The Goddess's Checkmate in 99 Moves

https://www.wattpad.com/user/DanteAAA

In the final flickers of Reginn’s life, after finally accomplishing his ultimate purpose, the hero lay on the coarse ground, waiting patiently for death to put an end to his suffering. He was alone in this unrecognizable wasteland and written on his arms were the words ‘MANKIND SHALL INHERIT THE WORLD’ in a strange, ancient language, dirtied by the blood and ashes.

While the hero was torn limb from limb, bleeding profusely, there was no pain or regret. He just hoped that his services to humanity were enough to grant him a seat in Elysium. He had committed many grave sins in his long life but hopefully, this was enough of an atonement. He slowly closed his eyes as the flames around him engulfed the surrounding area. While not everything went perfectly according to the plan, this was good enough. He had destroyed most of Sonosis.

Suffocating ooze continued to pump out of the large body in front of him. This disfigured corpse would be the last thing he saw. He pondered the absurdity of the situation, his glory days finished by a mere demon lord. However, he could not complain, the purpose he was given was unique and meaningful, and he was eternally grateful for this life. This was his fate. He smiled knowing that this was a job well done. This was how things were supposed to be.

He wondered what his final words should be. While there were no creatures around him to record them, he still felt that he should end this epic with a few words.

“Did I do good, Goddess?”

Reginn’s consciousness began to fade and the embrace of death was not cold, but warm like a summer’s day. This was the greatest day of his life. Incredible numbness, devoid of thought. Nothing.

To his surprise, Reginn found himself opening his eyes again. He could once again feel the ground beneath him, but it was replaced with warm, soft grass.

“...Resurrection magic?”

He regained his focus and opened his eyes. The blinding light of the sun was intense but after a few seconds of adjustment, Reginn was greeted by a foreign landscape. No longer stood the monument of evil erected by the demon lord nor the scenery of destruction, rather peace and life filled the view. The air was once again breathable, fragrant even, and it reminded him of his birthplace. Confused, he stood up to find no apparent injuries on himself, even though he was at death’s door a few moments ago.

If this was indeed a form of a resurrection spell, this was the greatest there have ever been. Resurrection spells usually take great sacrifice from the caster and there are severe consequences to the returned, but there were no scars, memory loss or a decrease in strength he could notice. Even the tattoo on his arm was intact and he felt truly alive.

Reginn decided to start moving around to scan the environment and find out what was going on. He knew he was in a lush forest, covered in bristlecone pines. It was summer and the land was full of life. However, he could not detect any being that could’ve resurrected him, this must’ve been a remote spell. By climbing a tree, he was able to gain the high ground and observe the location. Strangely, the mountains and hills visible above the forest were identical to those before he died, a familiar landscape. This was all very confusing, but he also spotted a city nearby. Filled with metal and loud noises, the city was alien and confusing, but he believed that as long as there were people, he would be able to gain some assistance.

When he hopped off the tree, Reginn was met with a bizarre, hostile creature. Shaped like a mountainwolf but larger, he did not recognize their species, but it was easy to guess that he was invading their territory. Unfortunately for them, they picked the wrong opponent. Reginn was irritated having never gone to Elysium and instead being stuck in this strange land. He first backed off to analyze the giant mountainwolves. He could see that while their size was intimidating, their aura told him that they were even weaker than the usual mountainwolves he knew. Feeling a strange sense of pity, Reginn decided to just scare the beasts away by crushing the tree he climbed with a kick. With a thundering crack, the tree fell and the beast yelped as it ran away.

The mountainwolves he knew would have jumped at him the moment he lifted his leg, but it seemed that this beast was more bark than bite. It was almost as if this was an alternative world. This world was much safer than the place he knew, but it would be foolish to let his guard down. First, he needed more information on this world and with many questions in mind, Reginn made his way toward the city.