WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Season 1, Episode 5 of Tower of God, "The Crown's Fate," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Over the last couple of episodes, Tower of God's main cohort of Tower-climbing Regulars (and at least one Irregular) have been embroiled in Lero-Ro's Crown Game. The bonus test's prize is giving one lucky team a boost in their journey; high stakes but, given that it's optional, low risk. (Unless, that is, you count out the potential loss of life in pursuit of a win.) After Wave Controller Lauroe and Anak, a Princess of Jahad in possession of a legendary weapon, stepped up to assert their dominance in Episode 4, Khun led his team to the top in their wake and, hopefully, victory.
And The Crown Game's Winners Are...
In Episode 5, "The Crown's Fate," Khun, Bam and Rak are left to defend the throne and the crown from the remaining teams in what turns into the game's most decisive matches. Unfortunately, all of their efforts come to naught, but that doesn't mean the finale to this test of both brain and brawn is anything short of disappointing.
Having survived the fourth round thanks to Khun's sly alliances with other Regulars, the fifth and final round begins. It's here, at last, that the very team this bonus test was secretly created to expose enters the fray -- a team that appears to have Rachel, Bam's very reason for entering the Tower, among its number. Little does Bam or her other opponents know that Rachel's hooded squad recently dispatched hundreds of Regulars in the deathmatch test with startling and brutal efficiency. And, they left viewers with no doubt at the end of Episode 4 that they have yet more murder on their minds -- Bam's included.
This is why it's such a shock when the trio begins defending Bam's team in the arena. In particular, they help fend off the advances of the most dangerous enemy on the field of play: an anonymous assassin clad in a skin-tight black catsuit and a bejeweled mask. Wielding a golden staff, her speed and strength enable her to get the closest to Bam but "Rachel" blocks her path. Bam looks on in horror as the blonde-haired girl does her best to dodge the assassin's flurry of blows but eventually takes a jab right to the forehead -- drawing blood. Bam rushes in to save her, letting the crown slip from his head in the process, only to also fall prey to the elegant staff.
With two head wounds between them, Bam and the girl lie on the floor, fully at the mercy of the fully-covered warrior. Concentrating on his desperate desire to protect Rachel at all costs, however, Bam appears to unconsciously trigger an eruption of white-hot light around himself. It burns so intensely, in fact, that it incinerates both the crown and part of his assailant's face. Gripped by blind rage, Bam raises his Black March high to deliver the killing blow, but the Guardian of his unique sword has others ideas: "You've lost control," she whispers to him, "be delighted by your reunion, then sleep." A kiss on his cheek is all it takes to turn him into Sleeping Beauty.
With the crown gone, there can be no victors. But, as the episode ends with Rachel visiting a slumbering Bam in a resting area -- and confirming her identity -- Bam may be the real winner in all this.
What is Lero-Ro's True Allegiance?
Another unexpected consequence of the winner-less Crown Game, for the fans at least, is greater insight into its facilitator's motives. Or, rather, lack of motives. While being debriefed by Test Director Hansung Yu, Lero-Ro questions what the true purpose of it all was, noting that the team that bent Quant's rules showed no interest in the object of the game. However, he points out their real goal did come to light. "The rules state that acquaintances cannot participate in the same test." This could explain why Rachel chose to hide her face from Bam, albeit very poorly. (Rachel's disguise skills are truly on par with the MCU's baseball cap and shades.)
Yu reminds Lero-Ro that the administering of these tests is to "expel those who have thoughts or powers that would bring harm to the Tower." He then asks if his fellow Ranker has noticed anyone who fits that criteria, to which Lero-Ro responds with a non-committal, "not particularly." But he's clearly concerned that Bam fits this descriptor, identifying his display of power as being unique: someone who can use Shinsu without any constraint and without forming a contract with a Guardian. In fact, what Bam did, he observes to himself, was more like becoming Shinsu.
If that doesn't sound like a power that could upset the balance of the Tower then we don't know what does. For now, though, a conflicted Lero-Ro is biting his tongue on the matter.
