Flame Haze Army (フレイムヘイズ兵団 Fureimuheizu Heidan) is the official term of an army formed by Flame Haze, who normally rarely form groups, to counter large-scale Crimson Denizen organizations. The name is used as a symbol, and was proposed by a mercenary-turned-Flame Haze, Samuel Demantius.
There are two versions of Flame Haze Army: the first one from the 16th century, and the second one from the modern era.
History[]
Great War[]
Formed within the Holy Roman Empire (present-day Germany) to oppose Töten Glocke, the leading force of the Crimson Denizen organizations, led by Asiz.
Flame Haze Army's formation was greatly contributed by Mathilde Saint-Omer and Wilhelmina Carmel. The military structure, personnel organization, and logistics were arranged to function as an actual army; these aspects were established by Samuel Demantius, who had a background serving as a mercenary in an actual army.
Despite maintaining a bare minimum structure of a proper army, it was essentially a disorderly crowd of individualistic Flame Haze who each accustomed to fighting alone; this made strategic, coordinated actions difficult.
Furthermore, many powerful Flame Haze were killed due to prolonged fierce battles with Töten Glocke, starting with Nachtigall Struggle. By the time of the final battle of the Great War, only a few surviving skilled Flame Haze were assigned key positions such as senior officers or unit leaders, with Sophie Sawallisch being its Captain General. The vast majority of Flame Haze Army's fighting force consisted of rookie Flame Haze, who had hastily made contracts with Crimson Lords and had not yet developed their unique skills; these new recruits were for the sole purpose of standing against Töten Glocke, which boasted over ten thousand Denizens. These mass-produced Flame Haze were later colloquially referred to as "Sophie's Children".
The Great War ended with Flame Haze's victory. Thus, the first Flame Haze Army was disbanded.
Second Great War[]
After its disbandment following the conclusion of the Medieval Great War, there were not any formations of the new Flame Haze Army during subsequent large-scale conflicts such as the Civil War, the Hawaii Liberation War, or the War against Révolution. However, it was eventually formed for the first time in several centuries upon entering full-scale war with Bal Masqué.
Unlike the Medieval Great War which occurred and involved in Europe continent, this reformation was made up of Flame Haze from around the world. With Outlaw as its matrix, the army's headquarters located in Zurich, Switzerland. Many of the rear-line duties were handled by humans; this established a structure that allowed Flame Haze to focus solely on strategic planning and combat.
There were two defensive lines established on two fronts: the Western Defense Line stretching from Japan and Taiwan through the Southeast Asian archipelago, and the Eastern Defense Line from Eastern Europe to Egypt. Flame Haze engaged Bal Masqué's Outlaw Subjugation Armies advancing from both coasts of the Eurasian continent. Due to shifting circumstances, the enemy forces eventually retreated, allowing both defense lines to be barely maintained.
These defense lines were considered part of the broader Outlaw forces; in a narrower sense, the term Flame Haze Army this time applied specifically to the decisive strike force which was tasked to launch a surprise assault on Seireiden. It consisted of over 4,000 elite Flame Haze gathered from around the world.
With Operations Calm and Crossing, the Flame Haze Army seized the initiative in the early stages. Wilhelmina, who previously infiltrated Seireiden to save Shana, had brought it crashing down, disabling its Crypta in the process. Fecor was also mortally wounded by Tenmoku Ikko, stopping him from preventing the incident. Sophie successfully destroyed Decarabia, who revealed himself in the battlefield to buy time for a reinforcement. After Haborym and his army arrived, the situation quickly turned in favor of Bal Masqué.
When the phenomenon called the Faint Heaven Quake occurred, it signaled the resurrection and return of the Snake of the Festival. Sophie resolved to destroy the Divine Gate, but failed due to Fecor's Magnesia. This not only thwarted the attack but also revealed Fecor's survival, significantly affecting the morale of both sides. After the return of the Snake of the Festival's divine body, the God of Creation's proclamation of the Grand Order sealed the Flame Haze Army's defeat. A second Grand Order proclamation soon followed, shaking the very existence for nearly all Flame Haze and plunging them into chaos. At that point, the Flame Haze Army collapsed as an organization, and ceased to exist entirely. It also failed to achieve either of its two strategic objectives: preventing the resurrection or annihilating the Snake of the Festival, and occupying or destroying key facilities within Seireiden.
