I Refused To Be Reincarnated

With a swift movement, he slammed his next card on the slot, eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Appear Poltergeist!"

As his words lingered, icy mist rose amidst the dark battlefield. Hair-bristling laughter reverberated next, an ominous call promising torment and madness to the living. Discover more content at empire

Thom's and Aurora's brows shot up like swords as worry formed a knot in their hearts.

"How do you have a ghost?!"

Thom's question echoed. But he only smirked in answer.

"Activate your effects! Once per turn, I can discard a monster to summon another ghost!"

The Poltergeist suddenly appeared, leaving the comfort and safety of its passive invisibility. An ugly kid with distorted features gazed at Thom, sending a jolt of terror course through his body. Then, its hand raised slowly as scarlet negative energy pierced the darkness.

Simultaneously, he placed the dullahan in the graveyard slots and slammed his next monster.

"Come forth, Doppelgänger!"

A mass of swirling scarlet energy materialised before the gawking spectators. It was the first time those students witnessed what evil ghosts looked like. After all, they were way too insidious for any of them to dare walk into their lairs.

With rapt attention, they focused on how the seemingly desperate duel would turn out for Adam.

"Effect activation! Once summoned, the Doppelgänger can copy an allied creature's stats and effect while ignoring its costs!"

As his voice resounded, the energy mass coalesced, becoming a perfect replica of the Poltergeist.

Then, he slammed another card on his last slot.

"Show them what you got, Vengeful Spirit!"

In the spectator area, Julius' eyes lit up. He remembered the horrifyingly powerful woman ghost and how he almost exhausted himself to kill her with a sumptuous counterattack. Just seeing her appear once more sent a shiver down his spine, though.

The spirit's scarlet hair fluttered as she turned to gaze at Thom. The dark abyss replacing her eyes almost caused him to tumble as his heart rate shot through the roof. Bloody tears smeared her cheeks as she grinned maliciously, sending another wave of dread collapsing on his clattering legs.

However, Adam's voice resounded again, making everyone remember why ghosts instilled deep terror in the living.

"When summoned, the vengeful spirit can equip itself with a frozen construct until her next turn!"

Negative energy swirled, making her ragged mage dress flutter and revealing the charred skin hidden beneath in another horror show.

A sharp glint flashed as it coalesced into a frozen blade hovering above her head.

Numbers flashed, revealing her appalling strength.

ATK 1800->2100

Before Thom could recover, he shoved the nail deeper, giving the command.

"Rid me of his skeleton tactician!"

Echoing his words, the annoying monster's attack appeared before its head.

ATK 800

He smirked, hearing the wind roar as the frozen construct bolted towards the vengeful spirit's adversary.

Meanwhile, Thom blurted out in distress.

"I activate my field effect! Once per turn, my monsters can negate an attack by hiding in the darkness."

The skeleton vanished a split second before the blade shattered its bones, making his tongue click in annoyance.

"Doppelgänger, attack next."

One of the ugly kids snapped its fingers, revealing its attack points.

ATK 1200

Meanwhile, the ground shook for a moment. Then, pebbles shot up like bullets, shattering the yellow-boned skeleton. Snapping noises reverberated as everyone's eyes enlarged.

With the tactician gone, Thom's synergy would crumble if he failed to summon another on the next turn. They all understood it.

"Tell me the truth, Shepard."

Aurora's scorn-filled tone resounded on the balcony. Her teeth clenched, she continued with a disapproving grimace, pointing her slender finger at Adam.

"Did you help this boy hunt these monsters?"

"I didn't. He did it with two other new students last year."

The dean smirked, sliding a slight provocation in revenge for the moniker she kept calling him.

"You can easily confirm it by asking your grand, grand... How many is it? Well, you got it. Your descendent."

The other arcanist nodded. Shepard providing a witness was enough proof for them. After all, with how much they valued their reputation, it would never cross their mind for one of them to throw blatant lies into their faces. Aurora would verify, anyway.

Biting her nail, she focused on the field, noticing how the Doppelgänger advanced to her student's castle, ready to destroy it in its next turn.

"I end my turn," Adam said, his lips stretching into a wry smile at his empty hand.

"I-I draw."

Thom's stutters filled the area as he noticed the sweat dripping from his forehead.

'I invented a truly vicious combo.'

Zenobia and the other disciples had explained to him how building deck archetypes allowed the monsters' synergy to shine.

As he pondered, he noticed Thom's jaw muscles tense as he gazed at his card.

His adversary's deflated voice resounded next.

"I summon the two-headed skeletal hound to defend my castle."

Two robust skulls mounted on a quadrupedal arrangement of bones materialised before the Doppelgänger.

ATK 1600

"With my two monsters, I attack your two Poltergeists."

He continued, shaking his head as the two ugly kids exploded into a rain of light shards. If he drew the wrong card next turn, the situation would only worsen, allowing the vengeful spirit's icy grip to tighten on the field.

Meanwhile, Adam shrugged and placed his defeated monsters in the graveyard slot.

Then, he drew and smirked viciously.

However, his next action stunned everyone.

"I sacrifice the vengeful spirit!"

He removed it from its slot as loud chatter reverberated, broken by Thom's accusatory yell.

"You can't! I counted your cards. You discarded your Dullahan earlier!"

"Who said I only had one tier-four monster?"

He slammed the Swiftshadow Simian Knight on the desk.

A bipedal silhouette condensed. Its red fur glowed like a beacon despite the darkness. Yet, in the spectator's eyes, only dread danced.

Sharp, jagged teeth, bulging muscles, thick leathery skin capable of enduring devastating spells, that's what they saw. With the glinting armored gauntlets, greaves, and menacing tail protruding from its back, they wondered where such a creature had lived before Adam turned it into a card.

Then, loud cheers reverberated as mana condensed, displaying its attack points.

ATK 2500