I Refused To Be Reincarnated

"As I said, I'll return before dinner. Destroy the Jianshi!"

At his arrogant command, the haunted soul's steps melted the plain as her radiance engulfed the field.

She gripped the Jianshi by the throat, her burning eyes conveying her rage for the dark mages who turned her like this. The inherent curses acting as her core, flooded the undead like an unstoppable torrent.

The crowd gasped and gulped at the ghastly spectacle, yelling in terror that they never wanted to meet this evil ghost.

Yet, amidst the chaos, Arian's trembling eyes firmed, and her terrorised expression reverted to normal.

Her lips curled into a cruel smile the next second as she gazed at her withering creature.

"You see, I trusted you with all my heart. I knew if someone among the duelists could beat her, it would be you."

She raised her hand high, her last card glowing like a dark beacon able to engulf everything in an abyss of death and sorrow.

"When a tier four monster on my field is about to die, I can sacrifice a castle and its remaining life force to summon him."

She slammed the card in its slot, the soft noise reverberating louder than an explosion.

"Rise from the dead and show them a necromancer's true terror, flesh golem!"

Simultaneously, the castle guarded by the Jianshi exploded into a cloud of dust.

It parted the next second as a fleshy blur cut through the wind, causing Adam's pupils to tremble in dread.

Without his mark enhancing his image procession, he would have missed it, meaning it rivalled the fifth tier.

An ominous sensation wrapped around his soul as he heard disturbing sounds as if something sucked the Jianshi's essence through the constricting and enlarging flesh until nothing remained.

ROAR

Deafened by a sudden roar that dispersed the dust and threw the haunted soul off balance, he finally saw it.

Towering at a whopping fifteen meters tall, the golem met his eyes in a show of terror.

'Who created something like that?! He deserves to die, revive only to die again!'

He clenched his fists hard enough for the wood to crack as he scrutinised the monstrous amalgamation of flesh and bones. Nothing seemed in place, yet everything fitted in a mysterious and soul-chilling harmony.

As if disgusted by the aberration, the air itself moved aside, creating a vacuum of putrid and decaying smells around it.

Its attack appeared next, stunning everyone into silence.

ATK 4500

Shepard's brows twitched on the balcony. He should have seen it coming since it wasn't the first time and won't be the last.

Unlike summons, undeads created by a necromancer only heeded their master's commands. They had no feelings, no emotions, and no instincts. Therefore, Aurora's disciple always focused on creating a flesh golem before commanding it to commit suicide, all to win the tournament.

"I request to ban that strategy. Come on, it's clearly cheating."

Voice trembling in a mix of annoyance and anger, he turned to the other deans.

"We already discussed it. They have to invest time and resources to create it. The summoning conditions are harsh, too."

Zeph shook his head, denying the request for everyone present.

With a huff of rage, he refocused on Adam, praying that his cheeky disciple had a strategy to turn the tables.

"Is that the prince charming of your dreams? From where I come, young ladies your age used to draw handsome men. But everyone has different tastes, I guess. Who am I to judge yours?"

Adam smirked, yet inside, his thoughts rumbled like thunder.

He hadn't seen this coming at all! He had thought the match was in the bag with the jianshi dead, making the shock twice as violent. But he couldn't show his emotions.

"Poltergeist, kill the underworld's corps collector. I end my turn."

Fake confidence dripped from his voice as a rain of rubles pierced the weak corps collector.

BOOM

As promised, the haunted soul exploded into a shower of sparkling particles the second his turn ended.

"I'm sorry you found my baby ugly. I paid an entire castle to make him appear, so don't give up and let him have some fun."

Arian snickered, drawing a card before continuing.

"Each turn, the flesh golem can feed on an undead in my graveyard and absorb half its strength except for the monster that served to summon it. Devour the corps collector."

Her chilling voice echoed as fleshy tentacles rose to the sky before diving. They pierced the ground and phased to the graveyard, collecting the monster's flesh.

ATK 4500->5000

"Attack the Poltergeist and besiege his first castle."

The ground shook, and the sky trembled as the colossus moved. Each step left a deep chasm on the plain. And after only three, it crushed the poor evil ghost under its feet like an ant.

Terror gripped the crowd's hearts. Who could beat that monstrosity? No one! Even the elemental dragon wasn't that busted.

'Ok. Let's think calmly.'

Adam exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, and a calculative glint flashed in his eyes as he raised his concentration to the limits.

He needed a powerful combo to turn the tables, one involving the bastard.

He gazed at the card, feeling his head throb in agony.

The terrifying thing about Ignatius was his ability to evolve by consuming ally monsters. But with his field empty, he couldn't use it.

'Shit, shit, shit.'

His eyes trembled, a knot of anxiousness forming in his guts.

The more he analysed the situation, the more he realised how defeat loomed a few centimeters above his head. Too many variables were involved. He had to summon a chimaera, make it survive for a turn, draw Virgo's lesser incarnation, then summon Ignatius and boost him.

If it wasn't enough, he had to do it before the golem's strength rose too much, adding a time constraint.

With no other solution coming to his mind, he closed his eyes. His trembling hand inched to his deck and gripped the top card.