The world of Ishura is filled with magnificent creatures, and they all will be vying for the spot of the hero of heroes in Aureatia. In the second episode of the anime, we shifted focus from Soujirou Yagyuu, the swordsman, and went to explore other heroes in the world. The main focus of this episode was Asul, the Star Runner, a wyvern who grew in power because of his special weapons. There was also a connection between Asul and the Giant Labyrinth, which Soujirou had defeated in Nagan. But before all that happened, there was a subplot where the wyverns attacked a chariot that was carrying a spy named Lana and was on the way to Lithia, a territory challenging the control of Aureatia.
Spoilers Ahead
How Were The Wyverns Stopped?
Before the episode got into the present, it gave us a backstory about the Demon King, who had brought a reign of terror to Nagan and all the neighboring kingdoms. Only when he was defeated did the days of fear and tyranny end, but the seat of the one that could be called the True Demon King remained vacant. The one who had actually slain the Demon King remained hidden for reasons unknown. Nagan was destroyed very recently, but the destruction had not stopped, and the days of peace seemed to be over. Perhaps that’s why the Council of Aureatia started the competition to find the hero of heroes. The New Principality of Lithia was formed by Taren, as she had gone against the Aureatian stronghold of the kingdoms. Lithia was like a mini-kingdom, challenging the authority of the Aureatian military.
Taren had sent Lana, the spy, Higuare, and Shalk, the sound slicer, on a mission, and they were attacked by a swarm of wild wyverns. Wyverns were like flying raptors who were capable of flying extremely long distances. Tara’s stagecoach was being followed by the wyverns, and it didn’t look like she would make it. Shalk was a expressionless skeleton, and Higuare was calm, as he was confident he could finish the whole swarm of wyverns using its spells. Beside the wild wyverns, the stagecoach was attacked by outlaws, but they were killed when a team of Taren’s trained wyverns attacked the outlaws and then prepared to tackle the wild wyverns. The fight continued and came to an end when Regnejee, the leader of the trained wyverns, used his thermal art to finish all the wild wyverns. Shalk was surprised that the outlaws had attacked the stagecoach when they knew that Lithia had trained wyverns. He could only surmise that they either had no idea about them or thought that wyverns could be defeated. Lana explained to Shalk that the outlaws had been directed by somebody from the Aureatian Council, which had twenty-nine members.
What Was The Officials’ Plan?
There was a meeting being held between two officials of the Aureatian Council, and they seemed to be planning something sinister. The outlaws had failed, but they weren’t too disturbed by that. Their plan was not to attack Lana but to assassinate Taren, who had proclaimed herself to be the True Demon King. The officials were worried that she would hamper the proceedings of the competition. There were many candidates who were capable of assassinating Taren. One of them was the seventeenth minister from Elea’s squad. The trained wyverns would be a big headache if they were to go ahead with the plan. The job of killing them was to go to the Sixth General, a man named Harghent, but General Harghent was busy dealing with a dragon on the outskirts of Aureatia. Vortical Stampede was a mysterious figure, and the councils decided to ‘release’ them to take care of Taren. The plan was to make it look like Taren died in an accident, and Vortical Stampede was perfect for such a plan.
How Did Asul Save Harghent?
The officials were sure that Harghent would be killed in his battle against the dragon. They thought that it was something he was doing because he had deteriorated as he aged. Perhaps he wanted to prove something to himself by defeating a dragon. Harghent was indeed weak, but he thought that his army and his planning would conquer the dragon. But the dragon was too strong. Thanks to Peke, who saved him from the dragon’s fire, Harghent survived, but his army perished. It was because of Asul, the Star Runner, that Harghent survived to fight another day. He came at the exact moment when the dragon was going to kill Harghent and distracted it.
Asul was a wyvern, but a rare one. He had three limbs as opposed to two, which wyverns are generally born with. The extra limb gave him the ambition to grasp something beyond his reach, and he has followed that calling ever since. He was blessed to have the Greatshield of the Dead, which could withstand the dragon’s fire. Although Harghent was old, he could use a few spells to poison the dragon; but it wasn’t enough. Asul had to use the Greatshield and then slaughter the dragon to ensure it was dead. Harghent congratulated Asul and wanted him to be a candidate for the competition, but Asul had unfinished business with the Great Labyrinth in Nagan. Harghent asked Asul why he wanted to fly to a destroyed city, but Asul didn’t answer. The reason seemed mysterious, and he was curious to see the Great Labyrinth fall flat on its face, dead.
Final Words
The series is unfolding nicely, but it just has too much exposition to finally pit all the candidates together. Previously, we got to know about Soujirou’s strengths, and in this episode, we got to know about Asul. Surely there is a connection between the two, or they will meet at some point. They are both now in Nagan, so one can expect a showdown between the two. Taren remains a mystery, and the whole political angle seems intriguing but not as exciting. The following episodes will perhaps tell more about the politics of Aureatia, where the queen has very little power and the council members are hatching all sorts of devious plans.
