Dragon Monarch System Chapter 1292:- Changes in Ren

For a long time, Ren remained seated in his chair, holding a glass of wine while staring blankly into space. His expression was no longer filled with the anger that he had shown earlier. Instead, he looked strangely quiet and tired, as if he had suddenly lost all the energy to express his frustration.

Although his glass was still filled with wine, he did not bother taking another sip. His mind was occupied with so many thoughts that he had almost forgotten about the wine in his hand.

Even his lover, who had been sitting beside him this entire time, had no idea what he was thinking about so deeply. She occasionally glanced at him, wondering whether she should say something to comfort him. However, after seeing his distant expression, she decided to remain silent. She felt that Ren needed some time alone with his thoughts, and she did not want to disturb him.

Meanwhile, Ren was thinking about his past. Over the years, he had done many terrible things to obtain and protect his position as the Emperor of the Celestial Dragon Empire. He had betrayed people who trusted him, used others for his own benefit, and made decisions that had destroyed countless lives.

Although he was fully aware of what he had done, he had never allowed himself to feel too guilty about those things. Whenever he began questioning his actions, he would simply remind himself that everything he had done was necessary to obtain the throne.

However, there was one particular decision that he had always regretted, even after becoming the Emperor. It was the decision to betray his uncle and aunt and destroy the beautiful family that he had once been a part of.

Although Alen and Elena were not his biological parents, they had always treated him like their own child. In fact, Ren had been considered the eldest child of their family. Before Aditya was born, he had received their love and attention, and even after Aditya’s birth, they had never treated him as someone who did not belong to the family.

He had grown up alongside Aditya, and for many years, they had shared a relationship that was no different from that of two real brothers. Although they were cousins by blood, Aditya had always considered Ren his elder brother. Similarly, Alen and Elena had trusted Ren and treated him as an important member of their family.

There had been a time when Ren had genuinely enjoyed being a part of that family. He remembered the days when he could freely enter his uncle and aunt’s chambers without needing permission.

He remembered how Elena would sometimes scold him for doing something foolish, just as she would scold her own son. He also remembered how Alen would patiently teach him different things about cultivation, politics, and the responsibilities of someone belonging to the Imperial Family.

Those memories had never completely disappeared from his heart. Even after betraying them and taking the throne, Ren had always carried a small amount of regret deep inside him.

After all, he had not betrayed strangers or people who had treated him badly. He had betrayed the very people who had raised him, cared for him, and trusted him. However, whenever that regret appeared, Ren would remind himself that he had obtained the throne, and that achievement was worth every sacrifice he had made.

At least, that was what he had always believed.

But tonight, things were different. With only six to eight hours remaining before the next battle, Ren could no longer ignore the possibility that he might lose everything. The throne that he had sacrificed so much to obtain was now in danger of being taken away from him, and for the first time in many years, he was being forced to seriously question whether everything he had done had truly been worth it.

’What if I had chosen another way? What if I had never betrayed Uncle Alen and Aunt Elena? Would things have turned out differently?’ Ren wondered while staring at the wine in his hand.

He knew that he had once possessed almost everything a person could ask for. He had been born into the Imperial Family, received the best education and cultivation resources, and enjoyed the love and support of some of the most powerful people in the Empire.

Even if he had never become the Emperor, he could have lived a comfortable and respected life. With his talent, background, and connections, he could have obtained an important position within the Empire without needing to betray anyone.

Perhaps he could have become one of Aditya’s most trusted supporters after his younger cousin inherited the throne. Perhaps the two of them could have worked together to make the Celestial Dragon Empire even stronger. Or perhaps he could have chosen a completely different path and built something of his own. There had been so many possibilities, yet Ren had rejected all of them because he wanted the throne for himself.

as becoming the Emperor really worth destroying everything I once had?’ Ren asked himself. For several seconds, he could not find an answer to that question. He had spent years convincing himself that he had made the correct decision, but now, as he sat alone with his thoughts, he could not help but wonder whether he had been wrong.

The small feeling of regret that he had always kept buried deep inside his heart was slowly growing stronger. For the first time in many years, Ren genuinely wished that he could return to the past and change some of his decisions.

He wished that he had never betrayed the people who had treated him like their own child. He wished that he had never allowed his desire for the throne to destroy the relationship he once shared with Aditya.

