Kane was preparing in his tent on the battlefield. He let out a sigh as he looked outside, already seeing several soldiers hurrying back and forth as if the world was about to end. Well, maybe not the world, but certainly all of their lives.
Placing the last piece of his armor, the core on his chest, as soon as it clicked into place, his entire armor made various mechanical sounds, with parts moving up and down as they adjusted to Kane's body. In the earpiece integrated with the armor, he could hear the system speaking.
[ Vital signs recognized, initiating battle exoskeleton ]
As the signal was given, he felt the weight of the armor decreasing as he stood up with little effort. He then walked over to the large mirror he had there, soon able to see himself.
A young man with blonde hair and deep green eyes stared back at him. It wasn't the first time he had worn armor like this, but it was the first time he had a real battle suit, even though it was of a lower tier, it was still a good armor.
With a darker tone, it clung tightly to his body. It was a mechanical armor designed to look like scales; they said it was great for stopping arrows and was a speed model, giving it better aerodynamics. His shoulders had what looked like upward-facing protrusions, which were small thrusters for increased speed.
Kane moved around for a few moments, lightly jumping and stretching his arms, but the fun didn't last long, and soon he heard someone calling for him outside the tent. "Oh shit, right, okay! I'm coming right now."
He then grabbed his sword, a type of large katana, with a neon light running along the sheath, and near the grip, there was something that looked like a trigger. Placing it by his side, the sheath automatically attached to the waist of the armor, and Kane left the tent.
He was somewhat nervous, thinking about why he was there. The events leading to that day had been chaotic. First, his parents, who were already government officials, were summoned to participate in the war, sending at least one of their children, and Kane was the unlucky one, perhaps because he was the black sheep of the family.
As he passed through the door, he was greeted by the light from the war preparation field. He raised a hand to shield his eyes until they adjusted, and then he continued to the location where the officers' "meeting" would take place. Theoretically, Kane didn't have the rank to be an officer yet and was more like a recruit, but his father had tampered with some documents, and he had become one.
"No one deserves something like this," he thought as he arrived at the place where the final count of soldiers would be made before they headed to the battle set for noon. The battle had been scheduled for today, and since all sides had agreed on a single fight with a limited number of soldiers and weapons, today would decide the fate of the allied kingdoms.
But Kane wasn't happy about it at all; he just wanted to sneak away and wait for it all to end. However, the armor he was wearing would deactivate if he tried something like that, and he would be dependent on his own body to escape. He didn't consider himself the best swordsman, but he could still hold his own in combat to a certain extent. At least, in simulations, he had been okay.
"Gentlemen! Today we gather here for a historic day in our history." In front of the soldiers, a bald man in shining silver armor spoke. He was the commander of the division, Stergon Brandis, a war veteran.
"You should feel honored to have this opportunity! Today we shall crush our enemies and conquer the empire!" He spoke with a heavy yet vibrant voice, and all the other soldiers cheered along with him.
In the background, Kane watched. "Damn, I need to go home soon. But first, I have to stay alive." After a few minutes of shouting and morale-boosting by the commander, they headed to the battlefield, which was a flat and open area. In the distance, the enemy army could be seen marching toward them slowly, just as they were.
With everyone in position, the representatives of each army met in the middle of the battlefield and then returned to their respective sides.
[Kane, your heart rate is elevated. I suggest you control your breathing.]
The voice echoed in Kane's mind—the AI built into his suit, which monitored his vital signs. After many years, humanity had reached a point where humans had something like a chip implanted near their brain, acting as an assistant for them. Of course, the version Kane had was a military one, so it was even more advanced.
"It's okay," he thought as he communicated with his assistant, and soon he began to control his breathing. Of course, he was still tense about the situation—he was going to a war where it was live or die. If he made a mistake, today would be his last day.
Shortly after, the trumpets sounded in the air, and a shout was heard from both sides, "CHARGE!" and with that, the battle began. There were at least 3,000 soldiers in exoskeletons and countless more foot soldiers.
Arrows began flying through the air in both directions. Kane clenched his teeth as he touched his neck, and a helmet closed around his head. His vision went dark for a moment, and then it lit up again with various data displayed.
[Approximately 10 plasma arrows are headed for your area, Kane. A shift to the left is advised.]
With that, he began moving to the side, just like the other soldiers, dispersing before the arrows hit. Of course, since the AI was assisting everyone, nobody actually collided or tripped over each other.
But even amidst this, the vanguard was advancing, and Kane was with it. "Curses, I ended up in the front lines of the battle!" He cursed his luck and his family as well, all because they didn't want their "good" sons to be lost—a bunch of crap.
It didn't take long for Kane to draw his katana, pressing what looked like a button to fire a shot, and the katana was quickly ejected from its sheath, landing smoothly in Kane's grip.
[Enemy ahead, defensive maneuver!]
As soon as he pulled the sword, he was immediately met with a downward slash from an enemy soldier. Kane successfully blocked the blow, but it wasn't going to be easy. Just as he stopped the blade, he was met with a kick to the stomach, sending him sliding a few meters in the chaos of the battle.
But his mind was calm, surprisingly enough. He breathed steadily as he adjusted his footing, the sound of metal clashing all around the battlefield. It didn't take long before Kane was running forward to slash at the enemy soldier.
The turbines on his back activated, propelling the young man forward, turning him into a blur for a few seconds. He slashed horizontally, leaving a trail of blue light in his wake, striking the side of the enemy's exoskeleton. However, he had to quickly jump to the side.
[System... E... H....]
He didn't have time to understand what had happened with the message. The strike had been too superficial, cutting the side of the armor and injuring the man slightly, but it hadn't caused any real damage. "Okay, not good." And then he found himself surrounded by soldiers. And the AI hadn't warned him. "The AI failed now of all times?! Lucky day."
Not understanding how the system had let him end up in this position due to the malfunction, he had to defend himself alone.
One strike.
Two.
Three.
Kane had good vision, managing to block or parry most of the attacks, but soon he felt an impact on his back. He looked down and saw a thin blade piercing through the side of his abdomen. Fortunately, it wasn't fatal, but it hurt—a lot. Suppressing a scream, he was kicked to the ground, falling.
But as he looked up, seeing that he was about to be attacked again, he saw the sky and noticed something falling toward the battlefield. Moments later, the system's voice was accompanied by a blinding flash.
[Nuclear warhead detec...]
And then, everything went white. Kane didn't have time to think, but as they say, when someone is about to die, their life flashes before their eyes. In a split second, he wondered how and who had managed to get a nuclear bomb when they had been banned for over 200 years.