Steam and Heart.

A terrible buzzing sound was all he could hear at the moment, where was he? That was the question that was going through his mind at the moment, but his body, something inside of him urged him not to dwell on such stupid questions, he had to run!

Instinctively, his body shot forward, and soon after, the sound of something piercing the air, only to fall back to its previous position, told him that he had done the right thing. 

Boom! 

He looked back and saw a pile of dirt and some metal fragments and rocks flying everywhere. He could even see a faint mist of blood and chunks of flesh; he knew someone had died. 

If he hadn't moved, it would have been him. Then his being finally reacted, he was in battle! A shell must have landed near him a few minutes ago and stunned him, but he had regained consciousness and he knew where he was. 

On a battlefield! Specifically, in a dank trench full of rats fighting for the same food as you. There was no time to waste, the enemy seemed to have decided on an all-out assault this time. 

"Jack! "A male voice snapped the man out of his stupor, and as he looked back he saw his companion. 

He wore a dark green uniform with a black metal helmet. Behind him, he carried a huge bundle with some antennas, which explained his position on this chaotic battlefield. He was a communications officer, but Jack knew he was much more than that. 

"I'm fine, Alexis, just a little dazed," Jack said, crouching down to avoid the constant barrage of bullets and tracer rounds. 

In one motion, Jack pulled a four-foot-long rifle from his back. A bolt action weapon with a capacity of ten rounds, which he intended to use up completely at this point. Then, feeling that wonderful sensation in his body, he poured invisible power over his hands and feet. 

Ommmmm...!

Although no one could see this power, others familiar with it could feel it, Alexis, who had approached Jack holding a pistol, looked at his companion with narrowed eyes.

"Brother, even when you are dizzy from the earlier explosion, you can use your Pneuma, I envy you," Alexis said, fixing some of the reddish curls in his hair.

"When you train with a strict grandfather who wants you to be as accurate as clockwork, you'll be able to do it. If it wasn't for Lisa, I'd be a sniper, you know? "Jack said as he fired his weapon, but his body barely felt the impact, all because of the invisible force he was using. 

"By the way, Lisa recently shot down an enemy sniper with her 'Ghost Bullet', as they usually call those who can't use Pneuma," Alexis commented as he watched as the heads of some enemy soldiers in black clothing were shattered by the accurate shots of his companion.

He felt a little disgust at the sight, but the time for vomiting at shocking images was over. He always envied the peace of mind of his Special Forces comrades who had to endure such things.

For this reason, he did not participate in certain important tasks, unless he overcame this obstacle, he could only serve as an aide to his comrades, but while he was in this position, he decided to do his best to increase the chances of survival for his comrades. 

"What is the mission of those above? "Jack asked after listening to his friend, only if it was something serious, they would allow someone like Lisa to unleash her terror on the battlefield. 

"According to intelligence, they want us to stop the enemy's prototype steam armor, apparently they have equipped it with a new type of fuel that allows for better water burning, but in turn provides much more power and durability," Alexis said quickly, making his partner agree.

"That'll be tough, I'll need things that make a lot of noise, you know. And get Irina to back me up, fighting a damn humanoid tank is no fun," Jack said as he reloaded his weapon, just before he resumed firing. 

But at that moment, a fast-moving enemy came too close to the trench area where Jack and Alexis were standing, and it was carrying a huge shield that seemed to deflect bullets. 

"Damn, an Operator!" Alexis yelled, firing his pistol at the enemy soldier, but he protected himself quite well. 

He was like a raging bull, charging and crashing between the enemy ranks. No matter which enemy was in front of him, his shield was pushed hard, staining it with blood.

"Almost as if they were being run over by a steam wagon," Jack handed his rifle to his companion and charged forward, military dagger in hand. 

Alexis looked at the rifle Jack had left him, and a strange, invisible force emerged from his body, causing the weapon to rise into the air. Then he aimed it at an enemy soldier who was about to shoot Jack, blowing his entire chest off with one shot. 

Ommmmm...!

"My Pneuma isn't just for building things..." Alexis muttered as he supported his partner as he came face to face with the enemy. 

The two men collided first, and while the shield might have looked more robust or powerful, it clashed violently with the dagger in Jack's hand, causing them both to stumble. 

Both objects were covered in Pneuma, no, rather... amplified. Pneuma is a rare ability, found in only a few special people in the history of the world. 

Its two aspects, amplification, and projection, allow a normal person to fight at a superhuman level. It was this ability that allowed humanity to survive in this strange world to this day. 

The two men looked into each other's eyes before resuming their fight. Although it was a shield, it had spikes, and sharp edges, and was no less dangerous than a cold weapon made to kill. 

