Cronus' system: Against the gods

Rex arrived before the gates with a confident look on his face.

Despite the grim surroundings, Rex wore a confident smirk, but underneath it was a storm of doubt and frustration.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

He couldn't forget the recent fallout with Lucius and his gang, the memory of his helplessness burned in his mind. If it hadn't been for Hercules and Jefferson, he'd have been another casualty of Lucius' growing shadow.

The thought lingered, sour and heavy, but Rex refused to let it show. He clenched his fists, feeling the faint hum of Aether beneath his skin, and took a steadying breath.

"So, Cronus," Rex began, his voice carrying a forced bravado that barely masked his unease. "Should I be expecting a fancy key to this gate, or can I just smash through it? Because, honestly, that'd be way more satisfying."

The silence around him felt oppressive, broken only by the faint creaks of the spectral chains shifting in the nonexistent breeze.

It felt strange. Cerberus had guarded the first gate, its menacing presence etched into Rex's memory. But here, there was no keeper, no hulking beast standing watch. The absence gnawed at him.

"The key opens all the gates in Tartarus," Cronus finally answered, his voice a low rumble that seemed to rise from the depths of the world itself. "All thou hast to do is summon it, as thou summoneth thy sword."

Rex nodded, stretching his hands forward as tendrils of Aether coalesced around his fingers, glowing like liquid starlight.

"So that's how it is, huh?" he muttered, his tone lightening as a mischievous grin spread across his face. "Well, can I summon some cookies from your dimension too? You know, fuel up again before driving into doom?"

He drew a circle in the air with practiced precision, the Aether responding like a brush to his will. Images of the Key of Hades flooded his mind.

The glow of Aether intensified, and with a sudden spark, the key materialized in his hand.

The Key of Hades materialized in his hands, a reminder of the Cerberus' ferocius paws and outstanding endurance. Heck! That battle still etched into his memory even now. "Hmm? Cronus, the cookies?"

"…?"

Rex frowned, turning the key over in his hands. "Uh, Cronus? You didn't answer me." He raised an eyebrow, waving the key slightly as though it could draw Cronus' attention. "Can I summon cookies from your dimension or what?"

"…?"

"C'mon," Rex muttered, shaking his head. "Don't go silent on me now. You can't just dangle omnipotent baking powers in front of a guy and not deliver."

The lack of response didn't really bother Rex. He had gotten used to Cronus' deadpan reactions or lack thereof. "Hmph! Lightening the mood helps, you know," he muttered under his breath, gripping the key tighter. "But nooo, you've got to be all cryptic and broody, don't you? Typical."

As he stepped closer, the gates loomed over him like the jaws of a great beast waiting to devour its prey. Rex tried not to think about how small he felt compared to them.

He thrust the key into what he assumed was the keyhole, its jagged edges fitting with a faint click.

The reaction was immediate. A searing green light exploded outward from the gate, swallowing the ancient iron and spilling over the jagged terrain like molten emeralds.

The key in his hand grew unbearably hot, its surface thrumming with a power that seemed far older than anything he had encountered.

"Okay, that's... definitely not normal!" Rex muttered, trying to yank his hand back. But the key wouldn't budge, it felt fused to his palm. Panic began to bubble beneath his practiced bravado as the light crept up his arms, crawling like sentient fire across his skin.

"Uh... Cronus? A little explanation here, please!" His voice wavered slightly, the first crack in his carefully maintained confidence. The light, warm at first, grew colder and sharper as it traveled over him. His muscles tensed involuntarily, his breaths growing shallow.

"…!"

Nothing. No response. Just the oppressive hum of the gate's power and the relentless advance of the light.

"Sorry about the cookie jokes, Crony," Rex gasped, his voice laced with mounting desperation. "Just tell me what's... going... on!"

Before he could finish, the light surged up his neck and over his face, cutting off his words. It was like drowning in brilliance, his senses overwhelmed by the cold fire that consumed him.

His muffled cries faded into silence as his body began to disintegrate, breaking apart into luminous fragments. Each piece of him dissolved into the light, scattering like shards of a shattered mirror.

For a moment, there was nothing. No sound. No sensation. Just an all-encompassing void.

Then, with a sudden jolt, Rex found himself whole again, his feet hitting solid ground. He stumbled forward, blinking rapidly as his vision adjusted to his new surroundings.

