New World War

**The New World War** is an ongoing global military conflict between the World Union - consisting of several countries and civilized major powers of the New World - and the Gra Valkas Empire and its vassal states which seek total world domination. Japan joined the war against the Gra Valkas Empire after they publicly executed the surviving crew members of the Japanese Coast Guard after the Battle of Folk Strait and attacked a Japanese cargo vessel transporting cars to Mu.

* Riem Kingdom (defected from the World Union)
* Groot Knightland (forcefully occupied)
* Qaiz Kingdom (forcefully occupied)
* Japan
* Holy Milishial Empire
* Mu
* Parpaldia Empire
* Other countries from Civilization Areas
* Crown Prince Gra Cabal (POW)
* Imperial Eastern Fleet Commander, Fleet Admiral Caesar (KIA)
* Navy Special Forces Commander, General Mirkenses (MIA)
* Imperial Capital Defense Corps Commander, General Siegs
* Leifor Combined Base Lars Filmyna Commander, General Fantare
* Eastern Foreign Affairs Division Director Cielia
* Eastern Foreign Affairs Division Vice Director Dallas
* Riem King Bank
* JGSDF Lieutenant General Ouchida Kazuki
* JMSDF Fleet Commander Umi Uchino
* Mu Field Commander Mick
* Mu Technology Officer Myrus Leclerc
* Emperor Milishial VIII
* Parpaldia Imperial Minister Kaios
* **Gra Valkas Imperial Navy**
	+ Naval Air Service
		- At least 700 aircraft
	+ Gra Valkas Empire Great Fleet
		- Gra Valkas Imperial Audit Army
		- Gra Valkas Imperial Navy
		- Imperial Home Fleet
		- Imperial Submarine Fleet
* **Gra Valkas Imperial Army**
	+ Army Air Service
		- At least 1600 aircraft
	+ 8th Army
		- 4th Armored Division
		- 3rd Infantry Division
* **Gra Valkas Imperial Royal Guard**
* **Special Extermination Operations Division**
	+ 200 Guti Maun

**Riem Kingdom**
* Dragon Mother Naval Fleet
* Wyvern knights
	+ At least 2 Escort Flotilla
	+ 7th Division
	+ F-2 Fighters
	+ BP-3C Bomber
	+ F-15J Kai
	+ E-767
* **Mu**
	+ Home Fleet
	+ Research Division
* **Holy Milishial Empire**
	+ Zeroth Magic Fleet
	+ 1st Magic Fleet
	+ 2nd Magic Fleet
	+ 3rd Magic Fleet
	+ Local Fleet Corps
	+ Ancient Superweapons Analysis and Tactical Operations Department
* More than 1000 Warships Sunk or Disabled
	+ Near-Total loss of 1st Battlegroup
	+ Total loss of Riem Fleet
	+ Great Fleet suffers catastrophic damage with all carriers lost
	+ Grade Alastar disabled and captured
* 4th Division destroyed
* 52nd **Ishtam** Local Fleet
* Valkyries Base captured
* Over 800 Aircraft
	+ 5th Navy Squadron
	+ Total loss of Guti Maun bombing fleet and escort air corps
	+ Riem Garrison Escort
* Riem Dragon Mother Fleet
* Entire Riem Wyvern Corp
* Very Heavy Losses on Mu
* Heavy Losses on Holy Milishial Empire
* 1 Japanese Shikishima Patrol Boat
* Heavy Losses on World Union Army
* Heavy Civilian Casualties

## Prelude to War

### Eleven Country Leadership Conference

The Eleven Country Leadership Conference is a convention wherein the leading countries - including the supposed "superpowers" - in every civilized sphere of the New World gather to address the current and recent political issues and events occurring in the world. The event is held every two years at the port city of Cartalpas in the Holy Milishial Empire.

Two emerging countries were invited for the first time at the conference and were recognized as superpowers after defeating two former superpowers: the Gra Valkas Empire for defeating Leifor and Japan for defeating the Parpaldia Empire.

After the Parpaldian war, Japan's representatives were sent to the conference with only a Shikishima-class patrol vessel as their escort from the Coast Guard while the other nations sent their best naval vessels. Witnessing the flagrant practice of "gunboat diplomacy," the Japanese were initially shocked since such a foreign policy would normally portray foreign aggression back on Earth. Prior to the conference itself, the Japanese government insisted on sending a destroyer escort but eventually decided against it, having not want to sully the Holy Milishial Empire's pride as the host of the occasion. As such, the Japanese diplomats regretted their decision since their pacifist attitude and international courtesy made them appear weak.

