I Refused To Be Reincarnated

The deafening shockwave ruffled his brown hair in a wild dance and caused cracking noises to reverberate from his wooden frame. Yet, like a living being, the swirling mass of mana protecting him negated most of the damage by dismantling the spell's mana.

Propelled like a cannonball by the blast, he cut through the wind, reaching Gabriel with a mocking smirk. The sound attack's primary threat came from its ability to shatter eardrums and force the body into a state of shock. He realised it in a second and gloated at the slack-jawed adept.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"I have no body, fool!" He roared, swinging his arms at the hateful Marquis Ashford. "Die, snake!"

His blades glinted death as they closed in like two magical beasts ready to bite his enemy's neck before beheading him.

However, Gabrial's mouth snapped open, blurting his spell's name a split second before he could end him.

"Cerulean Bulwark!"

He noticed his adversary's constricted pupils and the fear dancing in them before a thick veil of water obscured his view.

SPLASH

His weapons struck against the liquid encasing Gabriel like a waterfall, causing him to frown in displeasure. Despite his best efforts to push through, the barrier proved too sturdy... for now.

"You won't leave this place alive!"

His threat echoed as he changed the elemental properties encasing his blades. The threatening hue of magma encased his left while white steam rose from his right.

Assaulted by both scalding and freezing cold temperatures, the defensive spell evaporated and cracked simultaneously in a cacophony of grating noises.

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Meanwhile, Reynard recovered from his momentary shock, understanding why his sound blast didn't damage Adam. Since the ghost had no ears, most of his spells became as useless as Nathan in this battle. So, he had to rely on Alexander to help Gabriel. Yet, his cousin had silently watched on the sideline since the beginning, causing his blood to boil in his veins.

"Alexander! What are you waiting for? Use your threads to control the bastard!" He yelled, clenching his fists and watching the steam rising from the thinning Cerulean Bulwark.

"No. I won't interfere anymore," Alexander answered, his expression complex with conflicting emotions.

Despite his resolve to uphold his familial duty, Nathan's last stunt weighed on his heart, crushing it with the weight of a mountain. Could they continue to do whatever they wanted as nobles without consequences? Including killing young and innocent students just to put an undeserving, empathy-less man on the throne?

He had always known the answer but wanted to believe the Bellore bloodline could make the kingdom prosper again. Yet, the recent events proved to him several times that it wouldn't. At some point in time, their family became a plague no better than parasites draining the people's lives for their benefit.

Disgusted by how corrupted his once glorious family had become, Alexander shook his head and said, "I advise you to stand back, too. We left Thorian's side for a reason, not to follow someone worse than him."

Upon hearing the ludicrous words, Reynard's anger exploded, sending tremors jolt through his body.

"Shut up, crazy idiot, and go help!" He barked, his veins throbbing on his reddened forehead. But as he opened his mouth to continue, his face distorted into an ugly grimace.

"You dare?"

His voice resounded weakly, overpowered by the sizzling sound of evaporation and freezing filling the air a few meters away as blood dripped from his joints.

"Stay put and observe," Alexander answered, forcing his cousin to sit using the magic threads wrapping his joints. Then, he ignored him, focusing on Gabriel and Adam.

Meanwhile, Adam's smirk widened. He could feel the water pressure diminish as his blades crawled inch by inch towards Gabriel's neck.

"Geyser Strike!"

Like a lightning strike, a sudden cry erupted before him, signalling Gabriel's counterattack. However, would he be Adam if he didn't predict it? After all, he faced an adept who could cast spells in half a second by naming them.

Despite the casting speed, he would never lose against typical spell casters. Why? Because he could counter them entirely!

CLACK

With a snap of his fingers, he manipulated mana to crash against the rumbling earth before the water could explode upward. Assaulted by the energy fueling it, the spell collapsed into wisps, unable to activate properly.

'Double rare affinities and incredible mana control!'

Gabriel's mind reeled, fear tightening its icy grip on his heart. An apprentice shouldn't be this strong. Yet, years of experience had honed his instincts. He wouldn't let a brat defeat him.

Rapidly, he recovered and prepared his next spell. But that was when he heard Adam's annoyed voice.

"I once fought a nightmarish man you knew. He sacrificed an arm, his life span, and one of the eyes he had been so proud of, all to hasten his victories. I killed him once, then fought against him for four years before killing him again. I must say, I adhere to his approach entirely!"

"Gaston!" Gabriel yelped, his face draining of all colors as he remembered the anomaly. Adam's declaration could only mean one thing: he didn't give his all yet!

In a hurry, he voiced his spells, uncaring about mana control even if they ended up weaker.

"Impaling torrent, coral cage, severing stream!"

As his words lingered and mana billowed around him, his eyes bulged, and his heart almost stopped in dread.

'He has a third affinity?!'

The idea rumbled in his mind, deafening the cracking mana as an icy shiver ran down his spine. He recognised the terrifying element. Anyone possessing it was regarded as a treasure as much as a terrible threat. 'Space!'

While the realisation shattered his hope of survival, Adam's glinting Blade of Adaptation cleaved the wind, leaving deep fissures in its wake before charging through the thin bulwark as if it didn't exist.

Then, silence. A deadly silence.

SHATTER

The wall supporting the room abruptly collapsed, sending rubble colliding with the ground and revealing the manor's brightly lit corridor. Next, the forming spells dissipated into two halves as the cut air repaired itself gradually around them.

Finally, Gabriel gazed at Adam in a stupor before his vision spun from top to bottom until his head collided with the ground. Blood sprayed like a fountain as his legs buckled and his body collapsed like a stringless puppet.

Just like that, the influential and powerful marquis, the king's previous councillor and the leader of the noble uprising faction, died in his own mansion.