The Black Swordsman Guts' former captain and lover, Casca, has been taken by the Holy Iron Chain Knights to the Tower of Conviction of the fanatic torturer of the Holy See, Mozgus, who plans to treat the rumored witch to the proper agonies of the damned, but Guts is on his way to rescue Casca and dish out some chastisement of his own on any who get in his way. But forces in the demonic realms are in motion and are being drawn to the torture tower in what may be a prelude to a second Eclipse and an unprecedented release of malign spirits into the world