The rebellion was riding high on its string of victories. With every stronghold they seized and every supply line they disrupted, the nobles’ grasp on the region weakened. Juri Winkler, piloting the newly upgraded Dominion-class Mech, had become a legend among both rebels and nobles—a figure who turned the tide of every battle.

  But the nobles were not idle. Beneath the surface of their humiliating defeats, they worked tirelessly to create a weapon that could not only counter Juri’s machines but destroy the rebellion’s symbol of defiance.

  It began with a plea. A scout arrived at Ironclad Bastion, battered and breathless, his face streaked with soot.

  “Commander Winkler!” the scout gasped, stumbling into the war room. “A noble stronghold at Redvale Ridge—it’s weakly defended, but... the civilians there are being used as shields.”

  Juri’s sharp blue eyes narrowed as he studied the scout. “Weakly defended?”

  The scout nodded. “A small garrison. Supplies are vulnerable, but they’ve packed the outer villages with innocents. If we strike quickly, we can liberate them before reinforcements arrive.”

  Kira, standing beside Juri, crossed her arms. “It sounds too convenient.”

  “It’s bait,” Valeria Eldryn said, her green eyes narrowing. “They know you can’t resist an opportunity to liberate civilians. They’re setting a trap.”

  “I know,” Juri said calmly. “But if we don’t act, those people will suffer. We can’t let fear dictate our actions.”

  Halrick grinned. “Then let’s spring the trap and see who gets caught.”

  Juri led a strike force of seasoned rebels, including Kira, Halrick, and Garrick, along with a contingent of Adaptive Drones and two Bastion Walkers. The Dominion-class Mech strode at the head of the column, its new mana-plasma railgun gleaming in the afternoon sun.

  As they approached the outskirts of Redvale Ridge, the sight of the villagers confirmed the scout’s report. Hundreds of civilians were herded into makeshift camps, guarded by a small detachment of noble soldiers.

  “It’s too clean,” Kira muttered, scanning the scene through her binoculars. “Where’s the artillery? The heavy defenses?”

  “Behind those cliffs,” Juri replied, pointing to the ridge overlooking the camp. “If they’re hiding reinforcements, that’s where they’ll be.”

  Halrick flexed his grip on his sword. “So what’s the plan?”

  Juri’s sharp blue eyes flickered with calculation. “We take out the garrison quickly and quietly. Kira, you lead the ground team to free the villagers. Garrick, cover her from the ridges. I’ll keep the Dominion in reserve until we’re sure it’s clear.”

  The rebels moved swiftly, neutralizing the noble garrison with precision. Kira’s team freed the villagers, guiding them to safety while Garrick’s sharpshooters provided cover.

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  Everything seemed to be going according to plan. But as the last group of villagers reached the evacuation point, a deafening hum filled the air.

  “What is that?” Kira shouted, covering her ears.

  Juri’s console lit up with warnings as a sudden surge of mana disrupted the Dominion’s systems. The mech staggered, its movements sluggish.

  “They’ve activated something,” Juri muttered, struggling to regain control.

  From behind the cliffs, a massive Arcanic Disruptor emerged, its runes glowing with malevolent energy. The device emitted a shimmering field that pulsed outward, disrupting mana-based systems and disabling several of the Adaptive Drones.

  At the same time, a column of noble soldiers and mages marched into view, flanked by two War Sentinels—smaller but heavily armed machines designed to exploit the disruption field’s effects.

  “It’s a trap!” Garrick shouted through the comms.

  The battlefield descended into chaos as the nobles advanced. The Dominion’s systems struggled to compensate for the disruption field, its movements jerky and imprecise.

  “Juri!” Kira shouted. “We’ve got incoming on the east ridge!”

  “I see it,” Juri replied, firing the Dominion’s railgun. The blast tore through a War Sentinel, but the weapon’s recharge time left the mech vulnerable.

  The nobles’ mages unleashed waves of fire and lightning, targeting the rebels’ ground forces. Kira led her team in a desperate counterattack, using cover to avoid the brunt of the spells.

  Halrick charged into the fray, his sword cutting down noble soldiers with brutal efficiency. “We’re getting pinned down!” he growled.

  Juri’s mind raced as he analyzed the situation. The disruption field was the key—it had to be destroyed. But the Arcanic Disruptor was heavily guarded, and the Dominion’s impaired systems couldn’t reach it in time.

  “Kira, Halrick!” Juri called through the comms. “I’m going for the disruptor. Cover me!”

  “You’ll never make it alone!” Kira protested.

  “Just keep them off me!” Juri snapped.

  The Dominion lurched forward, its engines straining against the disruption field. Juri fired the mech’s Repeater in controlled bursts, targeting the soldiers and mages protecting the disruptor.

  Halrick and Kira’s teams fought to draw attention away from the Dominion, but the nobles’ forces were relentless. One of the War Sentinels turned its cannons on the mech, unleashing a barrage of fire that tore into its armor.

  “Come on,” Juri muttered, gripping the controls tightly. “Just a little further.”

  As the Dominion reached the disruptor, Juri activated the plasma cutter on the mech’s modular arm. The blade hissed with energy as he drove it into the device’s core, severing the runes that powered the disruption field.

  The disruptor exploded in a burst of mana, the shockwave knocking the Dominion to its knees. But the field was gone, and the rebels’ machines roared back to life.

  With the disruption field neutralized, the Adaptive Drones resumed their assault, swarming the nobles’ War Sentinels and disabling their weapons.

  Juri struggled to his feet, the Dominion’s systems stabilizing just enough to fire one last shot. The railgun’s blast tore through the nobles’ command unit, sending their remaining forces into disarray.

  “Push them back!” Kira shouted, rallying the rebels. “They’re breaking!”

  The nobles’ forces began to retreat, their carefully laid trap dismantled piece by piece.

  As the dust settled, the rebels regrouped. The battlefield was littered with debris and bodies, the price of victory etched into every scarred surface.

  Juri climbed out of the Dominion’s cockpit, his body aching from the strain of the battle. Kira approached, her face streaked with dirt and exhaustion.

  “You’re insane,” she said, shaking her head.

  “Maybe,” Juri replied, a faint smirk on his lips. “But it worked.”

  Halrick joined them, his sword resting on his shoulder. “We hit them hard, but they’ll come back with something worse. They always do.”

  Juri nodded, his sharp blue eyes narrowing. “Then we’ll be ready. Because next time, it’s our trap.”