A few days later, the day of departure finally arrived.
The battalion was a sight to behold, spanning a total of twelve heavily armed vehicles.
Among them were three frontline tanks reinforced with enchanted armor, and one massive, specialized vanguard tank sporting a colossal cannon mounted on its chassis.
The remaining eight vehicles were heavily armored cars carrying the elite infantry.
"Iris-sama, your battalion is locked, loaded, and ready to move out!" a soldier reported, saluting sharply.
Iris gave a firm nod. "Recon Battalion, Move out!" She then turned to her sister, who was practically vibrating with energy. "Rory, let's go."
"Hehe! Finally, time to move off!" Rory cheered excitedly, completely breaking out of her weeks-long boredom.
She dashed ahead and hopped into the passenger seat of their armored transport.
Resting beside her was a massive, giant battle-axe, its heavy blade shimmering with a dangerous blue and red glow along the spine.
Iris, strapped with her signature sword at her waist, climbed into the vehicle right beside her eager sibling.
As the heavy military caravan rolled through the capital city, crowds of citizens lined the streets, cheering wildly, waving flags, and shouting their endless gratitude to the soldiers for keeping the kingdom safe.
Eventually, the city gave way to the outer perimeter, and the battalion came to a halt before the massive fortification gates. Iris reached over, unhooking the radio receiver inside the cabin.
"Takao, can you bring down the Exit 2 barrier?" Iris asked through the comms.
A brief, static-filled pause echoed back before a shy voice replied, "Erm... okay. It's done."
"Thank you, Takao. Once we clear the threshold, go ahead and seal it back up," Iris requested warmly.
Placing the radio back on its hook, Iris keyed her mic to the entire battalion. "The Exit 2 barrier is down. All units, move out!"
"YES, MA'AM!" the soldiers barked back in unison over the comms.
The heavy vehicles roared to life, crossing past the threshold of the kingdom's borders.
Behind them, the shimmering energy of the high-tech magical barrier flickered back to life, sealing the utopia away.
Into the unknown wilderness, the perilous journey for Iris, Rory, and their elite battalion had officially begun.