Cronus' system: Against the gods

The Shades howled, their cries like the wails of countless grieving wolves, a sound that crawled into the marrow of the soul.

It was not merely a sound but an emotion, a lamentation of agony and longing, echoing with the anguish they carried in life and the torment binding them in death.

Their cries hung in the air like a heavy mist, thick with sorrow and regret, the kind of sound that could haunt a man long after his battles were won.

These were not mere shadows. They were tethered fragments, bound to the outskirts of Hades by their own despair.

Neither worthy of Elysium nor condemned to Tartarus, they existed in a liminal purgatory, a mockery of rest, their "anchors" glinting faintly like cursed chains.

Rex cracked his knuckles, the sharp pop cutting through the eerie cries like a defiant battle cry. Though he felt a pang of sympathy for their plight, he couldn't let himself wallow.

Compassion had no place in the heat of a fight. Besides, he knew his task was their salvation.

"Simulations or not, you guys are messed up," Rex muttered, rubbing his lips with a growing smirk. "Guess it's my job to set you free... and rack up some XP while I'm at it." His voice rose, brimming with his trademark cocky flair. "Cronus! Don't let me turn into a softie, yeah?"

Without hesitation, Rex surged forward, his fists blazing with Aether, a bright glow in the dim haze of Hades.

Instead of meeting the nearest Shade head-on, he feinted, a perfectly executed backflip that sent him soaring above its twisted, gaunt form.

The Shade hissed, its elongated arms snapping forward with grotesque speed, fingers distorting into clawed appendages that raked the air with a sickening whip.

The claws stretched unnaturally, growing wider as they aimed for Rex mid-air.

"Not today!" Rex bellowed, igniting the Aether in his legs. The energy surged like a coiled spring, propelling him downward with bone-shattering force. His glowing fist struck with pinpoint accuracy.

CRACK!

The Anchor shattered beneath his blow, the metallic chain erupting into ghostly fragments that dissipated into the void.

<System Notification: Memories of the Shade Acquired. XP +500>

Rex landed in a crouch, the shards of the Anchor still fading into mist. But before he could even breathe, an enormous, ghastly hand emerged from the gloom, descending toward him like the shadow of a thundercloud. Its sheer size seemed to blot out what little light the Aether provided.

"Damn it!" Rex growled, his instincts kicking in. His eyes burned with icy blue light as he hissed, "Temporal Rift!"

The hand froze mid-air, suspended in the distorted haze of halted time. The Shade that owned it reeled back in confusion, its hollow eyes searching for its missing appendage. It shrieked in frustration, a sound that made the air tremble.

"Five seconds," Rex muttered under his breath, his voice icy calm, though his pulse thundered in his ears. "That's all I need."

He shot forward like a comet, each stride cutting through the heavy mist with raw determination. Every second was precious.

As he closed in, his fist drew back, glowing like a sun aimed for the Shade's Anchor. Victory seemed inevitable.

But then, the air tore with a deathly scream, and another hand materialized before him. This one moved faster than he could react.

It caught him.

The Shade's ghostly grip tightened around his torso like a vice, lifting him off the ground. Rex's breath hitched as a wave of icy numbness flooded his body, spreading from the Shade's fingers and gnawing at his strength. His vision blurred as if the very essence of his being was unraveling.

<Aether Levels: 100/180>

"Damn it... Soul Drain, huh?" Rex groaned through gritted teeth, his voice strained. "Figures these bastards would suck the life right out of me, literally!"

The world around him began to shift unnaturally, the scene unraveling like a tape rewinding. Every motion, every blow, reversed itself. The sensation was dizzying, but Rex forced himself to focus.

"Good," he whispered as the sequence rewound to the moment just before he charged the Anchor. "Time Rewind: five seconds complete."

His feet hit solid ground again, his chest rising and falling with labored breaths. He staggered for a moment but quickly steadied himself.

His mind raced as he replayed the encounter in his head. The Shades' weaknesses were clear now. Their bodies were intangible, until they struck.

A smirk tugged at Rex's lips as he rolled his shoulders, a flame of determination igniting in his chest. "You're vulnerable when you attack, huh? Fine. Let's see if I can bait you into making a mistake."

The Shades howled again, their cries somehow louder, more desperate, as if sensing Rex's defiance. But this time, Rex was ready.

"Let's dance," Rex growled, a wild smirk pulling at his lips. He spread his palm wide, and the air around him crackled with raw energy. Aether began swirling into his hand like a torrent, threads of brilliant blue and white converging into a glowing sphere. It pulsed with an otherworldly light, humming with barely contained power.

"Guess what? I just came up with this skill," Rex muttered, his tone cocky yet tinged with exhilaration. "Haven't even named it yet."

