Chapter 178: The Iron Vanguard

My vision was still heavily obscured by the glowing crimson notifications of the Dynasty System. The text hung in the air like a solid and unyielding proof of the absolute transformation that had occurred within my bloodline.

I stood up without making a single sound. I stepped onto the thick velvet rug. My Level 68 consolidated physique felt entirely different.

It was denser.

It was heavier.

It vibrated with a latent conceptual pressure that seemed to draw the ambient mana of the room directly into my green skin.

The unborn heirs inside my wives were actively interacting with my core. They pulled at my energy while simultaneously feeding a steady passive river of modified attributes back into my soul.

I looked back at the massive bed. The Queens were sleeping peacefully. The System interface hovered directly over their resting bodies.

[Passive Bloodline Trait Modifications Initialized.]

[Host 1: Ramona. Draconic scales are now permanently infused with Sovereign Hive Chitin. Absolute physical invulnerability achieved.]

[Host 2: Lysandra. Succubus vitality loop is fully synchronized with the Flame of Life. Limitless stamina regeneration achieved.]

[Host 3: Kaelith. Noctharion shadow pathways are perfectly insulated by the Flame of Death. Absolute immunity to holy light achieved.]

[Host 4: Anise. Human cellular structure is reinforced by absolute Sovereign Authority. Mortal physical limits completely shattered.]

They were safe. The children growing inside them had forcefully elevated their baseline survivability to an unprecedented tier.

I could leave the capital to conquer the western continent without fearing for their safety. No assassin and no rogue monster lord could ever scratch them now.

I turned away from the bed. I summoned my dark military trousers and my heavy brass gauntlets from my spatial ring.

It was time to spend the wealth we had harvested in the dark.

I walked down the long winding stairs into the deepest underground foundry of the Iron Estate. The heat was immense.

The deafening roar of furnaces echoed off the stone walls. Chief Architect Nyssa was already awake.

She stood over a massive drafting table. Her green geometric tattoos flared with frantic engineering joy. She was rapidly sketching blueprint adjustments for the harvested Void Steel.

"Wake up your laborers, Nyssa," I rumbled. My deep baritone voice instantly cut through the noise of the foundry.

Nyssa spun around. She pushed her messy hair out of her eyes and bowed deeply. "Master. The Void Steel profiles are completed.

I have mapped out the kinetic thresholds for the dreadnought assembly lines. But we do not have enough skilled blacksmiths to forge plates that dense."

"We do not need blacksmiths," I commanded. I stepped up to the drafting table and opened my right palm. The Eye of the Architect burned brightly in my skin. It cast a blinding blue light across the dark stone walls.

"We just secured five and a half million Lust Points. We are going to the dimensional foundry. It is time to evolve the production capacity of this entire empire."

I tapped into the Administrator Privilege.

"Pocket Factory. Open."

A massive glowing dimensional doorway tore open in the center of the underground room.

Beyond the threshold lay the ethereal endless assembly line of magical conveyor belts. It was the space where I had forged the original steam rifles.

"System," I projected my thoughts inward.

"Access the highest tier industrial upgrades. Purchase the Absolute Automation package." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

DING!

[Transaction Confirmed. Deducting 4,000,000 Lust Points.]

[The Dimensional Pocket Factory is evolving to the Age of Industry.]

The ethereal realm beyond the portal violently shifted. The simple ghostly hammers shattered into dust. In their place rose towering hydraulic presses forged from pure dark matter.

Massive robotic arms descended from the void ceiling. Conveyor belts widened into colossal dry docks capable of holding entire naval ships.

I reached out and grabbed the physical crates of raw Void Steel sitting in our basement. I forcefully hurled them through the portal. The automated factory instantly consumed the black metal.

[Initiating automated production. Blueprint: Void Steel Armored Dreadnoughts. Blueprint: Advanced Kinetic Mana Rifles.]

We watched in absolute awe as the giant robotic arms began stamping the impenetrable Void Steel into curved hull plates.

Thousands of advanced rifles were simultaneously minted on the secondary belts. The sheer speed of the automated assembly line was terrifying. We were literally printing an apocalyptic armada.

Nyssa stared through the portal. Her mouth hung slightly open. She looked up at my scarred green face with pure unadulterated worship.

