"FUCK!" That was one of the many words that came to mind when I realized the shitty situation I was in. My car was sinking, and not one of those slow ones that could have allowed me a chance at escape with the proper knowledge, but something that dragged me down faster than I anticipated, and by the time I knew it, the glass on the window started to form small cracks from the pressure of the water. In due time, it'll break and I'll die. I didn't want to believe it at first, not in the slightest. Every thought in my mind was TELLING me to find another way, something, even sending out a fight or flight response but none of those options worked. I didn't want to die but it didn't matter. This was forced upon me, akin to the suffering of life itself.
"Shit... Bloody hell. Okay, okay..."
Though, I had one last thing to do before it was well and done. Taking my phone out, I quickly sent my location out to my family along with a message of "I'm sorry, but I won't make it" and messaging the last of my friends "Sorry guys, but this will be the last you hear of me. VISIT MY FAMILY". It would allow them to have something to recover by that point at least.
'Hah...' My eyes started to water. I was going to die here, crying, scared, and alone. I couldn't even salvage the old friendships I had either or rekindle with my old best friend. Before I could even continue with any of my thought processes, the window finally shattered and water poured in immediately. Within moments, my nose, mouth, and lungs were viciously assaulted as the water invaded my body without mercy.
It hurts, it hurts, IT HURTS, IT HURTS, IT HURTS, IT HURTS! EVERYTHING HURTS!
MOM, CHARLES, OLIVER, ANYONE – SAVE ME PLEASE! I DON'T WANNA DIE-
Once both the real and phantom pain subsided, I opened my eyes immediately to be greeted with a place that reminded me of the vast emptiness of space, it also mimicked that place due to its seemingly infinite nature. The floor was covered in puddles of water (to my slight dismay), spots of white lights here and there, and a floor decorated like a checkers or chessboard. There was also no denying the fact that I was dead. My appearance here simply proves that more and more.
Yet I almost forgot to mention the woman across from me. To many, she would be labeled as gorgeous, something that far exceeded the current models of the industry. She was somewhat young with blue hair and eyes. She wore a blue vest and skirt that certainly revealed some of her sex appeal (but I couldn't be damned to care about that.) She sat in something reminiscent of a throne, her seat covered in ornate designs with her legs crossed... Was she not wearing panties?
"Ludwig Fossen," She begins, "Welcome to the afterlife. You, unfortunately, drowned to death, and not even in the conventional way. But it seems as if you've come to terms with your death so I'll cut to the chase. My name is Aqua, I am a goddess that sends souls like yours to Heaven or to be reincarnated with no memories of their past life."
From the casual way she just confirmed my death, I can't help but tense up a little bit while also feeling like she's mocking me for dying in a way that wasn't "usual." Despite that, I was slightly taken aback. Heaven? Seriously? I wasn't truly religious but from all the stories, both written and verbal, that I had ever heard about heaven said that it was a divine and happy place that I was tempted to say yes to it already- though there was probably a catch, which was confirmed for me when she leaned in to whisper to me as if someone else was listening in.
"Though, I wouldn't choose that option. When you're there you can't do anything besides bask in the sun, look at the clouds and talk to other people. You don't even have a physical body to do anything with, and there's a lack of TV and Manga as well, but you're in luck!" An even brighter light shined down on her as if she was on a stage, a spotlight illuminating her form. "Do you like video games?"
Man... this was a dedicated saleswoman. Telling me that Heaven was a boring place, and the thought of me losing all my memories seemed rather vexing. Losing the memories of friends without the luxury of knowing if said life would be somewhat decent to me. What would happen if I was born to a poor or abusive family and forced to suffer every day? "Yeah, I do."
"Good answer. There is a world currently being threatened by the Demon King and his armies. The people there are all afraid and the ones who are killed are so scared that they don't want to be reincarnated back and if this keeps happening, babies will eventually cease to exist and the such. That is where you come in, someone who yearns to still live even after Death." After that entire speech, the light slowly dies down.
Interesting. Very, very interesting. Suddenly facing my demise only to get a second chance, and to be offered a chance to go to an alternate world felt surreal to me despite everything. It seemed comparable to something of fanfic, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to live again no matter how generic it seemed. A new chance in another world. Who would be dumb enough to decline? Though...
