The banners of House Vorell hung limply in the still air of the grand council chamber, their once-proud silver flames dulled by the weight of failure. The room was silent except for the sharp sound of boots on polished stone as Lorian Vehr approached the table where Lady Alarice Vorell sat, her piercing green eyes fixed on him.

“Blackspire Keep has fallen,” Lorian said, his voice calm but laced with tension.

Alarice’s gaze hardened. “You lost an entire stronghold. How?”

“The rebels,” Lorian replied. “Winkler. His machines are more advanced than we anticipated. He’s turned their camp into a weapons forge, and now they have the firepower to challenge us directly.”

Alarice leaned back in her chair, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest. “You’ve underestimated him twice now, Lorian. If this pattern continues, you won’t live to see a third failure.”

Lorian’s jaw tightened, but he bowed his head slightly. “I understand, my lady. But I have a solution.”

“I assume this solution is better than the last,” Alarice said coldly.

Lorian smiled faintly. “Far better. The Judicator.”

The council members murmured among themselves, their expressions shifting from doubt to intrigue. Alarice raised an eyebrow. “Explain.”

“It’s a prototype war machine, larger and more powerful than the Sentinels. Unlike them, the Judicator is fully integrated with an Arcane Nexus, granting it near-unlimited magical capabilities. It can project suppression fields, unleash wide-area attacks, and withstand sustained fire from Winkler’s machines.”

“And it’s ready?” Alarice asked.

“It will be by the time we march on Blackspire,” Lorian replied. “This will be our decisive blow. Once Winkler sees the Judicator in action, his rebellion will collapse.”

Back at Blackspire Keep, the rebels worked tirelessly to fortify their new position. The outer walls, damaged in the assault, were reinforced with salvaged metal plates, and the Dominion-class Mech stood as a sentinel at the main gate. The keep’s interior buzzed with activity as the rebels transformed it into a forward operating base.

Juri Winkler oversaw the efforts from the keep’s central tower, his sharp blue eyes scanning the horizon. Blackspire was a strategic victory, but it came with a price. The nobles wouldn’t let this loss go unanswered.

Kira entered the room, her footsteps light but deliberate. “You’re pacing again,” she said.

Juri stopped and turned to her. “Can you blame me? We’ve taken their keep, and now we’re sitting here waiting for the hammer to fall.”

“It’s not like you to wait for anything,” Kira said with a faint smirk. “Got something in mind?”

Juri gestured to the table, where blueprints for a new design were spread out. “I’ve been working on a countermeasure. Something to deal with whatever they throw at us next.”

Kira glanced at the designs. “This is bigger than the Dominion.”

“It has to be,” Juri replied. “The Dominion can hold the line, but it won’t be enough against their next move. We need something stronger.”

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Kira frowned. “You’re betting a lot on an idea.”

“An idea is all we’ve got,” Juri said.

The scouts returned later that evening with grim news.

“They’re coming,” one scout reported, his voice heavy with urgency. “A massive force, led by Lorian Vehr himself. And they’ve got something big with them—something we’ve never seen before.”

The room fell silent as the rebels absorbed the information.

Halrick broke the tension with a low whistle. “Looks like they’re done playing around.”

Garrick folded his arms. “How big are we talking?”

“Big enough to make the Dominion look small,” the scout replied.

Juri’s expression didn’t waver, but his mind raced. The nobles wouldn’t commit this much unless they were certain it would end the rebellion. Which means they’re bringing their best.

“We hold Blackspire,” Juri said finally. “No matter what it takes.”

At dawn, the nobles’ army appeared on the horizon. Rows of soldiers marched in tight formation, their armor glowing faintly with protective enchantments. At the center of the column stood the Judicator, a massive war machine unlike anything the rebels had faced before.

The Judicator’s frame was as tall as the Dominion but bulkier, its body covered in intricate runes that pulsed with magical energy. Its arms ended in massive gauntlets, one equipped with a long-range magical cannon and the other capable of generating a shimmering shield.

Juri stood atop the battlements, his sharp blue eyes fixed on the Judicator. “So that’s their new toy,” he muttered.

Halrick joined him, his expression grim. “You think we can take it?”

“We don’t have a choice,” Juri replied.

The nobles launched their assault with terrifying precision. Mages unleashed volleys of fire and lightning, their spells striking the keep’s walls and shaking the foundation. The rebels fired back from the battlements, their Repeaters spitting bullets into the advancing ranks.

The Dominion charged into the fray, its Repeater and missile launcher targeting clusters of soldiers. Juri guided the mech with practiced precision, cutting through the nobles’ forces while avoiding the Judicator’s line of sight.

The Judicator entered the battlefield with a deafening roar. Its magical cannon fired a blast of energy that obliterated a section of the wall, sending debris raining down on the rebels below.

“We need to focus on that thing!” Juri shouted through the comms.

The rebels redirected their fire toward the Judicator, but its shimmering shield absorbed the attacks. Garrick and his sharpshooters aimed for its joints, but the heavy plating deflected their shots.

“It’s too well-protected!” Kira shouted. “We’re barely scratching it!”

Juri gritted his teeth, guiding the Dominion into a flanking position. He fired a volley of missiles at the Judicator’s legs, hoping to destabilize it, but the machine retaliated with another blast from its cannon. The Dominion staggered, its systems flickering under the strain.

“We can’t fight it head-on,” Juri muttered. “There has to be a weak point.”

As the battle raged, Juri noticed a pattern in the Judicator’s movements. Its runes flared brighter whenever it fired its cannon or activated its shield.

“The Arcane Nexus,” Juri murmured. “It’s powering everything. If we can disrupt it…”

“Kira! Garrick!” Juri called through the comms. “I need a diversion. Keep its attention on the Dominion.”

Kira’s voice crackled back. “And what are you going to do?”

“End this,” Juri replied.

While the Dominion engaged the Judicator, Juri deployed an EMP Drone, a small device he had been developing in secret. The drone scuttled through the chaos, its mana-nullifying core humming with energy.

Juri guided the drone toward the Judicator’s back, where the Nexus pulsed like a heartbeat. He activated the device, and the drone latched onto the Nexus, its EMP field disrupting the machine’s magical systems.

The Judicator shuddered, its runes flickering wildly.

“Now!” Juri shouted.

The Dominion unleashed its full arsenal, firing missiles and bullets into the exposed Nexus. The Judicator let out a deafening roar as its systems overloaded, and with a final, earth-shaking explosion, it collapsed in a heap of twisted metal and shattered runes.

The nobles’ forces, seeing their ultimate weapon destroyed, began to retreat. The rebels cheered as the battlefield fell silent, but the cost of the victory was clear.

Juri climbed out of the Dominion’s cockpit, his body trembling with exhaustion. Halrick approached, grinning despite the blood on his face.

“You did it, kid,” Halrick said.

Juri shook his head. “We all did.”

Kira joined them, her expression cautious. “This isn’t the end, Juri. They’ll come back.”

“I know,” Juri said, his sharp blue eyes scanning the battlefield. “But now they know what we’re capable of. And next time, we’ll be ready.”