Re:Awakening with Ultimate Power as a Cosmic God-Chapter 40: Ch : Test- Part 2

Far above, in the control tower at the edge of the test field, the commanders of the Galactic Navel force gathered before a large set of monitors.

Holographic projections hovered in front of each of them, displaying various parts of the survival zone. Each camera feed showed chaos.

"How are we looking?"

One of the younger commanders asked, adjusting his sleeve.

A gruff, older woman scoffed.

"Another failure batch. Too soft. These aren’t soldiers. They’re civilians with delusions of grandeur."

She muttered.

Another leaned back in his seat.

"I warned you. Increasing the artificial mutation rate of the forest would weed out the weak."

"Yeah, well, looks like it’s weeding out everyone. Do you even see that eastern group? They’re getting wiped. We’ll have corpses to clean up again."

Another commander shot back.

"What about the humanoid?"

Someone asked, bringing up a glitched screen.

Silence fell for a moment. The screen where Nova’s camera should have been showed only static and shifting shadows.

"Still unreadable. We’re getting some aether disturbance localized around his assigned area, but no footage."

A tech officer confirmed.

A long silence followed.

"He’s either smart... or very dangerous."

Someone finally muttered.

Another commander scoffed.

"Humanoids thinking they can pass our trials. They’re just bugs, born to be used as pawns. You can’t trust a weapon to act like a soldier."

"He’s survived this far."

"By luck, probably."

"Or design. Either way, if he’s still alive after this, I want him transferred to Unit 7 for further observation. Let’s see how long he lasts under real command. Not that he will pass"

The older woman said sharply.

One of the men near the back frowned.

"You think he’s dangerous?"

"I think he’s unknown. And I don’t like unknowns."

She replied.

In the command chamber of the Galactic Navel force, silence reigned for a few moments before the general spoke again.

"Humanoid. Unknown variable. No confirmed allegiance. No record. Maybe it would be better to take him out now."

He muttered, disdain in his voice. The more he thought about it, the more he liked this idea.

The officers in the room shifted uncomfortably.

"Sir, he passed the entry test. Even the security bots didn’t—"

"I said we don’t need him. Get rid of him before we waste another second or resource. Handle it quietly. An accident, if you must. Just make it clean."

The general snapped.

They didn’t argue. No one dared. Not with what happened to the last officer who voiced dissent.

"...Understood, General."

The order passed swiftly. A monster was selected from the internal bio reserves.

It had been trained for scent targeting, and the data from Nova’s previous fights was more than enough.

Within minutes, the monster was deployed into the trial zone with only one objective: eliminate the humanoid.

______

Perched on a thick branch, Nova watched the chaos below with disinterest. Screams, explosions of aether, the crackling noise of claws against skin.

The scent of blood thickened in the air.

His aether net shimmered faintly around him, keeping smaller creatures away without him needing to raise a finger.

The monsters could sense something was off about him. Dangerous. Unlike the others.

He stayed still until something shifted.

The forest grew quieter. He could feel a ripple in the aether, unnatural and heavy. A new presence. It didn’t come from the training area—it was deeper, thicker, more deliberate.

Nova’s eyes narrowed. His body tensed. This was no random beast.

He stood, brushing a leaf from his shoulder, gaze fixed beyond the trees.

It was moving in his direction.

He turned slightly, intending to leap down and get a better look, when a loud voice broke the quiet.

"You!"

Nova glanced down.

A young man glared up at him, his clothes torn, a trail of blood running down one arm.

"You just gonna sit up there like some kind of coward? We’re down here fighting for our lives, and you’re lounging around like you’re above it!"

Nova’s face remained unreadable.

"...And?"

He asked.

The candidate bristled.

"You’re part of this trial too. If you don’t help out, why should we cover your slack? You better get down here and do your part."

"I don’t remember agreeing to help anyone. This is a survival test, not a group project."

Nova replied, voice flat.

The man’s lip curled.

"Fine then. Get off the tree. I’m taking that spot. If you want to live, you’ll hand it over."

Nova tilted his head.

"You think I’m afraid of you?"

The candidate pulled a blade from his side and pointed it upward.

"Move."

Nova didn’t blink.

"You’re welcome to try."

The candidate’s frustration reached its peak as Nova continued to ignore him. Gritting his teeth, he hissed.

"Fine, then die in your damn tree."

With a swift motion, he raised his gun and fired.

The shot rang out sharply, a blinding bolt of condensed aether slicing through the air.

The force of the shot would’ve dropped any regular humanoid instantly—but Nova didn’t even flinch.

His aether shield shimmered to life with a low hum, absorbing the blast completely. Not a single strand of his silver-white hair moved.

Nova lowered his hand slowly and tilted his head, expression unchanged.

"...What now?"

The sheer lack of reaction only infuriated the candidate further.

"You smug bastard!"

He slung the gun back to his belt and scrambled up the tree opposite Nova’s. Leaves rustled under his boots as he jumped, arms outstretched in a reckless tackle.

Nova moved just as the candidate landed.

He barely shifted his weight, gliding off the branch like falling mist. The candidate’s boots hit the branch a second later—

Snap.

The wood gave way under the force. The crack echoed through the clearing.

"Wait—what?!"

The candidate’s eyes widened as he plummeted to the ground. He hit the earth with a hard thud, groaning in pain.

"You—! You did that on purpose!"

He shouted, face twisting in rage.

Nova hovered above him, arms folded.

"How is it my fault you thought that branch could hold your arrogance?"

The candidate writhed in the dirt, too angry to form a response.

Nova just sighed and turned his back on him, his voice calm and detached.

"Next time, try surviving the forest instead of competing with a tree."

The candidate pushed himself up, blood dripping from a gash on his forehead. His fury hadn’t cooled—if anything, it blazed hotter.

"You think this is over?! You damn humanoid freak—I’ll kill you and take your spot!"

He spat, grabbing a dagger from his belt.

Nova didn’t even turn around at first. He simply exhaled, long and slow, eyes still fixed on the deeper forest.

"You’re wasting my time."

The candidate charged, screaming, dagger raised high.

Nova finally turned.

His expression was different now. Cold. Done playing games.

Aether gathered in his hand, faintly flickering like an unstable flame.

"I gave you chances. You should’ve walked away."

Nova said quietly.

But before Nova could release his strike, the air behind the candidate shimmered—and something emerged.

A blur of silver and black lunged out of the woods.

The monster hit the candidate mid-run with such force that it snapped his body like a twig. Screams were cut off as claws pierced through flesh, tearing the man apart in seconds.

Nova stood still, watching.

The creature turned slightly, but sensing Nova’s aura, it paused.

Nova muttered.

"Told you... some people don’t know when to stop. Now, what do you want."

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