Reincarnating As A Prince in the DC Universe

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…

What was the Force?

Upon discovering the universe he found himself in, Aiden knew one thing for certain; no sane person in his position wouldn't want to empower themselves by any means necessary. 

This wasn't just some minor, world-ending earthquake or flood.

It was Darkseid; the Fucking God of Evil. 

There was no dodging this one.

He was Royalty, and if his memory served him well, the storyline went as such - Gods, Men, Amazon, Magicians and Lanterns from the green lantern corp all joined forces and were still on the losing side before Ares finally landed a decisive blow on Darkseid. 

Aiden hadn't met the Gods in his current Universe, but from his study in Magic, he understood that they were basically the Physical manifestations of various Energy and Beliefs. 

Beings he couldn't hope to contend with, and yet even they feared Darkseid enough to come together to battle against him. 

After much consideration, there was only one conclusion. 

He had to get strong. Stronger than anyone around him.

Strong enough to Survive. 

This led him into esoteric and slightly forbidden Knowledge. 

He understood that similar to Mages, they were humans who had superhuman control of their bodies similar to the Palace Knight Commander and had an energy pool. 

But then there was also the Energy the entire Magical community decided to categorize as Arcane. 

Arcane because, since it grows together with the mana pool, a situation where one out grows the order leads to an imbalance and creates obstacles later on if a mage wishes to advance.

Aiden, however, had a different perspective.

Wasn't this the cliché -Body, Mind and Energy- based power system that made nearly all main characters overpowered? 

Without overthinking, Aiden cast aside the pursuit of titles and promotions.

His sole focus became balancing and stabilizing the three aspects: tempering his mana, strengthening his aura and expanding his psychic pool.

Mana is the energy of magic, drawn from the world and is channeled through rituals, incantations, or focus tools (staffs, runes). It flows like water: finite, replenishable, and subject to mental and emotional states.

Aura is the manifestation of life force or inner strength and strengthens physicality, boosts speed, and sharpens instincts. It can also form defensive shields or enhance weapons. It could be projected outward in bursts or inward for endurance.

Psychic Energy can be focused on detecting enemies, or creating mental constructs. It represents the power of the mind, tied to willpower, telepathy, telekinesis, and other mental disciplines. It requires intense focus and discipline to wield.

He took turns training in all three disciplines whenever he had the time.

Whenever he had the time to train the two, he did.

As a Reincarnator without a Golden finger other than being born into a royal family, this was the only gamble he could rely on in ensuring his safety. 

In this way, he could go out with a smile, knowing he did all he could despite how it may look to others. 

Yet, along this path came an unexpected reward.

He found that he could move faster than most mages without using magic due to his increased physicality, and he could cast and weave spells with incredible speed and precision.

The time taken to go through the magical Principles were massively shortened as his mind, sharpened by relentless training, could mentally intervene, intercept, and manifest complex spells far faster than his peers. 

There were no barriers for him as he progressed. 

And finally, when he felt he was ready, Aiden decided to merge all three energies; body, mind, and mana, hoping to create something entirely his own, a new source of power and reservoir of strength. 

It was a gamble to see the limits he could reach. 

He only had one thought towards it all.

Death was coming, it was only a matter of when.

And so, when Mana, Aura, and Psychic Energy merge into The Force, it became something greater: a unified, hybrid energy that combines their individual strengths into a potent tool of creation and destruction.

The Force allowed Aiden to manipulate space, bending reality while amplifying his physical prowess and mental acuity.

It synergized Mana's flexibility, Aura's power, and Psychic Energy's precision.

Now hearing that his reckless gamble had given birth to something akin to a nascent-

"Divinity." The Grand Magus's voice broke through Aiden's, causing him to sharply turn to him.

"Pardon?"

"It's a Nascent Divinity." The Grand Magus repeated and stroked his beard as he ruminated on his thoughts. 

"A Nascent Divinity? What is that?" Aiden asked, genuinely confused about the new term.

"Hmm." The Grand Magus hummed, deep in thought, before replying. "Think of it as the first spark of godhood."

Aiden frowned. "Godhood? But I—"

"You're not there yet, boy," the Grand Magus interrupted, his voice stern but not unkind. "What you've done is create the foundation, the seed of something much greater."

"Then…what is Divinity?

"A true divinity can bend reality to their will with a mere thought, but what you have... it's the potential. The raw, unrefined power waiting to be shaped."

'So that's what it was.' Aiden's mind raced as he put the dots together. 

His Adaptive Power Evolution was the Key ability of the Force and it had already given him the ability of a God amongst men.

His Spatial Domination could already turn a radius of 10 meters around him into his personal world, doesn't that mean that with time, it could cover up more space?

Not to mention it's added perk with each increase.

Even Telekinesis and Magic Enhancements could be taken to absurd levels with time.

"And what does that mean for me?" Aiden asked, feeling a mix of both excitement and apprehension.

The Grand Magus studied him for a moment, as if weighing his words. "It means that your path just became far more dangerous. You've set foot in a domain that even the gods themselves tread carefully. Powers beyond comprehension will take notice of you. Some may seek to help, others... to destroy."

Aiden's stomach dropped at the thought. "So, what do I do now?"

"Hmm, that's a complex question…" the Grand Magus said with a lost expression which suddenly brightened. "How about this? You two against me, three attacks each. If you manage to make me move a step back, you'll win."

"And what if we win?"

"I'll tell you a thing or two you didn't know prior."

"And how would that help Aiden?" Finn asked in place of Aiden with a frown. This bet wasn't favourable to Aiden at all.

"He'll be able to plan his path ahead more smoothly." The Grand Magus replied with a 'Ho-ho' laugh.

