
Crippled by the snow and cold and weakened by stretched supply lines, the Federation forces are quickly routed by a massive Imperial counterattack. However, despite the Federation's early success, winter comes earlier than expected, halting the unprepared Federation forces. Along the way, they battle the elite Imperial tank unit Ausbruch, led by Klaus Walz, who considers Claude a worthy rival. Squad E continues the offensive by breaking the Siegval Line, Schwartzgrad's final line of defense. Riley is initially mistrustful of Claude due to him running away from a fire that killed Riley's family, but eventually accepts his command when he proves his worth as a leader.

Along the way, they are joined by another childhood friend, Riley Miller. The operation is initially successful, with Squad E managing to push through Imperial territory. Federation leaders decide to put all of their resources into Operation Northern Cross, a massive offensive with the objective of pushing straight to the Imperial capital of Schwartzgrad. Squad E is then informed that the Empire has the upper hand, capturing a large amount of Federation territory as well as initiating an invasion of Gallia. Claude, Raz, and Leena are able to pass training and join the elite Ranger Corps, with Claude being assigned command of Squad E. However, during training, Kai mysteriously disappears, leaving his sister Leena to take his place as "Kai".

See also: List of Valkyria Chronicles characters § Valkyria Chronicles 4Ĭlaude Wallace and his childhood friends Kai Shulen and Raz join the Federation Army in order to fight the Empire in the Second Europan War, both to protect their home country of Gallia and avenge an Imperial attack on their hometown of Hafen.
