THE WAR GOD MADE OF STEEL

The Weapon He Created

Rowan slowly stepped closer wearing a mocking smile.

“It’s none of your business. We’re not here to answer your useless questions. We’re here on business.”

Hawthorne stared at him and the Esturis military in shock.

“What do you even mean? What business do you have with our enemy military? Please, I need an explanation because I’m confused. There’s no way I could have expected to see you standing with our rivals on a day like this.”

Rowan calmly folded his arms, smiling venomously.

“Well, well, well. I didn’t want to answer your question in the first place, but what’s the point of hiding it from you? You won’t be able to do anything about it anyway. In fact, you're about to lose your power without even realizing it.”

Hawthorne was still confused, but he quickly composed himself. He refused to look weak in front of the Esturis military.

His face remained cold and unshaken as he slowly asked.

“Rowan... what do you mean?”

Rowan continued circling around him with a venomous smile.

“As you can see, I’m not here to exchange words with you. Let me get straight to the point, because you won’t be able to do anything about it even if I tell you.”

He stopped directly in front of him, his face filled with hostility.

“I’m tired of living under your shadow. I’m not the only person meant to remain in second place. This is my turn to take over. I wasn’t born to live under your command—I was born to be a commander. This time, you’ll stand beneath my command and remain under my control whether you like it or not.”

Hawthorne froze in deep shock, pointed at him and tried to speak.

Rowan quickly cut him off.

“Don’t dare speak!”

He continued pacing around him.

“Did you ever ask yourself why the Cerberus Tactical Missile killed your remaining armies and officers without touching you?”

He glanced at the missile debris beside them and continued.

“Because death is mercy.”

“I want you to live long enough to watch yourself crumble and suffer under my watch. I want you to feel the brutal pain.”

Hawthorne now understood the real reason they had wiped out the remaining soldiers while intentionally leaving him alive. They wanted the battlefield clear of anyone who could interfere, so they could freely capture him alive—not kill him, and make him suffer whatever punishment they had prepared.

He remained shocked and seemed ready to speak again, but Rowan's voice thundered out.

“Don’t test me!”

Brigadier Titus Ford, one of the surrendered Esturis high commands, stepped forward, wearing a mocking smile.

“Mr. Storm, you really thought we surrendered? What a joke.”

Hawthorne's eyes narrowed.

General Ferdinand Harrison, another surrendered Esturis high command and the second-in-command after Master Draxson, laughed coldly.

“The surrender was merely a deception. We needed your army to lower its guard.”

Rowan smiled mockingly.

Hawthorne's expression hardened as he stared at them.

Titus Ford continued.

“You and your colleagues believed the war was over. That was exactly what we wanted you to believe, and I'm glad they were killed. It allowed us to carry out our task without interference—the task of capturing you.”

Rowan's smile widened.

“You won the battle, Hawthorne. But the real battle has begun.”

His reason for the betrayal was—

Before the invasion battle, the Esturis Supreme Commander, Master Draxson had paid him a massive sum of money. Rowan accepted immediately because he hated Hawthorne and had been waiting for an opportunity to betray him and use that advantage to seize his position.

For years, he had dreamed of taking over and, above all, claiming everything that belonged to Hawthorne—both financially, emotionally and otherwise

He was never satisfied living under the authority of his master. Envy, greed and jealousy had slowly consumed him despite everything Hawthorne had done for him from childhood.

Same Master Draxson had earlier planned how Hawthorne’s capture should be executed, with him, the High Command, and the soldiers involved, in case Esturis failed to invade Armogur because of Hawthorne. Because of his hunger to take over the nation, after rewarding Rowan, he now used him as a psychological and emotional weapon to weaken Hawthorne because of their deep bond, knowing it would be painful and effective enough to prevent him from resisting or using his mysterious combat skills against the military during the capture.

Meanwhile—

Hawthorne had already noticed the plan through everything he had witnessed and now heard. His psychological and emotional strength, alongside his maturity, kept him composed. He refused to let the plan weaken him from within—not because they had succeeded in stopping him from reacting, but because he wanted to understand Master Draxson’s unknown intentions.

