I Refused To Be Reincarnated

After a long walk, the original and Adam witnessed the damage caused by the despair-driven citizens. Rubble covered the cracked pavement of the once bustling city. Shops' storefronts were broken, revealing their plundered interiors. Pieces of glistening glass shards shone on the dirt-covered streets while sickening tags he preferred not to read covered the walls.

With a disappointed shake of his head to chase the nascent negative thoughts, he gazed at the walls. His resolve, hardened by gruelling physical training, guided his steps to an officer.

"I want to fight," he said, noticing the man's trembling uniform and vacant eyes. He, too, had already given up.

Startled out of his reverie, the military officer wiped his drenched forehead, adjusted his kepi and sized him up. After a tense silence, he sighed. "I shouldn't tell you this, but ... It's pointless."

Before the original could answer, the officer continued. "Our beautiful capital counted a million citizens a month ago. Half tried to flee before the calamity reached our gates, only to die. Of the remaining five hundred thousand, around forty thousand perished. Some from the violence, others just ended themselves.

So, if we remove women, children, sick, and old, we are left with around two hundred thousand able men. Do you know how many joined?"

A deafening silence followed his question, his trembling eyes emphasising the gravitas of the answer. Then, he finally spoke again. Enjoy exclusive content from empire

"Less than a hundred." He sighed, his dull eyes conveying his resignation. He turned, focusing on the wall before concluding. "I recommend you to spend the few hours we have left with your family and friends."

"They are already dead."

The original shook his head, his eyes narrowing. Without any method of communication, and since they didn't live in the capital, he had no hope of seeing them again. But they didn't matter at this point. Only his survival did. And to ensure it, he had to fight and repel the enemy today, tomorrow, until none remained to threaten his life.

This city was the last bastion of his country, and only death awaited outside. He knew it.

Despite his firm words, the officer didn't turn back.

After a moment, slight tremors shook the man's shoulders, and a silent, respectful tear plopped to the ground.

"You'll find basic equipment and an honorary badge on the table. Don't forget the ration packs... Good luck."

With a nod, the original walked past him, climbed the stairs, and equipped himself. Finally, he stood on the wall.

The thick scent of blood and the putrid odor of burned flesh permeated the place. Deafening noises echoed in his ears as cannons roared next to him. Blinded by brief bursts of lights, he saw the reddened muzzles of rifles discharging their magazines. Above, battle aircraft bombarded the ground, raining literal hell on the creatures. And finally, he saw them in all their glorious horror.

Icy sweat dripped from his forehead, and his face contorted into a disgusted grimace. Unlike their earlier terror-inducing appearance, they were more sophisticated, stronger, and deadlier. Instead of insect legs, they now had serpent tails for most, four animal legs for others, and a few possessed human legs... Of course, a few in proportion to the humongous size of the swarm.

Upon seeing the sea of creatures, his chest tightened in cold dread. A shiver ran down his spine, and his eyes enlarged. He knew the battle wouldn't be easy, but this was pure madness.

Yet, he had to survive. Fear wouldn't help, so he discarded it. Hope wouldn't help either, so he discarded it, too. One by one, he forcefully shut down his emotions in a matter of seconds.

A cold, calculative light flashed in his eyes. The fire of determination ignited in his chest, accompanied by embers of fury, spite, and a hint of hidden madness.

In a flash, he loaded his rifle and joined the other soldiers. No one spared a single second to glance at him. He didn't look at them either, focusing on exterminating the threat.

BANG BANG BANG

His arms shook like two thick branches battered by a storm as he fired on the approaching swarm.

From this close, he could clearly see their differences. Some insects' evolution path accentuated their melee prowesses, making their shells as hard as diamond and their strength terrifying.

He could see tanks below firing enormous shells at them, in vain. The monsters brushed the attack off, continuing their charge towards the city's gates. But he quickly understood that the real threat came from the smaller ones.

Despite their stature, they moved with incredible swiftness, and contrary to their melee counterparts, they used their snake's tails to stabilise their footing. Then, they gripped the lethal spikes protruding from their backs before hurling them.

Like a rain of chitinous javelin, their unrelenting assault covered the grounds in shadows.

Seeing them approach, an old officer roared.

"TAKE COVER!"

Like a single man, soldiers moved behind thick alloy plates, waiting for the spears to collide with the wall before continuing their desperate defense.

Tension lingered in the air. At that moment, the original saw the nearby soldier's trembling legs yet determined eyes. They were terrorised, but still fought to defend the city and people they liked so much. Unlike him, they were brave heroes, ready to give their lives for others.

'I vow never to call myself a hero. I'm selfish, weak, and don't care about the rest. If I have to climb a mountain of corpses to survive, I'll do it again and again without hesitation! Only once I'm safe will I think about helping others.'

He reaffirmed his resolve, eyes sparkling with respect for these men amidst the loud noises of spikes piercing the alloy like hot knives. Once the attack passed, they resumed their defense, raining bullets on the creatures below.

However, their shells were too thick. They were wasting time, and he started to understand it.

With each second crawling by, the creatures approached the walls, their gaping maws menacing to devour them in a second. When he joined the soldiers a few minutes ago, they stood a kilometer away. Now, they had already bridged half the distance. And soon, they would reach them.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

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