Thirty-Li Slope, outside Spirit City.
This was the only route leading to the Pope's Palace, and also the "absolute defense perimeter" Martial Soul Hall took such pride in.
Normally, an elite knight order composed of Soul Emperors was stationed here. Any intruder without permission would be mercilessly slaughtered.
But today, every one of those knights had their eyes wide open, staring into the distance as if they had seen aliens.
The ground was shaking.
It was not the thunderous rumble of countless troops charging ahead, but a dull, rhythmic mechanical vibration.
"W-What... what is that thing?!"
One knight pointed at the horizon, his voice trembling.
Amid the flying dust, a bizarre procession was slowly approaching.
At its head were neither Soul Masters nor warhorses.
Instead, there were rows upon rows of yellow giant machines standing ten meters tall!
They had massive tracks, with shovel buckets or drill heads gleaming coldly at the front. Black smoke billowed from their exhaust pipes as they rumbled forward with unstoppable momentum.
Red banners hung atop the cabs of these mechanical behemoths:
[Umbrella Demolition Squad: Professional Road Construction, and Burial Services on the Side]
[Construction in Progress Today. Do Not Gather. Consequences at Your Own Risk]
At the very front of the convoy, Grey Wolf sat in a modified open-top off-road vehicle fitted with a loudspeaker. Wearing a yellow hard hat and holding a megaphone, he looked thoroughly impatient.
"Move aside up there! All of you, move! Haven't you heard that a good dog doesn't block the road?"
"If you delay the project and cost me my attendance bonus, I'll haul every last one of you back and turn you into lamb kebabs!"
The knight captain swallowed hard, forced himself to gather his courage, and shouted, "Stop! This is a forbidden area of Martial Soul