During the conference, the representative - Cielia Oudwin - of the Gra Valkas Empire declared their ultimatum to the other ten countries present, stating that they should submit to their rule and become colonies of the empire. The statement enraged the gathered diplomats.

Meanwhile, Gra Valkas sent a fleet to attack the international conference.

### Naval Battle of Magdola

In order to test the combat strength of the Holy Milishial Empire's magical Zeroth Fleet, General Mirkenses sent the Gra Valkas Navy fleet of twelve outdated warships led by Fleet Admiral Artemis. At first Ultema, Fleet Admiral of the Zeroth Fleet underestimated the Gra Valkas Fleet because of their status as a country outside civilized area. However, after a short intense fight, he appropriately realized that he was erroneous on his thinking about the Gra Valkas Empire's military power as his fleet took severe damage even with their magical reinforcements and lost one auxiliary ship.

Meanwhile, satisfied with the enemy's demonstration of their capabilities, Admiral Artemis ordered a massive air attack on the enemy fleet and quickly destroyed the entire Zeroth Fleet of the Holy Milishial Empire and the remaining ships on a nearby island base. Their next destination was the Eleven Country Leadership Conference. The Holy Milishial Empire soon learned of the defeat of the Zeroth Fleet but remained silent about its complete destruction, then telling the gathered diplomats that the conference would be moved due to the "damage to their fleet" and a possible attack from Gra Valkas.

### Battle of the Folk Strait

The powerful and prideful nations gathered there, refusing to move and decided to defend the place with the escort ships they brought. Only Japan is concerned since they are aware of Gra Valkas' actual strength. Without any destroyers with them, there's no way their coast guard patrol boat could face off against a WW2 era battleship in which Japanese diplomats lament that they should have taken the Hayabusa-class patrol boat of the JMSDF instead since it has anti-ship missiles. The Japanese group tries to take advantage of the occupied battle between the attended countries and Gra Valkas Fleet to sneak away as fast as possible.

As the 200 Gra Valkas Antares fighters dive toward Folk Strait, the Holy Mirishial Empire dispatched their latest interceptors, the Alpha-3, to attack the Antares squadron. The Alpha-3 cockily thinks that they can beat the Gra Valkas fighters only to be decimated by the far more advanced interceptors and the entire squadron of Alpha-3 are destroyed to the last plane.

Shocked at the destruction of the fighter squadron, the rest of the World Fleet scramble to dispatch their aerial assets to stop Gra Valkas aerial attacks. The captain of the Japanese Coast Guard ship falls into despair at the situation as he hoped that the Alpha-3 interceptors would be good enough to keep the Gra Valkas occupied so the crew could escape. Seeing there is no way to escape, the captain orders his crew to fight for their lives to escape back home.

The battle begins and all ships of all civilized nations are decimated by the Gra Valkas' 200 fighter planes except Japan since their patrol boat at least have Oerlikon 35 mm twin cannons and JM61 20mm gun to destroy several fighters. Unfortunately, the Grade Atlastar battleship arrives. Japan's patrol boat tries to get past the battleship to escape but is sunk. With Japan gone, the allied fleet falls but Mu manages to escape. The port town Cartalpas is bombed by the air raid and survivors from each nation including Japan are captured.

## Public Execution of POWs

In Gra Valkas, the prisoners from the previous battle were interrogated, but from out of all the imprisoned sailors, the Japanese crew remained silent. It was then decided that uncooperative prisoners should be executed. The other nations and Japan negotiated for the return of their respective countrymen at a Gra Valkas embassy in Leiforia. Asada Taiji, Japanese diplomat at the time, insisted to the Gra Valkas ambassadors that the captured Japanese were of the Japanese Coast Guard, asserting the difference between law enforcement and military personnel. They ignored the Japanese diplomat's pleas and additionally reconfirmed their declaration of war on the entire world.

