Dark Gathering: Season 1, Episode 25 - Dark Gathering (2023)

Ai receives a phone call from Keitarou, who reassures her that the train accident was not her fault and that she will feel better once she reunites with him, Yayoi, and Ao. Overwhelmed by guilt from her unlucky nature, Ai shares her hospital location, but as Keitarou, Yayoi, and Ao prepare to visit her amid the aftermath of the body snatchers at Yayoi's school, the trio instead focuses on Yayoi's new plan to confront Ai's god spirit using their seven graduates deployed in a pentagram formation across haunted sites to boost their odds against it.

Keitarou arrives at Ao's home in the morning with his grandmother's lucky charms, showing the graduate deployment map to Yayoi and Ao before the three head out together, their faces set with determination as they load up supplies, aware of the high stakes where lives are explicitly in danger this time. Meanwhile, elsewhere, Oswald and Nankobo discuss Yayoi's connection to Dorothy and her possession of the left cursed arm, with Dorothy overhearing and entering the conversation; Oswald reassures her they only want the arm, while Nankobo notes the Spectre of Death is still growing but not yet strong enough, prompting Oswald to leave with Dorothy to visit the Spectre of Death.

Ai stirs from a nightmare where faces around her erase and her god spirit looms horrifyingly close, whispering that time is almost up, leaving her trembling and crying in her hospital bed as reality blurs with the dream. The trio presses on with their preparations, everyone packing as many tools and charms as possible, especially for the challenging graduate dorm house spirit, which they plan to ignore despite its harmless but eerie hanging presence.

Yayoi's plan unfolds without failure shown, positioning the graduates to form the pentagram and challenge the god spirit's superiority, but Ai's time runs critically short in the hospital. Oswald and Nankobo, along with Dorothy, align to assist by pursuing the cursed arms and targeting the god as well, raising concerns about their potential rise as powerhouses if the god falls, yet they commit to helping the trio take it down.

Keitarou remains resolute, leading the charge to save Ai with lucky charms and strategy. Yayoi directs the pentagram plan confidently, her intellect driving the group's best shot. Ao supports steadfastly, packing supplies without hesitation. Ai lies vulnerable in the hospital, her memories fading under the god spirit's influence but not yet lost, her fate hanging on the trio's success. Oswald departs actively with Dorothy to aid against the god via the Spectre of Death. Nankobo observes the Spectre's growth, positioning himself as a key watcher and ally. Dorothy secures her left cursed arm, joining the effort willingly. The Spectre of Death continues growing steadily, not yet at full power.