It’s often said that there isn’t much difference between a boy as a child and as an adult.
But the deeper meaning of this saying isn’t that men, whether young or grown-ups, lack maturity in a negative sense.
Rather, it means that even as adults, men have points of enthusiasm that aren’t much different from when they were kids.
And for men, regardless of age or inclination, there’s almost always one area where their interest and curiosity are piqued.
VS Play.
A game that stimulates the primal human desire to see who is stronger and who is weaker between two people.
In fact, if you look at YouTube, videos like “Who would win in a fight between Saitama and Kakarot?” easily surpass hundreds of millions of views, don’t they?
Even though people fully understand that these videos are nothing more than personal fantasies created by the person who made them, they don’t hesitate to click on them.
Because VS games inherently have something that makes a man’s chest race with excitement.
And this applies not only to 21st-century Earth but also to the fantasy world.
No, in some sense, the obsession with VS games is even stronger in the fantasy world than on Earth.
Because on Earth, the upper limit of human strength is merely at the level of martial arts fighters, where results can easily be overturned by countless variables.
But in the fantasy world, there exist unrealistic powers like aura and magic.
And humans who hone aura or magic to their limits become superhumans capable of wielding forces akin to natural disasters.
However, surprisingly, throughout the history of the continent, instances of such superhumans clashing with each other have been extremely rare.
Because even superhumans know well:
If beings who have transcended human limits collide, both may sustain fatal injuries or even die.
But the curiosity about which heroes or superhumans from history were the strongest has always intrigued people.
That’s why the anime “Fate’s Sky” captured the hearts of viewers the moment it aired.
Because this anime had the fantastical premise that legendary heroes from history come back to life in modern times to measure their strength against each other.
The Gall Cup? Who among the heroes from different eras was the strongest?
How could anyone resist that?
And Ragnar, who produced “Fate’s Sky,” responded to people’s expectations with fiery, groundbreaking developments episode after episode.
First, in Episode 1, the protagonist Yuri gets killed by spear soldier Chris in a shocking twist.
In Episode 2, there’s a chase scene between Yuri, who barely survives, and Chris, who realizes Yuri is still alive and comes back to finish him off.
Then in Episode 3, we get an intense battle between the knight-dressed girl who made everyone cheer at the end of the PV and Chris.
And finally…
“A spear that never misses its target once fired, a spear with a self-awareness that allows it to move on its own. Haven’t you heard such a story before?”
“…The spear of the God of Light, Arad. So, your true identity is the Son of the Silver Sky, is it?”
“And you survived being hit in the heart with that. Hah, so you’re not just some random nobody.”
Chris growls menacingly, as if ready to throw his spear at the girl at any moment.
Seeing this, the viewers anticipated that either Chris or the girl would continue fighting until one of them met their end.
“But today, I’ll withdraw here. If we meet next time, I’ll definitely pierce your heart.”
But Chris steps back first, bringing their fight to an end.
Naturally, the viewers couldn’t help but feel deflated upon seeing this.
“Wait, what is this? When someone’s true identity is revealed, it’s normal for one side to fight until death, right?”
“At least we should’ve uncovered the girl’s identity, right? Looks like the hero of the federation is somewhat cowardly.”
While some mocked Chris’s actions as those of a coward, there were strong counterarguments too.
“You idiots. The Full Moon Ritual isn’t a tournament; it’s more like a survival format. Meaning, you don’t necessarily have to defeat the enemy right in front of you.”
“That’s right. Besides, there might be eyes watching around us. Why risk exposing all your tricks in further combat?”
Truthfully, those calling Chris a coward weren’t really unaware of these facts. It’s just that the battle between Chris and the girl had indulged their senses so much that they wanted to see more, leading to a kind of tantrum.
“Damn it, after racing nonstop from Episodes 1 to 3, it’s clear we’re heading into a break part for sure.”
“Same with ‘Knight Shin Chronicle.’ Whenever there was a battle between Knight Shin and Outsider, there’d be a couple of episodes showing peaceful daily life scenes. That’s just how it goes.”
“Well, let’s think positively. Too much fighting can make the viewer tired too.”
Viewers muttered this way while licking their lips, clearly feeling a bit disappointed.
They already knew Ragnar’s works well through pieces like “Knight Shin Chronicle” and “Life and Death,” understanding his directing style enough to roughly predict the flow of the next episode.
But…
Their predictions turned out to be wrong—in a good way.
Because, in the next day’s Episode 4:
“Hi, long time no see, Brother.”
The silver-haired girl introducing herself as ‘Ecclesia’ smiled while looking at Yuri and his temporary ally, classmate ‘Sain.’
