Monarchs of Ruination

[Pathos Emotion System Activated!]

[Would you like to enable the System's functions?]

NOX agreed without hesitation. If this System functioned as the data suggested, then his work—his divination, his ultimate goal of reviving his family—would become infinitely easier.

Yet, he knew that even with this newfound power, he was still powerless against them.

Even after ascending to 'The One,' he could still sense the presence of those parasitic wretches lurking in the shadows. His situation was no different from that of a mortal, haunted by ghosts unseen.

Even with Divinity.

Even with a System that boasted omnipotence.

In their eyes, he was still nothing more than an insect.

At the very least, he mused, I am no longer an ant.

NOX pushed aside the unnecessary thoughts and focused on understanding how best to wield his System in this moment.

[Emotion Points Function Activated!]

[+0.1 Reverence Points gained from VRITRA!]

[+0.5 Fear Points gained from VRITRA!]

[+0.01 Reverence Points gained from Lucas.]

[+4.4 Concern Points earned from Garuda.]

As the notifications streamed in, NOX found himself momentarily surprised. He had nearly forgotten about Lucas and the others.

His gaze shifted toward VRITRA and the abominations—all still prostrated before him, thin, ghostly tendrils of white ash connecting them to his being.

Yet, what truly caught his attention was VRITRA and Garuda.

Unlike the others, these two stood apart. They were entirely free from his influence—completely beyond his grasp.

That, in itself, was astonishing.

For NOX, in his current state, could feel the loathsome gazes of the Heavens themselves—yet when it came to VRITRA and Garuda, he sensed nothing. If they had not been standing right in front of him, he might have completely forgotten they even existed.

How could this be?

NOX's confusion only deepened. Why were such powerful beings kneeling before him? The thought unsettled him, but he pushed it aside for now.

His gaze then landed on Lucas— 'Golden-Haired Buddha.'

[+0.01 Reverence Points earned from Lucas.]

"…That's it?"

NOX's eye twitched.

This petty bastard… Only a mere +0.01 reverence?

NOX made a mental note of this.

'I'll definitely rub the absurd functions of my System in his face.'

Still, when he saw the Concern Points Lucas had generated for him, his frown softened.

'At least this golden-haired monk has a heart…'

'When we reach the Heavens, I should gift him a few powerful enemies and frame it as a 'Big Brother Lucas' act…'

A rare, genuine smile crossed NOX's face.

[+9.99 Reverence Points earned from Garuda.]

His attention snapped back to Garuda.

"…What the hell is up with this guy?"

Garuda was like a walking, breathing Emotion Points generator. The sheer volume of points he was providing with every passing moment rivaled that of thousands of beings combined.

[+9.99 Surprise Points earned from Garuda.]

[+9.99 Happiness Points earned from Garuda.]

NOX shook his head, unable to understand why VRITRA and Garuda genuinely revered him so much.

Then again, why should he dwell on it?

As for why he wasn't attacking VRITRA—despite the fact that VRITRA had beaten the absolute hell out of him—NOX simply didn't see the point.

Look at him now.

Kneeling.

How could he, in good conscience, pick a fight with someone kneeling before him?

Wouldn't that make him… kind of a dick?

Just as he was lost in his musings—

[+0.1 Reverence Points from …]

[+0.1 Reverence…]

[+0.1 Reverence…]

[+0.1 Happiness…]

A tidal wave of notifications exploded in his mind.

At this moment, NOX was accumulating Emotion Points from every living entity connected to his existence.

Every soul.

Across every universe.

Across entire clusters of cosmos.

Emotion Points surged into him from everywhere.

It was so overwhelming that, had he not ascended to 'The One,' he would have been utterly crushed beneath the sheer weight of this information alone.

And yet—

Time continued to pass.

And the influx of points showed no signs of stopping.

Regaining his composure, NOX decided to check exactly how many points he had gained.

Then, he would use them.

For divination.

For his true goal—the reason he had allowed himself to become the center of this grand cosmic play.

Sending his Will deep into his soul, he questioned his Divinity on how to check his total stored Emotion Points.

The answer he received left him speechless.

Bracing himself, he called out—

"Status Window."

The moment the words left his lips, NOX's face flushed with embarrassment.

He was a billion-year-old entity.

And here he was, calling out "Status Window" like some child playing a fantasy game.

If Lucas ever heard him say something this cringe-worthy…

NOX swore he would rather end this world than give Lucas the satisfaction of embarrassing him.

But, as if responding to his command, a black holographic screen materialized before his eyes.

Of course, NOX knew it wasn't actually there. It existed solely within his mind—a mere illusion for his convenience.

And yet, he was the only one who could see it.

[Status Window]

[Nox Ashborn]

[Race: ??]

[Realm: ??

[Level of Existence: Higher Existence]

[Bloodline: '??' Bloodline]

[Destiny: Bringer of Ruination]

[Titles: The Child of Madness, ******]

[Emotion Points: 99999999999999999....+]

[Concepts] [Laws] [Dharmas] [Skills] [Physiques]

As NOX studied the System window, his eyes instinctively gravitated toward his [Destiny].