The subsequent battle was led by Sydonay, where they surrounded and eliminated the remnants of the Flame Haze Army. And with the previous battle, the Flame Haze Army lost a staggering 80% of their deployed forces; this became the largest single-battle loss in history, surpassing even the Nachtigall Struggle. Moreover, all the fallen Flame Haze were among the most elite combatants. Unlike in the past, mass production of new Flame Haze was no longer feasible in the modern era, resulting in an extremely dire situation.
With Operation Ebb, some of the surviving Flame Haze succeeded in retreating and taking refuge in Tendōkyū, which had been hidden beneath the battlefield. They remained in hiding until a safety assessment was completed by Guilunhui, after which they began to move. However, with no further instructions from headquarters in Zurich and Guilunhui trying to reassert their influence after their crushing defeat in Shanghai, both remnants of the Flame Haze Army and Tendōkyū itself ended up being stalled in Wuhan.
Later, roughly half a day before the final battle in Misaki City, an incident reportedly occurred in Wuhan; it was presumably the event in which Rebecca Reed seized control of Tendōkyū. A total of 1,225 Flame Haze were aboard on Tendōkyū. They arrived at Misaki City and left for the new world Xanadu through Heavenly Ladder. Other Flame Haze decided to stay behind in this world.
Operatives[]
The First Flame Haze Army (with Gavida)
Great War[]
Sawallisch Group (サバリッシュ集団)
- Sophie Sawallisch - Captain General (総大将)
- Denis - Assistant (補佐)/Staff Officer (幕僚)[1]
- Alex - Assistant/Staff Officer[1]
- François Auric
Berwald Group (ベルワルド集団)
- Karl Berwald - Vice Commander (副将)
- Berwald Group adjutant
Operatives of unknown group
- Clemens Rott - One of many Liaison Officers (連絡将校)
- Cecilia Rodrigo - Rear (後方) soldier
- Yamabe[2]
Independent fighters
Absent during the final battle
- Samuel Demantius - Logistics Commander
- Pietro Monteverdi
- Khamsin Nbh'w
Second Great War[]
Zurich Headquarters
- Sophie Sawallisch - Supreme Commander (総司令官)
- François Auric - Adjutant (副官) to Sophie
- Samuel Demantius - Chief of Staff (幕僚長)
- Strength: Over 4000 elite Flame Haze, later joined by Shana, Wilhelmina Carmel, Khamsin Nbh'w, Rebecca Reed, and later Margery Daw
- Centerhill - Spectator/Companion
Eastern Defense Line (東部防衛線)[3]/Eastern Front (東部戦線)[4] (Japan, Tokyo Outlaw Headquarters)
- Ernest Flieder - Commander of the Tokyo Outlaw Headquarters (外界宿東京総本部司令官)
- Holmès - Deputy Commander (副司令)
- Mount Tanigawa: Mikalojus Cui among others
Western Defense Line (西部防衛線)[3]/Western Front (西部戦線)[5] (Romania, Andrei Fortress)
- Hildegard - Commander of the Western Defense Line (西部防衛線司令官)
- Dan Rogers - Western Defense Line Chief of Staff (西部防衛線幕僚長)
Mediterranean Sea to near Tehran
- Seere Habichtsburg - Commander of the Pursuit Force (追撃部隊の司令官)[6]
- Chiara Toscana - Member of the Pursuit Force
Final Battle of Misaki City (御崎市決戦) only (Post-Second Flame Haze Army)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Shakugan no Shana no Subete page 53
- ↑ Shakugan no Shana no Subete Kan page 37
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Shakugan no Shana Light Novel Volume 18 contents page
- ↑ Shakugan no Shana Final DVD Volume 03 booklet page 2
- ↑ Shakugan no Shana Final DVD Volume 03 booklet page 11
- ↑ Shakugan no Shana Light Novel Volume 19 Chapter 04, page 230