Cronus' system: Against the gods

Rex stared at his trembling hands, the crimson stains stark against his pallid skin. Each droplet of blood glistened like molten rubies in the flickering light of the battlefield.

It wasn't just blood, it was power. Somehow, impossibly, a single drop had been enough to bring down an immortal being.

He swallowed hard, the metallic tang of ash and blood still lingering in the air. "So… that's it," he muttered, his voice hollow, as if trying to convince himself.

His lips curled into a smirk, masking the storm of emotions swirling within. "She died because of my blood. Guess I really am one hell of a guy."

"Wait," he blurted, the realization striking like a bolt of lightning. His gaze darted to the empty air, searching for the familiar glow of a notification. "That still counts as a kill, right? Where's the damn notification?!"

His voice echoed across the desolate battlefield, answered only by the mournful whistle of the wind. He felt a prickle of doubt creeping into his chest, but then it came:

<System Alert: +650,000 XP Gained.>

Relief washed over him like a wave. "Whew!" Rex exhaled, his shoulders sagging as a wry grin tugged at the corners of his lips. "Finally! At least the system is still working."

The rush of victory ebbed, leaving behind a dull ache in his muscles and a gnawing awareness of how precarious his situation still was.

He glanced warily at the scorched horizon, where ominous clouds churned like a living beast, and the faint echoes of distant roars rumbled through the air. He clenched his fists, the bloodstains now dry and dark against his palms.

"Right," he muttered to himself. "No time to celebrate. Who knows what's lurking out there?"

Dropping to the ground, he folded his legs beneath him, his posture deliberate and steady despite his battered body.

The dry, charred earth felt coarse against his skin, but Rex forced himself to ignore the discomfort. He closed his eyes, letting the darkness envelop him like a cocoon.

"Time to gather some Aether for the journey ahead," he whispered, his voice resolute.

The air shifted around him, faint wisps of energy swirling as he focused inward. A tingling sensation crept through his veins, like the first touch of frost on a winter morning.

Each breath pulled fragments of the world's essence into him, a faint glow emanating from his core.

10 seconds.

<System Alert: +20 Aether Gained.>

The sensation deepened, the trickle of energy building into a steady flow. Rex's mind drifted, not to peace, but to clarity, a razor-sharp focus on his next steps.

90 seconds later.

<System Alert: Aether Reserves Filled.>

A faint smile broke across Rex's lips as his eyes fluttered open, a renewed energy gleaming in their depths.

He rose to his feet, brushing the ash from his chest with a casual flick of his hand. The glow of his Aether reserves hummed within him, a comforting presence against the unknown dangers ahead.

"Perfect," Rex murmured, his voice laced with faint amusement as he rolled his shoulders, a subtle hum of energy coursing through him. His limbs felt lighter, his body attuned to the renewed Aether swirling in his veins.

He clenched his fists experimentally, the faint crackle of power escaping like static electricity. "Now, let's see what Hades' little playground has in store for me next."

"I pray that thou likest it!" Cronus' voice echoed suddenly, dripping with that infuriatingly playful tone that always set Rex on edge.

Rex froze mid-step, his instincts flaring like a sudden wildfire. Slowly, he turned his head as if expecting a trap to spring from the shadows.

"Whenever you talk like that," he hissed, narrowing his eyes, "it's either I almost die or I surely die. So which is it this time?!"

His words cut the silence like a knife, but Cronus' response was maddeningly cryptic. "Find out thyself, but I'll advise ye to tread carefully… and wisely."

The final word lingered in the air like the smell of smoke before a blaze.

Rex let out a frustrated grunt, throwing his arms up. "Hmph! Of course. You're so damn helpful." He began walking again, every step deliberate as his gaze swept the barren landscape.

His God's Eyes glowed faintly, twin pools of gold-blue light, cutting through the hazy gloom like searchlights.

Shadows twisted and recoiled from his vision, yet the horizon seemed endless, a wasteland without landmarks or form.

I don't know where I'm headed, Rex thought, his jaw tight. But all I have to do is keep moving forward. It's just a matter of time before I stumble into another ancient being or some oversized monster, right? Not bad.

His lips curled into a sardonic smirk. "Next time, Cronus," he bellowed, his voice rising into the vast nothingness, "why don't you add a damn map to this hellscape?!"

