Beacon Fire

At the edge of the Giantwood Pass region, Sordelin and the Iron Rangers under his command were closing in on a small town.

The Multi-purpose War Chariots carrying the Vanguard Team stopped outside the town. These sturdy vehicles of steel temporarily served as Shield Generators and energy stations, establishing a temporary stronghold atop a rocky rise beyond the town. An Iron Ranger climbed onto the roof of one of the chariots, faced the town, and pressed a mechanism on the side of his sealed helmet.

The crystal lenses embedded in the helmet's visor were activated by magic, first turning red. The soldier swept his magic-detecting vision across the town, then the lenses switched to blue—the Eagle Eye Technique enhancement newly added to the second-generation lenses enhanced the user's sight, immediately bringing many details within the town into the observer's view.

After a brief observation, a slightly muffled voice came from inside the ranger's helmet. "Sir, there are wandering Crystal Infected in the town. Strong Magic Reactions are present everywhere."

"The entire town has already been infected..." Sordelin's expression darkened. "It seems we have entered the Contaminated Zone. We can't keep moving forward."

"We haven't found any trace of the Eastern Frontier Army or the Kingdom Army along the way..." the ranger said. "Could they have all been wiped out?"

"...There's no way to be sure. The noble armies may be weak in combat, but they have quite a few Supernatural Beings stationed among them. It won't be so easy for them to be completely wiped out," Sordelin said in a low voice. "Perhaps they abandoned all the wilderness regions and are holding out in the major cities. Or perhaps they're still farther north, locked in a chaotic battle with the Crystal Infected..."

He voiced his analysis, but he had little