Transformers: Rise of the Decepticon

"Yinm, is this where your confidence comes from?" Skygnaw murmured, the realization dawning on him that he had walked into a calculated trap.

When the Emperor had suddenly shifted his tone earlier, Skygnaw had sensed something amiss, yet he had still chosen to offer the ruler a final chance.

He had assumed that after watching the Sharkborn fleet crumble to dust, Yinm would clearly grasp the unbridgeable gulf between their civilizations. Yet the Emperor remained stubbornly blind to reality, resorting to force.

Did he truly view a Cybertronian commander as a disposable mercenary?

"Yinm, are you certain you wish to take this path?" Skygnaw asked one last time.

In response, two massive armors stepped out from behind the throne, positioning themselves directly in front of the Emperor. Their silence spoke louder than words.

Outside the New Zenith Hall, several more mechanical giants marched inside, holding heavy power swords vertically with both hands.

Without uttering a single sound, they charged straight toward Skygnaw, their raised blades gleaming with a cold, lethal sharpness.

Skygnaw drew his dark energon blade and stepped forward to meet them, charging headlong into the machines that stood only slightly shorter than his own frame.

He could settle accounts with Yinm at his leisure. First, he wanted to see what these upgraded Mindborn armors were truly made of.

Using a borrowed blade to strike a rival was a fine tactic, just as driving a wolf to hunt a tiger could work in theory.

However, such schemes required the ambition to match the strength behind them. A ruler needed to be capable of wielding the blade without cutting his own hand, and strong enough to control the beast once the hunt concluded.

What right did these crude machines have to challenge him?

Clang!

The ambushing armors charged with the fury of ravenous beasts, yet the moment they made contact with Skygnaw, he smashed the lead unit back with a single, heavy sword strike.

To their credit, the machine was not immediately destroyed. It scrambled back to its feet, charging forward once again.

"Interesting..." Skygnaw noted, mildly impressed by the unit's defensive durability. Regardless of its offensive capabilities, the machine was constructed with remarkably solid plating.

His blade had left only a shallow score mark across the chest plate, failing to breach the internal wiring beneath.

The thought flashed through his processor in a fraction of a second, but his movements never slowed.

Ducking under a wide horizontal slash from a second armor, Skygnaw pivoted on his heel and riposted with a brutal thrust.

These machines appeared to be built exclusively for close-quarters combat. Their hulls bore no long-range weapon ports, encasing their pilots in thick iron plating with bulging jetpacks mounted to their backs.

Flanked by two personal guard units, Yinm watched the sudden clash with bated breath.

Though the two units defending him carried heavy warhammers and tower shields instead of blades, they belonged to the same elite designation as the warriors filling the hall. They represented the absolute pinnacle of Mindborn engineering.

To honor their importance, the military had named the suits after the state religion: the Supreme Armor.

The Supreme Armor boasted incredible defensive plating and physical strength, capable of plowing through the three-meter-thick titan-rock walls of Menlo at full sprint. Each unit was outfitted with specialized melee weapons and localized shield generators.

Under the original designs conceived by the Mindborn Military Research Institute, the Supreme Armor was supposed to feature high-output thermal melt-guns and thrusters, allowing it to fight seamlessly on land and in the air.

However, due to severe manufacturing hurdles, the advanced weaponry remained unfulfilled.

The units deployed inside the New Zenith Hall were essentially semi-finished, first-generation prototypes, equipped only with standard power swords and heavy physical shields.

Within minutes, Skygnaw mapped out the full operational capabilities of the machines before him.

Their combat performance was far from weak. Setting aside their total lack of ranged capability, their overall strength matched that of an elite Cybertronian warrior. For a native civilization that had barely crossed the threshold of a Tier-1 cosmic culture, it was a remarkable achievement.

After exchanging a few more heavy blows, Skygnaw transformed his right forearm into an EMP cannon, intending to disable the units and bring the brawl to a swift end.

Sensing his intent, the pilots activated their defensive grids, and a thin layer of energy shimmered around each machine.

Skygnaw raised his right arm, the barrel of the EMP cannon charging with blinding light.

Boom!

The electromagnetic pulse slammed into the shield surface, spreading out along the barrier before dissipating harmlessly into the air.

"Defensive shields?" Skygnaw's optics flickered red as he observed the shimmering field around the machines. A faint trace of surprise crossed his face.

Yet he remained entirely unbothered. A quick internal scan confirmed it was a basic energy field with a modest overload threshold.

Switching tactics, Skygnaw brought his shoulder-mounted weapon pod online, targeting the armors with heat-seeking missiles.

Fwhoosh! Fwhoosh!

Boom!

Under the relentless missile bombardment, the energy shields flickered violently, struggling to absorb the heavy concussive impacts.

"Let us see how long those thin shells protect you!"

With a rise of genuine irritation, Skygnaw unleashed a continuous stream of fire from his shoulder launchers.