He suddenly remembered his earlier question to his fallen soldiers about whether Rowan had been kidnapped by the surrendered Esturis military, realizing that his suspicion had been right. But Rowan had not been kidnapped; he had chosen to work with them, leaving Hawthorne deeply regretful that he was supposed to have ordered the High Command and their few surviving soldiers to be killed immediately.

Brigadier Titus Ford still wore a mocking smile as he spoke with satisfaction.

“Mr. Storm, you really thought you defeated us and forced us to surrender, not knowing what was waiting for you. We used him as a weapon against you.”

He proudly pointed at Rowan.

“We won’t tell you what awaits you until you reach Esturis and meet our Supreme Commander, Master Draxson.”

Hawthorne's thoughts drifted toward the past as memories of the little orphan Rowan resurfaced in his mind.

Yet the ongoing conversation kept dragging him back to reality.

Although deeply shocked and broken inside, he showed no weakness. Everything was hidden behind a calm smile and a pair of cold, unreadable eyes.

General Ferdinand Harrison stepped forward, his expression turning serious.

“Enough of the talking.”

“Master Draxson must be waiting for us. I remember him ordering us to return immediately to avoid attracting any additional Armogur military forces.”

Brigadier Titus Ford nodded.

“That’s right. We need to leave immediately. This is the border between both nations. Anything can happen at any moment. Everyone knows a brutal war took place here. Their military could already be on the move, or they may be tracking us with their detection technology.”

The two high commands pointed at Hawthorne and ordered their newly deployed soldiers.

“Cuff him and drag him forward.”

The soldiers immediately responded.

“Understood!”

They stepped forward and cuffed Hawthorne.

Yet he remained calm and confident.

Rowan had expected him to be broken and weak, but instead saw the complete opposite.

The two men locked eyes.

Hawthorne almost lost his patience and wanted to fight the two high commanders and the several newly deployed soldiers, but quickly composed himself.

He doesn’t even use weapons in fighting, relying instead on his advanced combat skills and precision. His main reason for staying silent was that he wanted to be successfully taken to Master Draxson instead, to face him personally and understand his main intentions beyond the battle already won by his nation.

Rowan continued smiling mockingly as a thought crossed his mind.

“He still looks unbroken despite my betrayal. He’ll finally break when he sees the unknown punishment waiting for him.”

Hawthorne was dragged across the burning battlefield littered with debris and countless casualties from both Armogur and Esturis. However, Esturis had suffered far heavier losses beneath the dark and cloudy evening sky.

As they dragged Hawthorne forward, his thoughts drifted to his beloved wife, Irene. The thought of leaving her behind and being taken into another nation, knowing she would miss him, weighed heavily on his heart.

Even so, his resolve never wavered. He had already determined to face Master Draxson and return safely to her. The phone in his pocket gave him hope that, somehow, he would still be able to contact her.

As they moved forward, Rowan followed behind him and spoke mockingly.

“You’re shocked and in disbelief, yet you refuse to show it. That fake smile of yours will completely disappear when you finally meet Master Draxson.”

Hawthorne said nothing.

He remained silent and unshaken, wearing only a cold smile.

General Ferdinand Harrison suddenly shouted from behind.

“This bastard! Move faster!”

Hawthorne remained calm.

The soldiers increased their pace as powerful evening winds swept across the battlefield, carrying thick smoke and ash high into the darkening sky.

Rowan walked proudly with both hands in his pockets, a venomous smile on his face as he watched Hawthorne being dragged forward.

Moments later, they arrived before two advanced fighter jets.

Hawthorne was taken aboard one of them alongside Rowan and several soldiers.

The two high commands boarded another jet with the remaining soldiers.

Minutes later, both aircraft rose into the cloudy evening sky with engines that screamed power and authority.

Within moments, they vanished into the stormy clouds, leaving the battlefield behind.

Some times later, Hawthorne sitting between two soldiers while staring at Rowan in the front seat.

Slowly....

His mind drifted to the past.