The projection changed. It showed a live feed of the North Tower. Then, it zoomed in on Judas's face.

"Oh, shit," Judas muttered.

"Judas Iscariot," the Headmaster announced. "Leader of The Bastion. He has claimed a Sovereign Tower without the permission of the Council."

"Is he expelling us?" Nina whimpered, her ears flattening.

"No," Ezra said, her eyes narrowing. "He is smiling."

Cornelius was indeed smiling. It was a cruel, excited smile.

"According to the ancient laws of the Academy," the Headmaster said, "When a new Warlord rises, they must prove their right to rule. Therefore, I hereby initiate the 'Trial of the Newlord'."

[Global Quest Triggered: The Trial of the Newlord]

[Objective: Defend the North Tower.]

[Duration: 24 Hours.]

[Rules: All other factions are authorized to attack. If the Bastion holds the tower for 24 hours, they will be officially recognized as the Fourth Great Faction.]

[Reward: Access to the Royal Vault.]

"And the academy is the most impartial at all. Onky the riders under apprentice could attack.."

The projection faded.

Silence filled the room.

"Twenty-four hours," Summer said, breaking the silence. A feral grin spread across her face. "Everyone against us."

"That old man set us up," Judas said, standing up. "He just painted a target on our backs."

"Let them come," Ezra said, drawing her sword. Her aura flared, purple and regal.

Nyx floated down from the ceiling, holding a half-eaten golden goblet. "This sounds fun. Can I eat the attackers?"

"Only the rude ones," Judas said.

He walked to the window and looked out.

In the distance, across the snow-covered grounds, he could see movement.

To the East, the banners of the Gilded Fang were rising—Ignis was coming back, and this time, he wouldn't be alone.

To the West, shadows were moving across the snow—the Shadow Garden was mobilizing.

And to the South, the heavy, rhythmic thud of armored boots could be heard. The Iron Legion. Garret the Bulwark.

The Three Kings were coming.

Judas turned back to his wives. He looked at the sleeping Seraphina. He looked at the newly renovated hall.

"System," Judas commanded.

[Yes, Host?]

"Spend all remaining Affection Points on defensive traps. Fill the courtyard with lightning mines. Put golems in the lobby. And turn the heating up."

[Affection Points Remaining: 1500. executing...]

Judas turned to face the door.

"Welcome to the Bastion," he whispered. "Try not to die on the doormat."

Outside, the first fireball exploded against the tower's shield.

The siege had begun.

"Shields," Judas commanded.

The North Tower hummed. The Mana Tap in the basement, now purified and supercharged by the Leyline Guardian's core, pulsed.

A shimmering blue dome of energy materialized around the tower.

Boom! Boom! Crash!

The spells impacted the shield and dissolved harmlessly into sparks. The tower didn't even shake.

"Is that it?" Ezra asked, unimpressed. She stood behind Judas, her hand resting on the pommel of her sword. "Pathetic."

"That was just the greeting," Judas said. "Now comes the rush."

Realizing their ranged attacks were useless, the mob surged forward.

They charged across the snow, screaming battle cries, running toward the main entrance.

"Wait for it..." Judas whispered, holding a glowing purple card between his fingers.

The first line of attackers crossed the invisible boundary of the courtyard.

"Now."

Judas flicked the card. It dissolved into pixels as it hit the ground below.

[Trap Activated: Grease Slick + Flash Freeze]

The snow beneath the attackers' feet instantly turned into a sheet of frictionless, magical ice, coated in an alchemical oil.

The effect was instantaneous and hilarious.

The front line of warriors lost their footing. They didn't just fall; they slid.

Momentum carried them forward at high speed, turning them into human bowling pins.

They crashed into the mages behind them, who also fell.

Within seconds, fifty students were sliding uncontrollably across the courtyard, limbs flailing, weapons flying.

"Nyx," Judas said. "Light them up."

The dragon girl, who was sitting on the roof gargoyle eating an apple, grinned. She took a deep breath.

FOOM.

She didn't unleash a full dragon breath—that would have incinerated them—but she spat a glob of golden fire into the center of the pileup.

The fire hit the magical grease.

WHOOSH!

A wall of non-lethal but terrifyingly hot flames erupted, encircling the trapped students.

Panic ensued. Screams of "I'm burning! My robes are designer!" echoed through the air.

"Retreat!" someone yelled.

The first wave broke before they even touched the door. They scrambled back, scorched and bruised, slipping over each other to escape the tower's perimeter.

"Boring," Summer yawned. "They didn't even bleed."

"Those were the appetizers," Judas said, his expression grim. He pointed to the South. "Here comes the main course."

The ground began to tremble.

From the tree line, a rhythmic, metallic thudding emerged. Thump. Thump. Thump.

A formation of armored soldiers marched into the clearing. They weren't students in ragtag gear.

