>>5748489>>5748515>>5748534"Rickert, would you mind accompanying us to Guts' location? You could be useful in snapping him back to his true self." You ask the young boy to follow you and Zodd towards the giants' den.
"M-me? Not that I do not wish to see Guts safe, but... Are you sure this is particularly safe for me?"
"Let me be your shield, and I will make sure your contributions to Ilos are repaid by reuniting with the true black swordsman."
Having to help Rickert place his equipment on Zodd's back was somewhat unsettling, but it was a lot more comfortable than sharing space with a horse, and the fact that he can actually fly made the travel a lot more relaxing than previously expected.
After a few days, you can sense what appears to be Guts' Od in the distance, though his mind was already overtaken by the hound, constantly talking over his head and assuming control of Guts' mind.
"That... That can't be him..." Rickert was shocked to see Guts, overtaken by his hatred of the world and of himself as his narrow helm gnawed at the leader of the Giants head as he pleaded for mercy, opening his skull and cutting at his brains until he could no longer move.
"He managed to defeat all the giants by himself?"
"Yet it didn't come without a cost." Zodd points to his damaged body as you landed a dozen meters away from him. The damage is unsurmountable, and automatically removing his pain inhibiting armor would only result in him going into shock.
His human arm was twisted and mangled to the point of his shoulder being pretty much glued to his body, having to contort every time he felt like moving, his metallic arm was crushed into a pile of scraps, barely resembling a hand. His neck was bent at an odd angle, and with the way he roared and walked, you could hardly call him a human.
Spotting the Skull Knight casually killing the last of the giants, the hound inside Guts manipulated him into seeing all living forms as his enemies.
"Yes! Have faith in your evil! What has that useless bucket of bones done to you? Having all the power to kill the God Hand and never using it for a thousand years? He is as much of an agent of chaos as them! Off with his head!"
"It is a shame that I will have to fight you in this state, struggler. Yet I would rather avoid seeing you turn into an apostle." Gaiseric brandishes his sword, waiting for Guts to approach him.
>Appeal to Guts' humanity.>Astral project yourself onto the armor.>Tell Gaiseric to step aside, you will fight Guts by yourself.>Something else. 