Many fan speculations about the Paladins and the Dark Triad have been confirmed by spoilers for Black Clover chapter 344, which were released earlier this week. Although Lucius and his henchmen get the most of the chapter’s attention, the seven Ryuzens are also presented. After a brief hiatus owing to Tabata’s health, Black Clover has returned. The chapter length from here on out will be the standard 15 pages, as shown here in chapter 344. No hiatus next week gives us hope that the mangaka is feeling fine.
Spoilers for Chapter 344 of Black Clover reveal the return of Morris and the Dark Triad, along with the debut of the full cast of seven Ryuzens. Spoilers for Black Clover chapter 344 suggest that it opens with Lucius speaking with a wheelchair-bound Morris. As a result of Lucifero’s control, Morris has lost both of his limbs. Currently, Lucius appears to be sitting still, as shown in the raw scans, while attached to three cocoons that evoke the womb. His three younger brothers and sisters are resting comfortably in these cocoons.
Lucius puts his hand on Morris’ chest and his health begins to return. Despite the fact that Morris was born blind, he manages to give him back his sight. He said he hoped to provide “salvation” to the guy. When Morris recovers, Lucius taps him on the head and tells him to utilise his knowledge of science and Modification Magic to establish harmony in the new world. Morris grants Lucius’ wish because he believes his magic to be so much greater than Recovery Magic that it may be compared to the power of God.
Soon after, Lucius summons Lily to himself and explains that he has witnessed a change for the worst in the course of events in a distant region, specifically the Land of the Sun. He begs Lily to round up more Paladins and prevent this dystopian scenario from coming to pass. Lily points out that Lucius is immobile at the moment, so the Paladins have the duty of removing any obstacles that might prevent the realisation of the perfect future.
The Paladins are taken aback to find that many of the towns in the Land of the Sun have been abandoned when they arrive. When Lily delegated the task to her subordinates, one of them, Yururu, resorted to Beast Magic to carry it out. His spell is called “Beast Magic: Holy Howling,” and it manifests as a dragon with five heads. However, Ichika and the other members of the Ryuzen Seven are waiting for the Paladins on a nearby roof. When Asta is distracted by the five-headed dragon appearing in the sky at the end of Black Clover chapter 344, the protagonists declare their intention to protect their country at all costs.
Asta is seen in the middle of a training session with the two remaining Ryuzen. He is counselled by the strongest of the seven Ryuzen to devote himself to training so that his true strength can emerge.
Speculations
Fans have long theorised that the Dark Triad would reappear, and their expectations only increased after Lucius’ true identity was revealed. The Dark Triad was a theory put forth by many readers during Asta’s conflict with Lucifero’s manifestation. This theory appears to be supported by the events of Black Clover 344. It’s unclear whether Lucius is reviving their abilities or syphoning them away. In any case, he appears to be in the middle of some sort of procedure and getting ready for a final showdown.
Raw scans of Black Clover 344 show Sister Lily appearing in human form when summoned by Lucius. In Chapter 343 however, she appears in her Paladin form. It’s not entirely clear if Paladins can assume human form without being uncovered by Magic, nor if they can hide their identities if they do. It’s also possible that Lily and Lucius’ conversation doesn’t take place in the physical realm at all, but rather on some sort of mental or inner plane. With Morris’s return in Chapter 344 of Black Clover, Lucius has successfully brainwashed yet another recognisable face to serve as one of his henchmen, following in the footsteps of Damnatio and, presumably, Heath.
He hasn’t revealed his plans for putting Morris’ skills to use, but bringing back his dead siblings is one possibility. Beast Magic, previously only used by Vetto, has also been used by the other Paladin who resembles Rades. Chapter 344 of Black Clover also serves as an introduction to all seven Ryuzens. Even though Ichika appears to be in charge, the new Ryuzen insists he is the strongest. The leakers have mistranslated his egotistical pronoun “Ore-Sama” as “the Almighty Me.” It appears that Asta still has a ways to go in his training, and readers should not expect to see another confrontation between him and Sister Lily any time soon.