"Before we continue, I have a few questions." Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Aqua let out a small sigh before getting more comfortable in her chair. I continued, "What about my family and friends? Do they know of my death?" That question lingered in the back of my mind once she revealed she was a goddess, and a one that guided souls, no less. A little insight about the aftermath could be nice... or dreadful.
"Yeah. After a bit of searching, they'll find your body and plan a funeral. Your friends have been told what happened and they'll be attending it." Her response was so quick and to the point that I was almost shocked. She certainly didn't sugarcoat things, huh... well, whatever.
Nevertheless, I was satisfied with the answer and at least people will know what happened to me. I just hope I'm not forgotten by them is all. Even then, I had no other questions to ask despite the rational side of my brain knowing that I should. Was I that empty inside that I simply couldn't? "Alright then. I accept your offer." The second I said those words, she snapped her fingers, and a spread of cards appeared in front of me. Sigh. This is going to take a while.
I don't know how much time passed but a majority of these cards didn't truly assist me in a way that I found beneficial. They were powerful, yes, but some of them had some massive issues once you read in-between the lines. A weapon that could capture souls and improve the user with each one taken, but also had the chance of consuming your own if it got too powerful and didn't think you were worthy. A weapon that could one-shot technically everything but had a small chance to crumble to dust if used too much along the lines. Now imagine that occurring while fighting a monster. Not only would you be defenseless but also lose the "cheat-weapon" it was dubbed. Was this some sort of joke? If so, I sure as hell wasn't laughing.
"Can you hurry this up? I don't have all day and you're holding up the line. I know you didn't do anything particularly interesting in your life, but come on." And I had no idea how annoying this blue-haired prick could be. She was extremely beautiful but that personality of hers was damn irritating. There was the urge to take her with me but even I didn't want to know whatever consequences would occur if I tried and there was quite a bit of doubt in my mind that she would even follow my orders or even retain her godly powers for that matter. Even so, I was still tempted to even insult her directly in her face at some point but I pushed those thoughts down. God, why must this be so damn difficult?
'Asshole.' I think to myself before getting off my knees. "Anyways, is there a way I can become a fictional character? None of these options interest me."
Aqua seemingly ponders the thought for a moment, "Yeah, that seems fine. Who is it?"
I can't help but smile a little at that. There were a lot of characters that came to mind. Lelouch from Code Geass minus his inability to do any sort of exercise for more than a couple of seconds, or Vegeta from Dragon Ball, Natsuki Subaru from Re: Zero or Hazama, Terumi, or even the Susano'o Unit from Blazblue... I don't know why but I just like villains. Even the choice of Gilgamesh came to mind for a second. He was one of my favorite characters but even then, I decided otherwise. Now, on the other hand...
"I wish to become Avenger Oda Nobunaga from Fate Grand Order with all her abilities, even the ones from her Archer and Berserker variants along with their skills, improved, and the knowledge on how to use them." I admit, taking care to be specific about my demands. As cliché as it is, I know to say exactly what I want, less I end up being shorthanded down the road.
Aqua seems confused at the request at first, however, as she tries to regain her composure a bit of disgust creeps onto her face ever so briefly. She repeats her earlier gesture of snapping her fingers and a bright, blue light surrounds me almost immediately. Before I could even register what was going on, I'm gone from that place.
When the light finally died down, I opened my eyes to be greeted with green, and I mean a lot of green. Looking around, I found that I was within a forest. 'Did she make a mistake?' I wondered to myself. I had expected to appear within a town or city of some sort but this was puzzling even for me. Someone like her making an error seemed possible, but if she was half the deity I had expected her to be, it wasn't one. Sigh. How hassling yet still, I found excitement in my newfound predicament. My first steps into this new world, I suppose, and the smell of nature was a nice change of pace from the city life I was used to. I think the last time I was this close, let alone in a forest, was when I was at summer camp a long time ago. Such fond memories, too.
