The Eminence in Shadow episode 8: Cid encounters Rex, Shadow Garden infiltrates Midgar Academy

The previous episode of The Eminence in Shadow enthralled fans with Rose Oriana’s introduction, one of the most awaited character debuts in the series that light novel fans have eagerly awaited since the premiere. As the protagonist of the series, Cid Kageno, has mastered the art of remaining the background character of his own story, he intentionally loses against Rose multiple times.

However, in the final moments of the previous episode, taking severe damage in an attempt to save Rose Oriana from one of the false Shadow Garden members’ attacks made Cid the talk of the town. Apart from showing the purpose behind Cid’s actions, the eighth episode of The Eminence in Shadow, titled Dark Knight Academy Under Attack, also revealed the artifact that Gaunt Knight used to block magic around the school.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for The Eminence in Shadow anime series.

The Eminence in Shadow episode 8 highlights

Cid brings himself back to life

After Cid sacrificed his life to save Rose, the latter was heartbroken as she presumed he loved and cared for her. Later, when the false Shadow Garden made the students sit in the auditorium, Cid had the perfect chance to revive himself, as there was no one else besides him in the class.

While talking to himself, Cid explained that one of his most high-risk tricks was Ten-minute Death: Heartbreak. He faked his death so the false Shadow Garden members would leave his corpse behind, and this expectedly gave him a chance to escape from everyone and plot how he would defeat his enemies.

Rex intruded on Sherry’s research on the artifact and tried to attack her. However, the Vice Commander of the Crimson Order, Glen, and his subordinate Marco got there in time and helped Sherry escape.

Cid saves Sherry

While scouting the academy from above, Cid was delighted as this was one of those moments that he had dreamed of - a student who is considered a nobody saves his peers from the terrorists. Cid despised the false Shadow Garden members for disrespecting the outfit, as the actual members wore black to conceal their presence in the dark and also because it justified their organization’s name.

Cid started attacking his enemies in stealth and saved Sherry from getting hurt. The former gave a few heads up to the latter and told her in a roundabout way that she was not doing an excellent job while escaping. Sherry told Cid that the enemy was using the Eye of Avarice artifact to block the magic around the campus.

She further explained that the Eye of Avarice could be combined with the artifact she was holding to store magic for the long term. Sherry wanted to activate the artifact to make the Eye of Avarice stop functioning, but the job was impossible as she left the essential tools behind. However, Cid relieved her by telling her he could get the required tools.

Cid vs. Rex

On his way to Sherry’s laboratory, Cid defeated all of Rex’s men as they vanished into thin air. Rex was terrified of his opponent, as he could see through his attacks. Cid eventually defeated Rex after he showed him the corpses of his foot soldiers. The former met Nu in the laboratory investigating Glen and Marco’s bodies.

Nu revealed to Cid that she was betrothed to Marco in her past life. She later disclosed that Shadow Garden, led by Gamma, had arrived and was waiting for the right moment to attack the impostors. Cid surprised Nu after he told her he wanted some supplies to fine-tune an artifact that would eventually negate the effects of the enemy’s Eye of Avarice.

Final thoughts on The Eminence in Shadow episode 8

Episode 8 of The Eminence in Shadow revealed that Cid is brilliant at devising strategies where he can attack his enemies without revealing his identity. Though saving Rose has clearly put him in the spotlight, it was a calculated risk he took to commence his operation to save everyone from the enemies.

Until now, Sherry was a nobody to Cid, but after witnessing her knowledge of artifacts, he started admiring her. Episode 8 of The Eminence in Shadow showed Nu reencountering Marco in his unconscious state. The former’s mysterious past and the history between her and the latter remain a mystery, which is expected to be revealed in the upcoming episodes.

About the author

Praveen is a versatile writer who covers all things anime, comics, entertainment, and soaps at Sportskeeda. After completing his Bachelors in Commerce in 2019, Praveen decide to shift from a prospective career in Finance to content writing out of his sheer desire to work in an industry that he truly loves. Beginning as an anime writer, he expanded into other sections to hone his writing skills.

Praveen's interest animated films started at a young age watching cartoons, then switching to anime, and later exploring live-action films from various parts of the world, describing these experiences as ""an integral part of him." He credits the late Kentaro Miura, the creator of Berserk, as a major influence whose manga taught him to deal with pain and adversities in life.

Praveen likes to pay close attention to specifics and cross-verify all facts in his articles, but also believes in immersing himself completely in any medium, even if it means watching a full-length 2-3 hour feature film to create the most accurate content.

When he is not writing, Praveen enjoys reading books on philosophy, playing video games, and cooking recipes he finds online.

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Edited by Shreya Das