Cronus' system: Against the gods

The Sphinx moved forward with a regal grace, each step deliberate, like a king descending from a throne. The ground trembled beneath its massive paws, yet there was an eerie softness to its movements, a predator's balance of power and poise.

It stretched languidly, like a cat savoring the moment before a hunt, then lowered itself onto its haunches with a weight that seemed to make the world hold its breath.

Its crimson eyes gleamed, alive with a cruel intelligence that pierced through Rex like molten iron.

A slow, predatory grin curled across the Sphinx's face, more than a smile, it was a declaration. A silent promise that this moment belonged to it, and Rex was just another flicker of mortal existence, waiting to be extinguished.

"Long have I waited for a mortal with a mind worthy of my riddles," it intoned, its voice carrying a chilling authority that seemed to settle deep into Rex's bones.

The air around him thickened, oppressive and unrelenting, as though the abyss itself was pressing down on him. "Do not disappoint me."

Rex's knees buckled, a cold sweat trailing down his spine as the Sphinx's words echoed through his mind. Worthy mortal? The phrase sounded more like a curse than a compliment.

He wanted to glare back, wanted to muster a scrap of his usual defiance, but what could anyone do when faced with something like this? A creature whose presence alone could swallow you whole?

His thoughts scrambled for purchase, but all he could think was, What the hell am I supposed to do when a thing as big as the Statue of Liberty is staring me down like lunch?

Cronus' voice broke through the chaos, echoing in his head with unshaken calm. "Do not fear, Harbinger. The Sphinx will not harm you, so long as you answer all its riddles."

Easy for you to say, Rex thought bitterly, his hands trembling despite the tight grip he had on Damocles.

Cronus' words were meant to be reassuring, but nothing could soothe the pit in his stomach. How could it, when his God's Eyes had just revealed the creature's stats?

Name: Sphinx

Class: Guardian

Strength: 1700

Agility: 1540

Endurance: 1780

Intelligence: 2000

Rex's breath hitched, his heart pounding like a war drum. This was no ordinary monster. It wasn't just powerful, it was smart. Too smart.

His God's Eyes had never registered a being with stats like this before. Every number felt like a death sentence etched into the air around him. And that last figure, Intelligence: 2000?

It was absurd.

How do you outwit something smarter than you?

Rex swallowed hard, trying to suppress the wave of panic rising in his chest. The Sphinx was still watching him, its crimson eyes unwavering, glowing like embers in a dying fire.

It was toying with him already, savoring his fear before the game had even begun.

"Steady yourself," Cronus murmured again, the faintest hint of irritation in his tone. "You are the Harbinger, are you not? Act like it."

"Dammit, Cronus," Rex hissed under his breath, though his voice wavered. His mind felt like it was fraying at the edges, but he forced himself to take a breath. Shallow.

Then deeper. You've been through worse. He repeated the thought like a mantra, even as his body screamed otherwise.

The Sphinx tilted its head ever so slightly, its grin widening. It could smell his fear, Rex was sure of it.

"Are you ready, little Mortal?" it purred, its voice deceptively smooth, dragging over Rex's nerves like a blade.

Ready? The word almost made Rex laugh, sharp and bitter. Nothing about this felt right, nothing about this felt real. Yet here he stood, alone in the abyss, staring into the hungry eyes of a godlike beast.

Rex straightened slowly, his grip on Damocles still tight, but this time more out of resolve than terror. The Sphinx was bigger. It was stronger. And it was definitely smarter. But Rex had faced worse odds before.

Probably.

"Bring it on," he said, though his voice came out hoarse and low.

The Sphinx's laughter rumbled through the air again, the sound so deep it made the earth groan beneath him. It leaned in closer, its massive face filling Rex's vision, every fang in its mouth gleaming like ivory blades.

"Good," it whispered, the word stretching across the silence, soft but heavy, carrying the weight of something ancient and inevitable.

Then its lips twisted into that same predatory grin, and its crimson eyes narrowed with a calculating gleam.

