Episode 8 of *Néro the Assassin* opens with Perla taking center stage as the narrator. With a wistful tone, she shares her deepest desires for what she would like inscribed in her eulogy. The scene seamlessly intercuts with vignettes of the lives of those dwelling in the slums. Each person is haunted by the same question: how long can they endure in this desolate place? Hopelessness permeates the air, and the prince’s health deteriorates with each passing moment.
Amidst this despair, the penitents make a chilling announcement—a reward of one hundred thousand ducats for the capture of the princess and Perla. To reinforce their message of penance, Brother Penance orders Horace’s beheading outside the slums. Yet, even in the face of such terror, loyalty holds strong. No one betrays the prince; they continue to shield him with their lives.
What unfolds within the slums is a tapestry of emotion and action. Hortense, determined to ignite a spark of hope, reveals herself to the people as their princess, rallying them to stand and fight by her side. Rochemort, ever cautious, urges her to flee to La Martine for safety, but Hortense stands resolute, refusing to abandon her cause. Meanwhile, Néro views Hortense’s plans as a doomed endeavor, a sentiment echoed by Lothar, who sees it as a noble sacrifice—something, he claims, Néro could never comprehend.
In a dramatic turn, Lothar moves to strike down Rochemort, and Hortense does not intervene. It is in this moment of tension that Rochemort unveils a potential path to victory—a secret passage leading to the prince’s chambers. He proposes using this hidden route to eliminate the archbishop and Brother Penance. To divert the penitent soldiers, Hortense volunteers to incite an uprising in the slums. Once again, Néro voices his concern for her safety, but the other soldiers pledge their loyalty to Hortense, vowing to fight alongside her.
Néro, however, remains unconvinced. He urges Hortense to persuade Perla to flee with her. Rochemort insists that his memory of the passage’s location can only be triggered by seeing it firsthand. Néro, sensing an opportunity, volunteers to accompany Rochemort and verify the passage’s existence. He extends the invitation to Perla as well.
That night, a moment of intimacy unfolds as Néro sleeps beside Hortense, trying to convince her to join him in scouting the passage. Meanwhile, back in the citadel, the archbishop humiliates Brother Penance for his failure to locate the princess and Perla. Their fortune changes when they receive a map pinpointing the prince’s exact location within the slums. With ruthless efficiency, they launch an attack on the slums the following morning.
As chaos erupts, Rochemort realizes the grim truth—Néro has betrayed them. In a desperate bid to save Perla and Hortense, he confronts Néro, who reluctantly admits his treachery. Hortense, heartbroken, confronts the reality that the man she loved has turned his back on their cause.
Does Brother Penance succeed in capturing Perla? No, in a selfless act, Néro surrenders himself to grant Perla an opportunity to flee with the prince. The rest of the group engage in a desperate, fierce battle for survival, yet they are ultimately overwhelmed. Brother Penance goads Néro, daring him to take his life, fully aware that his disciples would willingly lay down their own lives to shield him. In the end, Néro is subdued and bound to a tree.
How does the tale of Néro the Assassin reach its conclusion? Perla ascends to a vantage point and spies her father, lashed to a tree. She observes her people succumbing to the penitents' onslaught. With the black knife in hand, she makes the ultimate sacrifice. As she plummets to her demise, rain begins to pour, and the conflict ceases.
Overjoyed, Brother Penance rushes off to share the triumphant news with the archbishop. However, the archbishop reprimands him severely for rejoicing when they had been powerless to prevent the ritual's completion. Fury swells within Brother Penance at the constant undermining of his efforts. In a fit of rage, he hurls the archbishop from the citadel's balcony. The man plummets to his death in an instant.
Meanwhile, Hortense, her father, and Zanib make the decision to depart from Segur and make their way back to La Martine.
The show draws to a close with an unknown assailant knocking Néro unconscious and absconding with Perla's lifeless body. As the man strides away, Perla miraculously stirs back to life. Her voice lingers in the background, continuing to recount what she would wish inscribed upon her tombstone.
