Sword Wind

Two great hosts collide across an open plain, the forces of Midland under their king pitted against the neighboring realm of Tudor. Tudor's elite Black Sheep Iron Spear Knights carve through Midland's ranks with ease until they spot a single rider waiting ahead. Taking him for a reckless commoner making a show of courage, their commander orders a wedge and charges. The rider is Guts, who unsheathes his blade and rips straight through the formation, felling its leader and opening a lane for the Band of the Falcon to sweep in. With the field secured, Griffith and Guts trade a brief look before the mercenaries withdraw to their stronghold to revel.

As Guts' soldiers ready their celebration, Casca cuts in and pulls him aside, and his men brace for the quarrel that always follows. In private she berates him for abandoning his assigned role: he was meant to serve as a decoy, not engage the enemy alone. Guts starts out distant and dismissive, but his temper ignites when she brands him a mad hound hungry only for combat. Griffith's sudden arrival defuses the standoff, and speaking alone with Guts, he draws out an admission that the swordsman does care for the band despite his battlefield recklessness.

In reward for rescuing Midland's army, the Band of the Falcon receives formal recognition from the king. Griffith is knighted and elevated to viscount as its commander. Once Corkus grasps what the honor means for the group, Casca realizes Guts has skipped the ceremony entirely, choosing instead to drill by himself in the headquarters courtyard.

Guts breaks the Black Sheep Iron Spear Knights' charge alone, killing their leader and turning the battle in Midland's favor. Casca confronts him for defying his decoy orders, and the argument nearly boils over before Griffith intervenes. The king rewards the band's service by knighting Griffith and naming him a viscount. Guts absents himself from the ceremony to train alone.

The first numbered chapter of the Golden Age Arc spans 40 pages and debuted in Young Animal issue 11, dated October 1992. It introduces the adult Guts as a peerless fighter within the Band of the Falcon and lays out the tense triangle between him, Casca, and Griffith that drives the arc.