A familiar smell clung to my nostrils. It was blood and rust, the smell of the battlefield. The mingles of sulfur made my nose crease when I breathed it in, but I spat them out in the form of a spit.
Iron clashed against each other in a chaotic tune, and the pained screams of fallen soldiers echoed in my skull. I looked down at the halberd I held; Almost three meters long, it was an awkward weapon to wield, but I didn't have much of a choice.
The beaten armor that protected my torso and head was heavy, but I grew accustomed to them, fond of them even. I looked at the man in front of me. His armor was cleaner and clearly more expensive than mine, and his eyes and trembling hands betrayed his killing intent.
''RRRHA!''
The shining glint of a spear threatened to pierce my skull. I tilted my head to the side and avoided the spear's sharp end, dodging it by a few mere inches.
The spearman lost his footing after the attack. Without hesitation, I pushed the halberd in my hands toward his face. The spearhead at the end pierced the man's face, pushing out the eyes from their sockets and stabbing right through his brain.
I pulled the halberd back and his body fell limp onto the ground.
''...''
I looked away and quickly moved. In this place, I couldn't just stand still.
Because right now, we were at war.
To be exact, it's been around two years or so, I can't exactly remember right now. My head was a bit of a mess, you see.
I adjusted the helmet since it had come off a bit, and stopped when I heard a faint but strange sound.
''...Huh?''
Between all the swords, spears, swords, and shields clashing, a certain strange sound could be heard. A high-pítched sound, similar to that of a boiling kettle, as if it was about to explode.
''---Shit!''
''
A woman's voice echoed over the chaos, and before I knew it, a wall of flames engulfed my field of view.
The sudden inferno had swallowed everything in its path. Soldiers rolled on the ground trying to put out the flames to no avail. Their skin melted off and their flesh and muscles came into view.
The fire had come out of nowhere as if it was summoned from hell itself just to create destruction.
That was the power of
''---Retreat! Fall back!''
Somebody's voice echoed amongst the screams of pain. The commander who had been leading the battle somehow managed to survive. I gripped the handle of the halberd tightly and turned to run.
I didn't have any chance against magicians, I wasn't dumb. And I'm sure the commander wasn't either.
But of course, it wasn't going to be so easy.
''Advance!''
A commander of the enemy turned to his troops and shouted. I felt the heavy stomps chasing after us, and I gritted my teeth in frustration. I tried my best to speed up.
''AAAHRA!''
I turned back at the scream and saw a sword coming down towards my head. I pushed the halberd up at the oncoming blade and trapped it with the claw-like tool at the back of the weapon, and with all my strength I threw it to the side. The man lost his grip and the sword flew away.
I twisted my wrist and swung the halberd's blade at the man's head. It inserted itself almost all the way through his skull. His body fell limp when I pulled the blade out, and blood spilled out like a cascade.
''FUCKER!''
I turned toward the voice, and a spear flew in my direction. I barely managed to dodge it, the blade slightly cutting my face.
I saw a rage-fueled man running towards me. What a nuisance, and what a dumb fucking move to throw away your weapon like that. I directed the tip of the halberd at the man's thigh, which pierced all the way through his leg and came out the back.
''aaaAAHGH--?!''
He cried out in pain and fell down to his knees. I kicked the man in the face and he fell on his back with no resistance. The halberd pulled itself out from his leg, lacerating the flesh even more.
''aaaHH! W-Wait..! Wai---''
I brought the halberd up and then down to his face, and the spearhead pierced right through his skull. His body stopped moving, and his crying stopped.
I pulled the halberd out and began running away again.
''Gh--!''
But before I could even turn around, something pierced my shoulder. Something whistled and flew right above my head.
''Shit, crossbows!''
I felt the collarbone being crushed under the impact. I couldn't move my right arm, and I unconsciously dropped the halberd to the ground.
''
'Again?!'
Pillars of fire suddenly erected from the ground, exploding and destroying everything in a 5-meter radius. In a second, everything was consumed by ash and the exploding fire. Severed limbs flew up in the air as the sudden explosions continued.
I noticed it right the second before: A magic circle forming right beside me. I jumped out of the way to no avail.
A blinding red light covered my view, and I flew up in the air.
I couldn't recognize right from left, or up from down. My body kept spinning seemingly forever, and it felt like I would never touch the ground again. Every sound became distant.
I felt my body crash against the ground.
I wasn't able to understand what was happening, but eventually, I felt darkness swallowing me up, and I lost consciousness.
-----
''---fhg,''
I let out a dumb sound when I woke up. I felt dizzy as I opened my eyes. I found myself half-buried in the dirt, and my whole body cried from the pain if I tried to move even a finger. I focused on any sound that could expose an enemy near me, but no such thing came. I was completely alone.
I pushed myself off the ground and took the beaten gauntlets off. I rubbed off the dirt on my eyes, nose, and ears. It was dark, I would guess around midnight.
''...I survived,''
I muttered those words looking up at the moon.
''--h, haha, hahaha!''
I laughed. It wasn't a matter of whether I was crazy or relieved, I just... felt like laughing.
I looked up at the sky again. The stars and the moon looked beautiful, too beautiful to be looking down at this slaughter. I wondered if they could smell the burnt hair and dried-up blood and spilled organs from up there.
It's been, what, eighteen years? Yeah, around eighteen years since I reincarnated into this world. Eighteen years where I've had to do nothing but work my ass off and suffer. A second chance at life? Don't make me laugh.
This place is hell.