Morning of Departure (3)

Poised against each other in the snow, Guts accepts that a decisive duel suits the end of his partnership with Griffith far better than a quiet goodbye. A strange serenity settles over him, even facing the one man ever to defeat him. Watching from the side, Casca persuades herself that Griffith cannot lose and, in the same breath, understands how badly she wishes Guts would stay.

Griffith reads his opponent and sees not the usual battle fury but calm resolve, a certainty that Guts truly means to go. Unwilling to permit it, he stakes everything on the opening exchange, knowing his lighter blade could snap or his footing fail in the deep snow. He plots to parry and drive his sabre into Guts' shoulder, yet admits a stray motion could split Guts' skull instead, and concludes that death would be preferable to letting him leave.

Falling snow from a nearby pine marks the start. Both blades move almost too fast to follow, and the contest ends in an instant. Guts' broadsword shears Griffith's weapon in two, while Guts halts his own strike a breath from Griffith's shoulder. Defeated, Griffith releases the broken hilt, drops to his knees, and grips his wrist.

Guts sheathes his sword and strides past without a backward glance, ignoring Casca's call. He reckons his victory is no more than a pebble on Griffith's road toward his ambition, a setback his former leader will soon move beyond. With that, Guts breaks free of Griffith's hold and departs the Band of the Falcon.

This chapter forms the third part of the Morning of Departure sequence within the Golden Age Arc. It was carried in issue ten of Young Animal.