And, coincidently enough, a lake was nearby. Score! After approaching it, I examined myself as best I could in the water. The first thing I noticed was that I was short, and I do mean short. At least 5'0 or 5'1. That was not just painful, but excruciatingly so. My ego! Regardless, the outfit and face that gazed back up at me more than made up for my new height. Just as I requested, I took on the form of Nobunaga. I had on the Archer version of her outfit, though the inner part of the cape was a lot brighter, 'No, this is Avenger's first form.' I note to myself.
Taking on the form of a woman was quite... strange, especially when it came to things like height. And unlike most in these circumstances, I didn't freak out or flock to grope my assets despite how others played it out to be... maybe.
But I'm diverting from the important things at hand here, even if they are incredibly similar, the fact that I noticed such a small detail made me happy. When I felt across myself, I found a pouch filled with coins attached to my right. On my left side, there was a katana in a sheathe. It didn't have any sort of designs from what I could see but the handle and downwards was marked crimson when I pulled it out. I tried it out in my right hand, just like in the game, only to be met with discomfort due to the fact it just didn't fit me. Although I copied the appearance of her down to the last hair, I still was me. A person. So, I changed the sides. Katana on the right and the pouch on the left. As a natural left-handed person, I was satisfied with the results. It was beyond comfortable and not only that, the stance I took felt natural as well. Casual on the outside but deadly serious. How nice.
Yet I almost forgot something, "Fire!" I can't help but shout out, commanding the power surging through my body and allowing the materialization of a single weapon from above; the Tanegashima, or matchlock gun. With a single mental command, a burst of red released from the muzzle and mangled a tree in my way, turning the wood into a charcoal-like color.
"HELL YEAH!" HOLY SHIT THAT WAS COOL! Seeing it in-game was one thing, but being able to summon it at will? That was completely badass! I wanted to test it out more and more but held my excitement back for now. Finding civilization was the first thing on my agenda and so, I, Ludwig Fossen, now Oda Nobunaga, started my departure into a direction of no particular consequence. I just hope there wasn't anything in my path that caused me in sort of trouble.
I don't know exactly how much time passed but a rough estimate would be, let's say, about ten to fifteen minutes of walking. Even though I didn't feel a hint of fatigue in any part of my body, mainly due to my body being that of a servant, a supernatural being, I found that I was in no way immune to boredom. I thought that surely, walking in one direction for long enough would yield some sort of result, such as a small quaint village or a large bustling city, but I've yet to see it besides in the form of a cool-looking castle on an overhanging cliff framed by greenery, albeit abandoned from the damage to the infrastructure, and large cracks digging into external walls. Perhaps I can explore it at a later date with a bit more knowledge. I don't want to be disturbing some haunted place, or sacred ground. Sooner or later, I'll find something a bit more populated... I hope. And with that thought, I sprinted forward, yearning for something more exciting, or maybe even a comfortable place to spend the evening.
By the time I finally made contact with anything besides the greenery of the forest, the afternoon was steadily approaching. The thing in question that I spotted was a large wall surrounding what seems to be a city with armored men guarding the front gate. Slowing myself to a leisurely pace, I walked up to them.
"I haven't seen you around before. Are you a foreigner by chance?" One of them calls out and asks, seemingly eyeing my unusual clothing up and down for a second before returning their gaze downwards on me. Due to the fact that they were taller than me, I also had to force my head upwards just to meet their eyes. It wasn't surprising knowing that I could understand them since I had anticipated something like a translator being implemented. What use is someone if they can't understand what anyone else is saying? I just wonder how they got all that knowledge into my head.
"Yeah, I come from the northwest," I confirm without hesitation, and it technically wasn't a lie either since I originally lived in that general direction before that... unfortunate accident happened.
Both guards share a look for a couple of moments before moving to the side and letting me through, much to my delight.
"Welcome to the City of Axel, ma'am. Do enjoy your stay." I hear another one of the guards state before I entered the city- and my, it was certainly huge. It certainly wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be but there were still quite a few people traversing around. 'Everyone must be busy around this time,' I thought. Now, if what Aqua said was true, I should ask around a little for key locations before integrating myself into the society here.
My focus jumps from person to person before focusing on a single man by himself. I briskly closed the distance between the two of us, a small smile slowly creeping on my face once he looks down at me. "Ah, excuse me sir, but can you help me? I'm new to this city, and I was wondering if you knew anything that could help me." It may have been my Charisma skill, but he crumbled easily.
