Cronus' system: Against the gods

Rex sat on the ground, playfully fiddling with the one of the Hydra’s severed heads. Well, there was actually nothing to do at this point. First was an assassination attempt on Seraphina and Brenda, next was the whole academy, next was Lucius, then the Hydra and THEN NO CRYSTAL IN THE HYDRA, THEN THE GENERAL’S DEATH!!!!!

"Damn! The general’s death..." For some reason, that news really didn’t bother him to be honest. It was more like he saw it coming... Maybe it was because he expected it tho....but he still felt sympathy for him due to the last conversation thy had.

"Well, Frankly, I don’t give a damn about anything that has nothing to do with me... well...except it’ll fetch me Xps, that’s the only exception" Rex sighed...

"Harbinger... I suggest that thou go to the academy right away" Cronus suddenly, spoke up in an urgent tone.

"Uh? Really? Why d’you think?"

"Follow the pattern harbinger! First Lucius Noctis was defeated by Jefferson and was sent to the military base.... next, the crystal goes missing from that same military base and then the general’s death.... don’t you get it now?"

Rex’s eyes widened after the revelation. "Damn it!... This means he’s stolen and devoured the leviathan crystal?"

"Probably," Cronus replied gravely. "Thou must act swiftly, harbinger. If Lucius has devoured the Leviathan crystal, his power hath transcended mortal limits. He could strike anywhere, and those he seeks will not be able to withstand him."

Rex clenched his fists, his Aether sparking faintly. "So, back to the academy, huh? then saving Seraphina and Brenda while taking down a wannabe god? It’s starting to feel like my life’s one long grind fest."

"Thou doth jest, but I sense thou art quite eager for the challenge," Cronus retorted, his tone tinged with amusement.

Rex smirked despite himself. "You know me too well."

"Unfortunately, thou hast no hope of winning this battle" Cronus chuckled as he spoke, already expecting Rex to yell "Why do I feel like you get ecstasy from seeing me dispirited? but surprisingly.....

"I guess you’re right!" Rex sighed, clenching his fists, his expression a bit sad at his powerlessness. After achieving level 30! I swear I’ll be descending into Tartarus and stay for a week!"

Cronus sighed "For the first time, thou hast acknowledged thy powerlessness"

Rex chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Oh, don’t get too excited, Cronus. I’m still the star of this tragic comedy. Besides, if I can’t win and I die, you can just rewind time to save me right?

Cronus groaned. "Thou dost misunderstand the concept of time entirely."

Rex hopped to his feet, dusting off his pants. "Well..... I guess this calls for private times studying some physics shit... or Crony, since you know about these concepts, would you mind being my physics teacher, I’ll give you my weekly allowance!"

Cronus didn’t bother responding, but Rex could swear he felt the ancient entity facepalming somewhere in the depths of his psyche.

As Rex looked down at the severed Hydra head he had been playing with, he gave it a thoughtful pat. "Thanks for the company, buddy. You were a good listener."

Experience tales at empire

Before Cronus could chide him for his lack of urgency, a large boom erupted from behind Rex and he instantly turned around but surprisingly, all he saw was darkness.

A cold evil laugh suddenly reverberated through the surroundings. Rex looked up and all he could see was darkness. Darkness everywhere. It was like he was inside a large dome made of shadows.

"Who’s there!" Rex shouted, turning around but he couldn’t find anything or anyone. The Hydra’s empty husk was gone, the city buildings gone, just him and the darkness.

The voice came again, this time more "Hehehehehehehehehe, I’m not gonna take it easy on you kiddo! Although I’ll consider sparing you if you willingly and truthfully answer my questions"

Rex crossed his arms, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smirk. "Oh, great. Another mysterious villain with a penchant for dramatic entrances. Seriously, do you guys all shop at the same evil dome? And what’s with the creepy laugh? Do you practice that in front of a mirror?"

The voice chuckled again, though it faltered for a moment, almost as if caught off guard. "Silence! This is why I hated you ever since I saw you!! You insolent brat!!! I’m glad I was given this-"

Rex interrupted, yawning loudly. "Listen, I’m a little busy here. My um...not really my girlfriend though, since we only went on one interrupted date! She’s in trouble. So if you’ve got questions, let’s make this snappy.