“Alright, Achemenes. Kill them all.”
“■■■■■-!”
She casually revealed the name of her hero and gave the command to ‘kill them.’
When Yuri saw the hero controlled by the silver-haired girl, he felt as if all his senses froze.
This is different.
This isn’t on the same level as ordinary heroes.
This is a being that isn’t meant to be fought and defeated but rather avoided and escaped from—a natural disaster.
And Yuri’s intuition was correct.
Kwaang-!
With every step the giant took, cracks formed in the ground, and the very air trembled whenever he swung his sword.
The girl and Sain’s archer tried to fight back against the giant, but…
Crack!
“…Ah.”
Their resistance wasn’t even worth buying time.
More precisely, the girl’s attacks didn’t properly affect the giant.
A strange sensation, as if fate itself was interfering with her attacks.
But somehow, thanks to transcendent swordsmanship and combat sense, the girl managed to keep the battle going against the giant.
And Ecclesia laughed mockingly, opening her mouth.
“It’s futile. At the very least, there’s no way you can win here.”
“…What?”
“Didn’t you read the myths? He never lost in life. Therefore, the ability possessed by him summoned here is—”
“To inevitably win in all battles thirteen times.”
“…!”
Everyone present was shocked at Ecclesia’s casual statement.
And the viewers watching this were equally astonished.
“What? That’s completely unfair!”
“I’ve read fairy tales about Achemenes before, but did he have this kind of power?”
People instinctively looked toward Professor Hermion, arguably the most knowledgeable person present.
Professor Hermion slowly nodded his head and spoke.
“No, I’ve heard of it. According to mythology, Achemenes received a blessing from the gods and was cursed to never lose. I assume Director Ragnar referenced this tradition and granted him this ability.”
“That makes sense. As expected, Director Ragnar stayed faithful to the myth while making the anime…”
People marveled at Ragnar’s meticulous adherence to historical accuracy in creating the anime, then eventually looked at the screen with expressions of absurdity.
“How do you beat something like that? That’s impossible to win against.”
“Now I understand why Ecclesia confidently revealed the hero’s true name and abilities.”
“There are seven heroes summoned for the Full Moon Ritual, right? So if he fights one-on-one seven times, wouldn’t he just win outright?”
“Well, maybe there’s another hero participating in this ritual who has the ability to overcome this?”
“What nonsense… How do you counter an ability that guarantees victory unconditionally?”
As people discussed various things while watching TV, they suddenly noticed the bloodied girl and tilted their heads in surprise.
“But… This girl is pretty impressive, isn’t she? Isn’t this her third fight today? And yet, despite three consecutive battles, she’s still tenaciously holding on against Achemenes.”
“She must definitely be a legendary hero from history, judging by how evenly she fights against Chris.”
“But… Was there ever a female knight in history who looked like her? I’m not sure.”
“Now that you mention it, there was a knight named Isiria about a hundred years ago. Could her identity be that?”
In the midst of people at the pub speculating about the girl’s identity,
“…Could this woman’s true identity be the Knight King?”
“Huh?”
A certain young man, whose face was hidden due to wearing a black hood, cautiously spoke up.
“The armor dress this girl wears resembles the armor typically worn by female knights of the Richard Kingdom. Also, the golden sword she wields looks exactly like the legendary sword wielded by the Knight King, doesn’t it? Thus, I believe there’s a sufficient possibility that this girl is actually the Knight King of the kingdom.”
“……”
“……”
The pub fell silent in an instant upon hearing the young man’s words.
But it was short-lived.
“Hahaha! My friend, you’re telling quite a funny story! Haven’t you read any fairy tales? The Knight King of the kingdom was a man, not a woman!”
“That’s right! What was it called again? There was definitely a fairy tale about a knight having an affair with the king’s wife. Wasn’t that related to the Knight King?”
“If the Knight King was a woman, then perhaps the mage under her or the son who rebelled against her were women too, huh? Right?”
Thus, people laughed and mocked the hooded young man’s statement.
“……”
It was eerily similar to the scene where someone claimed the hero who fought Chris was an archer and got laughed at.
But the decisive difference between that man and this young man here was…
‘…You fools. I pitied you and specially spoiled the ending for you, yet you treat me this way.’
Thinking this, Kaizel had to quietly suppress his anger within.
Whatever.
Unlike you guys who just speculate while watching the anime, I’ve worked directly with the director of “Fate’s Sky” to create the settings related to the Knight King.
So what do you guys know?
About a month until the girl’s ‘true name’ is revealed.
The calm before the storm.
I won’t argue with you guys mocking me now.
Whether you’re trash or I am will be proven by the results.
