I Refused To Be Reincarnated

Lucius's eyes widened in shock after witnessing the item Gaston took out. Fear gripped his heart, and cold sweat ran down his spine as he realised how insane Gaston had become. Using this kind of thing... even to achieve one's ambitions, was pure unadulterated madness.

"You're even willing to use cursed items to retrieve the boy! Tell me, why?" He screamed, his eyes narrowed. Not knowing the reason frustrated him to no end. Wasn't Julius just a talented commoner?

'His brother?' He suddenly thought, feeling the mystery surrounding Gaston's motivation thicken.

Meanwhile, Gaston grasped an ancient, weathered tome. Intricate engravings adorned its surface, and an ominous purple smog wafted and twirled around it.

"Might as well tell you. He is a summoned your knights missed seven years ago." Gaston revealed, his lips curling into his devilish signature smile as his voice echoed mockery.

"Liar! We checked the boy several times during the last six months. The gems embedded with the detecting spell showed no reactions, even when he held one in his hand," Lucius answered, his brows twitching in anger.

"You don't have to believe me. This gem reacted, though. The summoned's soul was just outside." Gaston shrugged, showing the gem he had stolen from the guard's station years ago.

Upon seeing the familiar item, the mist covering his eyes lifted, revealing the truth he had been blind to. 'His big brother!'

Delving into this idea further, everything fell into place. The reason why a literate apothecary suddenly hired a poor seventeen-year-old woman. How the kid showed such talent in magic despite his humble origins and how his body was so well trained.

'His mysterious brother came from that other world!'

"Sight... I shouldn't have trusted the detection spell and followed my intuition more." He muttered, a sense of foolishness settling in.

"You got your answers. It is time to die, old fool."

With a sinister smile, Gaston cut his palm and smeared his blood on the tome's cover.

The purple smog came to life, billowing fiercely as if trying to lick the blood with a ravenous appetite. Then, a bright light emanated from the cursed item, blinding Lucius for a moment.

An icy shiver ran down his spine as he imagined in trepidation what powers the madman would get... And what terrible price he would have to pay.

Despite their simple use, a few drops of blood, these items were called cursed for a reason. Vitality, life expectancy, organs, soul, they would always plunder something from you until nothing remained. They were disgusting. No sane person wanted to use them.

Then, the black mist moved towards Gaston, enveloping his body like an ominous dark purple mantle. A surge of energy coursed through his veins, jolting his mind with exhilaration.

However, he already felt something being sucked from him, a reminder that time was of the essence... literally.

As the light dimmed, Lucius rose from his throne, retrieving a sleek magic wand adorned with a pristine brown jewel from his long, noble coat before summoning elemental energies to defend himself, preparing his spells for the inevitable clash.

Simultaneously, Gaston brandished his guandao, ready to make his first move. The mist covering his body extended to his weapon, making its blade glow with a menacing dark light.

His appearance, once that of a handsome young man, had become unrecognisable. He looked more like an ancient, hungry, malevolent dark spirit, ready to torture and feast on his prey's soul than a human.

He lunged forward with unnatural speed, swinging his guandao in a large arc. The blade hummed through the air with deadly precision, aiming to cut the baron in half in one swift move.

However, Lucius' subtly moving lips suddenly parted. Ancient words echoed in the dark hall as his commanding voice made his mana churn in his circuits.

Then, he pointed his wand towards Gaston as a brownish light permeated the area.

A surge of earth magic erupted. Mana hummed and danced around him in a split second, forming a protective barrier of solid rocks.

Encased in his fortress, he felt the force of the impact send shockwaves reverberating through the hall, causing the ancient tapestries to flutter at first. Then, to tear into tatters by the raging wind.

'I can't allow myself to make any mistakes,' he thought, his heart pounding in dread. To win, he would have to outsmart the bastard. He knew it. Thus, behind the cover of the rocks, he already chanted his next spell.

Undeterred by the resilient defensive spell, Gaston pressed forward, his movements fluid and calculated. With each strike, he unleashed dark energy from the cursed tome, channeling its power to augment his own attacks.

Shadows danced around him, twisting and writhing in the dim light as the rocks gradually cracked. Grains of sand flowed from some areas as the barrier thinned, menacing to expose the baron.

However, Lucius wasn't to be underestimated. He used the time bought by the barrier to chant another spell to change the battle's dynamic. He went on the offensive, summoning earth spikes from the ground, attempting to impale his adversary.

Unfortunately, Gaston's blue eyes glinted under the billowing smoke. Before the mana could condense, he had already moved using his refined body in the late stage of the second tier to dodge the spikes with graceful steps. Simultaneously, his bulging arms tensed as he cut them down, opening a safe path to the barrier and resumed his assault with unbound ferocity.

Helped by the dark mist corroding the rocks with each strike, he finally made Lucius' barrier explode in a rain of gravel a moment later.

However, as they collided with the ground in a cacophony of sounds and a thick cloud of dust, his eyes narrowed into thin slits. Lucius wasn't in front of him.

'That old fox knows he can't defeat me head-on. He's stalling, aiming to let the tome consume me.' Gaston understood his father's intentions. Then, he saw the hole in the ground, smelling the fresh scent of soil.

Indeed, Lucius didn't have to beat him to win. The decaying effect imbuing his strikes also ate him alive, shipping at his incredible vitality with each passing second.

Lucius emerged on the other side of the hall, already chanting another spell to bolster his defenses, determined to drag the fight until the vile item's power consumed the madman.

However, using the incredible earth escape spell to travel through soil and rocks had cost him half his mana already. But he couldn't escape the manor, or nothing would stop Gaston from pursuing his family.

With an elegant movement of his hand and determined ancient words, another barrier appeared in front of him. However, this one was much thicker, composed of several layers, and adorned with protruding spikes.

Upon seeing it, a guttural growl escaped Gaston's lips as he launched himself forward like an arrow cutting through the wind. His guandao glinted with renewed ferocity as his joints popped under the strain of his powerful swing.

BAM BAM BAM

Violent collisions echoed as he struck the rocks like a vicious beast, cracking and shattering the outer layers and spikes.

But Lucius' next spell was ready.

As Gaston's blade descended upon the barrier, boulders rained from above, threatening to crush him into meat paste.

Startled by the unexpected attack, Gaston's light blue eyes glinted again. In a split second, he scanned the projectiles' trajectory.

His lips curled into a mocking grin as his accurate steps carried him out of danger despite the surprise spell.

Then, he dashed towards the barrier, resuming his relentless onslaught.