40 – Broken

Nathaniel continued to avoid the attacks. Since he was no longer holding the sword, he could not block, causing several of the opponent's attacks to hit him.

They made his sword of a rare metal that is more resistant to attacks, unlike his powered armor. So, several times, the claws penetrated parts of his metal suit.

If things continued this way, Nathaniel would lose. But that doesn't mean he gave up. He continued to observe the movements of his enemy's claws.

And finally, Nathaniel could catch Zach's left arm and twist it. A fierce struggle ensued. Zach tried to get free, while Nathaniel hit the joint of his enemy's left hand.

At the umpteenth blow, Zach's armor joints emitted a small explosion. By somersaulting and kicking Nathaniel, Zach broke free, but his left hand became immobile.

This means that neither Zach nor Nathaniel have weapons.

"What they said is true." Zach hissed. "Perhaps you are Celestenia's greatest warrior in the current era."

"Thank you for the compliment." Nathaniel raised both fists in front of his face like a boxer. "I've only fought twice in this armor, though."

Stepping up first, Nathaniel unleashed a combination of punches and kicks on his opponent.

Despite having only one functioning hand, Zach can dodge and blocks those attacks. He even counterattacks several times.

They kept going despite their declining breath and stamina. The speed, accuracy, and power of their attacks had decreased.

Nathaniel's joints were aching, his body was weak, and he just wanted to rest. His determination alone kept him fighting.

Not for Celestenia, but for himself. He wasn't a weakling anymore.

Not to mention the responsibility to Lance Ashbourne. Nathaniel didn't want to disappoint the creator of this extraordinary weapon. The weapon that gave him a chance.

"Argh!!!" Nathaniel lifted his opponent and threw him as far as possible.

Zach's body rolled down a slope, before finally stopping at the bottom, couldn't get up straight away.

Nathaniel was about to continue his attack, but he fell to his knees. His body was no longer strong enough to continue this fight.

"Captain!" Sheila approached the man. "I think we won!"

Nathaniel looked around and found the Zashrend special forces had retreated. Several members of Celestenia's squad were chasing them.

When he checked Zach again, the captain did not find his enemy. That man has run away.

"Damn it." Nathaniel laid his body on the ground.

***

Despite the victory, Celestenia's troops did not celebrate that night. Nathaniel watched the flames rising high, burning the wooden frames with the corpses of his comrades.

"We barely won," Nathaniel muttered to Sheila beside him. "Their powered armor is faster and more robust than ours. We can defeat them because our numbers are greater. I'm sure we will lose if our numbers and theirs are the same."

The vice-captain closed her eyes. "This should open the eyes of the government. They have to give us better equipment."

A soldier came to them and saluted them. "Excuse me, sir, ma'am. We retrieved some powered armors from our enemies."

"I'll check on them." The captain left the cremation area for the garage.

"Is this just me?" Sheila commented on some of the armor and parts lying on the ground. "At first glance, they look different, but if you look closely, there are some parts that are similar to ours."

Nathaniel checked a broken powered armor. Only the frame of that thing remained. The captain found the structure very familiar.

The frame is almost the same as Lance Ashbourne's design. Only a few details are different. This should not be possible. In the previous battle, Zashrend's army failed to steal Celestenia's powered armors to copy the armor.

Has anyone stolen Lance's blueprints? Even if it was true and the government knew, Nathaniel would not hear news about it. Something like that was too sensitive for the soldiers to know.

"Send some samples to the government." Nathaniel gave an order to a mechanic. "Give them ones that are still intact. Don't forget to give them samples of the bows and arrows."

"Yes, sir!" The mechanic ran to get everything ready.

"I hope they don't come again, at least not in the near future." Sheila took a deep breath.

The vice-captain glanced at the mechanics who were taking care of their damaged powered armors. If the enemy comes again soon, they won't be ready.

Sheila continued. "If only the government had continued with the development project, then Sir Lance Ashbourne would have sent better powered armors before Zashrend's army arrived..."

"There's no point in complaining." Nathaniel left the garage. "As soldiers, we can only wait for orders."

"Where are you going, Cap?" Sheila raised an eyebrow. "Our barracks are not that way. You need rest."

"I need a walk to calm my mind."

The captain continued walking, occasionally nodding to the soldiers who saluted him. Once he arrived at a building, he asked a guard to take him inside.

The guard did not take him to the main section, which contained cells for prisoners and criminals.

"Apart from him, who else is in the underground?" Nathaniel asked as he and the guard descended the stairs.

"None, sir." The guard answered. "Because he's the only high-profile individual."

With the guard's torch guiding them, they walked through a hallway lined with empty cells.

Only at the end of the hallway, Nathaniel found someone in a cell.

"Three stars?" The prisoner with a face full of scars chuckled. His eyes fell on the emblem on Nathaniel's shirt. "Why would someone like you visit a lowly person like me?"

"Mr. Desmond Woulfe." Nathaniel put his hands behind his back. "I met your son, Mr. Zach Woulfe. He is a great soldier."

Desmond grabbed the metal bars of the cell. His lips trembled, but his mouth could not produce words.

Nathaniel brought his face closer to the prisoner. "He escaped, but I will beat him in our next fight."

Desmond's grip on the bars tightened. His gaze became sharper at Nathaniel. But a few seconds later, he moved to lie down on his bed.

This tactic aims to harm the psychological well-being of high-profile captives. With that, their determination to escape would decrease.

Even if they are free, their mental condition will no longer be the same.

In a cell like this and with no activity, Desmond will overthink about his son. And when Nathaniel brings the news that Zach is dead, the impact Desmond feels will be big.

Someone like Desmond can also be broken.