It hadn't changed.

Even after ascending to Higher Existence, obtaining Divinity, wielding Omnipotent Concepts, and becoming 'The One', it still wasn't enough to defy his Destiny—or the Heavens themselves.

A long silence stretched.

Then, finally, he spoke.

"How many Emotion Points would it take to change my [Destiny]?"

[Calculating...]

[Still Calculating…..]

[Stay with us for a moment…..]

[Your patience is important to us….]

NOX: "..."

He was genuinely speechless.

'What is this, some kind of customer service message you hear when you're put on hold for complaining about their bad service?'

Just as NOX was musing, in an instant, a sharp discomfort spread through his mind.

[Error…]

[Error…]

The holographic screen, the system window, was literally crashing and glitching as if malfunctioning. But before NOX could react—

[The Unrecorded Divinity - God of Myriad Emotions bares its fangs at '??'!]

[The Unrecorded Divinity warns '??' of the consequences if it dares to interfere again!]

[The Unrecorded Divinity protects the 'Pathos Emotion System'.]

[The Unrecorded Divinity sighs at how weak its wielder is.]

NOX: "….."

"…Is this thing evolving? Has it grown so much that it now sighs at me?" NOX's face darkened. He knew he was weak, but did his own Divinity really have to sigh at him like that?

[The Unrecorded Divinity is disappointed.]

[The Unrecorded Divinity is baffled at its wielder's constant inability to make the right choices.]

NOX: "Hey, believe it or not, I can discard you, you stupid thing."

[The Unrecorded Divinity proudly declares itself as the most 'Ancient Power' to ever exist. And the fact that you're threatening to discard it only proves its previous statement correct.]

NOX: "….."

He gave up.

Arguing with his own Divinity felt stupid.

The last thing he wanted was to deal with a self-important, arrogant, obnoxious entity.

Like every single protagonist from those Dragon Country novels.

And it was definitely not because he didn't want to lose to a newborn child in an argument.

[The Unrecorded Divinity is asking Nox Ashborn to give it the command to perform 'Divination'.]

[It says it does not like the gazes of those disgusting parasites from the Heavens.]

Though NOX was still mad at it and wanted nothing more than to put this newborn System in its place, he knew it wasn't important. Since he was the 'God of Myriad Emotions,' he could feel the impatience emanating from the watchful eyes above. He did not understand why they were so eager, so restless. Their behavior unsettled him.

Still, NOX agreed to his Divinity's request. Why?

Because only NOX knew how ingenious his Divinity was.

One must remember what it was doing before it created the 'Pathos Emotion System.'

It first attempted to reverse time itself. As absurd as it sounded.

NOX only ever understood the concept of traveling through time—though he had never been able to achieve it himself due to the seals binding him.

And the terrifying part?

His Divinity might have succeeded—if not for the interference of something known only as '???'.

He did not know why this entity had no name, why it could only be quantified as '???'. But one thing was clear—this unknown force had interfered twice.

Twice it had obstructed NOX's goals, and it had even mocked his Divinity. NOX made a mental note of that.

After failing to reverse time, his Divinity then sought to bend Reality to its will.

NOX knew such an attempt was doomed from the start—the ever-present gazes of the Heavens would never allow it.

Yes, NOX had tried to bend Reality himself when he became 'The One,' only to find an impenetrable wall blocking him.

If it had been mere resistance, he could have dismissed it as Reality itself rejecting the change—something that should have been impossible in the first place.

But this was not just resistance. This Wall was an active force, an absolute barrier, a deliberate restriction placed by the Heavens.

Thus, his Divinity failed once more.

But what followed after these failures was why he called it ingenious.

After failing to bend Reality through brute force, it asserted its traits—[Cunning], [Deviousness], and [Calculation]—upon Reality. Not to bend it, but to manipulate it for just a brief moment.

And in that fleeting moment, it created the 'Pathos Emotion System'.

A system designed to bypass the interference of the Heavens. A tool that allowed Reality to be bent indirectly, without drawing attention. It was not the most straightforward method, but its effectiveness was undeniable.

Thus, NOX trusted his Divinity to perform [Divination] and give him the best optimized paths to revive his family.

And now, some might ask: Why waste so much time? Why not just initiate [Ruination] and be done with it?

To those people, NOX had only one question in return—

"How could I be sure that initiating [Ruination] would bring them back?"

For all things considered, this could be yet another elaborate scheme—not aimed at NOX or Lucas, but at their entire Universe itself.

A Universe capable of imprisoning beings like VRITRA and Garuda was anything but ordinary.

There were too many uncertainties, too many schemes and schemers, each with their own agenda. And NOX was not foolish enough to act without assurances.

And finally, to whoever had posed such a brilliant question—had they read too many 'Dragon Country' brain-hole novels?

Because bringing [Ruination] would spell the end of everything.

The literal end.

And how could NOX bring it upon himself knowing he might also erase the records of his parents' existence?

Without records, their very proof of existence would be lost.

Wouldn't that mean he was erasing his own last chance?

Wouldn't that mean he was shooting himself in the foot?