Onslaught of the Kushans

Rather than risk drawing spirits by staying the night, Guts leaves Godot's home late in the day, this time with Casca alongside him. Carrying only fresh ammunition, a satchel of provisions, and warm clothing for Casca, he and Puck set out for the elf's far homeland. A blizzard rises as they cross the snow, and Guts remembers the day he dueled Griffith outside Wyndham amid the same weather, noting bitterly that this time it was he who was left behind. Recalling how Griffith had shielded Casca from the falling stones, he draws his own cloak around her and swears never to lose her again.

Far away, a city falls to a Kushan siege. The invaders butcher the men and strip and imprison the women, who expect to be dragged off as slaves or worse, one recalling rumors that the Kushan sacrifice women to their gods. Longing for the Band of the Falcon that once saved them, the captives wish for Griffith, whom they believe vanished or dead. A silent young girl named Sonia suddenly speaks, claiming the wind announces the coming of the Falcon of Light, and the others dismiss her as broken by her parents' deaths.

In the conquered city's heart, the Kushan general berates a kneeling Silat for failing to capture a single man while the army seized six fortresses, dismissing the tale of Griffith flying off on a beast and pressing his boot to Silat's brow. Silat rises abruptly, and without shifting his gaze he snatches an arrow aimed at the general's face while his two Tapasa cut down the rebel archers, their shifting garments exposing the enormous callouses earned through brutal training. Silat excuses himself to resume the hunt, but it proves needless: Griffith rides into the city alone on a great white horse.