Nova: The Final Reincarnation [LitRPG, Reincarnation]

The days blurred together as they pushed deeper into the underwater realm. Each battle grew more vicious than the last, testing their limits in ways the previous floors never had.

Princess Naia proved herself more capable than anyone expected. What began as hesitant strikes from behind their protection evolved into confident combat alongside them. She learned to read the flow of battle, striking when enemies were distracted and retreating before retaliation could find her.

Anny adapted to their aquatic environment by abandoning finesse entirely. She became a living weapon, using her enhanced strength to crush enemies with her bare hands. Grappling holds that would merely restrain on land became bone-breaking submissions underwater. Her armor barely held together after all the gradual damage. Blood had seeped from dozens of wounds across her body, but her regeneration kept her fighting long after exhaustion should have claimed her.

Nova had found his element in the water. His ice magic became devastatingly effective, creating projectiles that homed in on their targets with relentless precision. The frozen spears would punch through scales and flesh, leaving trails of crystallized blood in their wake. When enemies closed the distance, his fists became even more devastating than the missiles, both crushing and freezing whatever they touched.

Between the most brutal encounters, they carved out moments of respite. Princess Naia would create air pockets in sealed chambers, letting them all get proper rest and recuperation before the next day.

These brief sanctuaries became precious—places where they could breathe freely, tend wounds, and restore their essence reserves. None of them had attempted sleeping underwater, and Nova was grateful to avoid finding out if it was even possible.

"It's not far now," Princess Naia said after their latest rest, settling into the shallow pool she maintained for herself. Water dripped from her silver hair as she spoke. "We should reach the city before needing another rest, or at least I hope so."

Nova found himself sharing that hope. Despite their victories, the constant fighting was wearing them down. Every spell cast, every wound healed, every moment of combat intensity had taken its toll. He was eager to reach whatever waited at the floor's end.

But he was worried. Through their ring connection, he could sense Millie's presence—no longer staying in place. Her signature had been moving, far more than what should be possible in the cramped starting area.

The implications chilled him more than any ice spell ever could. If she was moving, it meant she was no longer safely hidden in some starting area. It meant she was in active danger.

'What the hell are you doing, Millie? You should have food left over, right? Why would you move into the dungeon itself?'

Their final test came without warning.

As they approached what Princess Naia claimed was the outer edge of the city, the water around them suddenly darkened. A massive shadow passed overhead, blotting out the blue crystal light that had guided them through the depths.

"Leviathan," Princess Naia whispered. Her knuckles turned white around her staff. "I thought they were all sleeping..."

The creature that descended upon them was a nightmare given form. Sixty meters of serpentine muscle and armored scales stretched through the water. Fins the size of ship sails could create whirlpools with a single stroke. Its head alone dwarfed most buildings. Teeth like crystalline spears filled jaws that could swallow a house whole. Eyes the size of wagon wheels fixed on them with ancient intelligence.

"It's an ancient beast…"

Nova felt his blood turn cold. He knew well what facing an ancient beast meant. And he could feel it—this creature radiated power that dwarfed the sky-wyrm.

'This isn't even a floor guardian? What the hell is this floor?'

(Anny, can you keep it distracted?!) he asked through their rings. His hands already gathered essence between his palms.

(With pleasure,) came her reply, fierce and eager.

She shot forward through the water like a torpedo. Her enhanced strength propelled her faster than should have been possible. The leviathan's massive head turned to track her movement, going for a bite that would easily swallow her whole.

Anny twisted at the last second. The crushing bite missed her by mere inches. Her fist connected with the creature's lower jaw in an uppercut that sent shockwaves through the water. The impact would have shattered stone, but the leviathan's armored hide barely showed a mark.

That was fine. She had managed to distract it, which was her job.

The beast's response was immediate. Its tail whipped through the water with bone-crushing force. Anny barely managed to dodge, feeling the displaced water slam into her like a physical blow. The appendage struck a coral formation behind her, shattering the ancient structure into dust and debris that clouded the water.

While the beast focused on Anny's darting attacks, Nova worked his magic. Ice formations bloomed around his hands, creating projectiles densely layered with freezing runes. Guided missiles that would seek their target through any evasion. Each one contained enough frozen death to stop a heart.

But as he prepared to release them, the leviathan did something unexpected.

The creature opened its maw and unleashed a torrent of pressurized water. The blast shot toward Nova with devastating force. He threw up a hasty barrier, but the impact shattered his defense like glass. The water struck him full force, sending him tumbling through the depths.

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Pain flared through his ribs as he slammed into a coral wall. Blood leaked from his mouth, mixing with the seawater around him. The leviathan's attack had nearly crushed his chest.

(Nova!) Anny's mental voice carried panic.

(I'm fine!) he lied, struggling to right himself in the water. His vision blurred from the impact.

The leviathan pressed its advantage. It surged toward Nova with jaws wide open, intent on finishing what it started.

'Shit, I can barely see straight!'

But before it came to close, Anny intercepted it mid-charge. She grabbed the scales of the creature's face with both hands, kicking its eyeball with enough force to blind it, at least temporarily.

The beast thrashed violently, trying to shake her loose. Anny's grip slipped on the smooth scales. The creature's head twisted, slamming her into a nearby coral formation. She cried out as jagged edges tore through her armor and into her flesh.