Subsequently later, the execution of prisoners was publicly broadcasted with yet another group of Japanese people being killed. The action is considered a public declaration of war by Gra-Valkas, which caused anger amongst the Japanese people. (For details, see the section **Gra Valkas Public Execution of POWs**)

## Formation of the World Alliance

To counter Gra Valkas Empire's aggression, the majority of First and Second Civilization formed the World Union Army to combat Gra Valkas. Holy Milishial Empire and Mu along with other civilized countries poured their fleets to battle against the Gra Valkas Imperial Navy. However, Japan decided not to join the alliance as they needed to mobilize their homeland defense and military first much to Mu's dismay as they knew that World Union Fleet would be at a disadvantage without Japan's support.

### Great Naval Battle of Baltica

Determined to expel Gra Valkas Empire from Second Civilization, Holy Milishial Empire assembles the world's most powerful fleet with the exception of Japan and the countries from the Third Civilization.

### Battle of Mykal Offshore and Battle of Otaheit Offshore

As Dallas' proposal, while World Union is busy fighting Gra Valkas Empire's Navy at Baltica Offshore, Gra Valkas Empire deployed a detachment force of the 52nd Local Corps aiming for Mykal and Otaheit Offshore to weaken Mu's Navy power further. However, the plan was foiled by accident due to the arrival of Mu's repaired and improved battleship from Japan at Otaheit offshore, entangling in 1 vs 8 ship battle before Mu's aircraft arrives to annihilate the fleet while La Kasami has taken considerable damage. While at Port City Mykal, Japan's 2nd and 4th Escort Fleet manage to annihilate the Gra Valkas' 52nd Local Corps Navy to ensure the successful delivery of La Kasami to Mu.

The news about this defeat was kept in secret as the Navy is barking until Rambo notices it along with Caesar who saw it on Mu News after the news revealed Gra Valkas Empire's land invasion was repelled by JGSDF.

## Trade destruction activities of Gra-Valkas

To show the world that the forces of the Gra Valkas Empire could reach any remote point, even the distant waters of Japan, the Gra Valkas armed forces decided to employ commerce raiding with unrestricted submarine warfare. This would not only disrupt supply lines to the Japanese, but also be used as propaganda against the other nations. This would lead to the first naval engagement between Japan and the Gra Valkas armed forces at the Skirmish at New Japan Sea. The skirmish result would be a defeat for the Empire and victory for the JMSDF. However, just a few months later, another attack occurred off the eastern coast of Mu, when a Japan commercial ship was attacked by a floatplane taking off from the Gra-Valkas submarine, resulting in the total loss of the ship's crew. This was an unprovoked attack on a defenseless non-military vessel, and was condemned by the Japanese government. (For details, see the section **Skirmish at New Japan Sea** and **Mu's Eastern Sea Incident**)

Ultimately, their actions made Japan to decide to join the war by sending the 7th Division to Mu as reinforcements in order to repel the Gra Valkas Imperial Army. Japan also drafted a plan to cooperate with Mu and the Holy Milishial Empire to carry out a maritime blockade and topple the Gra Valkas Empire's occupation from the Second Civilization Area (although, given the invasion of Mu and the trouble and delay of Milishial in re-adding and reorganizing the forces after the defeat at Baltica, this plan seems to have been delayed/canceled).

## Mu Theater

### Second negotiation between Japan and Gra-Valkas

Asada Taiji went to negotiate with the Gra Valkas Empire to garner more time for the deployment of JGSDF troops to Mu. Asada demonstrated Japan's history, culture, and technology in an effort to dissuade the Gra Valkas Empire from continuing the war (with a significant emphasis on omitting details regarding the nuclear bombardment of Hiroshima and Nagasaki). Despite the video evidence, the Gra Valkas diplomats dismissed Japan's strength, considering the technology to be impossible for them to create.

The meeting ended, but Asada accomplished his initial goal of buying time for Japanese troops to arrive. Gra Valkas postponed their attack for a time to reinforce their troops on land but mostly still neglected the Japanese information of superior weaponry and firepower. Furthermore, all information regarding Japan's advanced technology were censored from diplomatic reports by Gesta, resulting for senior members of the Gra Valkas military to have virtually no information on Japan's military capabilities.

### Invasion of Alue

Gra Valkas occupied the border town of Alue as their opening invasion of Mu. Their next goal was to disrupt the vital railroad supply line of the city of Kielseki. The plan was to achieve air superiority by sending in planes from the Valkyries Base and attack Kielseki in a concentrated strike with the 4th Armored Division. However, the air support would never arrive as the JSDF had already destroyed the air base's runways, the anti-aircraft batteries, and most of the Gra Valkas fighters and bombers.