With delight, he told me everything he could from where the stables are located, to the various shops to purchase items both normal and magical, alongside the location of the {Adventure Guild} as it was called, and what it exactly that entailed.
With that valuable information obtained, I left to get myself registered with the Guild. I searched around the streets a bit more for a couple of minutes more before traversing the moderately active main streets (now they're active? Make a note that the surrounding has changed from before speaking to the man) while ignoring the occasional glance sent my way. The reward for my efforts was contact with the Guild building and man, was it significantly larger than I could have imagined. Nevertheless, I pushed open the door to the guild and entered. Once inside, I first noticed that it was quite busy. What seemed like waitresses were transporting food between tables at skillful paces, giving food to quite a diverse set of individuals. There were dishes I couldn't even try identifying, but also classic things like sandwiches, steaks, soup and even chicken. A majority of the customers appeared to be human, yes, but there were still quite a few others that had features that mimicked animals or just straight up looked like ones.
Ignoring that for my sanity, especially in the regard of how they were even born in the first place, I moved towards a counter that wasn't filled to the brim with people. In the booth was a blonde-haired woman with gold-colored eyes. I also tried my best not to look down than completely necessary.
'Why does she have them on display like that?' I can't help but wonder. Even if I was in this body, I was still attracted to the opposite sex... or was it the same-sex since I was a female now? That's a thought for another day, I suppose.
"Hello there. What can I do for you today?" She inquires, a friendly smile on her face.
"I was wondering If I could register as an adventurer," I respond, taking the bag of coins off of my side and opening it up to dump a few coins on the table. "Will this suffice for the fee?"
"Yes. Give me a moment and we'll get you all set up." She swipes the coins off the table while giving change back to me. That was quite helpful of her, especially since my knowledge of the world isn't the best. In due time I'll research and settle in a bit more, but I'm getting distracted again. Once she leaves, I follow closely behind.
"Oh, I don't think I got your name," I admit.
"I'm Luna. A pleasure to meet you, miss..." She trails off a little.
"Nobunaga. Oda Nobunaga." That name came out immediately. I may have been my own person using the identity of someone else but... a new life, a new me I suppose. Plus, Nobunaga's name was pretty cool.
We eventually stop, in front of us an orb held up in some sort of contraption that I couldn't put a name to even if I tried.
"Please put your hand over the crystal," Luna says.
"Like this?" I ask, slowly hovering my hand over the magic item just like asked. The blue glow of the crystal intensified, and I could see the card underneath it being marked with my information faster than I could comprehend. Soon, it slows down before coming to a full halt. Luna picks the card up and reads over it.
"W-Wow! All your stats are extremely high!" She exclaims, catching the attention of quite a few other adventurers listening in. "Your Intelligence, Dexterity, Constitution, Strength, and luck are especially off the charts too, with wisdom being the lowest but still, definitely higher than average!"
"Just as expected from someone like me!" Even with my proclamation, that was complete bullshit as well, the crowd got into an even bigger uproar of excitement just from that. I knew Avenger Nobunaga was powerful, and with the inclusion of the other versions of her, it would be off the scales but I didn't expect this much. Though, was this sort of attention normal when it came to higher-than-average stats were announced? That was troublesome... I'm not really sure if all this attention is for the best, but it's whatever. For now, I'll just 'enjoy' it until it blows over.
"Though, Miss Nobunaga, are you sure you haven't registered at a different guild?" She asked over the commotion of the guild, handing me back my card. I shook my head before looking over the card, seeing the problem in the form of my Job.
[DEMON KING OF A BILLION WORLDS]
Everything else was perfect besides that job name, written in English. I'm extremely glad that it wasn't translated to the native language of this world or else I'd be in all sorts of trouble. I could probably take on this entire place with my power, but if I was suspected of being in league with the Demon King, and they sent someone more powerful to ambush me, that would be more than just a mere issue.
"It's nothing," I finally respond, my voice unwavering despite the internal struggle.
Luna stared at me for a couple of moments with skepticism in those eyes of hers before nodding. "Welcome to our adventurer's guild, Lady Nobunaga. We look forward to your future exploits here." . . . Hah? Why did the crowd get louder? Amongst the crowd, I heard things like, "I never seen someone start with such high stats!" and "Maybe that little missy could end the combat at the front lines!"