Unfortunately, no matter how much he regretted those decisions, he knew that it was already too late. He could not return to the past, undo his betrayal, or erase the suffering that his actions had caused. Even if he suddenly decided to surrender tomorrow and beg his uncle, aunt, and cousin for forgiveness, that would not change what he had already done. The sins he had committed for the throne would remain with him for the rest of his life.

Realising this, Ren slowly closed his eyes. For a brief moment, an expression of genuine sadness appeared on his face. He had sacrificed so much for the throne, and now he was facing the possibility of losing that very throne.

If that happened, then what would he have left? His uncle and aunt would never trust him again, his younger cousin had become his greatest enemy, and the organization that he had supported for so many years had already decided to abandon him.

However, as he continued thinking about everything he had lost, another feeling slowly began growing inside his heart. It was a feeling that he knew extremely well. His obsession with the throne.

For many years, that obsession had controlled almost every important decision he made. It was the reason he had betrayed his family, the reason he had worked with Leo’s organization, and the reason he had been willing to commit so many terrible acts. And even now, when he was finally beginning to understand just how much that obsession had cost him, he still could not bring himself to let it go.

Ren thought as his fingers slowly tightened around the wine glass.

His expression gradually began changing. The sadness that had been visible on his face did not completely disappear, but something darker was beginning to take its place. Even though a part of him regretted betraying his family, another part of him still believed that the throne was worth fighting for until the very end.

These two feelings existed inside him at the same time. He regretted destroying the family that had once loved him, but he still could not accept the idea of giving up the position that he had obtained through that betrayal. He knew that his actions had been wrong, yet he was unwilling to abandon the very thing that had caused him to commit those actions.

Ren thought bitterly. Although he understood that he was the one who had started this conflict, he could not stop himself from directing his anger toward his younger cousin. In his mind, Aditya had become the person standing between him and everything he wanted.

As long as Aditya remained alive, Ren would never be able to feel secure about his position as Emperor. And now, after everything that had happened, Ren had begun realising that defeating Aditya might no longer be possible through ordinary methods. However, that did not mean he was willing to accept defeat.

As that thought appeared, Ren slowly raised his head. The sadness in his eyes was gradually being replaced by a cold and frightening determination.

Ren slowly placed the wine glass on the table. A strange smile began appearing on his face as he thought,

At this point, Ren was no longer thinking only about winning the war. Of course, if there was still a way for him to defeat Aditya and remain the Emperor, he would gladly take that opportunity. However, if victory was truly impossible, then he was prepared to take a completely different path. He would make sure that his own destruction would also become Aditya’s destruction.

After all, Ren knew that he had already committed enough terrible acts to deserve punishment for the rest of his life. If there really was a hell waiting for people like him after death, then he was certain that he would end up there. And since he was already going to hell, he might as well drag his greatest enemy down with him.

Ren’s expression briefly darkened when he remembered the leader of the organization. However, he quickly pushed those thoughts aside because he understood that taking revenge against Leo was not something he could accomplish right now.

Aditya, on the other hand, was a different matter. Unlike Leo, Aditya would be present on the battlefield tomorrow. And although his younger cousin had become far stronger than Ren had ever expected, Ren believed that he still possessed a method that could kill him.

As Ren thought about this, the strange smile on his face slowly widened. He had already begun considering something extremely dangerous, and the possibility of losing his own life no longer frightened him as much as it once would have.

Meanwhile, his lover continued sitting beside him in silence. She had noticed the changes in his expression. Earlier, he had looked completely defeated and lost in his thoughts. For a while, there had even been a strange sadness in his eyes, something she rarely saw from him.

However, that sadness had gradually been replaced by something that made her feel uncomfortable. Ren was now smiling to himself, but there was something about that smile that made her feel uneasy.

She could not understand what had happened inside his mind during those long minutes of silence, nor did she know what kind of decision he had just made. And because Ren had not said anything, she decided not to ask.

Ren slowly closed his eyes as that final thought settled inside his mind. For the first time since the battle had ended, he no longer felt completely lost.

He had finally decided what he would do if tomorrow’s battle did not go according to his wishes. Although a part of him still regretted the terrible choices that had brought him to this point, that regret was now buried beneath his obsession with the throne.

And if his story was going to end tomorrow, then Ren was determined to make sure that Aditya’s story ended alongside his own.

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