The darkness around him seemed to pulse, and the voice hissed, "You dare mock me?! Do you even know who I am?"

"Not a clue," Rex admitted cheerfully, "but you sound like someone who needs to get a life" Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Cronus chimed in, his tone dripping with exasperation. "Harbinger, perhaps now is not the time for thy jest."

"Correction, Crony," Rex replied, squinting into the void. "It’s always the time for jest. Keeps the doom and gloom at bay."

The darkness rippled with fury, and the voice boomed louder. "ENOUGH! I shall destroy you!"

With a burst of dark energy, a giant hand made of shadows lunged toward Rex. He casually sidestepped it. "Man, this fight’s getting out of hand… literally."

The shadow hand swung at him again, this time slamming into the ground where Rex had been standing. Dust kicked up around him, and Rex coughed theatrically, waving a hand in front of his face. "Hey, If you’re trying to high-five me, you’re doing it all wrong."

Cronus groaned louder this time. "Harbinger, thou art impossible. Thou truly dost jest at the precipice of annihilation?"

"Of course," Rex replied, spinning in a lazy circle to face where he thought the voice was coming from. "I’ve learned one thing about these big, scary bad guys, Crony. They all have the same Achilles’ heel: fragile egos. Watch this."

He raised his voice. "Hey, Shadow Dome Guy! Is this whole ’darkness’ thing because you’re insecure about your complexion? Or are you just trying to hide the fact that you haven’t shaved?"

The dome pulsed angrily, and the voice roared, "INSOLENT WORM!" A wave of shadows surged toward Rex, but he dived to the side, dodging it.

"See! Told ya!" Rex chuckled.

Suddenly, Rex noticed something "This feeling...it’s similar to my fight with Ralph Zipper...damn! All this is an illusion"

"Oh.....it seems you have finally realized your place. A high-schooler like you must have never been in such situation before. In this world, I am in control, you cannot-"

"Hate to burst your bubbles but I’ve been trapped in an illusion before and an even stronger one at that!"

The voice was a bit perplexed "Really?"

"Yeah, so while you’re at it! What questions do you wanna ask?"

The voice sighed and from the top of the dome, a large face made of shadows materialized with an evil grin on it’s face "I’ll ask you this, once! Where is the leviathan crystal"

Rex was startled "Wait, wha?!!!"

"Don’t play dumb with me boy, We all know that you stole the crystal for your selfish benefits and that you’re working with the shadow guild"

"Uh?" Rex gave an unamused look.

The voice sighed "Very well, then...I guess I’ll have to beat it out of you!"

Tendrils of dark energy shot towards Rex but he quickly threw some flips backwards, dodging the attacks. "First thing! Shatter the illusion!!" Rex breathed as he drew a circle in the air with his Aether.

"Emerge! Damocles!!" Rex yelled as he summoned the sword, it’s golden hilt lightened up his surroundings. With a roar, he slammed the sword on the ground, causing dark flames to surge outward, consuming all the shadows in the process.

As the last tendrils of shadow dissolved into the air, the dome shattered like glass, revealing the familiar ruins of the city around Rex. The oppressive darkness gave way to the warm glow of his sword, Damocles, now vibrating faintly in his hand. Rex heaved a sigh of relief, brushing nonexistent dust off his jacket.

"See, Cronus?" Rex smirked. "Told you I’d crack it. No need for panic."

Cronus responded with a groan, his exasperation almost palpable. "Thou hast an uncanny ability to approach catastrophe with the nonchalance of a fool. It is both thy charm and thy curse."

Rex shrugged, inspecting Damocles. "Hey, if you can’t joke in the face of doom, what’s the point? Speaking of which..." He glanced up at where the shadowy face had loomed moments earlier. "That guy was weird. Did he actually think I stole the crystal? What do I look like, some edgy rogue who lurks in dark alleyways?"

Cronus sighed. "Perhaps it is thy demeanor that invites such accusations."

"You....how did you break out of my illusions!!" A man appeared in front of Rex, growling in dissatisfaction"

Rex’s eyes widened as he saw the figure...what the hell?! Did water flood tis guy’s brain. This was Austine Valenbrook, one of the guys who had come to demand for the crystal so why was he here accusing Rex when he knew he had nothing to do with it?!