### Raid of Valkyries Base

In order to neutralize the Gra Valkas' air superiority, the JSDF and the World Union decided to attack Gra Valkas' primary forward base, Valkyries in Leifor that is responsible for housing the majority of the Gra Valkas' air force for their operation against the World Union. This operation was meant to prepare for the upcoming operation, but also to disable any resistance from Gra Valkas Empire, unaware that the ground forces are already on the way to Kielseki.

General Gaoggel was caught off guard and to add salt to the wound, Mu's Air Force sweep out the remaining deployed defenses.

### Repulsion of the Mu Invasion Forces in the Malmund Mountains

After crossing the Hollow Mountain Range, the 4th Armored Division was ambushed by a small force of Japanese Type 10 tanks, losing more than half of their number in under a few minutes. They attempted to request for air support from the Valkyries Base, but did not know that it had already been leveled to the ground. At Kielseki Plains, they would be subjected to massive rocket and artillery barrage, wiping out most of their infantry and lightly-armored support vehicles.

The 4th Armored Division was forced to retreat, but were harassed by AH-1S Cobra Attack Helicopters with anti-tank missiles and rockets. The final end to the division came when they were surrounded by 100 Japanese tanks. Only one tank crew survived by surrendering while the rest were obliterated.

With the loss of their strongest armored division, dozens of aircraft, massive casualties, and the Valkyries Base, the Gra Valkas military had no choice but to pull out of Mu. The victory in Mu officially cemented Japan's position of power in the New World as they are the only country that can effectively fight against the aggression of Gra Valkas' forces.

### Capture of the Crown Prince Gra Cabal

Unbeknownst to both Japan and Mu's Intelligence, the Crown Prince Gra Cabal sets out to Mu to perform an inspection at Alue and Gra Valkas' Front Line Headquarters. Diplomat Cielia and Dallas strongly oppose this due to a recent report from the initial assault that makes the base inappropriate to be inspected by the Crown Prince.

Regardless of the opposition, the Crown Prince sets out to Alue for inspection and later, heading to Valkyries to visit. General Gaoggel was informed in panic as the base was demolished and not even a month after that, the Crown Prince arrives at Leifor. To impress him, Gaoggel and his other brass make hasty repairs so that the base would please the Crown Prince upon his arrival. Unexpectedly, at the day the Crown Prince arrives at the Valkyries Base, the World Union led by Japan launch a joint attack leading Mu and Magicaraich Community to capture Valkyries Base.

During the raid, the Crown Prince witnesses the horror of war for the first time as his men were killed, and to make matters worse, the enemy's air force completely dominated the air. With Wyverns and biplanes swarming the area with additional Japanese Aircraft carrying 1st Airborne Brigade, General Gaoggel orders Crown Prince to evacuate, bringing at least 30 men to escort. Japanese soldiers storm the bunkers, eliminating the Gra Valkas Infantry that resist and apprehends those that surrender. A minute after the Crown Prince escapes, Airborne Brigade captured Gaoggel.

## Great Orient Theater

### Great Naval Invasion of Japan

Profoundly humiliated by their losses in Mu along with the failed negotiation to release Prince Gra Cabal from Japan, the Gra Valkas Empire began to realize that the Japanese were much stronger than they originally thought. The military then found it necessary to assemble the brunt of their naval forces for a direct assault on the Japanese home islands as a punitive strike for capturing their crown prince.

Based on satellite images, the Great Fleet consisted of 98 aircraft carriers, 23 battleships, 74 cruisers, 828 destroyers, an unknown number of auxiliary and supply ships, as well as a total of 1620 aircraft, including land-based bombers - far beyond Japan's original calculations. The *Grade Atlastar* was selected as the Flagship of the Great Fleet.

The Gra Valkas Empire poured at least an estimated 37 trillion Yen's worth of naval investment only to burn Tokyo into ashes.

### Diplomatic tensions between Japan and Riem

Due to the remote geographical distance between Japan and the Gra-Valkas Empire, Gra-Valkas recognized the need to build a number of FOB bases along the marching routes to ensure the maintenance of logistics as well as commanding. Through diplomatic negotiations (including gunboat diplomacy), they managed to establish several bases in the Third Civilization.