Blood clouded the water around both fighters. The leviathan sensed weakness and attacked once again. Its tail swept around in a wide arc, aiming to crush Anny against the coral wall.

Nova saw the coming attack and felt his heart drop. She was tough, but such an attack could kill even her.

(NO!! Use your amulet!)

Anny barely had time to orient herself, still clenching her eyes in pain. But she heard his voice. Her hand shot to the amulet at her throat, crushing the delicate mechanism. Pink light flared around her as the displacement magic activated.

Anny vanished just as the massive tail swept through the space where she'd been. She reappeared fifty meters away, gasping from the sudden relocation. The amulet crumbled to dust in her palm.

(...Thanks,) she projected with a voice filled with gratitude.

(No, you saved me. Stay back for a moment.)

(You're just as hurt as me…)

She was right. Their situation had only grown worse. The leviathan's attack had missed its target, and now the ancient beast was enraged beyond reason.

Nova could see the intelligence in its ancient eyes. This creature had lived for centuries, survived countless battles. It would not be defeated by weaker foes.

Pain lanced through his chest where the creature's water blast had struck him. Blood clouded his vision. His essence reserves were nearly depleted. They were outmatched, outpowered, and running out of options.

But he had one card left to play.

'I didn't want to use this so early... but this isn't the time to save resources.'

Nova closed his eyes and reached deep into his equipped fragment, touching the core that contained his royal essence. The power he'd held in reserve, saved for the most desperate moment.

"I am King," he whispered.

The words rang out through the water with impossible clarity, carrying an authority that had once commanded armies and toppled empires. Reality itself seemed to pause, acknowledging the declaration.

Power erupted from Nova's core like a dam bursting. Golden light blazed around his small form as essence flooded his system. His wounds sealed instantly, pain vanishing as if it had never existed. His reserves of essence overflowed, expanding beyond their normal limits.

But the real change was deeper than that. Every aspect of his being—physical, mental, spiritual—doubled in strength. Then it doubled again. His Soul Power burst through the barrier of one million, nearly reaching two.

The leviathan recoiled, seemingly shaking under the weight of Nova's awakened authority. For the first time since the battle began, fear flickered in those massive eyes.

Princess Naia gasped, nearly losing the grip on her staff. The sheer magnitude of power radiating from the small boy made her soul shake, even as a royal princess herself. This was what it meant to stand before a true king.

(Nova, what...) Anny's mental voice was filled with awe and concern.

(Stay back,) Nova replied simply. His mental voice now carried new depths of command. (Both of you. This is my fight now.)

He rose through the water, no longer swimming but moving with the fluid grace of someone who commanded the very currents around him. Golden light trailed behind him like a comet's tail.

The leviathan struck first, snapping its jaws toward Nova with killing intent. But he was no longer the wounded weakling who had struggled moments before. He moved like liquid lightning, flowing around the attack with ease. His fist connected with the creature's snout, and the impact sent shockwaves through the water that cracked the seafloor below.

The leviathan's head snapped back from the blow. Dark blood leaked from its nostrils as it stared at this transformed opponent with newfound wariness.

Nova didn't give it time to recover. He flowed forward through the water, propelled by some invisible force. Ice formed around his hands, like raw winter given form. Spears of absolute cold shot from his palms in rapid succession, each one seeking vital points with unerring accuracy.

The leviathan twisted and writhed, trying to avoid the barrage, but Nova anticipated every movement. Where the ice struck, flesh froze solid. Where it missed, the water itself crystallized, creating barriers and traps that herded the massive creature exactly where Nova wanted it.

The beast unleashed another pressurized water blast, but Nova simply raised his hand. The attack struck a barrier of pure essence and scattered harmlessly. The display of casual dominance made the leviathan's eyes widen with what appeared to be panic.

Princess Naia watched the battle with growing amazement. She had heard legends of warriors who could command the very elements, but she had never seen such mastery displayed. The boy fought like the ocean itself had bent to his will.

Still, she knew she could help. Her staff blazed with silver light as she began to weave a support spell, creating currents that would aid Nova's movements while hindering the leviathan's.

Nova sensed her assistance and nodded his approval. The princess's power flowed around him like a gentle tide, enhancing his already overwhelming advantage.

The leviathan made one final, desperate charge. Its massive bulk shot through the water with everything it had, jaws wide enough to swallow a ship. For a moment, it seemed like raw size and ancient fury might overcome the difference on power.

But Nova simply reached out and caught the creature's upper jaw in his small hand.

The leviathan's charge stopped dead. Sixty meters of muscle and bone, held motionless by a young man whose hand barely spanned a fraction of the beast's tooth.

"You have fought well." Nova's voice carried across the water, coming from his will rather than his vocal cords. "But this is where your story ends."

Ice spread from his palm, racing across the leviathan's massive form. But this wasn't the violent freezing of battle—this was gentle, almost merciful. The creature's struggles slowed, then ceased as the cold reached its brain. Its eyes closed as consciousness faded, and it sank toward the seafloor in peaceful silence.

Nova released the creature and floated there for a moment, watching its descent. The golden light around him flickered once, then began to fade as the royal power retreated back into his fragment.

'This will cost us much time… Perhaps even too much.'