EPISODE CONTEXT

Sitting at the season's midpoint, Episode 10 builds directly on the theater incident and Mahito's manipulative groundwork from Episode 9, deepening the philosophical stakes that distinguish this arc from earlier training-focused episodes. This installment crystallizes the sorcerer-versus-curse conflict into something personal and ideological, establishing character dynamics—particularly around Junpei and Mahito—that will drive the intense confrontations in the episodes immediately ahead. It marks the transition from setup to payoff for the season's first major villain-centric arc.