Synopsis |
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Loew Village Enchanter Sou reveals himself to Maka as Giriko, an acolyte to the creator of demon weapons, the heretic witch Arachne. As Maka battles Giriko, an injury in combat paralyzes her, forcing Crona and Ragnarok to protect her against both Giriko and the newly arrived Arachne. |
The Trial Enrollment (Part 2) is the twenty-fifth chapter of the manga Soul Eater and was reprinted in tankōbon form in Volume 7. It was adapted as Episode 26 and part of the beginning of Episode 26 of the animeSoul Eater.
Featured Appearances[]
Characters
DWMA Students and Friends
DWMA Faculty and Staff
- Giriko (under the pseudonym Sou)
- Villagers
- Arachne (first appearance)
Locations
- Death City
- Loew Village, Czech Republic
- Outskirts
Techniques
Objects
- Oldest Golem
- Paralyzing spider silk thread (first appearance)
- Spiders (first appearance)
- Justin Law's Dune Buggy (first appearance)
Plot[]
Death Weapon Meister Academy Library[]
Franken Stein peruses books for more information how the Kishin's Madness Wavelength could transform a defensive soulless golem into a threat. As the Oldest Golem was created 800 years ago—around the time when the first Demon Weapons were created—he conjectures that "the soul of 'Arachnethat heretic'" has reawakened as well.
Outskirts of Loew Village[]
At sunset, The Oldest Golem growls, causing concern for Crona. Soul Eater transforms into his scythe form as Maka Albarn prepares to fight. But then Maka's Soul Perception notices something abnormal with this golem: it feels alive, a soul wavelength occupying this golem, which resembles the eight legs of a spider.

The Enchanter known as Sou realizes that a meister even as young as Maka has uncovered the secret he has been hiding. He explains that he programmed his own memories into his own genes, which he passed onto his children for thirty generations, 800 years—and the wait has been maddening. But at least those 800 years have allowed him to build up his strength to fight the DWMA. Now that Asura has awakened, a flaw has emerged within the Academy that Sou can exploit: he has no need any longer to pretend to be a "good little boy." As Sou grows far less polite and more coarse, referring to Maka and her peers as "stupid dipshits," his body begins to transform into a number of chains and gears: he is the weapon Giriko, a chainsaw to be operated by the Oldest Golem. And as Giriko controls the Oldest Golem, he needs no meister.
The Oldest Golem releases another roar, as within it Giriko's voice shouts: "Havoc!! Murder!! Mayhem!! Horsepower!!" Even as the Golem rushes towards Maka, she stands in place, ordering Giriko to stop or else be killed. Maka does not move even as the Golem drops the chainsaw beside her head, so Giriko's reflection may appear in that blade to mock her: "I ain't even started my engine yet, baby." As the Golem grasps the starting rope, as Soul realizes Giriko is charging up his soul wavelength through the chainsaw's motor, which to Maka feels like "murderous rage," 800 years of bloodlust ready to unleash onto this world. Giriko is furious how he had to feign politeness so to avoid detection by the DWMA, "suckin' up and kissin' ass," wasting his time for 30 generations. But now Giriko intends to break all the rules.
The Golem swings Giriko, slicing the stone work below Maka's feet, throwing her back towards Crona. But Giriko is so lost in his rambling, mad from faking politeness, that Maka has time to stand up again and determine a strategy. Maka realizes that Giriko will not surrender and too large for her to take down.
Maka determines she can attack Giriko from a distance, but she needs an opening—which Ragnarok's Screech Alpha could provide. But Ragnarok refuses, claiming he would not help even if Maka gave him three pieces of candy. Maka therefore offers four pieces of candy—infuriating Ragnarok more, as he claims he was merely giving an example, not an offer. As the Golem rushes towards Maka, she shouts that she will offer six pieces of candy, but again, Ragnarok refuses, claiming his concern is out of principle, not out of a desire for candy. The Golem now stands before Maka and Crona, holding back the chainsaw and ready to bring it down upon the two meisters. Desperate, Maka shouts that she will give Ragnarok fifteen pieces of candy—and Ragnarok, impressed with this offer, accepts, dragging Crona forward as, with just his one tiny hand, Ragnarok repels Giriko's powerful attack. Ragnarok then brags that, while Maka knows how to haggle, he is even better, as he would have helped Maka for only three pieces of candy. Ragnarok then mocks Giriko as a "lunatic" whose chainsaw is going too slowly to harm him, and with one punch, Ragnarok punches back the chainsaw. Maka is impressed—and terrified, realizing she actually fought Ragnarok earlier.
Ragnarok then transforms into his sword form—which Crona realizes is considerably thinner than before, frustrating the Black Blood weapon. Crona refuses to take blame for Ragnarok's new size, as meister and weapon perform Screech Alpha. Maka rushes at the Golem, whose size will make it too slow to dodge her quick attack. Maka swings Soul at the Golem, but her attack is not strong enough to get through the Golem's hard body. Giriko agrees, bragging that he has kept good maintenance on this 800-year-old golem. Soul notices the Golem is ready to attack with a chainsaw from the left, so Soul urges Maka to retreat. Maka refuses, intending to "keep up the pressure...even if I have to do it on guts alone!!"

