I Refused To Be Reincarnated

Simultaneously, a slight tremor shook Adam's frame as he entered the fortified room. With a frown, his suspicion-filled eyes scanned his surroundings to find the cause. Unfortunately, his troubled search only alerted the surrounding adepts.

"Enter and do your thing," one snorted, blocking the exit with his enormous body, unaware that someone had just left the passage behind him.

Meanwhile, the mysterious man rode on a wave made out of pure mana, retracing the duo's steps in a flash. His ethereal frame billowed in the throne hall as his eyes glowed in elation.

"Hahaha. Look at you, the mighty emperor sprawled unconscious on the floor like a mere peasant," He chuckled, finding the situation surreal. "Makes my job easier," he added, almost singing as he crouched before the archmage. Then, he reapplied the same method used to create a template of Selene's mana circuits.

Two minutes later, shiny circuits crisscrossing in intricate patterns hovered above his palm. Planning to study them later, he made a U-turn and surfed to the temple's entrance.

"The boy said he felt something bizarre coming from the two statues the first time he came," he muttered, standing before the terrifying behemoth and majestic jet-black avian creature spanning several kilometers long.

Opposite to Julius, he felt nothing coming from them. Thus, he didn't waste time comparing who had the sharper senses, and only sent his mana to scan their insides thoroughly and... "Bingo," he smirked like a kid at his discovery.

'Two-tier seven magic beasts preserved in stone,' he thought, feeling their living organs but dead minds. He believed they were essential for the emperor but didn't really care. With a dismissive shrug, he copied their magic circuits, realising they were attached to their cores with a raised brow.

"Fascinating," he muttered, wondering if the other beasts encased in the walls were more than mere artistic choices.

Acting on his suspicion, he moved around the temple for half an hour, collecting more samples with shining eyes. In total, he got twenty-two tier-six circuits and two more tier-seven ones. 'I'll study the differences between beast and humanoid circuits and see if I can merge them', he thought, finding something to rejoice about after so many dull years spent waiting for the faithful day.

With nothing more to do, he raced in te corridors, surfing on the ambient mana like a river's current. The wind whipped through his ethereal frame as he reached the fortified room, crashing into a precise section of its wall with a smirk.

After all, he was a soul. Unlike Adam, nothing restricted his movements but his will! He phased through the chamber and collided with the boy, returning to his soul sea unseen and unheard despite the tight security measures.

"Are you done, big bro?" Julius asked, unaware of what had occurred. Curiosity gnawed at his heart ever since he heard about the mysterious list. Yet, his brother never told him why he needed those materials. Enjoy new adventures at empire

"Hah? I'm just putting on a show. I won't conduct the ritual here. Sleep for a bit please," answered Adam with a playful smile, dismissing the mana hand drawing random symbols on the ground. He would abide by the emperor's rules and stay inside... Well, physically, at least.

"Wake me up if they enter or before our time is up," he added, his luminous eyes dimming before the boy could answer.

"..." Julius lost his voice before realising Adam was truly gone. 'After everything we went through to get the ghost essence, grimoire, and sigil, you won't let me see the ritual?!' He seethed, finding the situation unfair. Grumbling in annoyance, he forced himself to sleep, knowing the sigil would find its way to his brother in that mysterious place he visited during his sleep.

****

Meanwhile, Adam's smile blossomed as the archaic medal appeared in his right hand. "Finally!" he roared, raising his hand in victory. "I'll complete your dream by unlocking the ultimate affinity, Kwame," he added, his heart pounding, hair bristling, and an excited shiver running through his skin.

After calming his raging emotions, he left his apartment room, racing towards the tower he despised. "Humph. Today, I'm the one who'll take advantage of you!" he shouted, glaring at the monstrously tall construct and his small warning board standing lonely in front of its colossal doors.

With a vengeful smile, he placed one of the only three archmage sigils in the world in a small circle drawn on the tower's doorsteps.

Then, he gazed in satisfaction at the other materials resting in their own drawings around the plaza. "With such a large circle, there is no way I'll fail!" He exclaimed, the moon's glow casting red lights on his body.

According to Kwame's grimoire, conducting the ritual with the help of an archmage would yield the best possible result, unlocking a high affinity to mana. But the stronger the one performing the ritual, the larger the circle's circumference had to be. With his lowly disciple tier, Adam knew he would barely unlock the worst level of affinity or fail because of his meager energy reserves.

That's when an absurd idea germinated in his brain. Since the tower could build an entire underground complex and fill it with tier three and four creatures on the third challenge, he didn't doubt it could do much more on higher floors. 'The tower is more powerful than a magus!' He believed in this ludicrous idea, building his ritual around it for the last month.

"And now, the moment of truth!" He exclaimed, standing in the center with confidence.

Hope filled his drumming heart as he gathered all his mana into his palms, ignoring the searing pain assaulting his protesting circuits. Then, he slammed them onto the ground, activating the central circle with an energy surge.

The symbols composing it glowed fiercely, devouring his mana like a ravenous beast to fuel their activation... before dimming the next second.

Baffled by how fast his mana failed him, he glared at the circle. "You already activated. Suck that pigsty of a tower to continue!" His roar echoed in the empty dream place, his hands trembled, and his eyes narrowed. Would he fail after all?