The black blade arrives

The episode opens on a desolate battlefield—smoke rising, steel clashing in the distance. A lone figure stands among the ruins, his massive blade dragging through the dirt. His name: Gutz, the Black Swordsman. Towering and scarred, he wears the past like armor—silent, brutal, focused.

Narration rolls in:

“War doesn’t forge heroes. It reveals monsters. And sometimes… monsters carry swords.”

Suddenly, a group of bandits charge at a burning village nearby. Gutz watches quietly. He doesn’t speak. He moves. One swing—three fall. Blood dances in the firelight. Villagers stare in awe. Not a savior, but something darker.

After the chaos, Gutz walks away. From behind, a voice stops him.

“Hey, big guy. You ever think about fighting for something… other than yourself?”

It’s Kairo, second-in-command of the AA Fire Hawks—a rebellious mercenary band known for their fury and fire magic. He offers Gutz a place with them. Gutz glares, but says nothing. He leaves. The camera lingers on Kairo’s smirk.

Cut to Griffith, charismatic, mysterious leader of the Fire Hawks. He’s a genius strategist with a cold gleam in his eye. “He’ll join,” Griffith says, sipping wine, “because deep down… he wants more than blood.”

That night, Gutz has a dream. Flames. Screams. A winged figure with silver hair—Griffith—laughing over a pile of corpses. Gutz jolts awake, hand on his sword.

He returns to the Fire Hawks’ camp the next morning. No words. Just a nod. He’s in.

The team is introduced:

• Kairo – fire mage and reckless leader-in-training.

• Reyna – silent sniper with a hidden grudge.

• Boone – ex-knight turned cook who fights barehanded.

• And Griffith, the enigma pulling the strings.

As they take on their first mission together—liberating a fort from a corrupt baron—Gutz’s brutality stuns the team. But Griffith only smiles. “He’s perfect.”

The episode ends with Gutz alone again, staring at the moon. Reyna approaches.

“You trust Griffith?” she asks.

“No,” Gutz replies. “But I’ll follow him… until I don’t.”

Cue ending theme: heavy drums, dark violin, and a red hawk feather blowing across a burning field.

Flashes of the ritual scene—demonic creatures ripping through the camp. Kairo impaled. Reyna devoured in silence. Gutz swinging wildly, blind with rage. A massive demon holds him back.

Across a burning altar, Griffith, now in dark, feathered armor, steps forward. His eyes glow. Caska is dragged toward him, screaming. Gutz roars, veins bulging, but he’s pinned, helpless.

Griffith turns to Gutz and whispers, “You were never more than my shadow.”

Then — the screen fades black.

All we hear is Caska screaming.

Gutz screaming louder.

⸻

Cut to black. Then, silence. Present day.

Gutz wakes up in a cave, bandaged. Alone. His sword nearby, broken. He breathes hard. Haunted. Flashbacks hit him like thunder—Griffith’s betrayal, the Fire Hawks gone, Caska broken and unresponsive.

Now he hunts. Not for glory. Not for purpose. Gutz plans to get revengege on Griffith bye He carves a new mark on his blade: a hawk, crossed out in blood.

In this episode, Gutz meets a mystic girl named Sumi, who tries to help him remember who he is—but he refuses to talk. He’s different now. Hardened. Driven.

At the end of the episode, he finds a trail of apostles—demon followers of Griffith. He decapitates one with rage, holding up its head as it whispers,

“He’s waiting for you… Godhand will rise.”

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