Tamal Kundu
Black Clover fans have long wondered what their favorite anime would have looked like if it had the budget and animation of projects such as ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.’ ‘Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King’ or ‘Black Clover: Mahou Tei no Ken’ answers the question to a degree. The magic system of that fictional universe has near-infinite potential, and the Netflix anime film taps into that, weaving a story with sympathetic villains and mind-boggling action sequences. ‘Black Clover’ is a manga series written and illustrated by Yuuki Tabata, who provides the story for the film as well. Its narrative is not part of the main storyline of the manga, but it is set after the events of the final episode of the anime series.
The film revolves around Asta, Yuno, Noelle, and their friends and acquaintances as they take on four Wizard Kings from the past, who have returned from the dead with only two purposes — the destruction of the Clover Kingdom and the remake of it according to their own vision. Here is everything you might want to know about the ending of ‘Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King.’ SPOILERS AHEAD.
Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King Plot Synopsis
The film begins with a flashback to ten years before the current events. Julius Novachrono, at the time captain of the Grey Deer squad, takes on Conrad Leto, the 27th Wizard King of the Clover Kingdom, with the help of many of his Magic Knight comrades. A young Yami Sukehiro is there, as are Fuegoleon Vermillion, Mereoleona Vermillion, Nozel Silva, and Kaiser Granvorka. Conrad’s magic, Key Magic, allows him to create keys to open and close rifts out of nothingness. The magic space behind these rifts can absorb anything Conrad wishes — from tools to grimoire to other people’s magic. This makes him one of the most powerful magic users in the history of Clover Kingdom. What makes him even more dangerous is that he has taken the eponymous Sword of the Wizard King or the Imperial Sword or Elsdocia, a weapon originally created by the first Wizard King, Lumiere (Lemiel Silvamillion Clover in some versions). Realizing that it is impossible to defeat Conrad and take Elsdocia from him, Julius seals him away along with the sword. The public is told that Conrad passed away, and Julius replaces him as the 28th Wizard King.
Exactly ten years later, on the day when Clover Kingdom celebrates the Triumph, a grand festival of magic battles held once in a decade, Yuno prepares to fight his first match against a masked man identifying himself as “The Masked One.” It doesn’t take Yuno and Noelle to figure out it’s Asta in disguise. He was exiled after the devil trials but evidently couldn’t keep himself from participating in a tournament, the winners of which often end up becoming the Wizard King, which has been Asta’s life-long dream.
Just as Asta and Yuno begin their duel, Conrad and his three new associates — Edward Avalaché, Princia Funnybunny, and Jester Garandaros — attack. Conrad broke Julius’ seal when the latter was distracted after being stabbed by Patolli. He then resurrected three former Wizard Kings: Princia Funnybunny, Jester Garandaros, and Edward Avalaché. Princia was the 11th Wizard King, Jester was the 16th, and Edward the 20th, and all of them were stripped of their titles. Conrad revived them because their fundamental philosophies aligned. Julius, now trapped inside his 13-year-old body, is no match for Conrad, who begins to drain magic from everyone in the area. Asta, being completely unaffected by Conrad’s powers, begins the counterattack, and soon, others join him.
Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King Ending: Does Asta Defeat Conrad?
The Black Clover universe has its share of disturbing and vile antagonists, but the four that Asta and his friends and allies face in ‘Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King’ are not among them, though it can be argued that Jester is unhinged. They held one of the most powerful positions in Clover Kingdom and were unable to bring real changes. It seems when they took drastic measures, they were stripped of their titles.
On Yami’s suggestion, Julius sends Asta to Magic Tool Research Lab, Branch Zero, where Nero has been working on a sheath for Elsdocia. He hopes that the sheath will be able to seal Conrad. But when Asta shows up, Conrad is already at the facility, having learned about it with the Memory Exchange Magic he stole from Marx Francois. Asta’s anti-magic abilities impress Conrad, and he realizes that he and the boy have quite a few things in common, including the fact that they both believe that their magic is never giving up.
Still, Asta and the others prove to be no match against Conrad. Yuno arrives, and they manage to escape to a Golden Dawn emergency shelter. Ten years earlier, Conrad turned the Triumph arena into a weapon with which he could siphon the magic of others. He takes Julius, Yami, other Magic Knights, and civilians captive to draw out their magic. The first Wizard King created Elsdocia to store the magic of great mages and heroes as a legacy for future generations. Inside it resides the power, wisdom, and a piece of the soul of every Wizard King since Lumiere. Conrad’s magic and the sword are incredibly compatible. As Elsdocia can absorb an immense amount of magic power all at once, Conrad intends to use it to combine the magic of the Wizard Kings with the magic he stole during attacks his forces are committing across the kingdom to create a powerful magical force to cause a disaster that will wipe out the entire population of the kingdom. He then intends to bring a selected few back with the sword’s power.
We later learn the royalists framed Conrad, and his wife and comrades were slaughtered, triggering his transition into a man bent on destroying the current order of the kingdom. However, when he asks Asta to join him, the latter brushes him off. Optimism runs through this boy’s veins like blood. He believes in changing society through his actions and cooperation. Their climactic battle takes place in and above Hage, the small village where Asta and Yuno grew up. When they were younger, Conrad and Julius also visited the hamlet and stood atop the famous skull of the demon. As it happens, a magic line that Conrad needs to access to trigger the magical explosion runs through the skull. In the end, Asta defeats Conrad by using Elsdocia, receiving powers from all his comrades. Afterward, Conrad dies and finds peace, reuniting with his allies.
What Happens to Edward Avalaché, Princia Funnybunny, and Jester Garandaros?
Edward, Princia, and Jester are almost as powerful as Conrad, and our heroes realize they can’t defeat them if they are together. The advantage the heroes have is their number, so they decide to utilize it. William Vangeance, Mereoleona, Jack the Ripper, Charlotte Roselei, and others weren’t at the stadium and escaped capture. William, Jack, and Charlotte set out to take on hundreds of thousands of magic soldiers that Princia created with her Legion Magic, while Mereoleona takes on Princia herself in a one-on-one fight. Meanwhile, Asta and Yuno succeed in breaking through Jester’s magic wall that he created with his Barrier Magic.
As Asta heads off to face Conrad, Yuno rescues Yami, Nozel, and Fuegoleon. Even though their magic has been drained considerably, they help Yuno in his fight against Jester. Elsewhere, other members of the Black Bulls and other Magic Knights take on Edward and his Ice Wedge Magic. Eventually, all three Wizard Kings are forced to utilize their ultimate powers in their respective fights. When Asta kills Conrad, those three vanish from the mortal world as well, but not before acknowledging the strength, resolve, and beliefs of their opponents.
How Can Asta Use Elsdocia? Is Elsdocia Destroyed?
As Conrad steals other people’s magic and uses them, Asta’s anti-magic abilities effectively make him the correct opponent for the former. And that’s why William and the others build a plan to get the boy alone with Conrad. Julius arrives at a critical moment during the battle and hands Asta Elsdocia, effectively marking him as the leading candidate to be the next Wizard King. Although Asta doesn’t have any magic, he receives help from his comrades, their hopes and dreams manifesting as magic. Even though Asta is merged with Liebe, the devil residing inside his grimoire, one of his wings turns translucent and magical while the other remains dark and demonic.
According to Julius, Asta was able to tap into Elsdocia because the former Wizard Kings lent him their support. Although Noelle seems to think that Jullius is teasing him, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Asta destroys Conrad’s gigantic magic bomb and kills him with Elsdocia, which shatters immediately afterward.
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