Adelheid von Schugel, now a priest, explains to a reporter that the Empire went to war because all the other nations feared its power.
Years after the war, the Empire’s resolve remains unyielding, and the story follows the imperial war machine in action. The Tanya von Degurechaff, a sharp and relentless commander, leads the [203rd Aerial Mage Battalion] on a sortie in Africa against Free Republic forces and destroys their headquarters. Upon returning, however, she is ordered into an immediate reconnaissance mission along the Empire’s eastern border with the Russy Federation by Erich von Rerugen. At the border, the battalion watches Federation forces stockpile heavy artillery materiel, and a message arrives announcing that the Federation has declared war on the Empire. Undeterred, Tanya and the 203rd wipe out the entire enemy encampment. She pushes for a bold strike on Moscow, insisting that the Federation’s anti‑air defenses are so weak that a Cessna could land in Red Square unmolested. Headquarters approves the attack, and the Empire appears unchallenged in the air as the Federation has sent its mages to internment camps.
Meanwhile, Mary Sue—a Warrant Officer who has enlisted in the US Army to avenge her father, Anton Sioux—arrives in Moscow with a multinational cadre of volunteers within the 42nd Flying Division. They train under the command of William Drake, but the 42nd suffers casualties amid Tanya’s earlier campaigns. The Imperial forces seize the moment to record propaganda footage by singing the Imperial national anthem over Moscow, a display that reaches Loriya, a member of the Federation’s cabinet who is described as pedophiliac, and who becomes infatuated with Tanya.
Mary grows furious and disobeys Drake’s orders, taking off alone to engage the 203rd. The remaining members of the 42nd are drawn into the conflict, inexperienced and thus vulnerable, and the battle leaves heavy losses in its wake. Mary confronts Tanya in a fierce duel, but Tanya defeats her, only for Mary to be found gravely wounded in a crater, pleading for the power to kill Tanya.
Back at Imperial East Border Temporary Camp 21, the 203rd and allied soldiers celebrate their successes, drinking away the night. A request comes in to aid the surrounded 3rd and 22nd Divisions at Tiegenhoff, a strategic railway hub. Tanya agrees, knowing that controlling Tiegenhoff would give the Empire access to vital routes into the Federation. Their defense of Tiegenhoff brings a measure of relief to besieged troops, and the Federation’s response grows increasingly brutal with a sustained human-wave assault.
As the battle rages into the next day, the arrival of the 42nd and a bomber escort fights off Federation pressure. Mary, again seeing Tanya, disobeys Drake’s orders once more and launches against the empire’s commander, her power on full display but interrupted by the intervention of friend and foe alike. Tanya suspicions that Mary’s actions are influenced by Being X, the enigmatic force surrounding them all. Mary incapacitates Tanya and violently pins her to the ground, but Tanya is saved by Drake, and the Federation assault falters as the clash reaches a pause.
With the conflict momentarily halted, William Drake orders a retreat for the 42nd, shifting focus away from immediate frontline victory. Tanya is forced to confront the reality that her envisioned, quiet life is unlikely to come true while Being X continues to meddle in fate. She petitions Strategic Headquarters to move to the rear for two months to study and refine her approach to combined arms warfare, a plan that combines artillery, infantry, and tanks with her own 203rd in theory and practice.
During this respite, Tanya visits a church and speaks with a mix of defiance and longing, reveling in the chance to be removed from frontline danger while openly insulting Being X. Yet the two months pass, and she learns that her future is not her own. Hans von Zettour informs her that she will soon command the 8th Kampfgruppe “Salamander”—a blended force that brings together artillery, infantry, tanks, and her trusted 203rd to test the efficacy of her revised battle concepts.
The story maintains its careful balance of strategy, power, and the unseen hands guiding events, inviting viewers to ponder the costs of war, the lure of power, and the murky motives behind propulsive victories. It remains a dense, high-stakes narrative where every maneuver on the battlefield echoes a deeper pull between human ambition and forces beyond understanding.
