Elsa's eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute… then the last time you went thorough controlled reincarnated, you also—?"

William nodded before she could finish. "Yes. That's why I did it."

Elsa crossed her arms, her tone clearly displeased. "Then why didn't you tell me? This is huge—and I didn't even know until now!"

William sighed. "Don't blame me for not telling you."

"I will blame you!" Elsa snapped. "You didn't tell me. If you had, maybe I could've helped."

Placing a hand on his temple, William said, "I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure. And I didn't want to give you false hope."

Elsa's expression darkened. "So you thought I couldn't handle it? That I'd break if it didn't turn out well? Am I that weak to you?"

"You know that's not why," he replied, trying to meet her gaze.

"That I do," she muttered, then shook her head. "Fine. Scrap that. Just tell me—when did you know it was true? When did you decide to go through with that controlled reincarnation?"

William shook his head. "I didn't. I just wanted to try… maybe I was missing something."

Elsa gave him a strange look. "You weren't sure, and you still went through with it? Just to experience things?" She put emphasis on the word, clearly disapproving.

"And that's exactly what you did last time—gave up your powers, tried to relive everything, and got yourself killed because of someone else's plotting."

William winced. It had gone that way. "Okay, yes—but that happened because I rushed it. I wasn't prepared. I forgot how human nature really works."

His voice dipped at the end, guilt bleeding through. Elsa crossed her arms again. "So what's different this time? Your powers are locked, slowly returning… but you're still walking the same path."

"And how does this even help?" she added. "You know what you're after won't work. Reaching the tech would be more useful, wouldn't it?"

"No," William said firmly. "That's where you're wrong, Elsa. That life—and this one—they're not the same."

He took a breath, eyes distant with memory.

In that previous life, I had no memory of who I truly was. I didn't even know why I had locked those memories away. In doing so, I was clearly holding myself back—sabotaging the very goal I had reincarnated for. And yet… I still did it.

The strangest part? I never even pursued what I was meant to do. The purpose behind that reincarnation… I abandoned it. Instead, I got consumed by battles, achievements, military glory.

Maybe it was because I chose the wrong path from the start—reincarnating into a duke's family. A noble lineage obsessed with power and politics. I should've chosen a family of researchers, of thinkers... but no. I went with status and influence. Yes they were not in my control I know that ...

In that sense, that reincarnation was a wasted one. Well… mostly. A lot of it went wrong because I had locked away most of my memories—even the important ones I needed to carry out my original goal. That alone made the whole effort feel pointless.

Still, while it was a wasteful decision, not everything about that life was meaningless. I did learn from it—some painfully obvious mistakes I shouldn't have made. And more importantly, my soul experienced a new life. A short one, yes, but still… the lessons I took from it were far from worthless. He glanced at Elsa, who was watching him with a look that practically said, "Invaluable? Are you serious?"

Realizing she wasn't buying it, he shifted his tone slightly—still honest, but reframed.

"The experience was new. And real," he said. "After all, I'd never lived a life as a noble before."

"At least I got to experience that," he added with a faint smile. "And it's not as easy as the novels make it seem, is it? It was hard. Sure, the perks were excellent… but the pressure? The expectations? The politics?"

He shook his head. "Just look at myself there . I made so many mistakes there—and I learned from every one of them. Honestly, if it weren't for the privileges and deep pockets of the family I reincarnated into, I probably would've died with the way things turned out."

I mean, every mission the me from back then carried out was done with the best equipment, the most highly trained crew. That kind of support let him make mistake after mistake—until he finally found the right path.

And sure, it wasn't always just one mistake per mission. Often, they were multiple. And not small ones either. Costly, dangerous mistakes. You could say that version of me was training—learning—while burning through an endless supply of resources. He succeeded in many missions, yes, sometimes even on his own… but when faced with unpredictable situations, he often failed to make the first move. Hesitated. Miscalculated. Or anything else's….

It's not that the me back then was dumb—far from it. But the missions he took on were so brutal and overwhelming that making mistakes was almost inevitable. There was simply no room not to. And the things he did to meet his family's expectations… they were truly harsh.

And you might think I learned something under those circumstances—like they say, pressure either breaks you or teaches you. But that's just a saying. Of course he learned—he had to. If he hadn't, he'd have been a fool, not someone with any real intelligence. But the situations were so overwhelming that most of what he learned couldn't even be applied in many real-world scenarios.

That's what made him weak. Dependent on things he shouldn't have leaned on—not all the time at least. It's one thing to rely on support once or twice. That's human. But doing it every time? That's a flaw.

People with no resources, no background to fall back on—they don't get that luxury. They know one mistake, just one, and they're gone. Blown to pieces. Nothing left. Not even dust.

But the me back then? He didn't understand that. No, it's not that he—or I—didn't understand. The problem was, he'd gotten so used to surviving those situations thanks to the incredible, expensive ships—tough, powerful vessels that carried him through even the worst of his reckless decisions. He knew he was heading the wrong way. He knew. But he'd grown too comfortable.

The idea had settled deep in his mind: Even if I mess up, I'll survive. And once I do, I'll strike back even harder and crush them. That was the mindset. That was the flaw. So he kept making the same mistakes, again and again. And each time, he survived. Again and again.

But all good things come to an end, don't they? And so did that streak—just not in a way he ever imagined possible.

He didn't meet an end he could survive. And that's why he died.

Why I died.

What happened after that… well, you already know, don't you, Elsa?"

"Of course I do " said Elsa softly. "I was with you when you were investigating as who had betrayed you after you regained consciousness here in Ragnarok and I was there too."

He nodded and continued,

"But there's a difference now, Elsa. I'm regaining my powers—and I have you with me, along with Ragnarok, the ship we built with our own hands. Ascendancy is here too.

And most importantly… I have my memories. I won't be making the same mistakes again."

And all the more—this situation here is already chaotic. All we have to do is lend our hand, and everything will start to fall into place just the way we want.

With our knowledge and power, we can shape things slowly, on our own terms… and build an empire again—one that could rule for as long as we desire.

Wouldn't that be far more interesting than just sitting back and watching others from countless worlds?

Just think about it," he said.

And Elsa did think things through again, now from this new perspective.

Just as William had said—yes, it would be a bit more exciting than what they'd been doing in their own dimensional home, merely watching mortals go about their lives… watching cultivators fight, and gods and demons clash.

It had all become rather dull, she thought.

Sure, there were some exceptional events and a few entertaining dramas worth watching—but those were rare. Most of it had simply become uninteresting. Elsa tapped her chin thoughtfully, her fingers drumming lightly as she considered it all more seriously.

Sure, there were some exceptional events and a few entertaining dramas worth watching—but those were rare. Most of it had simply become uninteresting. Elsa tapped her chin thoughtfully, her fingers drumming lightly as she considered it all more seriously.

And the more she thought about it, the more she began to see it as a rather good—and genuinely interesting—thing to do.

After all, even she had grown far too bored of doing the same thing over and over again. Even if this wasn't the most thrilling idea, it was at least a refreshing change of environment.

But then… there was something else.

A thought that made her heart race with sudden excitement.

The empire. He had mentioned creating an empire… and if he intended to become an emperor—then wouldn't that make her the empress?

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