"For my first riddle," it began, voice thick with a mocking cadence, "it 'speaks' without a mouth and 'hears' without ears, and it comes alive when sound, like the wind, triggers it."

The Sphinx tilted its head slightly, as if savoring the moment before adding, "You have only three tries for each question. Failure… well," it purred, its voice laced with dark satisfaction, "results in you-know-what."

Rex blinked, his heart still thundering in his chest. The ominous weight of the Sphinx's gaze pinned him in place, but the words of the riddle slowly clicked in his mind. Wait. That's it?

A mixture of disbelief and relief flooded through him, so sudden it almost made him laugh. He dispelled Damocles from his hands, letting the weapon vanish into nothingness.

"Are you serious?" he muttered under his breath. All the dread, all the gut-wrenching terror he'd felt just moments ago....had it been for this?

He straightened up, rolling his shoulders to shake off the lingering tension. "An echo!" Rex declared, a confident grin spreading across his face.

The Sphinx's expression faltered. Its crimson eyes widened ever so slightly, and for the briefest moment, Rex swore he saw something he never thought possible: surprise.

"C…correct," the Sphinx muttered, its voice stumbling with disbelief, as if the word itself resisted being spoken.

Rex let out a short laugh, brimming with newfound boldness. "Great! So am I free to go?!"

The Sphinx's gaze darkened instantly. Its hackles rose, and a guttural roar erupted from its throat, so powerful the very air trembled around them. It was the sound of mountains breaking, a primal noise that stripped the smugness right off Rex's face.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Nine more to go!" the Sphinx thundered, its voice a stormcloud of fury.

Rex froze, his stomach plummeting into his boots. "Wait, what?!" he stammered, blinking up at the monstrous guardian. "You didn't say anything about answering ten questions! You should've said that from the start..."

"Silence!" the Sphinx growled, the single word cutting through Rex's protests like a blade.

Rex grumbled under his breath but clenched his fists, steeling himself. His heartbeat quickened again, the earlier confidence waning as reality set in.

This wasn't going to be easy. But damn it, he wasn't about to let some oversized feline outsmart him.

"Fine, then. Bring it on!" he challenged, trying to sound braver than he felt.

The Sphinx's lips curled into something between a smirk and a sneer, though the playfulness had disappeared. This time, its gaze turned colder, sharper, more like a judge delivering a sentence than a predator toying with prey.

"I have one voice," it began, its tone solemn, "but begin my life on four legs. Then two legs carry me through my prime, but in my final days, three legs guide me. What am I?"

This one was different. It wasn't a children's question; it was old, timeless, like the Sphinx itself. The answer teased him from the edges of his mind, just out of reach.

"Nah....just kidding." He slapped his palm to his face, trying to force a laugh. The sound came out too loud, too hollow. What was he doing?

"Man, of course!" he said, his voice almost too eager. "It's a human! You know, the life cycle! Crawling as a baby, walking on two legs, and finally needing a cane!"

The Sphinx's reaction was immediate, a violent thud as its massive paws slammed the ground, shaking the earth beneath him. Rex stumbled back, taken aback by the sheer force of it.

The creature's eyes blazed with disbelief, fury bubbling beneath its usually controlled exterior. This wasn't just a riddle anymore. Rex had done the impossible.

The Sphinx stared at him, its ancient mind trying to process the answer, the very same answer that had once stunned even Odysseus, a hero it held in high regard. No mortal had gotten this right, at least not in a long, long time.

"Grrr!" The Sphinx growled, her voice like the roar of a storm. "The third one!!"

Her eyes gleamed with a ferocious intensity. "I am born of water but die in its embrace. Though I am light, I can consume cities and forests. What am I?"

Rex's breath hitched. This was different. This riddle wasn't something he could easily guess, it wasn't easy.

The uncertainty weighed heavily in his chest, but the Sphinx's triumphant grin faltered just a fraction as she saw the doubt flicker in his eyes.

This time for sure, there was no way this human would ever get it's riddle! The Sphinx smirked as it noticed Rex fidgeting. "Now...now...we aren't even half-way yet, are we?!"