At that very moment, more than two thousand kilometers away from Crystal City, Yu Lian had no idea that the situation inside the ancient ruins in Lord's Canyon had completely spiraled out of control. He knew even less that something seemingly out of place had escaped from there.
His attention had, of course, been drawn to the thrilling military exercise unfolding before him. As a perfectly normal man with sound values and normal tastes, how could he not feel his blood surge at the sight?
Silver war constructs over three meters tall raced across the open ground as dense gunfire rained down around them, raising one orange-red blaze after another. The flames seemed to raise the surrounding temperature by more than ten degrees. Sand and dirt across the field had caught fire and were flung in all directions. At a glance, it looked as though the ground itself had turned to molten lava.
Though it was only an exercise, the warheads had been toned down, and the power of the energy beams had been adjusted. Even so, the sights, sounds, and shock waves were every bit as dramatic as the real thing. For an unprotected civilian, even this simulated firepower used in an exercise would be lethal.
After all, the "Glory and Mission" military exercise had a casualty quota to begin with. And the Imperial Guard's 12th Division, made up of elite armored grenadiers, certainly wasn't going to go easy on their opponents, the Starrealm Knights.
The silver heraldry mechs worn by the knights were so ornate they seemed like delicate works of art. Yet as they plunged through the smoke, explosions, and flying debris of the Great Pulse Plain, each of them stood firm like an indomitable god.
Then these "gods" broke through the line of fire. Faced with