I awoke, not in the usual way but my consiousness returned, my arms felt weak and my legs felt locked as if a single movement would make me fall.
"The damn dog has been beaten! The shield has fallen!"
Sounds of cheers and joy, reverberated throughout the area I was in, with that I finally decided to open my eyes and what welcomed me was countless warriors, surrounding me and my Gae Bolg that was piercing me.
I tried to speak but the pain on my chest magnified and only blood came out, regardless, they needed to know that I won't fall.
Using all my might, ignoring the pain that asked me, no pleaded me to rest. I walked.
Countless gasps could be heard and sound of cold weapons being readied replaced the cheers, a pregnant silence, but I ignored it. From the tips of my vision, I saw a girl with pinkish peach hair visibly gulp.
"Fall?"
I asked, raspy voice and the manic grin that found itself on my lips emitted great bloodlust. At this point though, no one feared it as much due to the machinations of Medb herself. Cornering me and forcing me to break my vows, year per year, battle per battle, until today, my final vow that resulted in my mortality.
Still, it didn't matter.
"I will never fall"
I made a step, one step, two step. The pain my body felt was surely nothing, my vision was only on a single area.
I needed to stop my fall, I won't fall, Ulster's Shield will not fall.
Three step, four step, I ignored the gazes from countless warriors, some with blazing hatred, some with awe and respect, but it mattered not.
Five step, six step, I picked up a rope, one used for Medb's carriage that I singlehandedly destroyed.
With a spear in my chest, I already felt my heart slowen it's beating, slowly, surely.
Seven step, eight step.
The post was only a meter away from me, it was wooden one that I don't understand how it got there but no doubt it was from the previous battle, from my side I saw a crow, it landed on my shoulders but contrary to expectations, it didn't attacks, it merely tilted it's head and watched me so I continued.
Nine step.
I used my arms that were riddled with cuts, bruises, arrows and some fingers bent in a wrong way, it didn't matter.
Ten step.
With that, I twisted my self to land my back at the post, the spear piercing my heart a little too much in the way but there's no way I can do anything about it so I tied my body to the post using the rope.
"He's a monster"
I heard a nearby warrior say with complete disbelief, I wanted to retort but at this point, my was already dying, not like I wasn't a few seconds before but I was truly dying now.
"He's a shield, a worthy fellow, this whole battle was a shame for us"
Thankfully, a man, one with newfound admiration for me muttered, it was not really a shout but the constant silence made everyone hear it.
With that, they started retreating, walking away from me, at first it was only one but then they started walking away in swarms, Medb looking around her as if she didn't understand.
"Are you not going to finish him?! Don't you bear hatr-"
"You want us to desecrate a warrior who fell with pride? One who chose to die standing? Gods would forbid us to enter Mag Mell"
A question, but the way he said it became a threat, add the fact that not just him agreed but most warriors felt the same, Medb could only silently grit her teeth and stare at me, I truly did not understand the woman, she claims my death yet her eyes was filled with nothing but longing.
But I was alive for a while now, my last bits of vision was her back, walking away from me. Before everything became black and I returned to the void, it seems that this was my death and my eyes would open in the presence of other heroes like me, to the throne of heroes I arrived...or not.
*
I opened my eyes, what greeted me was a sky, blue sky like the ones I died under.
"Huh?!"
I immediately tried to move, my movements weren't...tied?
I scanned my surroundings, aside from looking similar to the place of my death it was different to the point that there was something else in the air?
"Mana?"
I looked around me and no, there was no master. Add the fact that my heartbeat was genuine and I do not feel the rejection of Gaia to my being, I looked around me but I couldn't find Gae Bolg.
"Now that's bad..."
In my panic, I didn't quickly see it, but I was currently wearing only my blue clothes, it wasn't skin tight but the ones I wore casually. (AN: 1st Ascension Proto Cu)
I walked a few meters forward, I wanted to see where I was and aside from seeing a dirt road and a river to my side, there was nothing else, wait.
"A river?"
River equals fishing! Joy! But then the realization finally dawned upon me. I had an actual body and I was no doubt a little younger than I was but other than that, how would I fish if I didn't have anything, not even a spear for a makeshift fishing rod?
I sighed in regret, I scratched the back of my head and found myself something in the pockets of my pants.
"A letter?"
I picked it up and it indeed was a letter, the initials were...
"K.Z.S?"
Ignoring the growing form of a white bearded asshole from the back of my mind, I opened the letter and read it's contents.
"Yoohoo, my blue puppy, I'm here to congratulate you on winning the Lucky Servant To Be Kaleidoscoped, Cu Chulainn! You see aside from me managing the grail wars from time to time, I also happen to have interest in your past heroics, lucky you though~ You won the jackpot! I took you and gave you a body, thumping and all, and then placed you in a world of my choosing! Fun isn't it? Anyways, if you're interested in living your life to the fullest, just walk to the east of where you're from and you'll see a kingdom, ironically named The Empire. Gae Bolg materializes on your whim but remember kay' it will not be seen as the barber spear of death but a teigu called barbed spear of piercing death, still named Gae Bolg but a different type of weapon all in all. Also, your armor is technically also the same, you can choose from the spandex or the armor one, your choice. Most importantly, you have memories of your 2 lives, the one as Cu Chulainn and the one from when you won the grail war, too bad you died young then as well but keep happy, this world is fun and happy with big big monsters to kill! It's a world full of fu-"
I ripped the damn thing and threw it as far as I could, I took the deepest breath I could and from the bottom of my lungs, a shout that shook the area with power.
"ZELRETCH!!!!!!!!!!!"