Battle to Capture Doldrey (2)

Drawn up in the calm before the assault on Doldrey, Guts and Judeau trade words while the elf dust has knitted nearly all of Guts' wounds shut. Judeau gapes at the fortress, its walls massive and its inner keep soaring, yet Guts trusts that any scheme of Griffith's will carry them through. Beyond the walls, Boscogn arrays his Holy Purple Rhino Knights for the coming clash and scorns Griffith for pinning the small mercenary band against a river with no line of retreat. He briefly weighs whether Griffith and Gennon are linked, then resolves to crush the enemy whether or not Griffith survives.

Shut inside the fortress, Gennon dwells on Griffith with open longing, counting himself fortunate to face the White Falcon once more. A dust storm nearly blinds Guts to the fortress, but Griffith insists the plan holds and rides forward to take command. Watching the band's colors on the flag, Guts admits to himself that this decisive fight may be his last under that banner. When Griffith calls the charge, Guts drops his visor and steels himself against his own feelings.

Boscogn is puzzled when the already outnumbered mercenaries divide into two groups, though the maneuver does not rattle him. The leading wave, with Guts at its head, drives straight into the Holy Purple Rhino Knights, and Guts carves down every man who stands in his path.

"Battle to Capture Doldrey (2)" belongs to the Golden Age arc, spans twenty-one pages, and debuted in Young Animal issue 21 on October 22, 1993. It continues the pivotal Doldrey engagement, setting the Falcons' desperate numerical gamble against Tudor's elite cavalry and marking a turning point in Griffith's campaign. Casca appears only in flashback.