A diplomatic mission of the Gra-Valkas came to Riem Kingdom to request the construction of a FOB base and use the deep-water port here for the Great Fleet (which, ironically, was built by Japan); in return, they will provide advanced technologies as well as help Riem modernize their army.

Fearful of the immense power of the Gra-Valkas, as well as due to an ignorant underestimation of the power between Japan and the Gra-Valkas, the King of Riem, Bank hastily decided to rely on the Gra-Valkas, while declaring they will freeze the assets of Japan and the Mu in this country. The diplomat of Riem Kingdom, Feldas tried to play dumb by stating that freezing Japanese assets was not a hostile action but an economic disagreement and the arrival of Gra Valkas army to come and establish FOB was more than just a "friendly visit". Eventually, Shirokawa, the Japanese Ambassador in Riem Kingdom didn't buy that and angrily promised sanction of Riem Kingdom for their transgression. The event caused Japan to lose 10 billion yen worth of investment. In retaliation, Japan declared trade embargo on Riem as well as freezing any assets of the Riem Kingdom as compensation.

Despite foolishly creating hostility toward Japan, King Bank and most of Riem officials naively and blindly thought that Japan would never try to attack Riem in retaliation as they thought that Japan never tried to attack countries that never tried to directly show hostility toward them and the technological transfer from Gra Valkas could enable them to eventually conquer the Philades Continent and overwhelm Japan in no time. Furthermore, it also revealed that the Kingdom was also seemingly ignorant about Japan's recent major victories against Gra Valkas.

### Japan's preparation for homeland defense

Using reconnaissance satellites, the JSDF managed to locate major naval production facilities and every port on the Gra Valkas's homeland as well as the departure of numerous warships to form the Great Fleet that would be used to attack Japan.

Prime Minister Yomoya was stunned at the sheer number of ships in the Gra Valkas's navy which was much larger than their initial calculations. A Japanese official stated that Gra Valkas used the same strategy as the United States military in the Second World War by forcefully modifying dozens of tankers into light aircraft carriers to increase their naval numbers with the trade off of low defensive capability as well as mass-producing destroyers and destroyer escorts.

The massive fleet caused worry amongst the Japanese government regarding the security of the homeland, but the Japanese Minister of Defence reassured that the JSDF still held a 70-year technological advantage over the Gra Valkas Empire and Japan had fought the US before - a comparable equivalent of the Gra Valkas Empire in terms of industrial power. Although, modern upgrades regarding JMSDF missile destroyers were still not completed.

Nonetheless, every Japanese cabinet member solemnly agreed that the Gra Valkas Empire was the most dangerous military threat thus far since their transfer to the New World.

Fearing and unwilling to allow another invasion of a Japanese island to happen again, Prime Minister Yomoya lifted certain restrictions from the Geneva Convention regarding banned weapons to defend their country at all cost and called upon all branches of the government to cooperate with the JSDF to halt any Gra Valkas invasion.

### Altaras Strait Ambush

As the Greet Fleet passed through the area near the Altaras Kingdom, the contingent of JASDF and JMSDF were dispatched to intercept the fleet. The JASDF successfully destroyed dozens of Gra Valkas' reconnaissance aircraft to open the gateway for the bombing run on the fleet.

In order to maintain a surprise attack, JASDF deployed EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) to scramble the radar of the fleet, causing most of the fleets unable to detect JSDF F-15 fighters and BP-3C attack. This results in the destruction of the 3rd Special Task Force of the Great Fleet in which roughly 230 ships are sunk.

However, later on, much to the JSDF's dismay, it was revealed that the group of ships and aircraft they decimated was actually decoys as the Great Fleet sacrificed a small portion of its fleet to distract the JSDF. It was detected that the Great Fleet had split into separate battlegroups to avoid detection, all of them was heading to Tokyo:

* 56 ships in the Riem Kingdom.
* 230 ships in the waters near the Qaiz Kingdom.
* 210 ships in the Groot Knightland.
* 996 ships (the Main Fleet) in the east of First Civilization Area.

With a total of almost 1500 ships, the Gra Valkas Empire manage to reach 3,000 km south of Okinawa undetected, to Caesar's relief.

