The sky burned.
The fields are filled with fire, smoke, and blood.
Various flags from multiple kingdoms lay in ruin across the battlefield, with thousands of corpses littering the once beautiful scenery.
And here was Sir Alaric Von Alexis, standing proud despite that.
His trusted sword and shield in his hands, as his once shining steel plate armor was now covered in ashes and blood.
And his opponent?
A red dragon, one that was the size of a small mountain, a once brave, untouchable mythical beast, now stands injured.
One wing gone, and scales badly damaged, damage sustained after fighting against thousands of men.
"What a fool... to think that only a thousand men were enough to take you down..."
Alaric coughed out blood inside his armet, his life barely clinging to his skin.
The dragon roared, responding to his taunt as it unleashed one final fire breath, one that would expend the last of its energy.
All for the hope of killing Alaric with him.
"Even the heat of the sun is not enough to take me down!"
He shouted, raising his shield as he met the fiery inferno head-on, his shield barely being able to withstand the heat, the metal softening in his hands with each second passing.
"RAHHHHH!"
He yelled out, his last stand, until his sight was only filled with pure white.
No sound, no pain, no nothing.
Just white.
But when he blinked once.
He was...
Alive?
In a field of bamboo no less, his armor pristine and clear, like he hadn't fought at all, as if everything was a dream.
"Am I... in heaven?"
He looked around; it was the only conclusion he could think of, dying from a dragon's breath and finally reaching the afterlife.
At least... that's what he thought before a sudden voice rang out from in front of him, wearing nothing... but simple clothing and an odd-looking sword?
"Who dares trespass in the sacred fields of the Grasshopper Blade Sect!?"
Alaric blinked twice before laughing loudly.
"What is this!? a joke from the heavens to welcome me!?"
The martial artist in front of him, however, wasn't as amused, charging quickly at him and attempting to take him down in one go.
"Whoa!"
Alaric took a step back, raising his shield, the familiar cold of his armour returning to him as he blocked the attack.
CLANG.
The martial artist immediately recoiled, feeling his hands tremble from hitting the steel of the shield.
"Aghhh!"
He took a step back, a step as nimble and fast as a grasshopper, one that caught Alaric off guard.
"Incredible! That speed! It's divine!"
"Of course it is! It's the grasshopper step!"
The martial artist spat out, before charging again, his speed blinding.
Enough that even Alaric couldn't react to it, but he didn't need to.
CRACK.
The moment his sword met Alaric's armet, it broke in half.
"...Eh?"
Alaric used the confusion to his advantage, grabbing the martial artist's wrist and slamming him straight into the ground.
THUD.
"Ackkk!"
The martial artist grunted, the air leaving his lungs as his back hit the soil with terrifying impact.
"Enough of this!"
Another voice rang out, and once again, Alaric wasn't fast enough to catch it, the body in his hands disappearing out of thin air.
And was immediately transported in front of him, carried by another person wearing the same outfit, and another with his sword out, pointed in Alaric's direction.
"What is that!? wearing such heavy metal!?" The one with the sword said in confusion.
"Careful, brother, he must be a barbarian from the west, such indignified tactics would only point to them!"
Alaric tilted his head in confusion, looking around to see if anyone was watching, and if this was only a huge impractical joke, but he saw nothing.
Just three fools pretending to be warriors.
"If this is heaven, then it is filled with fools..."
He remarked.
But then a sudden ping in front of him caught his eye, a small panel.
[You are not in heaven, merely in another world.]
Alaric blinked once, then laughed again. It all made sense now!
His death was so heroic that the gods sent him to another world to continue his adventure!
[...I guess you could take it as that.]
He unsheathed his sword with excitement he hadn't felt in years, facing the swordsman in front of him with full seriousness.
"Come at me, you half-naked brigands!"
He yelled out, visibly upsetting the one with his sword out.
"Brigands!? I'll teach you!"
He vanished in the blink of an eye, reappearing in front of Alaric without even a trace of movement.
"Let's see if your crude armor can withstand my Qi-infused blade!"
CLANG.
Instead of hitting its target, it met Alaric's shield instead, the impact recoiling across the martial artist's hand as he struggled to maintain his grip.
"Impossible!? My refined-"
BASH.
Alaric didn't let the martial artist finish his sentence as he delivered a powerful shield bash, sending him flying and landing on the floor with a dull thud.
"Brother!"
The other martial artist yelled out in concern, terrified.
"I need to report this!"
The martial artist quickly turned, the first martial artist draped on his shoulder, while holding the other one with his free hand, tugging at his clothes.
"You're not getting away from me!"
Alaric charged, sword and shield in hand.
But once again, he wasn't fast enough; as the martial artist retreated while carrying his fallen brothers and leaping from tree to tree.
Causing Alaric to widen his eyes in sheer surprise and disbelief, he just saw someone do the impossible.
"What in the world...?"
[Let me explain.]