They wore uniform heavy plate armor made of black steel. They carried tower shields that interlocked, forming a solid wall of metal.

Behind the shield wall marched rows of mages in gray robes, their staffs glowing in unison.

The Iron Legion.

And walking at the front, unhelmeted, was a man who looked like he had been carved from granite.

He was seven feet tall, carrying a hammer that was larger than Nina.

Garret the Bulwark.

"Judas Iscariot!" Garret's voice boomed, amplified by magic. "Surrender the tower! You have no right to the throne!"

Judas frowned sensing the initiate power from him. How did an Elite fell to initiate?

Judas looked down at the massive man. He shrugged.

"Come and take it, tin man!" Judas shouted back.

Garret sneered. He slammed his hammer into the ground.

"Legion! Testudo Formation! March!"

The shield wall snapped shut.

A dome of magical energy, reinforced by the physical steel, formed over the unit. They began to march forward, crushing the ice, ignoring the grease fire.

"Physical traps won't work on them," Ezra analyzed, stepping up to the railing. "They are a siege unit. We have to break their formation."

"I can break it," Summer offered. "I can turn into mist, slip through the cracks, and explode them from the inside."

"Too risky," Judas said. "If the mages behind them have light magic, you'll be vaporized."

He looked at his hand.

He needed a cannon.

"Seraphina," Judas called out.

There was no answer.

Judas turned. Seraphina was still on the couch inside, wrapped in three blankets, shivering.

The use of [Glacial Supernova] had drained her completely. She looked pale and fragile.

"She's out of juice," Judas realized. "We can't use the nuke again."

"Husband," Nina said, her nose twitching. "Shadows."

Judas snapped his head to the West.

While the Iron Legion was drawing their attention at the front gate, the shadows along the western wall of the tower were moving.

They weren't natural shadows. They were fluid, stretching and climbing the crystal walls like black ink.

The Shadow Garden. Vesper's assassins.

"They are scaling the walls!" Luna shouted from the upper window. She let loose an arrow.

It struck a shadow, but the shadow simply dispersed and reformed higher up.

"A pincer attack," Judas cursed. "Garret at the front, Vesper at the back."

"I will handle the shadows," Nina said, her eyes glowing gold.

"Take Luna with you," Judas ordered. "Don't let them breach the windows."

"Yes!" Nina grabbed her bone club and sprinted up the stairs, Luna following close behind.

"Summer, go to the ground floor lobby," Judas commanded. "If the Legion breaks the door, hold the choke point. Use the narrow hallway to your advantage."

"Finally," Summer grinned, licking her fangs. She leaped over the railing, falling two stories and landing in a crouch in the snow before dashing inside the main doors.

"Ezra, you're with me," Judas said. "We need to stop that battering ram."

Judas and Ezra ran down to the courtyard, exiting the side door to flank the Legion.

The Iron Legion was halfway across the courtyard. The grease trap slowed them down, but their earth mages were solidifying the ground as they walked.

"Fire!" Garret roared.

The mages behind the shield wall unleashed a volley of stone spears.

"Deflect!" Ezra stepped in front of Judas. Her sword blurred.

Clang-clang-clang-clang!

She moved with impossible speed, knocking the stone projectiles out of the air.

"Judas, do something!" Ezra shouted. "I cannot block a siege engine forever!"

Judas closed his eyes. He accessed the System.

He needed to be creative. He couldn't overpower them. He had to outsmart them.

"This is going to hurt my wallet," Judas groaned.

He threw the card. Not at the soldiers, but under them.

The card hit the ground ten meters in front of the advancing shield wall.

[Trap Activated: Quicksand Sinkhole]

The solid frozen earth beneath the Iron Legion suddenly groaned. Then, it liquefied.

The ground opened up like a hungry mouth.

"Halt!" Garret screamed, realizing too late.

The front two rows of the heavy infantry, weighed down by hundreds of pounds of steel armor, sank instantly.

The disciplined formation shattered. Men screamed as they were swallowed up to their waists, then their chests, in churning mud.

The magical shield faltered as the mages scrambled to avoid falling in.

"Now, Nyx!" Judas pointed. "The shield is down!"

Nyx swooped down from the roof. She inhaled deeply.

[Dragon Breath: Starfire]

A beam of golden fire slammed into the center of the disorganized Legion.

BOOM!

Bodies flew. Armor melted. The invincible formation was blown apart.

Garret, however, stood his ground.

He raised his massive hammer and blocked the dragon fire with a roar of pure mana. His skin turned into iron, deflecting the heat.

He charged through the flames, ignoring his sinking men. He had one target: Judas.

"You trickster rat!" Garret bellowed, swinging his hammer.

The weapon was massive. If it hit, Judas would be paste.

A viscious smile appeared on Garret which quickly turned to horror.

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