…

"As I have said earlier, I'll give you a total of 3 attacks. If I move a single step during that time, you win." The Grand Magus said as he rubbed his long beards. "Let's start right away."

"Understood." Aiden said and turned to Finn, "Use your strongest attack." 

"Wha-?" Finn hesitated, the weight of the Grand Magus's presence pressing on his chest like a storm cloud. But he gritted his teeth, steeling himself as arcs of electricity danced along his fingertips.

With a sharp gesture, he unleashed a barrage of lightning spears that crackled through the air as they surged toward their target.

Aiden, standing by his side, raised his right hand, summoning a flurry of magic missiles that glowed with a pulsing blue hue which he shot forward.

Within moments, they caught up and wove through the crackling spears of lightning like spectral arrows, amplifying the chaotic energy as they surged toward the Grand Magus.

'...Fast.' The Grand Magus thought as he saw the attack heading towards him. 'But that's all. It's not a heavy attack imbued with vast mana, not an attack mixed with techniques like rotation or trajectory deviation. Just raw energy...Predictable.'

"[Shield]" he silently cast an energy shield materialized in front of him and blocked all the coming projectiles. 

'..It's an honest attack that doesn't even need to be defended with attributes ' He thought as he saw the magic Energy behind the lightning attack and magic missile begin to whittle away. 'How unexpected. I thought they'd be something different about him-'

The Grand Magus suddenly stopped as he came to a mildly shocking discovery, he couldn't move as freely as before. '...! Paralysis? No. This isn't magic. It's the terror that's usually felt at death's doorstep.'

As he thought to this stage, the look in his eyes changed as he regarded the young man standing and observing him with an eye that reflected nothing but certainty in his actions. 

'Hundreds of times, I have crossed the line between life and death on the battlefield. Am I feeling a similar tension as back then…from a boy not up to a hundred? What could be the problem..-!?' 

The Grand Magus tore his eyes off Aiden and turned to his Mana Shield only to see it fading. 'This is…[Dispel]..?'

At the same time, he felt a fluctuation of mana behind him, only to see a magic circle form. '...This kid.' 

*BOOM!!*

The explosive sound of the various magic colliding with each other rang out and Aiden brought down his hand with a slight victorious smirk threatening to tug at the side of his lips. "Interesting."

"Huh? Aiden, did it work?"

"Nah. I didn't expect it to work in the first place. I'm just shocked that everything played out as I predicted." Aiden replied. 

"So, he's okay." Finn asked and immediately channeled his mana causing lightning to flicker around him. 

"He noticed and intercepted the missile before the shield was dispelled." Aiden replied as he watched the small dust cloud clear to reveal the Grand Magus looking unaffected by the clash that just took place.

"Hah." He let out an amused chuckle. 'Could it be intentional? Did he purposely make a straightforward attack to make me lower my guard? It seems it wasn't a confidence born out of youthful arrogance. I need to keep an eye on him.'

While he was still in his thoughts, Finn and Aiden repeated the same attack, but while Finn's lightning spears went in a straight line, Aiden's magic missiles bounced off them as they sped towards him. 

Similar to the unpredictable and erratic movements of Darkseid's Omega Beams, the missiles shot towards the Grand Magus only to all be blocked by Mana Shield. 

"Hoho." The Grand Magus chuckled, his shield shimmering as it absorbed the erratic missiles. His eyes widened slightly. 'Impressive. He's targeting the weakest points with precision, pushing me back; however subtly. Not the work of an inexperienced mage.'

He glanced at his feet, noting the stub where his shield had cracked. A thoughtful smile crossed his face. 'A true genius, leaping effortlessly across ranks. This boy isn't ordinary.'

Of all the magic shields he had conjured, all were with cracks, which showed Aiden's control over his magic. 'Moreover…' he glanced to his feet to see where it had left a stub behind, an evidence that he'd moved. '... though subtle, they pushed me back.'

'An exceptional intelligence that detects the Gaps in Magic and an understanding of techniques to immediately exploit that weakness. It's as if…Nah, it can't be. This is not the skill of an inexperienced young man. Yes, this is someone who effortlessly leaps over the differences in rank. A True Genius.' 

The Grand Magus let out a relieved smile. 'This young man will create an era of magic.' 

Just as the Grand Magus was about to raise his head and address them, he couldn't help raising his eye in confusion at how Aiden was looking at him with a ball of mana in his hand. 

"I still have one more chance to attack, don't I?" Aiden asked. Finn couldn't help the incredulous expression on his face as he looked at Aiden.

Where did all this start? Just because he wanted to show Aiden how strong he'd gotten? 

Now here he was playing a bet against the strongest mage on the planet.

"Is there a need to continue the duel when the outcome is already decided?" The Grand Magus asked and put away his [Shield]. "Your second attack has already pushed me back. So, this duel is your victory. As promised, I'll simplify that answer for you."

"But…I already know you will." Aiden said as the mana in his hand blazed. "I already know that my second attack was effective."

"Then why bother casting this next attack spell?" The Grand Magus couldn't help his curiosity.

"You said there are '3' chances to attack. Come on, hurry and get back into a defensive stance. There are still things I want to confirm." Aiden said with a fanatical look in his eyes as he launched the next attack, this time, without the aid of Finn's lightning spears, but with an intensity far greater than before.

"W-wait a moment!" The Grand Magus cried out a bit flustered. 'Wait. Confirm…? The first attack that deliberately made me lower my guard, the second attack that showed an uncharacteristic skill for an inexperienced mage…This Guy, was he just using this Duel as a Test?'

Looking at the speeding magic missile making its way towards him with nothing but sheer destruction behind it, the Grand Magus couldn't help but wonder. 'Against I, the Grand Magus?' 

"This is Insane."

*BOOM!*

***

A/N: Don't forget those power stones.