces Donny and Percival to join him.

Nasien, the mad herbalist of Echo Gorge

Hungry, Percival, Donny, and Sin go hunting. While Percival explores on his own, Donny uses bow and arrows to hunt rabbits. However, he a terrible shot. So much so that he accidently hits a giantess named Dolores praying nearby. Dolores is told by two fairies, Bob and Nob, that Percival entered Echo Gorge, a small valley in Britannia. Echo Gorge was abandoned by fairies and giants due to a strange disease that began effecting wildlife. Percival entered the former home of the giants and fairies. Inside, he encounters wild rabbits and violent tress. Suddenly, he hears cries for help. A “demon” named Nasiens, the Mad Herbalist, has captured a fairy and wants to “experiment” on him. Percival barges in and frees the fairy. He’s knocked out by Nasien and awakens to find himself stripped to his underwear.

Nasien injects Percival with a drug and is surprised by how little effect it has on Percival. Nasien seems to be your typical mad scientist character. He lacks ethics and willing to experiment on anyone. However, he’s trying to save the Gorge from dying. He has the magic of “venom mixing,” were he can “teach” his body by ingesting various poisons. Using “misty rain,” he covers the gorge in a mist, reviving it. Like Percival, Nasien was raised by his grandfather (although they’re not biologically related). The fairy Percival rescued returns with Nasien grotesquely altered grandfather, Ordo. The monster releases a poison that rots the forest. Nasien begs his grandfather to stop. In a flashback, we see Ordo dreamed of turning Echo Gorge into a “druggist’s cabinet,” for Britannia.

It’s a sin

The culprit responsible for Ordo’s transformation is Talisker, the Amber Knight. He claims that if they can land single blow on him he will explain why he turned Ordo and if they defeat him he will turn Ordo back. Nasien uses Enchant: Henbane and Belladonna, and charges at Talisker. the Holy Knight counters with Hail Impact. Talisker overwhelms Nasien and Percival until the latter’s magic emerges and swallowing Talisker’s Hail Impact. When he lands a hit on Talisker, the Holy Knight tells them why he transformed Ordo. He says that King Arthur wants a land “where humanity lives in peace.” Basically, King Arthur’s a bigot. Talisker warned Ordo to focus only on healing humans and when the doctor refused he was punished.

Talisker uses his power to control the weather to strike Percival with a lightning bolt. At this point, Percival’s magic is still unfamiliar. However, Percival’s magic allows him to turn attacks into enchantment’s. The Holy Knight finally realizes that Percival is the “child with verdant wing-like hair,” and therefore one of the four Knights of the Apocalypse. Talisker becomes excited. If he can kill Percival then the prophecy will end. The Holy Knight attacks with Calamity Bird. Sin tells Percival his magic is formed base on whatever he imagines. So he thinks of a sword and his magic takes that form. He cuts up the bird and Talisker defeating the Holy Knight. When Sin destroys the “Chaos Staff” Talisker was carrying, Ordo returns to normal. According to Sin, Chaos Staffs are “infused with chaotic magic,” a handed to Holy Knights by the King.

Arriving at Sistana

After witnessing the destruction the Holy Knights can create, Percival decides that he will take down King Arthur along with his father. After some banter, Nasien rushes to meet them. He tells them he wants to join them. Chapter 14 sets up the next volume and the Sistana arc. Ironside is in the Kingdom of Liones and we are introduced to Duke Galden and his daughter Anne. The Holy Knights are looking for the “Coffin of Eternal Darkness,” an artifact was used to seal the Demon Clan. When Sin, Nasien, and Percival arrive in Sistana they are taken to the Coffin by Percival’s magic sprites. When he digs the relic out, Anne appears and threatens to kill them all.

Four Knights of the Apocalypse volume 2 continues to expand the world, while referencing the Seven Deadly Sins, particularly the Coffin of Eternal Darkness and the Demon Clan. The Holy Knights have never been morally good but the search for the Coffin seem strange. Do the Knights intend on releasing Demons back into the world? Nasien is very similar to Percival, at least in having a shared experience of losing their grandfathers. Nasien’s grandfather returns of course and Percival’s never will. Regardless, they seemed to have bonded. I wonder what the other Knights of the Apocalypse are like. Considering the Holy Knights or King Arthur are evil, it’s likely the four are actually innocent heroes. The apocalypse could just be spin from the Holy Knights perspective.