Reborn as a Useless Noble with my SSS-Class Innate Talent

Chief God Arkenas sat on his grand throne, the lightless void around him pulsing with fragments of divine code and system glyphs only he could command.

His expression twisted when the notification flashed across his vision:

[Second God of the New Generation recognized. Authority granted.]

His jaw clenched.

"So it's true. Another one of them has ascended."

He muttered, voice echoing in the hollow space, sharp with frustration.

Arkenas slammed his fist against the armrest, sending ripples of divine energy tearing through the void.

Fragments of half-formed realms shattered like glass, collapsing into motes of dead starlight. He leaned forward, brow furrowed, and growled.

"Why are the people on my side so utterly useless? The pawns I planted can't even hold their ground. And yet… those Kyle Armstrong brought—always too competent, too resilient. Balance must be restored."

He reached out with his mind, summoning the familiar thread that tied him to his trusted subordinate.

"Lucia. Come to me."

His voice carried through the system, woven with divine authority.

No answer.

Arkenas narrowed his eyes, his senses stretching further.

He probed through layers of the system, searching.

Her signature was faint but undeniable—Lucia was still here, buried within the divine lattice, yet her presence resisted his pull. She had deliberately walled herself off.

For a moment, fury overcame him. The screen of divine code in front of him cracked under his palm as he almost struck it apart.

Light flickered wildly, threatening collapse, before he forced himself to draw back. Slowly, he exhaled, his cold composure returning.

"No… I won't let myself be baited. There's no need to worry—not yet."

Arkenas leaned back, fingers tapping rhythmically against the throne.

"Even if one or two of them manage to grasp the title of god, they remain bound by the system. And the system… still bends to me. They cannot escape obedience."

His lips curved into a thin smile.

"But now—it is time. If they want a war of gods, I'll ensure my side has gods of its own."

He snapped his fingers, opening a vast communication link, immediately connecting to the people he had called forth as god candidates.

"My children, the balance is shifting. The other side dares to take what belongs to me. But you need not fear. I will guide you to the system itself."

Arkenas intoned, his voice a mixture of silk and steel. A map shimmered into being, pulsing with radiant points where divine authority pooled.

"Find these locations. Claim them. Seize the authority before they do. Show them the glory of my will—and be reborn as gods of the new age."

There was no answer but Arkenas knew the other side had heard him. Arkenas dismissed them with a gesture, his smile sharpening.

"Let us see how your so-called heroes stand when they face gods raised by my hand."

Meanwhile, far from the void, Melissa and Bruce pushed through an endless corridor of white mist, guided only by the glowing map projected before them.

Each step was heavy, but their determination carried them forward.

Bruce kept glancing at the shimmering endpoint marked on the map.

"This has to be it. The second location. Once you take it, Melissa, we'll both—"

He muttered, his grip tightening on his sword.

But his words were cut off by a thunderous chime.

[The Third God of the New Age has taken their place.]

Both froze.

Melissa whipped her head toward the map. The marker ahead of them flared… then dimmed, as though sealed. She felt her stomach drop.

"What? But we're right here!"

Bruce's face hardened, his eyes narrowing.

"That means… someone else got here first."

"Not from our side. Which means—"

Melissa whispered, her voice taut. Her heart hammered as she gripped her weapon, scanning the mist.

The mist around them thickened, oppressive, as if something vast stirred within. The air shuddered with the echo of divine laughter, cruel and triumphant.

Melissa's jaw tightened.

"Arkenas's hand… it's already moving."

She and Bruce exchanged a grim look. Whatever awaited them ahead was no longer theirs to claim. A new god had risen—and it was not an ally.

Melissa and Bruce cut through the endless corridors of mist, their pace relentless.

The sting of failure from missing the third location still lingered in Melissa's chest, but the map shimmering before them flickered and shifted once more.

New coordinates lit up, further away, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat.

Melissa frowned.

"This… isn't one of the marked locations."

Bruce narrowed his eyes at the shifting glyphs.

"No. It's new. Which means the system just opened another route. Untouched, unclaimed."

He exhaled sharply, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

"That's our chance."

Without hesitation, they followed the trail. The mist parted slowly, giving way to a vast chamber unlike anything they had seen before.

Columns of divine crystal rose like mountains, stretching endlessly into the sky, each one humming with raw energy.

Between the columns drifted guardians—divine entities, semi-formed figures of radiant light, their shapes twisting between angels and beasts, their presence suffocating.

Melissa's breath caught.

"So these are the system's defenders…"

Bruce's hand moved to his sword, his entire aura sharpening like a drawn blade.

"Then this confirms it. No one's been here yet. These things exist to keep intruders away until the chosen one arrives."

Melissa turned to him quickly.

"We can take them together—"

But Bruce shook his head firmly, stepping forward. His mana surged outward, a storm of raw battle intent filling the chamber.

"No. This time, you don't fight."

Her eyes widened.

"What?"

"You heard me. You're going to that system core, Melissa. You're going to claim your place as a god. That's not negotiable."

His voice was steady, carrying none of hesitation he sometimes wore when speaking to her.

Melissa's hand tightened around her weapon.

"And what about you? You'll be swarmed if you try to face them all alone."

Bruce smirked, though his eyes glowed with deadly seriousness.

"I'll manage. I didn't come this far just to watch you lose your chance. I already got mine. Now it's your turn. I'll hold them, no matter how many come at me."

The divine entities stirred, their faceless heads tilting toward the intruders. Low, resonant sounds echoed, like the ringing of countless bells in unison.

The air grew thick, oppressive with divine hostility.

Melissa clenched her fists.

"Bruce, this isn't about turns—it's about survival. If you fall—"

"Then I fall. But if you waste time worrying about me, then we both lose everything. Listen, Melissa. You always said you wanted to stand as Kyle's shield. This is your chance. Go prove it."

Bruce cut in sharply, glancing back at her with blazing determination.

Melissa's throat tightened. His words hit her harder than the entities' oppressive aura.

Before she could respond, Bruce roared, unleashing his mana in a violent burst that sent cracks racing across the floor. The divine guardians responded instantly, dozens of radiant forms rushing forward.

Steel flashed as Bruce leapt into the storm, his blade carving arcs of light through the entities.

The chamber erupted in a clash of divine might and mortal will, each strike of his sword resounding like thunder.

Melissa's heart pounded. Every part of her screamed to join the fight at his side. But Bruce's words, his resolve, anchored her feet.

She whispered, almost painfully,

"Don't you dare die on me, Bruce."

Then she turned and ran toward the system core.

The crystal columns bent inward the deeper she went, guiding her toward a central altar where a pulsating sphere of light hovered.

Its brilliance was overwhelming, like a miniature sun, threads of divine code spiraling around it.

The system's voice rang in her mind:

[Unclaimed authority detected. Candidate identified. Place your hand and prove your worth.]

Melissa's steps faltered for just a moment as she glanced back.

Far behind her, Bruce was a blazing figure surrounded by endless enemies, his aura refusing to yield. His shouts of defiance echoed through the chamber.

She tightened her jaw, forcing her gaze forward.

"I'll do it. For him. For Kyle. For all of us."

Raising her hand, Melissa pressed it against the sphere. The light enveloped her, burning, testing, weighing every fragment of her soul.

And as Bruce's battle raged on behind her, the system began to decide whether Melissa Armstrong was worthy of becoming the next god.