With a final explosion, the shield around one of the Supreme Armors collapsed completely, leaving the bare metal plating exposed.

Skygnaw locked onto the vulnerable target instantly, swiveling his right arm cannon toward the machine's core.

Boom!

The heavy blast paralyzed the armor's internal drive systems. Skygnaw stepped forward, driving his dark energon blade straight through the chest plate.

Thud!

"No!"

Yinm's face turned deathly pale as he watched his prized unit fall silent, the pilot impaled inside the cockpit.

A cold wave of dread washed over him, and he realized he had made a catastrophic error.

He had been far too confident, launching a strike without truly understanding the full extent of a Decepticon commander's power.

He had gambled that by ambushing Skygnaw with the empire's ultimate weapons, he could slay the alien leader and force the remaining Decepticons to retreat or scatter in disarray.

Yet the battle had slipped completely out of his control.

He stared blankly as the heavy sword tore free from the ruined machine.

He remembered the day he had inherited the title of Emperor from his father, feeling as though it had happened only yesterday...

Thud!

A heavy crash shattered his thoughts. Looking around in confusion, Yinm saw the final ambushing armor collapse onto the ruined floor.

"Your Majesty, you must flee immediately!" one of the two remaining guard pilots shouted, his voice echoing over his vocalizer. He raised his shield and iron hammer, keeping his eyes locked on Skygnaw.

If one ignored the giant scale of the armor, the unit resembled an ancient knight from the empire's forgotten past.

Skygnaw ignored the two remaining guards, casually glancing over the shattered, limb-strewn hulks cluttering the hall.

The magnificent marble architecture of the imperial palace had been reduced to absolute ruin by the brief fight.

"Yinm, you have disappointed me," Skygnaw said quietly, stepping over the wreckage as he approached the throne.

A sudden rebellion by rogue military armors, resulting in the tragic death of the Emperor. What a clean, convenient narrative.

And Skygnaw would step forward as the savior who restored order for the Mindborn people.

"Your Majesty, run!"

The vocalizer of the second guard armor buzzed with desperate urgency.

Skygnaw had assumed these giants were incapable of speech, but it seemed they had simply deemed him unworthy of conversation until now.

"No, I will not run," Yinm stated flatly, stepping out from behind the guards with absolute finality.

To ensure the ambush remained a secret, Yinm had cleared out all imperial guards and servants from the palace grounds, leaving the central hall completely isolated.

Now, that choice had left him entirely at the mercy of his enemy.

"Your Majesty, please..." the pilots pleaded, unable to press the issue further.

The Emperor's command was absolute, and questioning him once had already pushed the boundaries of protocol.

They were clearly no match for the titan before them, but if the Emperor managed to escape into the city, he could rally the imperial garrison and turn the tide through sheer numbers.

Before arriving at the palace, the pilots had only known that their mission was to ambush a powerful alien intruder. They had never imagined the target would possess such terrifying combat strength.

Skygnaw easily saw through Yinm's willingness to stand his ground. The Emperor was hoping that by offering his own life, he might guilt the Decepticons into granting his people a measure of mercy.

"Rest easy," Skygnaw chuckled softly. "Yinm, I will take excellent care of your subjects."

The two guard armors exchanged a brief glance, raising their heavy shields as they launched a final, desperate charge.

Following a brief clash of metal and energon, two more shattered heaps crashed onto the floor.

A ruler who broke his word held no value, even if he happened to sit at the absolute top of the Mindborn Empire.

With Yinm dealt with, Skygnaw stroled out of the ruined palace hall just as a colossal shadow swept across the sky. The Nemesis descended smoothly through the clouds.

The moment Yinm had reneged on their agreement, Skygnaw had already sent an encrypted transmission to Blackarachnia.

Below, the citizens of Menlo looked up at the massive warship with curious eyes. Knowing the vessel belonged to their Decepticon allies, they felt little panic.

Standing on the high balcony of the palace, Skygnaw looked down at the city. Due to the harsh environment of Planet Kugrage, the local architecture was built tall and heavy, carrying a distinct, solemn aesthetic rooted in the traditions of the High Church.

Ancient and imposing.

The Nemesis touched down on the palace grounds, and Blackarachnia stepped off the boarding ramp alongside Dirge.

Skygnaw glanced behind her, his optics narrowing slightly. "Did you bring him?"

"He's right here," Blackarachnia shifted into her humanoid form, waving a slender hand. She looked up at Skygnaw with mild curiosity. "What do you want with this Mindborn boy anyway?"

Dirge stepped forward, carrying a disheveled figure by the collar like a helpless creature.

Skygnaw looked down at Wala, an amused glint flickering in his eyes. "He has his uses."

Wala was far from ordinary. Under brief questioning by Dirge earlier, the young noble had broken down completely, spilling every secret he knew.

As it turned out, he was the heir to the Vane Clan, one of the five ruling families of the Mindborn Empire.

A perfect puppet to lead the new order.

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