Spider threads paralyze Maka
From within the slice Maka made in the Oldest Golem's side, threads erupts, passing over Maka's body until she feels her body immobilized. Soul senses something is wrong, as Giriko prepares to cut her guts out. Giriko brings the chainsaw down—which Crona blocks with Ragnarok, with much difficulty. Despite holding against Giriko's attack, the Golem is able to knock the meisters back, each slamming into the machine-infused trees around this battlefield. While Crona can stand again, Maka is disabled. Soul transforms into his human form, unclear what to do as he attempts to lift his meister. But upon touching Maka, Soul finds the threads coating his hand.
The Oldest Golem growls, while Soul and Crona sense something emerging from the surrounding forest: spiders are descending along the trees and across the battlefield. Giriko smiles, pleased that these spiders have come "home." He welcomes the return of Arachne.
DWMA Library[]
Stein has been reading through a stack of book, recognizing that no normal golem would ever respond to a madness wavelength. But if "that heretic" occupies the Oldest Golem, then it would make sense how she could enact her will upon the Golem. Stein then finds more information in one history book about the Czech region 800 years ago that may explain the threat Maka is facing.
According to Stein's history book, 800 years ago, mass hallucination spread through the Czech and surrounding nations, but the reports had no particular pattern, hence the investigation was closed. But all these years later, Stein then notices a pattern about the locations where the hallucination was reported: Prague, Klatovy, Gmünd, and Šumperk, all of which happen to be centered around one village—Loew. Taking these reports collectively, 500 thousand people saw two-inch black lumps, passing by their vision like something out the corners of their eyes. And when Stein realizes the witnesses reported the black lumps look like spiders, Stein realizes these were not hallucinations but actual spiders, controlled by that heretic: she split her body into pieces in the form of baby spiders, scattering them around the world, while leaving her soul within the Oldest Golem.
On a mirror, Stein calls Death, realizing the Oldest Golem contains the soul of the eldest Gorgon Sister and "the mother of demon weapons," Arachne. Stein also realizes why she has appeared now so soon after the Kishin's revival, as of course she would be the first to be affected by the madness wavelength: "She was the most brazen heretic in the witch community...the darkest blemish on the witch order...a witch who dared use the souls of other witches to create the first demon weapon."
Realizing this battle is too much for Maka and Crona, Stein intends to travel to the Czech immediately. But as Death already had a bad feeling of leaving this mission to only students, Death has already sent a Death Scythe to Loew. As well, Death notices how Arachne's own madness wavelength, even all the way in Loew, is augmenting the madness within Stein. Death urges Stein to maintain his sanity.
Loew Village[]

Residents are displeased as loud music rumbles through their village. Riding a four-wheeler with loudspeakers, and a coffin hitched to his vehicle, Justin Law is concerned that one coffin may not be enough when he completes his mission.
Meanwhile, in the outskirts of the village, the spiders blanket the battlefield, beginning to crawl around the Oldest Golem, as the paralyzed Maka, held up by Soul, realizes the spiders are drawn to that golem's soul. Sensing the threat that awaits them, and with Maka and Soul unable to join this battle, Crona stands before Maka, promising to protect her. Maka blushes at this remark.
The spiders form around the Oldest Golem, until a humanoid body begins to form. Speaking to this woman who is emerging from the spiders, Giriko brags how the Kishin's madness has made this world a lot more welcoming. Crona glares as the witch Arachne emerges, claiming that Arachnophobia lives again.
Manga and Anime Differences[]
- In Episode 27, more of the library's book titles are visible, many focused on Excalibur. This visual gag is not apparent in this chapter.
Trivia[]
- Whereas Chapter 24 referred to Giriko as Saw, in this chapter he is referred to as Sou.