In the distance, a Shade let out a blood-curdling howl, its hollow, malevolent eyes flaring like twin infernos in the darkness. The cry cut through the air, vibrating with fury, as if the very sound could peel away the layers of a man's resolve. Rex's heart thudded in response, but his smirk only grew wider.

The sphere of Aether in his palm swelled, growing larger with each passing second, until it reached the size of a grapefruit, fifteen centimeters in diameter, glowing like a miniature star.

<System Notification: Aether Ball: 15cm – Cost: 30 Aether>

"Thirty Aether already? Damn it!" Rex grumbled. He could feel the drain in his core, his energy reserves dipping with alarming speed. But this wasn't the time to hesitate.

He leaped high into the air, the sphere blazing in his hand like a comet. Below, the Shade stretched its grotesque hands forward, its elongated claws slashing upward to swat him out of the sky.

"Oh no, you don't!" Rex roared, his voice carrying defiant fury. His eyes flared with icy brilliance as he activated Temporal Rift.

Time fractured. The Shade froze mid-motion, its claws halted in the air like jagged statues. The world around Rex seemed to distort, the shadows rippling as though caught in a time-storm.

"Gotcha," Rex muttered, diving headfirst toward his target, his Aether sphere burning brighter with each passing moment.

The Shade's hollow eyes flickered as time snapped back, its head swiveling in an almost panicked motion. But it was too late. Rex drove the Aether sphere directly into its face, his voice booming like a war cry.

"AETHER NOVA!!!"

The sphere detonated on impact, unleashing a cataclysmic explosion of light and force. The ground quaked as the blast erupted outward in a brilliant shockwave, engulfing everything in a dazzling burst of Aetheric fire. The Shade's hollow wail was drowned out as its form disintegrated, fragments of shadow shredded into nothingness.

The shockwave hurled Rex backward like a ragdoll. He hit the ground hard, sliding across the cracked terrain before skidding to a halt. His breath came in ragged gasps, his entire body trembling from the effort.

A moment of silence hung in the aftermath, the air thick with the acrid tang of burnt Aether. Wisps of energy floated upward, fading into the void.

Rex groaned, propping himself up on his elbows. His smirk returned, despite the ache in his muscles. "Aether Nova, huh? Not bad for a name I pulled outta nowhere."

<System Notification: Shade Defeated. XP +1200. Aether Level: 70/180.>

<system notification: Memories of the shade acquired: + 500xp>

"Seventy left…" Rex winced, rubbing the back of his neck. "Man, that thing was a freaking energy vacuum. Gotta be more careful next time."

"Thou hast done well! I am impressed!!" Cronus surprisingly praised Rex, his tone hearty.

Rex blinked in shock, sitting up straighter. "Wait… what? Did you just praise me? Like, actual praise? Not some cryptic riddle or backhanded insult?"

Cronus' voice carried an amused tone. "Indeed, thou hast exceeded my expectations. Thy resourcefulness and flair for naming skills on the fly are commendable."

Rex chuckled, rubbing his chin smugly. "Well, you know me, talented, charming, devastatingly handsome, and apparently Shade-destroying extraordinaire.

Cronus sighed. "Must thou ruin every moment of gravitas with thy incessant jesting?"

Rex shrugged, standing up and brushing off the dust. "It's called staying humble, big guy. Keeps me grounded."

Suddenly, a noise was heard, a low, guttural growl, deep and resonant, reverberating through the shadowed expanse like a distant thunderclap.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Rex froze, his senses sharpening instantly. His smirk faded into a focused line, his gaze snapping toward the source of the sound.

The air grew heavier, a palpable tension pressing down on him as a figure emerged from the gloom.

It wasn't another Shade.

No, this presence was far more menacing. It moved with deliberate grace, its form towering and wreathed in shadow. As it stepped into the faint glow of Aether's lingering light, Rex's breath hitched.

The figure was unmistakably feminine, yet her aura was suffused with wrath and vengeance, an unrelenting force of nature.

Her hair was a cascade of dark tendrils that writhed as though alive, and her eyes burned with an intense crimson glow.

In one hand, she gripped a barbed whip, its length dripping with what looked like molten shadows.

Her armor, sleek and black, glinted with an unnatural sheen, jagged edges reflecting the faint light like the sharp grin of a predator.

Name: Erinyes

Role: Enforcers of Justice

Class: Tier one greater beast

Strength: 200

Agility: 290

Endurance: 200

Intelligence: 150

Ability: Curse Infliction: can place powerful curses on those who have committed wrongdoings, such as eternal pain, madness, or misfortune.

Wings of Shadow: massive, bat-like wings grants incredible mobility in battle, capable of summoning storms or razor-sharp feathers as projectiles.

Fire manipulation: Can summon the element of vengeance, Fire, to aid in battle

Origin:

As Uranus' blood spilled onto Gaia , it mingled with her fertile soil. From this union of divine blood and earth, several beings were born, one of them....the Eryines.