In a related event, the Holy Mirishial Empire obtained information about the Gra Valkas' invasion of Japan, even knowing the disposition of the Great Fleet and the operation plan. Due to the large number of the Great Fleet and largely unaware of Japan's true military capability, the Empire naively believed that Japan would be defeated and devastated, although they correctly expected that Japan's technological capability would cause heavy losses for Gra Valkas. In a move to "help" Japan, so as to show off their power to the Japanese as well as being unwilling to let Japan to take all the glory from themselves, a Pal Chimera was sent to the coast of Tokyo to help Japan intercept the Great Fleet. Furthermore, the Emperor of Mirishial called on the uncivilized countries to attack the allies of the Gra Valkas, as well as the Great Fleet itself with the reward that if one single GVE ships is sunk by an uncivilized country that country will be immediately recognized as civilized country under the Third Civilization or in the case if of an individual, he/she can enjoy great monetary wealth. The true purpose of the plan to invoke uncivilized countries and bounty hunters to harass GVE fleets and their allies to gain as much influence from uncivilized countries as possible since the Emperor of HME knows fully well that the Japanese is disrupting the balance of power with their superior technology in the New World so he hopes that Holy Mirishial Empire can counter the Japanese's rapidly growing influence by getting as much countries to their side.

Despite the great monetary rewards and recognition as civilized countries, almost no countries outside the civilized areas dare to attack the Gra Valkas fleets and the majority of bounty hunters or adventurers are not mad enough to gain unattainable and impossible rewards. However, there are still tons of idiotic adventurers to try to score themselves big time only to be killed mercilessly by Gra Valkas warships and planes when they foolishly try to attack the Great Fleet.

### Japan's interception of the Great Fleet

Despite the tactical victory of the Gra Valkas in the Altaras Strait, Japan quickly recovered from the initial shock and proceeded to intercept Gra Valkas' spearheads, resulting in a series of the fiercest battles in the New World War, which ultimately led to the most catastrophic defeat for the Gra Valkas Empire since the beginning of the war and probably throughout its history. This will be considered as the turning point of the entire war.

(For the details, see the section **Great Naval Invasion of Japan**)

## World Union counter-offensive

Japan's decisive victory in the Great Naval Invasion of Japan turned the tide of the war in the complete favor of Japan and the World Union. They had the favorable conditions to launch a large-scale counterattack on the Second Civilization Area, targeting Leifor and other territories occupied by Gra Valkas Empire. That plan, which had been discussed before the Invasion of Mu, was quite sophisticated and required the coordination of the world's top superpowers (Japan, Mu, Holy Milishial Empire):

* An assault on Paganda and Irnetia as a springboard for a maritime blockade off Leifor.
* JMSDF and the Holy Milishial Imperial Navy would mobilize its fleet to effectively carry out the blockade.
* Finally, a pre-emptive ground assault by Mu, Japan, and other allied nations in the Second Civilization Area would destroy Gra Valkas' garrison in Leifor and neighboring territory, liberating it.

Despite realizing that the vast technological disparity between them and Japan caused the balance of power to become too disparate, the leaders of Gra Valkas Empire still refused to surrender. The head of the Gra Valkas military, Xand Pastall has urged and commissioned all Gra Valkas armament companies to triple their weapon productions, while captain Siegs in charge of capital defense immediately lay out his plans to deploy sea mines on the north to prevent any submarine attack from Japan and battleships from Mu with the oddities of possibly infiltrate some personnel to attack Leifor. He also plans to rig every possible places with mines and traps, in hope to prevent or to slow down the JSDF and Mu from taking Leifor back. Furthermore, in order to counter Japan's jamming technology, large group of patrol planes would be used for recon purposes to compensate for the situation where radars are completely disabled. Siegs also made it clear that Leifor must be hold at all cost since if Leifor fell, Gra Valkas mainland would be utterly vulnerable for total attack from the enemy.

The World Union's counterattack had begun with the attack on Hinomawari Kingdom and Leifor, while the Holy Milishial Imperial Navy and the JMSDF were preparing for sortie.

## Trivia

* The New World War is the most protracted military conflict depicted in the series to date, lasting all the way from **Chapter 53: Pride of the Superpowers** up until **Chapter 123: End of Leiforia**. Initially, Japan withdrew its participation from combat shortly after the Battle of Folk Strait.
	+ However, Land of the Rising Sun would eventually rejoin the fray in **Chapter 75: Looming Flames of War**.