Reign of the Seven Spellblades 10 gives three tragic, shocking, and horrifying backstories with Katie, Oliver, and Professor Demetrio.
While the series has always teetered toward dark, Reign of the Seven Spellblades 10 delivers horror on another level. It’s no exaggeration to say many readers will clutch the pages in horror while simultaneously praying for bloodshed. This volume has shocking revelations, culminating in the next teacher in Oliver’s crosshairs. Violent, sweet, unspeakable, and more, Reign of the Seven Spellblades 10 is many things, but never dull.
The volume, created by Bokuto Uno, illustrated by Ruria Miyuki, and translated by Andrew Cunningham, is lengthier than previous volumes yet doesn’t feel overly long. It includes four chapters and a prologue and opens with Leoncio recalling his home life. The Yen Press light novel is similar to series like Harry Potter—as most magical school books do nowadays, but it’s both broader and darker. Reign of the Seven Spellblades 10 raises the question of what other shocking moments might come.
Reign of the Seven Spellblades 10 Starts Shocking
Never mind Leoncio’s obsession with Godfrey; the greatest shock is Katie’s backstory in the first chapter. There are things that, however horrific, are sadly known to exist in the world. So, while they break one’s heart or enrage them—as the story demonstrates later—they are not as surprising. As the last story ended with Katie touching the tir—dangerous beings from another world—this volume had to address it. The discussion between Katie and her friends shows two things—they adore her, and she is a danger to herself.
As a child, Katie gave her arms to newborn animals to eat because she didn’t want them to devour their mother. Now, of course, in this magical world, and given her parents’ skills, they can fix her. But the pain she went through must’ve been unbearable. Yet that’s the strength of her conviction. She believes that all creatures deserve equal rights and all can be good. The circle of life and animals like carnivores killing others to sustain themselves is something she does not believe in. The fact that so many students expect her to wind up consumed by a spell says a lot. For them, her downfall is not an ‘if’ but a ‘when.’
Oliver’s Story Gets So Much Worse During His Battle
While not going into detail here, fans of this series might want to prepare for this volume or skip certain sections entirely. Reign of the Seven Spellblades tells readers that something happened to him when Oliver admitted he had intimacy issues. But his past is worse than expected. The issue surrounding this is his trauma feels like overkill. It’s like many movies that—to make something unique—decide to sink into the most disturbing and horrific tales.
While it’s not as graphic as some, Oliver’s trajectory didn’t need the additional nightmarish past. Although a riveting series, these aspects—meant to shock readers—drag the story down. Katie’s story differs as jaw-dropping as it is; it helps assert the rigidity of Katie’s beliefs. Oliver’s is trauma, for trauma’s sake. Avoiding it will be difficult as Oliver’s backstory unfolds amid the climax—his battle with Demetrio.
Reign of the Seven Spellblades 10 gives three tragic, shocking, and horrifying backstories with Katie, Oliver, and Professor Demetrio. Demetrio’s is easiest to stomach because he’s an adult when the situation occurs. Plus, his past does not excuse his role in Oliver’s mother’s death. It’s a magnificent series, but it needs to stop with cringeworthy moments between relatives and backstories so unspeakably horrific for the sole purpose of impacting readers. The characters and world they reside in are good enough to stand alone. Reign of the Seven Spellblades 10 delivers a mostly nail-biting, high-tension story but needs a trigger warning for some of its content.