"Maps will serve thee no purpose in Hades!" Cronus' reply boomed, smug as ever.

Rex snorted, kicking a loose stone as he moved on. "Figures."

"The air thickened with the scent of decay, the temperature plummeting around his Aether-imbued body."

A river.

Its waters moved sluggishly, darker than pitch and unnervingly still. The black surface reflected no light, no ripples disturbed its flow, yet it seemed alive, whispering faintly, as though the souls trapped within were murmuring secrets only the damned could hear.

Rex's steps faltered, his brows furrowing as a sense of foreboding clawed at the edge of his consciousness.

This river…

A shimmering light flickered across his vision, and his God's Eyes activated instinctively, flashing brighter as they analyzed the entity before him.

<River Styx>

Rex's chest tightened as recognition struck like a hammer. "River Styx… again?" he muttered, disbelief threading through his voice.

The memory of his previous encounter came flooding back. Charon, the damn ferryman, looming silently in his shadowed boat, the ceaseless struggle to cross, and the lingering dread that Styx seemed to pour into his very soul.

His fingers twitched, curling toward his weapons instinctively. But how? He had already passed the Styx when he entered Tartarus. Hadn't he defeated Charon? Hadn't he left this cursed river behind?

"What is this, Cronus?" Rex growled, his voice low, dangerous. "Why am I seeing the Styx again?"

"Ah," Cronus answered, his tone filled with infuriating amusement, "mayhaps thou hast not seen all that Styx has to offer."

A chill prickled at the back of Rex's neck as he tore his gaze from the dark waters and scanned the opposite shore.

Shapes loomed faintly in the distance, blurred by mist, tall figures, their outlines jagged and unnatural, like broken statues given life. They didn't move. Not yet.

The river whispered louder.

Rex's pulse quickened, his instincts screaming at him to stay away, yet his feet refused to backpedal. Why does it feel like Styx is calling to me? A sickly, magnetic pull emanated from the waters, tempting him to step closer.

His God's Eyes flared again, revealing something far worse beneath the surface, a writhing multitude of hands, faces twisted in agony, pressed against the dark film of the water, clawing upward but never breaking free.

Rex swallowed hard, his throat dry as dust. "Yeah… this is definitely worse than last time."

Before he could react, a sudden shift in the air erupted behind him, a deep rumble, like stone grinding against stone. Rex spun around just as a voice, gravelly and ancient, boomed from nowhere.

"None escape the Styx…"

The ground trembled. Rex staggered, his mind racing as he reached for his sword, the glow of his Aether flaring to life in his grip. A colossal thud reverberated through the earth, and Rex's heart stopped for a beat.

Emerging from the riverbank was a figure unlike any he had seen before, a towering giant wreathed in shadows, its form rippling with dark energy.

Its skin was gray as ash, and its hollow eyes burned like twin embers in a skull-like face. Chains, heavy and rusted, hung from its limbs, dragging across the ground with a sound that scraped at Rex's sanity.

"By the gods," Rex whispered, every muscle in his body locking up as the figure turned its hollow gaze upon him.

"You have returned to Styx. Your soul… is mine."

The giant raised an arm, and the chains slithered forward like serpents, rushing toward Rex with terrifying speed.

"Aw, hell no!" Rex yelled, his Aether flaring as he leapt backward, narrowly avoiding the strike. The ground where he'd stood shattered, stone and ash erupting into the air.

Cronus' laughter echoed in his mind, maddening and gleeful. "Did I not warn thee to tread wisely?"

"Yeah, yeah, you're hilarious!" Rex shot back, gritting his teeth as he readied himself. The shadows coiled and writhed around him, the whispers of Styx rising to a deafening crescendo.

He exhaled slowly, his God's Eyes blazing brighter as he locked onto the looming monstrosity before him.

"Fine then," Rex growled, his smirk returning despite the odds. "If you want my soul, come and take it."

Suddenly, a sound cut through the oppressive silence, low and rich, rolling like thunder before splitting into a deep, echoing laugh.

It reverberated off the unseen walls of the abyss, shaking the very air around Rex. The laugh was unsettling, not mocking, but ancient and knowing, as though it belonged to something that had seen far too much of the world.

