When an adventurer who had wandered for six centuries finally returned to the home he had long been separated from and began trying to make an unfamiliar land his homeland from scratch; when information about the "Sentinels" began circulating among the upper echelons of the Alliance member states, and tension gradually spread throughout the mortal world; when the entire northern region entered the coldest season of the year and winter's breath arrived—the three great empires' operations against the Wasteland finally began in earnest.
On the Holy Spirit Plain, a piercing Whistle Sound shattered the silence. An Armored Train painted iron-black and bearing a heavy main cannon gradually accelerated under the force of its Repulsion Mechanism, heading toward the mountain passes in the south. It was loaded with supplies, equipment, and high-spirited imperial soldiers. Wind swept up the snow across the plain, and a few flakes spiraled through the barrier outside the train tracks, pattering against the train's heavy armor and reinforced crystal glass windows. Amid the swirling snow, the emblem of the Imperial Second Armored Division could vaguely be seen.
In Cecil City, a convoy of armored personnel carriers was rolling along the broad concrete avenue of Knight Street. The Magic-infused Machinery-driven vehicles gave off a low rumble, carrying magic-powered soldiers clad in second-generation Magic Armor. Brightly colored flags fluttered from the front of every vehicle. On both sides of the road, Cecil citizens in thick winter clothes crowded the sidewalks and alley entrances, seeing off their children, relatives, and friends as they prepared to depart for the Wasteland front.
Beyond these conventional forces, a special contingent was advancing with the army. Their armored vehicles were all decorated with emblems of holy light, and the thick turret armor bore an etched Iron Fist, strong and powerful, bathed in radiance. Scripture