The Vers invasion begins with Landing Castles crashing into New Orleans, Maputo, Beijing, and Tokyo. Martian Kataphrakts emerge and begin to devastate the Terran defenders. In Shinawara, while preparing to evacuate, Inaho finds Edelrittuo and an unknown girl and informs them they need to evacuate. The girl subdues him and asks him what the evacuation is for, prompting Inaho to inform them about the assassination of Princess Asseylum. The girl then reveals to Inaho that Asseylum became ill after making planetfall due to the change in gravity and it was actually a body double that died. Meanwhile, the terrorists who committed the assassination are revealed to be Vers loyalists, but are promptly killed by Baron Trillram of the Vers Empire to ensure the truth about the false flag operation is never revealed. 2nd Lt. Marito's squad engages Trillram, but are defeated by him. While chasing Inaho and his friends who are escaping in an APC, Okisuke is thrown off the vehicle and disintegrated by Trillram's shield. After entering a tunnel, Inaho receives orders from Lt. Marito to draw Trillram's Kataphrakt away to buy more time for an evacuation.