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of the weapons as well as the Pneumas of the two men clashing during the battle echoed with the constant explosions, gunshots, and screams of pain in the background. This was truly a fierce battle!

"Boy, you're just a pissed-off young man who doesn't know how good it is to run away," said the man who had a stocky appearance, square face, and exaggerated muscles. 

Jack, on the other hand, was a bit skinny and obviously looked much younger, but his brown eyes didn't waver and bored straight into his enemy's eyes. 

"Old man, the dagger is not my best weapon," Jack said after parrying an attack with the sharp side of his shield, causing the man to raise an eyebrow. 

Then his perception, trained on the battlefield and in life-and-death situations, told him what the young man in front of him was doing. Jack's Pneuma withdrew from his dagger and moved to his left hand... left hand?

More like his left gauntlet. There was a brass shell on his hand that resembled a gauntlet, perhaps covering it below the elbow, but his uniform didn't allow it to be seen. The metal shimmered in the sunlight and had a unique visual sensation.

It seemed smooth, and if you listened closely, you could hear some clicking, gear-like noises. Soon, Jack closed his fist, the air seeming to distort a bit due to the amount of Pneuma concentrated in his hand. 

Click! Click! Ommmmm...!

"Wanna bet, rookie?" the man joked, but it was obvious that he was quite serious and even a bead of sweat fell down his forehead. 

"Quite a lot," was Jack's reply before he struck hard at the man's shield, which was also covered in Pneuma. 

Bang!

The collision of the two fields pushed out the surrounding air and caused a loud boom, similar to that of heavy artillery. There was no mutual destruction, but the man's shield was pushed away from his body, leaving him exposed. 

Swish!

Soon, a hole opened up in the left side of his uniform, gushing blood. The man looked down carelessly and watched as the red liquid fell to the ground, staining the mud.

"You didn't want to beat me, you wanted to give your partner a chance... Ghost Bullet," the man muttered before falling dead.

"Just in case you turn into something weird later," Jack said before approaching the man's body to bend down and cut off his head. 

Though cruel, this behavior had a bloody and painful history behind it, as this world was not as normal as it seemed, but now it was he had killed the worst possibility beforehand, which was good. 

"Jack, it's not good!" when he returned to the trench, Alexis handed him his rifle as he told him the latest he had heard.

"The Juggernaut showed up! The higher-ups are crazy about this new technology and want the team to take over, but that armor thing is much more powerful than the previous models," Alexis explained with some concern in his tone, but Jack was calm. 

"Don't worry, just tell me if you've warned Irina," Jack said, taking his friend's words seriously, but sure that he could accomplish this mission. 

After all, it was Irina! The only person besides his grandfather who could make Jack bow his head and admit that she was not only stronger than him but also more talented. 

It wasn't a simple belittlement, Jack had always had an intuition that could be considered supernatural, and every time he trained with Irina, he always felt that no matter what action he took, she already knew what he was going to do, just like his grandfather made him feel!

"I know, the wonder duo," Alexis clicked his tongue before grabbing Jack's hand and pulling him down the ditch.

Soon they came to a clearing where many motionless machine guns were firing at one point, but they could hear the screams of pain, broken bones, and twisted metal. 

So they saw the nightmare of the battlefield, a weapon so terrifying that not even the most advanced steam weapons could withstand it, an armor that made its wearer look like a giant over eight feet tall. 

A bloody juggernaut, constantly whistling like a locomotive, firing hot bolts from one of its arms, while the other held a huge sword with a red edge and an obvious heat distortion in the air.

Choo! Choo! Chk-chk-chk-chk!

"Holy crap, this thing's tricked out. An integrated steam rifle and a thermal sword, what the hell is this damn country thinking? " the tech-savvy Alexis cursed as he noticed the details of this enemy. 

The armor was grayish, with a huge tank behind which four brass pipes were connected, distributing the concentrated steam to this huge contraption. Its head resembled a helmet, with a slit through which only a red light could be seen. 

"Die, you filthy, filthy unclean! " came a mechanical voice from the armor, which slashed at a young soldier, splitting him in two with ease. 

"Concentrate your fire on him! Don't let him get close!" someone shouted in a hoarse voice before the Juggernaut took aim with its left arm and unleashed incandescent projectiles that split it in two as well. 

"Shit! Alexis, tell them to back me up!" Jack slung his rifle over his back and picked up his dagger and a silver revolver with rather exquisite detailing. 

"Well, Irina will be here soon, I gave you some toys that do a lot of damage, just don't use them when you're around," Alexis said before joining the ranged siege against the Juggernaut.

Jack took a breath and focused all his attention on his heart, the source of his Pneuma, letting that power work more than ever in this battle, he was going to give it his all... so he wasn't going to waver now!

Ommmmm...!