Kira glanced over her shoulder, her daggers still at the ready. “You let her go,” she said, breaking the silence.
Juri kept his eyes on the road ahead, his sharp blue eyes hard. “Killing her wouldn’t solve anything. She’s convinced she’s doing the right thing, even if it’s wrong.”
Halrick trudged behind them, his sword resting on his shoulder. “You think she’s gonna sit quietly after this? She’s dangerous, Juri. That look in her eye—she’s not done with you.”
“I know,” Juri admitted, his voice low. “But this isn’t about Anna. It’s about what she represents. The nobles aren’t finished. They’re just shifting tactics.”
By the time the group returned to Freehold Keep, the rebellion’s headquarters, new reports of unrest were waiting for Juri. Valeria Eldryn greeted him in the war room, her expression grave.
“We’ve received word from the western territories,” Valeria said, unrolling a map marked with red pins. “Several villages have been attacked. It’s not just isolated raids—this is coordinated. And worse, they’re flying noble banners.”
Juri frowned, leaning over the table. “The remnants are rallying.”
Valeria nodded. “It gets worse. These attacks aren’t just about resources—they’re targeting towns that have joined the assembly. It’s a message: loyalty to the rebellion comes at a cost.”
Halrick scowled. “Cowards. Hitting civilians because they can’t face us head-on.”
“We need to respond,” Kira said. “If we let this go unchecked, people will start questioning whether we can protect them.”
Juri’s sharp blue eyes scanned the map, his mind racing. “We can’t fight them like we did in the war. If they’re targeting civilians, we have to outthink them, not just outfight them.”
Juri devised a two-pronged plan.
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Protection and Defense: Bastion Walkers and rebel militia units would be deployed to vulnerable towns to fortify their defenses. Eren Vas worked on creating portable mana barriers that could protect entire villages from magical attacks.
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Targeted Strikes: Garrick and his sharpshooters were tasked with identifying and eliminating the loyalist leaders coordinating the attacks. Using intelligence gathered from defectors and scouts, they would disrupt the loyalists’ command structure.
“Every raid they launch gives us a clue,” Juri explained during a strategy meeting. “They think they can strike and disappear, but we’ll follow the trail back to their leaders. Cut off the head, and the body will collapse.”
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The rebellion’s first test came in the village of Sablewood, a small but strategic settlement near the western border. Loyalist forces, led by a minor noble named Lord Brannick, had laid siege to the village, cutting off its food supplies and demanding its surrender.
Juri led a task force to Sablewood, the Dominion-class Mech at the forefront. As the rebels approached, they saw the village surrounded by makeshift barricades, with loyalist soldiers patrolling the perimeter.
“They’ve fortified their position,” Garrick observed through his spyglass. “And Brannick’s holed up in that tower overlooking the village.”
“Then we’ll hit them where they least expect it,” Juri said.
Under cover of darkness, the rebels launched their assault. Garrick’s sharpshooters took out the sentries guarding the barricades, clearing a path for Kira and Halrick’s ground forces to infiltrate the loyalist camp.
Juri piloted the Dominion into the heart of the battle, its Arc Pulse Cannon crackling as it disabled enemy war machines. The mech’s railgun fired in precise bursts, shattering barricades and scattering the loyalist soldiers.
In the chaos, Halrick led a charge into the village, his massive sword carving through the defenders. “For the rebellion!” he roared, his voice rallying the villagers to take up arms.
Meanwhile, Kira slipped through the shadows, her daggers flashing as she incapacitated Brannick’s personal guards. She reached the tower just as Juri arrived, the Dominion’s frame looming over the battlefield.
Inside the tower, Lord Brannick waited, his ornate armor glinting in the dim light. He sneered as Juri and Kira entered.
“So, the rebel hero comes to finish the job,” Brannick said, his voice dripping with disdain. “You think killing me will stop this? The nobles’ power isn’t in walls or titles. It’s in the bloodlines of people who know how to rule.”
Juri’s sharp blue eyes narrowed. “The only thing you’ve ruled is fear. And that ends now.”
The siege of Sablewood ended with the loyalists routed and their leader captured. Brannick, defiant to the end, refused to acknowledge the rebellion’s authority.
“You’ll regret this,” he growled as he was dragged before the villagers. “The nobles will rise again, and your rebellion will burn.”
Juri addressed the villagers, his voice steady but commanding. “This isn’t about revenge. It’s about justice. Brannick and his kind ruled through cruelty and greed. But we’re building a world where no one has to live in fear of men like him.”
Brannick was sentenced to exile, his lands and wealth redistributed to the people he had oppressed. The villagers cheered, their faith in the rebellion renewed.
Back at Freehold Keep, Juri reflected on the events of Sablewood. The victory had been decisive, but it came with a heavy cost. Several rebels had fallen in the battle, and the loyalists’ attacks were growing more coordinated.
Kira entered the room, her expression unreadable. “You did the right thing, you know,” she said.
“Did I?” Juri replied, his voice quiet. “Every time we win, it feels like there’s another fight waiting around the corner. How do we know this ever ends?”
Kira smirked faintly. “We don’t. But that’s why we keep fighting. Because the moment we stop, they win.”
As the rebellion worked to secure its hold on the land, whispers of a larger threat began to spread. The remnants of the noble loyalists were reportedly rallying in the northern territories, uniting under a new leader—someone who claimed to have ties to the old royal bloodline.
At the same time, rumors of foreign intervention began to surface. Neighboring kingdoms, wary of the rebellion’s growing power, were considering military action to restore the old order and protect their own interests.
Juri stood on the battlements of Freehold Keep, staring out at the horizon. The road ahead was long, and the cost of peace was rising. But he knew one thing for certain:
The fight for freedom was far from over.