Re:Awakening with Ultimate Power as a Cosmic God

The door creaked open as Nova stepped into the shop, brushing off the dust of the alleyways.

He'd watched Amari slip into the shadows near the rebellion's hideout, her shoulders tense but determined. She hadn't looked back once.

He respected that.

But now, as his boots clicked against the wooden floorboards, something felt… wrong.

The scent of sweat and steel reached his nose a moment too late.

"Worker of the shop. You're under arrest by order of the crown. Come with us. Quietly."

A voice called out.

Nova shut the door behind him, his fingers resting lightly on the handle. His gaze swept the room.

Seven soldiers. Fully armed. Halberds, short swords, and city-issued shields. Well-trained, by the look of them.

"I think you're in the wrong shop. This is an herb store. We sell mint leaves and anti-inflammatory tea."

Nova said dryly.

"Drop the jokes. Surrender, or we'll use force."

The captain stepped forward.

Nova sighed and took a step forward.

"Alright."

They relaxed just a little—too early.

Nova's hand shot to the umbrella stand by the door. Not an umbrella—his sword cane. He drew the blade in one swift movement and threw the sheath at the nearest guard.

It slammed into the soldier's helmet, distracting him just long enough for Nova to lunge and crack the hilt of his blade against the man's throat.

The soldier crumpled.

Two others charged, shouting. Nova sidestepped the first, swept his leg low, and took the man's feet out from under him.

As he fell, Nova stomped his knee to pin him and jabbed the pommel into the side of his head—clean knockout.

The second had his sword drawn and ready. Nova ducked the swing, grabbed a fallen chair, and shattered it against the man's chest.

He staggered, gasping for breath, and Nova drove his elbow into the soldier's face, finishing him.

Three down. Four left.

The remaining guards spread out, forming a rough semicircle.

"Still want to do this?"

Nova asked, lifting the blade slightly.

They lunged.

Nova's body moved like water. He parried the first strike, disarmed the soldier with a quick twist, then turned the weapon on him with brutal efficiency.

One slash across the thigh, one punch to the jaw—he was out cold.

Another came at him from behind. Nova twisted at the last second and slammed the flat of his blade into the man's wrist, forcing him to drop his weapon. He caught it midair, reversed grip, and drove the hilt into the man's solar plexus.

Two more.

They hesitated.

Nova pointed the blade at them.

"Drop your weapons and walk out. Or stay and limp."

They attacked together.

Nova deflected the first sword, letting it glance off his blade, then rammed his shoulder into the soldier's gut and drove him into the shelves.

Dried herbs and bottles fell as Nova spun the man around and slammed him headfirst into the counter.

The last one tried to stab him in the back.

Nova felt the shift of air and turned just in time to grab the soldier's wrist mid-thrust. Their eyes locked.

Nova's were calm. The other's, terrified.

With a swift yank, Nova pulled the man forward and headbutted him. Once. Twice. The man dropped like a sack of bricks.

Silence fell.

Only the sound of Nova's breathing and a dripping jar of crushed garlic filled the shop.

He exhaled slowly, wiped his blade on a fallen coat, and slid it back into its sheath.

Seven soldiers. No magic. No aether. Just a floor littered with groaning bodies and ruined furniture.

Nova rolled his shoulder and looked around.

"Amari's gonna lose it."

He crouched beside the captain, fishing a scroll out of his satchel. Sealed with the royal crest.

He broke it open. Arrest warrant. His name. Her seal.

So, the queen was done pretending.

Nova rose, dusting himself off.

"Alright, Your Majesty. You made your move. Now it's my turn."

He muttered, stepping over a broken halberd.

______

The news reached the palace faster than expected.

By the time the sun had fully crested the eastern wall, word had already spread of the herbalist's shop turned battleground—guards defeated, publicly humiliated, and left bloodied but alive.

The royal insignia stamped on the warrant had been tossed into the gutter, where a child had picked it up and started selling glimpses of it for coin.

When the report was brought before the queen, she read it in silence at first.

Then her hand began to tremble.

The chamber fell still.

No one dared to speak. Not even the chamberlain.

They had all seen her annoyed before. Irritated. Displeased.

But this was different.

The queen's lips parted slightly, and for the first time in years, her control snapped.

She stood up so quickly the chair behind her cracked.

"He humiliated royal guards? He mocked the Crown… in public?"

Her voice echoed with disbelief, rage sharpening every word.

The guards at the door didn't move, afraid her wrath might spread like wildfire.

"He made a fool of us, and the people laughed."

The queen hissed, eyes blazing,

The chamberlain stepped forward cautiously.

"Your Majesty… we can send more soldiers. Reinforcements—"

"No. No more subtle moves. No more diplomacy. If he wants to act like a criminal, then we will treat him like one."

Her voice cut through the room like ice.

She turned to the scribe near her throne.

"Write this down. Let it be known across the kingdom—the herbalist's assistant, is hereby declared an enemy of the Crown. A bounty of ten thousand gold will be given to anyone who brings him to me—alive or dead."

The scribes blinked, stunned. One stammered.

"Ten thousand…?"

"Do you question me?"

"N-no, Your Majesty."

"Then write."

The queen's voice dropped, low and venomous.

"And let the people fight over him like dogs. Let them tear him apart for coin. Let them do the work for us."

The proclamation spread faster than wildfire.

By midday, posters were already being nailed to tavern walls and alley corners. Nova's face sketched in rough charcoal, his name etched in bold ink beneath it.

A thick red border framed the image. The bounty printed beneath it in gold lettering gleamed under the sun:

10,000 GOLD - DEAD OR ALIVE

Whispers grew into shouts. Shouts turned into chants. Entire streets were buzzing with the news.

"He beat up the royal guard with a broomstick, they say!"

"I heard he strangled one with his bare hands!"

"They say he's a rogue noble in disguise!"

"I'm gonna find him. Ten thousand gold! I could buy a manor with that!"

Soon, knives were being sharpened in basements. Gangs began to patrol the alleys. Even innkeepers started quietly watching their guests more closely.

The bounty was too large to ignore.

It didn't matter who Nova really was anymore.

He was profit now.

Nova could feel the change in the air before he saw it.

It was in the way people looked at him as he walked through the market. The way conversations paused when he passed. The way a butcher's cleaver hesitated in mid-swing as Nova turned a corner.

He didn't need to see the posters.

He already knew.

Someone whistled low from a rooftop.

Three people ahead stepped aside just a little too quickly.

Behind him, a boot scraped stone.

Nova stopped walking.

He looked around.

Six people. Maybe seven.

All pretending not to be grouped.

All armed.

He sighed.

"Guess the queen took it personally."