Rex froze. The sound hadn't come from ahead. It had come from behind him. His muscles tensed like coiled springs, his breath catching in his throat as he turned instinctively.

The darkness behind him had thickened unnaturally, the shadows growing so dense that they seemed alive.

Whatever stood beyond that veil was hidden, an enigma that even his God's Eyes couldn't pierce. The golden-blue glow of his vision flickered uselessly, like a candle suffocated by smoke. Rex's teeth clenched.

"Who's there?" he demanded, his voice sharp but betraying a tremor.

The laughter stilled, replaced by a voice so deep and resonant it seemed to shake the very ground beneath him.

"Don't be afraid, mortal. Come closer…"

The voice was smooth yet gravelly, like silk dragged across stone, and it chuckled again. The sound rattled in Rex's skull, spreading through his bones like a chill.

Rex's body reacted instinctively. With a flash of Aether, he summoned Damocles into his grip. The colossal sword roared to life, its edges blazing with black flames that hissed and crackled as they licked the air.

"Like hell I'd believe that!" Rex snarled, his voice harsher now, a forced defiance cracking through his fear. His stance widened as he braced for whatever monstrosity lurked in the dark.

The voice remained amused. "Ah… a fiery spirit. I do enjoy those."

And then it moved.

The shadows shuddered. The darkness didn't just shift, it receded, as though something colossal was pushing it away.

"The darkness slithered back, peeling like old skin, and inch by dreadful inch, the monster emerged." Rex's eyes widened, and his heart faltered as he took an involuntary step back.

First, there were the paws. Enormous, feline paws, each the size of a boulder, planted on the ground with such force that the earth cracked beneath them.

They were covered in thick golden fur that seemed to shimmer faintly in the dim light, yet the claws, each black and curved like obsidian scythes gleamed with deathly sharpness.

Then came the wings. Vast and magnificent, they unfurled from the figure's back with an ear-splitting whoosh, throwing dust and ash into the air.

Each wing stretched longer than the length of a house, the feathers sleek and black, rippling with power as though they were stitched from shadow itself.

But it was the face, oh gods, the face that made Rex's stomach churn. The head was that of a lion, regal and ferocious, its golden mane thick and wild, flowing like flames in an invisible wind.

Yet its eyes, burning crimson orbs set deep within its skull radiated an intelligence far beyond anything mortal. Those eyes locked onto Rex like twin suns of malice and curiosity, pinning him in place as though he were prey.

And the mouth… when it smiled, rows of ivory teeth were revealed, each fang sharper than a dagger and easily capable of ripping a man in two.

Rex tried to breathe, but the air felt like tar in his lungs.

The creature spoke again, its voice deeper now, resonating with an almost melodic menace. "Behold, mortal… I am the Sphinx."

Rex shivered uncontrollably, sweat trailing down his spine despite the chill gripping the air. It's bigger than anything I've ever seen.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

That was an understatement, the Sphinx was titanic, its presence eclipsing everything else. Every breath it took was like a storm rolling across the land.

"And what do you want?" Rex growled, his grip on Damocles tightening, though the weight of the blade felt heavier than usual in his hands.

The Sphinx's lips curled into something that might have been a grin. "A game."

"A game?" Rex echoed, barely masking the wariness in his voice.

"A test," the Sphinx corrected, beginning to circle him with a slow, predatory grace. Its paws barely made a sound as they crushed the stone beneath them. "Riddles are my domain, mortal. Answer me true, and you may leave unscathed. Fail… and I will feast on your bones."

The Sphinx's laughter returned, deeper now, vibrating through the very earth and Rex could have sworn the shadows moved with it, swirling around its form like an ominous storm.

Great, Rex thought bitterly, glaring at the massive beast. Another test of wit, except this time, failure means I'm Sphinx chow.

Cronus' voice echoed faintly in his mind, smug as always. "Did I not tell thee to tread wisely?"

"Shut up, Cronus!" Rex snapped under his breath, sweat now dripping from his brow. He exhaled sharply, forcing himself to steady his nerves. He wasn't going to die answering riddles, not today.

The Sphinx lowered its massive head, its crimson gaze locking onto Rex with a gleam of anticipation. "Let us begin."