Cronus' system: Against the gods

Rex stood amidst the stillness of the battlefield, the victorious rush still coursing through him. The debris of the fight lay scattered around him, and yet his mind was caught in the flood of level-up notifications flashing before his eyes.

He had known this moment would come, but to actually experience it, this surge of power was awe-inspiring. The reward for his trials was more than just an increase in strength; it was the unlocking of Aegis of Eternity, the defensive skill he'd longed for since he began his journey.

Rex had always been quick on his feet, and his strength had never failed him. But defense? He'd never really had an ability to protect himself fully until now. Aegis of Eternity was the answer to his most pressing vulnerability. The idea of being able to create a bubble where time itself stood still, where damage simply didn't matter... It was something beyond his imagination.

His fingers hovered over his stats screen, ready to distribute his ability points. The weight of his decision rested heavily on him. This was no ordinary leveling-up process; it was a moment of self-reflection, an opportunity to shape himself into the warrior he needed to be.

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: 158Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Agility: 182

Endurance: 134

Intelligence: 134

Aether: 180/180

Available Ability Points: 300

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(25 hours)

The numbers glowed before him, tempting him to make hasty decisions. His strength was already formidable, his agility lightning-fast.

Rex felt the familiar presence of Cronus' voice deep within him, resonating with wisdom and calm.

"Rex, remember," Cronus said, his tone unwavering. "True power isn't found in brute strength or speed alone. The balance of offense and defense is what will guide you through what's to come. You've already learned to strike, but now, you must learn to endure. Use your points wisely."

"Endurance uh?" Rex creased his brows "I need to focus on intelligence and endurance now" He said and then stacked 60 points into endurance and 40 points into Intelligence.

"Yeah, no way I'm gonna ignore strength and speed still" Rex said as he proceeded to his strength stats, dumping 100 points and 100 points into agility and strength respectively.

His new stats were:

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(25 hours)

Rex stood frozen, his gaze lost in the swirling maelstrom of his thoughts. The weight of everything that had just transpired hung heavily on his mind, yet his senses seemed to drift, unanchored, in the vast expanse of his own uncertainty.

"What are you doing, staring off into blank space like that?" Hercules' booming voice broke through the fog in Rex's mind. The mighty warrior dropped his massive club with a thud, shaking Rex out of his stupor with a firm clap on the back.

Rex flinched, his heart skipping a beat. "Um... nothing really," he muttered, brushing off his dazed state, trying to redirect his focus. He cleared his throat, a nervous energy replacing the heaviness in his chest. "We really need to go check on Jefferson... He must be having a hard time... alone."

Hercules chuckled, his broad smile warm yet knowing, his deep eyes crinkling at the edges. He placed a hand on Rex's shoulder, squeezing it with an understanding that only came from years of experience. "You don't need to worry about Jefferson," Hercules said, his voice softening. "Even Zeus would be cautious around him... and that's saying something. He's a little shadow boy, but a mighty one."

Rex blinked, his thoughts catching on the words. "Even... Zeus?" His voice was a breathless whisper, disbelief creeping into his tone.

Cronus, never one to remain silent for long, erupted in Rex's mind, his words rapid and panicked, like a disjointed series of hiccups. "No... way! He lies! Lies, Rex! Zeus would never fall to a demi-god no matter how powerful! It's impossible! Don't believe his trash talk!"

Rex could feel Cronus' panic thrumming beneath his consciousness, a nervous, almost frantic energy. It rattled his thoughts, but something about Hercules' calm demeanor steadied him.

He turned his attention back to the warrior before him, his voice a mixture of awe and caution. "And... you trained him?"

Hercules' smile faded slightly, his eyes narrowing as he stared off into the distance, his expression clouding with something deeper. A sense of solemnity washed over him, and Rex could see the weight of unspoken truths resting heavily on his mentor's broad shoulders. Hercules sighed, his breath a slow exhale, like he was releasing something more than air.

"I trained Jefferson in the ways of fighting, yes," he murmured. "But his power... It's beyond anything I could have prepared him for. I... I can't even comprehend it. It's on a level I didn't think was possible." His voice trailed off, the magnitude of his own admission hanging between them like an unspoken challenge.

Rex's heart raced, the uncertainty clawing at him. What kind of power was he really dealing with? The truth of it began to gnaw at Rex, making him question the very foundations of what he thought he understood about strength.

