The halls of Ironclad Bastion buzzed with activity. Engineers worked tirelessly to fortify the fortress’s defenses, the clang of hammers echoing through the stone corridors. The Dominion-class Mech stood in the central courtyard, its newly reinforced armor gleaming in the early morning light. It was a symbol of the rebellion’s resilience, but Juri Winkler knew it might not be enough.

  The news of the nobles’ latest weapon hung over the fortress like a dark cloud. Scouts had reported glimpses of a massive machine, larger and more terrifying than the Scourge. The rebellion had little time to prepare, and the weight of their uncertainty pressed heavily on everyone.

  In the war room, Juri stood over a map of the region, his sharp blue eyes scanning every detail. Kira, Halrick, Valeria, and Eren Vas surrounded him, their expressions ranging from concern to determination.

  “This is a gamble,” Valeria said, her green eyes narrowing. “We don’t even know what we’re up against.”

  “That’s exactly why we need to stay here,” Juri replied. “If we retreat, we lose Ironclad—and everything we’ve built with it. The nobles want us to fear them. We can’t give them that.”

  Eren tapped the map where the nobles’ forces were last sighted. “The scouts said it’s moving slowly. That buys us some time to prepare.”

  Halrick smirked, resting his hands on his hips. “Then let’s give them one hell of a welcome party.”

  The first sighting came just after sunset. From the battlements of Ironclad, Garrick peered through a spyglass, his sharp eyes scanning the horizon.

  “What do you see?” Kira asked, joining him.

  “It’s... massive,” Garrick muttered, lowering the spyglass for a moment to rub his eyes. “Bigger than anything I’ve seen before. It’s moving slow, but it’s coming straight for us.”

  Kira took the spyglass and focused on the distant silhouette. Her breath caught in her throat.

  The machine was a colossal, six-legged construct, its frame bristling with weapons and glowing with runes. Each step it took sent vibrations through the ground, visible even from this distance. Surrounding it was a massive column of noble soldiers, mages, and smaller war machines.

  “They call it the Dread Colossus,” Garrick said grimly. “And it looks like they’re betting everything on it.”

  The next morning, Juri gathered the rebels in the central courtyard to prepare for the inevitable assault. The tension was palpable, but Juri’s voice was steady and commanding as he addressed the crowd.

  “This isn’t just a fight for Ironclad,” he began, his sharp blue eyes scanning the crowd. “This is a fight for the future we’re building—for a world where we decide our own fate. The nobles think their machines can crush us. Let’s prove them wrong.”

  The rebels cheered, their voices echoing through the fortress.

  Juri turned to his core team. “The Colossus is slow, but it’s built to devastate everything in its path. We need to disable it before it reaches the walls.”

  Valeria frowned. “How do we even get close to something like that?”

  “With precision,” Juri said. He pointed to the map, where the Dread Colossus’s projected path was marked. “It’s big, which means it’ll be vulnerable in key areas—its legs, its weapons, and its core. If we focus our fire, we can bring it down.”

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  Eren nodded. “The runes on its frame are likely its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. If we can overload them, we could destabilize the entire structure.”

  By midday, the nobles’ forces were within range of Ironclad’s outer defenses. The ground shook with each step of the Dread Colossus, its six massive legs driving deep into the earth. Soldiers and mages surrounded the machine, their ranks disciplined and unyielding.

  From the battlements, Juri activated his console, sending commands to the turret-mounted drones positioned along the walls. The turrets opened fire, their bullets and missiles streaking toward the advancing army.

  “Focus on their artillery!” Juri shouted through the comms. “We can’t let them target the walls.”

  The drones tore through the nobles’ artillery units, but the Dread Colossus pressed forward, its massive cannons firing devastating blasts. Each shot tore through the rebels’ outer defenses, sending debris flying in every direction.

  “It’s unstoppable!” one rebel shouted, ducking behind cover.

  “No, it’s not,” Juri muttered, climbing into the Dominion’s cockpit. “Keep them busy. I’ll handle the Colossus.”

  The Dominion-class Mech strode into the battlefield, its weapons firing in rapid succession. Juri guided the mech toward the Colossus, targeting its legs with missiles and armor-piercing rounds.

  The Colossus retaliated, its massive cannons swiveling toward the Dominion. Juri activated the mech’s burst-mode feature, dodging the blasts with precision.

  “We need to bring it down!” Juri shouted through the comms. “Focus fire on the left legs. If we can destabilize it, we can slow it down.”

  Kira led a ground team toward the Colossus, using explosives to target its legs. Halrick charged into the fray, his sword flashing as he cut down noble soldiers protecting the machine.

  Eren and Valeria provided support from the walls, using modified ballistae to fire enchanted bolts at the Colossus’s runes.

  As the rebels concentrated their attacks, one of the Colossus’s legs buckled under the pressure. The massive machine stumbled, its frame tilting to one side.

  “Now!” Juri shouted. “Focus on the core!”

  The Dominion launched a volley of missiles at the Colossus’s chest, where the glowing core was housed. The explosions shattered the outer plating, revealing the swirling mass of raw magical energy within.

  But before the rebels could press the advantage, the Colossus unleashed a devastating counterattack. A shockwave of dark energy erupted from its core, knocking rebels off their feet and disabling several drones.

  Juri gritted his teeth, his sharp blue eyes narrowing as he steadied the Dominion. “They’ve rigged it to defend itself. We need to hit it with everything we’ve got.”

  As the battle raged, Juri realized the Colossus wouldn’t go down without a final, decisive blow. The Dominion’s weapons had dealt significant damage, but the machine’s core was still intact.

  “We’re running out of time,” Juri said through the comms. “If it reaches the walls, it’s over.”

  “What do you need?” Kira asked, her voice steady despite the chaos.

  “I need a distraction,” Juri replied. “Keep its weapons occupied while I take it down from the inside.”

  “From the inside?” Valeria asked, her tone incredulous.

  Juri smirked faintly. “Everything has a weakness. I’m going to find it.”

  While Kira, Halrick, and the rebels drew the Colossus’s fire, Juri piloted the Dominion toward the exposed core. Activating the mech’s grappling system, he scaled the side of the massive machine, dodging bursts of energy as he climbed.

  When he reached the core, Juri activated the Dominion’s modular arm, switching to a plasma cutter. The blade hummed with energy as he began slicing through the core’s protective casing.

  The Colossus shuddered violently, its systems faltering as Juri worked. Finally, with one last strike, he severed the core’s power conduits.

  The Colossus let out a deafening roar as its core destabilized. Juri barely had time to eject from the Dominion before the machine erupted in a massive explosion, the shockwave leveling everything within a hundred meters.

  When the dust settled, the battlefield was eerily silent. The Dread Colossus was no more, its hulking frame reduced to a smoking crater. The nobles’ remaining forces, demoralized and leaderless, began to retreat.

  The rebels cheered, their voices echoing through the ruins of Ironclad.

  Juri climbed out of the Dominion’s wrecked cockpit, his body bruised but intact. Kira ran to him, her expression a mix of relief and exasperation.

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

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

  Valeria approached, her green eyes sharp. “You just destroyed the nobles’ greatest weapon. They’ll be furious.”

  “Good,” Juri said, his sharp blue eyes gleaming with determination. “Let them come. We’ll be ready.”