Hey we got some battles! Ok, I’ll admit I’ve kind of been looking forward to a bit of combat in this series. Of course the star of the episode was the Knight instead of the Hero himself. I really think when he said he’d kick the Ice General around a little that he literally would have done that. They just make note at how insanely powerful this guy is despite appearances. If he wanted to he probably could just wipe out all armies on the planet and take over himself. Not that kind of personality though so everyone can probably breathe easy there.

Really it was a good episode outside of the combat, but just thought it was interesting to see the war in action. It really wasn’t a pretty sort of war and the series is hitting home just how messy it was. You saw numerous bodies in the water and just all over the place. The short sections of actual combat was pretty rough and completely makes sense for what this kind of war would look like. You can feel the Knight’s position when they kind of write off the losses on their side. I mean the losses were probably very acceptable, but still they did have a lot of dead on their side. I suppose in comparison to the last battle that everyone died in anything is a miracle.

The actual showdown between ‘leaders’ was pretty nice. The action was fairly solid and both sides had some interesting moves. It is funny that the huge defensive spell we saw from the Knight was just something she picked up from watching the Hero all this time. I suppose when you are traveling with the most powerful person on the planet, you can pick up a few tricks along the way. I can understand that both of them really needed to fight this. The Ice General had his pride and believed in what he was fighting for. He couldn’t just retreat outright and had to go out fighting. Of course since the Knight had lead these people into battle she had to settle this as well. Couldn’t just rely on the Hero to resolve everything.

The overall plan was pretty interesting when I could start piecing it together. While it came at the cost of blood, both sides got their territory back. While officially the demons didn’t regain their city, it’s pretty much the case. It can be called one that is open to demons and humans, but really without the military force to back it up the demons can mostly take over again. Bright Island goes back to the humans after a hard fought battle and everyone pretty much gets what they wanted. Unfortunately, it required some conspiring and a lot of dead bodies. The Maou had to fight against her own people in order to reach the peace she is searching for. It wasn’t possible to just tell them to retreat, because it’d make her look weak to her own people. Things had to go this way. I could feel for Maou having to see all her dead people like that, but even she knows that this is the path she’s undertaken. No matter how much blood has to be spilled on either side, the result is something that will have to be worth it.

The Hero did a good job messing around with the humans in Gate City. Those soldiers were more than eager to be anywhere but that city any longer. They were being beaten up by the Hero at night and their leaders were getting nightmares inflicted upon them. A good combination between his actual power and the faeries he had helping him out. I suppose it’s good that all these women like him since he can call in favors pretty easily. It all worked out really well when you look at the situation. The soldiers leave Gate City which returns it to the demons, those soldiers force a quick retreat and evacuation from the demons on Bright Island and limit the casualties more than if a seige had been needed. All in all it worked out as well as could be expected.

Maybe the biggest laugh from this episode was from the Knight tackling the Hero when he appeared. There really isn’t any doubt what kind of feelings that woman holds for him. Of course in the end she has no hope of any romance there, but it was pretty fun to watch. She was so serious for most of the episode that a bit of comedy was warranted.

A nice little moment between the Hero and the Old Man. It was this episode that starts to make the Hero more understandable. He’s just never had very normal relationships with people. Someone that insanely powerful even as a kid had to be isoldated. Too strong to really fit in, especially in that upper class environment he was from. So talented when it comes to combat that his path was pretty set out. While many people would adore his abilities, they would also be afraid of him. He did find people that cared about him on his journey, but I think the theory that he left to protect them might have been right. Being “the hero’s comrade” might bring isolation to them as well. He had to think he could beat the Maou no matter how powerful they were and end the war himself. Of course, reality didn’t work out like that. Thought it was a touching scene for the Old Man to hint that he took that money and did everything to help make that country one that would accept the Hero.

This might have been the best episode overall. Not only because of action, but because of everything coming together. Getting insight into the Hero was a nice bonus as well. Curious to see where things go from here. It’s a long road after all towards peace.
Score: A