"Harbinger! Harbinger, listen to me!" Cronus shrieked in his mind, the frantic voice cutting through the reverberating silence. "This is nonsense! He's exaggerating! You've faced far worse than this little demi-god! Don't listen to him!"

Rex's hand instinctively rose to his temple, the familiar weight of Cronus' rants pressing down on him. He gave a soft, almost apologetic sigh as he muttered to himself, "Keep it down, Cronus."

Hercules turned his head slightly, his eyes still lost in the distance, staring into the endless sky as if searching for answers in the shifting clouds.

His voice was quiet now, carrying a somber tone that Rex hadn't heard from him before. "But even so... I sense a bad omen," he said, his voice laden with a gravity Rex had never heard from the seasoned warrior. "It would still be wise to check on Jefferson. For all our sakes."

***********

BAAAM!!! Booom!!! Uwaaaak!!!

Jefferson's punches left Lucius' body weak and limp as he collapsed on the floor, unable to fight again.

Jefferson stood tall amidst the carnage of their battle, his expression as stoic and unreadable as ever. His eyes, cold and focused, looked down at Lucius' battered form, the faintest glimmer of exhaustion flickering behind them. The ground around them was scorched, cracked, and stained with the marks of the brutal fight. Lucius, once full of arrogant defiance, now lay crumpled in a heap, his body trembling as the final blow left him broken and near death.

The echoes of the clash still reverberated through the air, but it was as if time itself had slowed, the tension stretching with a terrible, inevitable conclusion.

Lucius' breaths were ragged, his eyes wide with disbelief, unable to fathom the defeat he had just suffered. The power he had boasted, the dark shadow energy that had twisted around him like a vengeful storm, had been insufficient in the face of Jefferson's unrelenting force. A grim smile spread across Lucius' bloodied lips, a twisted laugh escaping his throat as his hand trembled toward his waist.

"You're... too late," Lucius rasped, his voice weak but still carrying a hint of malicious glee.

Before Jefferson could react, Lucius pulled a gleaming crystal from his belt, its dark surface swirling with a mysterious, eerie light. It was the Leviathan Crystal, . The very air around it seemed to pulse with raw, untamed power, like the very heartbeat of an ancient beast.

Jefferson's eyes widened, his heart pounding in his chest as he realized what was happening. His instincts screamed at him to stop Lucius, to destroy the crystal before it could be consumed. But there was no time.

Lucius's grin grew as he raised the crystal to his lips, his eyes glinting with maniacal purpose. With a final, defiant laugh, he bit down on the crystal, shattering it in an instant. The sound was sickening, like the crack of thunder on a storm-lashed sea.

A wave of intense, black energy surged from the shattered crystal, engulfing Lucius in an instant. The dark power consumed him, and for a moment, Jefferson could do nothing but watch in horrified silence as Lucius' body contorted and writhed. The raw, chaotic energy coursed through him, tearing at his flesh and reshaping him into something... beyond. His form blurred and shifted, a dark, monstrous figure taking shape as the energy began to fuse with his very essence.

Lucius's eyes, now glowing with an unholy light, locked onto Jefferson's with terrifying intensity. "I...am...inevitable" Lucius muttered, his voice now a distorted echo, carrying the weight of a god's power. He stood taller, the air around him crackling with a violent aura that threatened to tear the world apart. His form was no longer human, no longer even mortal.

"I am beyond you now, Jefferson," Lucius boomed, his voice now deep and resonant with the echoes of the ancient creature that had imbued him with such strength. "Beyond anything you could ever comprehend."

Jefferson's eyes glowed silver again but he was interrupted. The air around him shattered with a powerful crack and suddenly, the teleportation crystal glowed brightly, signaling the arrival of reinforcements. Hercules and Rex materialized, stepping into the battlefield with a flash of energy.

Rex's heart skipped a beat as he took in the sight before him: the overwhelming, monstrous form of Lucius, towering in the distance, radiating an aura that felt both alien and suffocating. His eyes locked with Jefferson's, who stood at the center of the chaos, seemingly frozen in place, his face betraying a rare flicker of concern.

"What... what the hell is that?" Rex whispered, his voice trembling, as Hercules' eyes narrowed, a deep frown pulling at his face.

"We're too late," Hercules muttered, his voice low and grim. "The Leviathan crystal… He's consumed it."