If this kept going, my ego might grow to an entirely new level. . . .Maybe I should have picked Gilgamesh after all, but that's in the past now. I was soon directed towards the quest board. Before I making a selection, I took a peek at my Adventurer's guild card and the skills it had.
A few of the slots improved the usage and power of my matchlocks, reducing the mana it took to summon them, while some perhaps even upgrading them into their Gattlin-gun versions (I hope), and a bit more. Other slots improved on my swordsmanship and polished my techniques against certain types of opponents. Most of my spells, of course, were labeled as "basic". I guess If I picked a sorcerer or wizard job, there would be a lot more of a selection.
Though, there were somewhat of an issue with some of the abilities. I understood the concept and had the knowledge of how to preform my skills, however, my Noble Phantasms, and a few personal skills, were locked until I got enough points to unlock them. The points required were not outrageously high but unlocking my best assets would still be a tedious endeavor.
I invested a little bit into everything besides the beginner spells, though I did focus a bit more on the power of the weapons in an attempt to upgrade them. I also chose to invest in my one-handed swordsmanship. With the mana that I currently had; I could spam these weapons for quite a while. Next, I finally looked at the quest board.
After looking over it for a minute or two, I've concluded that a majority of these things were a bust. The quests were either boring to a whole new degree, required me to get hurt, train someone else, or required a specific class. The only things that caught my eye were the extermination quests, something that would allow me to test my abilities without consequences. I just wondered where I should start.
[KILL 6 GIANT TOADS! 5000 ERIS FOR QUEST COMPLETION + MEAL TICKET FOR ADDITIONAL TOADS KILLED]
[HUNT GOBLINS THAT ARE LURKING WITHIN THE FOREST! 8000 ERIS FOR QUEST COMPLETION]
[HUNT A ROOKIE KILLER! 25000 ERIS FOR QUEST COMPLETION]
Hmm... interesting. Picking the one with the highest amount of money first would be a good challenge but maybe grinding up to the higher difficulty one would be a lot better. I'll get to all of them eventually, of course, but it's important to put some thought into where to start. I don't want to let anything get to my head... yet. Though, I had to admit, being called a Demon King would be pretty cool.
[Servant Perimeters]
True Name: L̶u̶d̶w̶i̶g̶ ̶F̶o̶s̶s̶e̶n̶ Oda Nobunaga.
Strength: C+ (A+ LOCKED) Endurance: C (B+ LOCKED) Agility: B- (B++ LOCKED)
Mana: A+ Luck: A- NP: E-EX
[Unified Class Skills]
Magic Resistance: A-
AVENGER: B-
Oblivion Correction: C+
Self-replenishment (mana) C+
Mad enhancement: C (INACTIVE)
[Personal Skills]
Tactics: B
Charisma: B+
Unifying the nation by force – innovation: A
Foolish Killing Method: A (LOCKED UNTIL SUMMER)
Atsumori Beat: B (LOCKED UNTIL SUMMER)
It can't be helped: A-
Like a Vain Dream: A
DEMON KING OF THE SIXTH HEAVEN: EX (LOCKED)
[NOBLE PHANTASM(S)]
Three Line Formation: Three Thousand Worlds: E-EX (LOCKED)
Pāpīyas Metamorphosis - Demon King of a Billionfold Heavens: E-EX (LOCKED)
DEMON KING OF THE SIXTH HEAVEN: E-EX (LOCKED)
Nobunaga THE Rock 'n' Roll: (LOCKED UNTIL SUMMER)
[AN: Hello everyone and welcome to my new fanfic. I took some inspirations from Gilgamesh in Konosuba and wanted to write something new due to the fact my muse for Hazama has been steadily decreasing in the last couple of months. Furthermore, Captain Hazama not doing something Blazblue related? Disgusting. But all jokes aside, tell me your opinions and the such, but please don't hurt me too much. Criticism is recommended, and don't forget to follow and favorite if you enjoy. . . God, I sound like a Youtuber. Also, shoutout to my best friend for editing for me. Yarrow, you're pretty cool]