A/N: Important things explaination chapter coming up in 1 chapters. Continue reading normally, and you will reach it, so don't worry if you don't understand certain terms or Names.
It is midday. There is a large field, filled with the corpses and weapons of many soldiers, and is surrounded by tall, unscalable walls. In the center of it, stood a man clad in blue-gold.
"This is... from my previous world, the Ashina Outskirts... why am I here? Was everything that happened before a dream? Was I under an illusion?" the man mused, confused with the situation.
At the same moment, the ground started vibrating as a dust cloud appeared in the distance, nearing Isshin.
"You are?!"
"MY NAMEEEE IS GYOBU MASATAKA ONIWA!!!
AS I BREATHE, YOU WILL NOT PASS THE CASTLE GATES!!!"
"Impossible! You were dead! Sekiro killed you!"
The being he yelled at, was a giant man, wielding a large spear, and riding an equally giant horse.
"ONIKAGE, CHARRRGGGEEE"
"I don't understand what's going on, but if you don't stop now, I will put you do-"
*BOOM*
The spear swung down upon Isshin as he dodged away, the spear slamming into the ground with extreme force, creating a plume of dust.
"Oniwa! Do you not recognise your own Master?"
"..."
'He's far, far stronger than when he was still alive. He also didn't seem to recognise me... and is hell bent on killing me.'
"How FUN! You shall die again Oniwa, but in my hands this time. Come, my spear alone is enough to kill you." Isshin exclaimed, as he stamped on the ground and pulled out his spear, swinging it in an arc, thus creating a wind that pushed back on his foe.
The giant clutched onto the reins of his horse, as he swung his spear downwards onto Isshin's head,
*Ting!*
only for his attack to be deflected at the very last second, pushing him off balance, allowing Isshin to sweep strike at Onikage's legs, thus cutting them off instantly, thus sending Oniwa tumbling down onto the ground.
"Full of weakpoints as ever. Your strength may have increased, but your patterns and combat style remain the same. Now you have lost your horse. A cavalryman without his steed is but a deadweight on a battlefield."
Saying so, he slowly walked over to the fallen giant, who finally managed to get up and swung his spear horizontally, only for Isshin to duck under it.
Oniwa panicked, and stabbed his spear straight at Isshin, only for him to sidestep the piercing attack, and stamp the blade down into the ground, thus forcing Oniwa down onto his knees.
"This is the end."
*Slash*
A blood red line appeared on Oniwa's neck, as his head slid down and fell to the ground, after being split cleanly off his shoulders, as his body crumpled on to the blood stained battlefield, blood spurting out of his now decapitated neck.
The body and head then turned into ash, which scattered into the wind.
A foggy mist appeared onto the battlefield, covering any and all vision that Isshin had, before all turned to black.
*Morning, the sun has just risen, the birds chirping as they leave their nests to hunt and scavenge for food, as Isshin, laying on the branch of a tree, suddenly awoke.*
'This... I'm back. What was that? A dream? No... The Reflection of Strength. The name is burned into my mind. I feel, if I wanted to, I could fight Oniwa again in my mind. This is good for practice. Perhaps Sekiro could do this too. That would explain his extreme rate of growth, and how he was able to go from losing to a couple of weak soldiers to being able to go toe-to-toe with me.'
"Roooaaarrrr"
"Hoh? A boar? But how is it so large? It was the same as the snow leopard yesterday. Are all the creatures in this world so enlarged? Well, it's come at just the right time. I was just feeling hungry. Let's get this done with." He cut off a piece of the branch, wielding it as a sword, swinging it at the boar.
*Sometime later*
At the same place as yesterday, there was a bonfire, and a large piece of meat hanging on a stick, being roasted over the fire, as Isshin ate another piece of meat.
'My body is different in this world. I have a far larger appetite than before. Before, I wouldn't have been able to finish this boar meat in a week, but now, I'm able to finish the same amount of meat in a single sitting. My body also feels physically stronger than before. My senses have been amplified, and muscles can output much more power than before. I need to test more, to understand my body better.'
"I also need to find human settlement as soon as possible. I need to know where I am, but before that, I need to find a source of water, the Healing Gourd works for now, but I've only got 10 uses, and I cannot waste them just yet."
'And it seems what the note said was true. The water that I drank yesterday seems to have been refilled while I rested. But I still need to test the other condition for refilling.'
After eating all of the boar, he put out the bonfire, as he walked, towards the east"
Why East? Gut Feeling. His instincts told him to travel East, and so he did, with blade and gun at hip, Gourd in hand, as he walked towards the rising sun.
A/N: Bonus Chapter!!! Enjoy! I had some extra time, so I typed up another chapter, and posted it immediately. Maybe I should stack some chapters as well, just in case.
Also, give powerstones and add the story to your library!
As of today, right now, in the powerstone rankings for this week, this novel is exactly at the 100th position. Those are rookie numbers, we gotta pump them up. Let's do this!!!