I Refused To Be Reincarnated

That's how he came to possess a tier-six ghost essence. Yet, he was reluctant to part with it. More than a memory from this powerful friend, he wanted to use it to pierce the secret of revival to repay him.

Despite the lacking tier of the essence, it was his best shot. After all, the last tier-seven ghost mysteriously disappeared more than five thousand years ago, according to records.

Gritting his teeth, Ossian suggested, "Can you ask for something else? I need this essence."

"No. I need one, too," the man replied, his tone firm. Then, he added, smirking, "I'll build you circuits in the seventh tier. You'll only have to gather mana and create circles for a few years to break through."

'I can't refuse!' he thought, his hands trembling. With tier-seven circuits, he would be guaranteed to reach that rank. After becoming a ghost emperor and archmage, he would have many more options to accomplish his goal.

With a sigh, he pledged, "Me, Ossian, ruler of the soul society, swear on my essence to protect the kid and his friend if peril threatens them under my eyes."

The mysterious man's smile widened upon seeing him accept.

With a wave of his hand, mana weaved itself into intricately connected patterns sparkling with pure energy. Then, he said, "Enter with your entire soul for the grafting."

Understanding the man was physically far from the canyon, Ossian nodded, impatient to control the elusive energy source.

With a thought, his body disappeared entirely from the palace's throne room, stunning the trio.

"What's happening?" Julius asked, alarms ringing in his head. First, the ghost king stood rooted above his big brother for ten long minutes, and now he disappeared without a word.

"I don't know," Nova answered, frowning and drafting theories. Was Adam trying to resist the slave mark? Even if he did, Ossian should be able to overpower him in seconds, adding to her confusion.

Simultaneously, Ossian's soul became more condensed and majestic in Adam's soul sea. His eyes glowed with ethereal shine as he gazed at the mana circuit expand second after second.

After a minute of anticipation, the patterns glowed a sky-blue light and crisscrossed in intricate sequences taking the form of a body.

His work complete, Adam's copy walked towards the table, grabbed the two grimoires and placed them on the bed. Then he gestured for Ossian to lie on it.

Unafraid the man would mess with him, he followed the command silently, creating a bizarre scene in the apartment. With his tall frame, his legs and head dangled as only his torso fit the support.

Smiling wryly, the man said, "I've been studying mana circuits and souls for twelve years, so listen carefully. You'll experience searing pain for the next ten minutes, but no matter what, don't resist. If you do, your soul will clash and reject the circuits and... You'll die." Then, he clenched his right fist and moved it encouragingly, adding, "Good luck enduring!"

"Wait! Let me have time to prepare mentally," Ossian responded, panic veiling his eyes. Yet, the man immediately started blending mana with his legs.

"ARGH!" Ossian roared, feeling like lava had been injected into him instead of mana.

"Don't resist, and don't scream in my ears, fool!" The man yelled back, his left eye twitching in annoyance.

"..."

Momentarily forgetting the pain after hearing the shocking words, Ossian thought, 'How unreasonable can you be, mister? I'm suffering, but can't scream?'

However, he knew better than to irk a working man, understanding he needed every bit of focus to conduct such a delicate operation. With gritted teeth, he endured the next nine minutes without a sound.

Gone was his majestic figure, as sweat covered his face and matted his silver hair. His muscles twitched uncontrollably, every nerve shrieking in torment.

Unshed tears filled his eyes as he thought, 'This is worse than slavery and torture. I want to die!'

Who could blame him for having those thoughts? The operation was genuinely terrifying. Most would die during the first minute, and even the most resilient body cultivators wouldn't endure it for more than three.

However, the man's following words caused him to fall into the pit of despair.

"I'm done with your body. Now, I'll have to link everything to your soul essence. The pain should be approximately sixteen times higher, but it'll only last a minute. So, hold on, ok?" Adam's copy said encouragingly, his forehead glistening with sweat as he moved his right hand above Ossian's chest.

"N-No. Not sixteen times!" The ghost king stuttered, a tear rolling down his cheek. He was at his limits, knowing even if he didn't resist, the pain would kill him anyway.

"Hold on! You can even scream for this minute if you want," the man said solemnly, causing him to doubt his ears.

'What archmage acts like that?' He screamed inwardly, doubting his worldviews. After all, he, a dignified king, was lying on a table, his appearance dishevelled and his crown lying on the ground. Alas, his thoughts were cut short as a pain he had never felt before assaulted his being.

"AAAH!"

His painful screams echoed, disturbing the peaceful landscape of the dream place as his body convulsed uncontrollably and his luminous eyes rolled back in their sockets.

PAH!

A resounding slap echoed as his consciousness blurred, bringing him back to a world of suffering he would never wish for anyone to experience.

"Don't pass out, or you'll die!" The man exclaimed, using his mana to meld the remaining parts of the circuits with Ossian's essence.

Sweat dripped from his forehead as he focused on his task, enduring the annoying screams of the ghost king and slapping him each time he was about to lose consciousness.

"It's the last second! You can do it!" He screamed, connecting the last piece to assemble the complete puzzle.

ZHOOM

Simultaneously, mana hummed and converged towards Ossian's soul, drawn into the glowing circuits like magnets.

"AHHH!" Clenching his fists tightly, the ghost king roared with delight, feeling the elusive energy under his control for the first time.

A mana storm swirled around him, painting the room blue as the man's words lingered, "Have fun playing around with mana and don't forget to give them the essence."

Ossian's eyes brightened as he turned towards the man to thank him. Yet, he was already gone, leaving him alone with the sleeping Adam.