I know, I know, it's whole clip show, it's just a single montage... but still. That's a really out of nowhere montage, isn't it? I mean, the character who's been around the LEAST is the one having a flashback? Between that and Lina's whole "here's how the magic works!" PSA bit, it really feels like they had to pad this episode out a bit. I guess they had to spread the climactic stuff out a bit too far. But hey, compared to a lot of anime I've seen, Slayers did really good at avoiding getting hit by the filler stick.
And don't forget: once the comic for episode 26 goes out, Weekly Anime Comics will be on break for a bit, and $5+ patrons will get a chance to vote on what we do next! So if you want a say in whether I go on to the next season of Slayers or do something else, make sure you're at least at the $5 tier by the end of the month!