"It is perfect," Nyssa whispered. She stepped close to me and pressed her soft chest against my brass arm. She looked up with a sudden deep longing in her eyes.

"The Queens are carrying your heirs. I can feel the shift in the Pack Link. I want to carry your bloodline too, Master."

I reached down and placed my heavy hand against her cheek. I traced the glowing green tattoos running along her jawline.

"You are the engine of this empire," I replied softly.

"You build the teeth of my Vanguard. When the holy war is won and these factories run completely autonomously, you will have my undivided attention. I will fill you with an heir that will inherit the machinery of the world. That is my promise."

Nyssa smiled brilliantly. Her logical mind completely accepted the absolute efficiency of my timeline.

"Then I will make sure the war ends quickly," Nyssa promised.

The heavy iron doors of the foundry pushed open. Rolf stepped into the room. The Silver Colossus wore his full gunmetal armor.

He looked incredibly energized. His golden amber eyes burned with absolute predatory focus. The exhaustion of the coastal defense had entirely vanished.

His wedding night with Vanessa had restored his Alpha vitality.

"You summoned me, Alpha," Rolf stated. He slammed his massive silver fist against his chest plate.

"The dreadnoughts will be finished by tomorrow," I declared. I turned away from the portal to face my Vanguard General.

"The human Pope is building his own fleet. We cannot wait for him to arrive. We need millions of foot soldiers to act as a frontline barrier for our machines. We are going to the Beastman Continent."

Rolf bared his sharp teeth in a savage grin.

"A diplomatic mission?"

"No treaties," I growled. My Domination Aura flared outward. The conceptual pressure rattled the loose tools on the workbenches.

"We do not have time for politics. We are taking the ironclad transports. We will sail West. You and I will challenge every single tribal Alpha on that continent to a sacred blood duel. We will crush their leaders. We will forcefully absorb their entire population into our military."

"A blitzkrieg of the strong," Rolf laughed out loud. His massive shoulders shook with pure anticipation.

"The Vanguard is ready to march. We will show the beasts the true meaning of the Forge."

Three days later.

The Azure Sea was unnaturally calm. A thick gray fog blanketed the cold water. The only sound was the rhythmic deafening thrum of massive steam engines cutting through the ocean.

I stood at the absolute prow of the flagship transport. I wore my heavily upgraded S-Grade Hive Chitin armor.

The black and green plating was reinforced with a thin layer of Void Steel. It made my imposing frame look like a walking monolith of absolute destruction.

Rolf stood to my right. Ten thousand fully armed Vanguard soldiers stood in perfect formation on the iron decks behind us.

They gripped their newly minted kinetic rifles with terrifying discipline.

The gray fog finally parted.

The rugged muddy shores of the Beastman Continent loomed directly ahead. It was a harsh primitive land of towering dark forests and jagged cliffs.

There were no coastal cities. There were only massive sprawling tribal camps built from bone and stretched animal hides.

The native beasts had seen our black smoke approaching from miles away.

Waiting for us on the muddy beach was a massive horde of savage warriors.

They were a terrifying mixture of minotaurs, centaurs, and towering reptilian brutes. They carried crude iron axes and massive wooden shields.

Standing at the very front of the primitive horde was their warlord. He was a towering Level 72 Minotaur Alpha.

His dark fur was covered in bloody war paint. He wielded a colossal spiked iron pillar as a club. He breathed heavy clouds of white steam into the freezing air.

Our iron transport ship slammed directly into the shallow sandbank. The sheer kinetic force of the vessel shook the earth beneath the warlord’s hooves.

The massive iron loading ramp slowly lowered. It slammed onto the wet sand with a deafening crash.

The Minotaur warlord roared at the sky. He slammed his spiked pillar into the mud. He pointed a massive clawed finger directly at my glowing red visor.

"Iron does not rule the wild!" the Alpha bellowed. His deep voice shook the surrounding trees.

"This is the land of blood! Step onto my shore and die!"

I did not draw a weapon. I simply cracked my heavy brass knuckles.

The Flame of Death ignited violently around my right fist. The pitch black fire hissed against the salty sea air.

"Then let us see your blood," I rumbled.

I stepped off the iron ramp and onto the foreign shore.