The landscape before him was vast and desolate, stretching endlessly in all directions. The ground was a sickly shade of ash-gray, cracked and uneven, as though the earth itself had been scorched by ancient flames. Jagged, obsidian-like spires jutted out of the terrain, clawing at a sky that churned with unnatural colors, swirling reds, purples, and blacks that bled into one another like an open wound.

"Great. Just great," Rex muttered, his voice breaking the eerie silence. He turned in a slow circle, trying to take in his surroundings, but it only made his unease grow. The horizon was jagged and irregular, as though the world had been torn apart and hastily stitched back together by careless hands.

In the distance, faint green lights flickered, resembling ghostly will-o'-the-wisps dancing just beyond his reach. The landscape seemed alive in its own unsettling way, the ground shifting subtly beneath his feet as though something massive stirred beneath it.

"Cronus," Rex said, his voice quieter now, tinged with genuine apprehension. "Where... am I?"

A pause. Then, finally, the ancient voice rumbled in his mind.

"Thou hast entered the gates of Hypnos and Thanatos... A domain where both gods reside!"

The words struck Rex like a hammer to the chest, leaving him reeling. His breath hitched, and his heart felt as though it had shattered into a thousand fragile shards. Gods?! His mind raced, the weight of Cronus' statement crushing the confidence he'd carried through the gate.

"Crony," Rex stammered, his voice trembling, "I was here to fight shades, maybe take on a few tough monsters but gods? You've got to be kidding me! I'm nowhere near ready for something like that. Not even close!"

"Hmph! Fearful Harbinger," Cronus' voice reverberated in his mind, a mix of disdain and reassurance. "As I have already explained, this place is under my control. Tis but a reflection of the real Hades, a simulation designed to prepare thee for what lies ahead. The power of Hypnos and Thanatos hath been diminished to match thine own."

The words hit Rex like a wave of cool water, quelling the firestorm of anxiety in his chest. His heart seemed to rearrange itself, the fractured pieces coming back together, albeit shakily. He let out a long, shaky sigh, relief washing over him.

"Right... I forgot," Rex muttered, more to himself than Cronus. "This is just a simulation, not the real deal." He ran a hand through his hair, his breathing finally beginning to steady. "Man, you've got to work on your delivery. Lead with that next time, will you?"

"Now wilt thou focus on the task at hand?" Cronus retorted, his tone sharp and impatient.

Rex straightened up, his earlier panic giving way to determination. "Yeah, yeah. I'm good now.

Suddenly, a shiver ran through him, and his instincts screamed a warning. The shadows ahead rippled unnaturally, pooling together as if summoned by some unseen force.

Slowly, humanoid figures began to emerge from the darkness. Their forms were indistinct, silhouettes that seemed to bleed into the air around them.

Their glowing, malevolent eyes were like twin embers in a void, locking onto him with a chilling intensity.

"Shades," Rex muttered.

The figures moved closer, their forms gliding rather than walking. A faint, sickly green aura clung to them, and the air around Rex grew colder, making his breath fog up despite the lack of natural chill.

"Alright, Crony, give me something to work with here," Rex whispered, activating God's Eyes.

Name: Shades of Despair

Strength: 100

Speed: 110

Endurance: 80

Intelligence: 20

Description: Shadowy figures that appear as humanoid silhouettes with glowing eyes, these are souls that failed to cross into the afterlife and are now bound to the temple.

Abilities:

Soul Drain: Slowly saps the life force of any living creature nearby.

Intangibility: Can phase through walls and attacks.

"So weak!" Rex spat in disgust as his own stats flashed before his eyes.

Name: Rex Xander

Level: 38

XP to next level: 0/1,900,000xp

Race: Human (Hero of Time)

Class: Cerberus Slayer (Effect: gains 2x more XP from killing wolf-like creatures)

Strength: 258

Agility: 282

Endurance: 194

Intelligence: 174

Aether: 180/180

Available Ability Points: 0

Active skills:

Aegis of Eternity level 1(XP to next lv 0/300xp): (Cost: 5 Aether per one second)

Harbinger can create a timeless bubble that isolates them from time's flow. Inside the bubble, they are immune to damage, healing rapidly or simply freezing in place until it's safe to emerge.

Passive Skills

Fate's eyes

Titan's will: Cooldown time left(24 hours)

"Not to talk of me being able to rewind time by 5 seconds and also use temporal rift for five seconds without Aether, this would be a piece a cake"

A/N: Don't unlock the next chapter. I got exams....um.....sorry, *Sigh* school life