Cronus' system: Against the gods

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Rex yelled out, veins bulging on his forehead. Sure, he'd cursed the guy in his mind a couple of times when they first met, but that wasn't enough reason to get blackmailed over stealing a crystal he'd never even seen!

Austine walked forward, a grim look on his face "listen kid! We all know you're working with Lucius and that you're with the crystal, so hand it over right now"

Rex's jaw dropped. "The heck?! You're so confident it's nauseating! Do you rehearse this in the mirror or what?"

Austine's lips curled into a smug smile "Stop messing with me boy! You know what I'm saying is true, don't you?

Rex's body was shaking uncontrollably from rage, he grit his teeth harder tryin hard to suppress the bloodlust he was feeling "I swear I'm gonna...kill you!!

"Harbinger! Calm thyself!!" Cronus' voice boomed in his head, instantly shaking him back to normal, his bloodlust gone.

"Argh," Rex held his head in pain "What the hell was that?!" For some reason, he had lost control of his emotions and was consumed by an uncontrollable desire to kill.

"It appears," Cronus began in his trademark holier-than-thou tone, "thine enemy hath the ability to influence thine emotions. Thou must proceed with caution."

Rex groaned louder, slumping forward. "Great, another psychic assassin! Just my luck! Can't I ever get a normal assassin for once? You know, the stabby kind that doesn't mess with my head?!"

Austine was shocked at how Rex had regained his emotions "This kid...first he broke my illusions and now he's free from my psyche....? Just what's he doing?"

"Hey you!" Rex called out.... "I know you're a telepathic mage so.....can't you just read my memory to check if I'm telling the truth or not?"
Experience new tales on empire

Austine paused for a while as if in deep thought like a sage pondering over the meaning of life "You've got a point there boy but unfortunately, you've already been sentenced to death by the council... so this is just killing two birds with one stone!"

Rex staggered back, his expression faltering "What.....what council!"

"We've wondered why you haven't been killed off by the academy already...pfft! That Silas couldn't still do his job right even at death!" Austine humphed out.

"I...I...Why me?" Rex stuttered "Why do they want me dead?"

Austine's smug smile widened, the kind of grin that made Rex want to punch it off his face. "Why you? Because you're a loose end, kid. A wildcard. The Council doesn't like wildcards. You're unaligned, unpredictable, and far too close to things you shouldn't be."

Rex blinked, his disbelief melting into indignation. "So let me get this straight. You guys want me dead because I'm not part of your little secret handshake club? That's the dumbest reason to execute someone I've ever heard!"

Austine laughed, a sharp sound that echoed in the air. "Okay...okay boy, I'll tell you especially since you're about to die anyways...." Austine paused for dramatic effect and then continued "There's a law in this city called the law of the shadows..."

Rex's eyes widened in surprise. He'd heard this from General Silas but even the general seemed to really not know much about it either.."

"This is a law that has existed ever since the last war between humans and monsters! The law of the shadows deems those who fail to awaken or awaken late as threats to the society"

"Why?!" Rex asked

Austine sighed not out of regret but boredom "Every late awakener were infected with dark powers! Powers far greater than what anyone could comprehend and those who awakened late were either infected or were suddenly granted an unknown power unlike normal and of course.....unknown power can't be trusted"

Cronus sighed like he had been expecting this.

"Dark powers? But I don't have any so how does this affect me?!" Rex asked.

"Oh.....kiddo... stop with the lies! First...you failed the awakening and then next... you claimed to be a late bloomer with super speed....isn't it?"

Rex gulped down, almost knowing where this was going.

"But how come this happened?" Austine spoke and tapped on a device on his hand. The device beeped twice and transmitted an holographic video in the air.

"Damn... this is...." Rex recognized the person in the video because it was none other than himself. The video displayed how he had formed a spear of Aether out of thin air and had used it to attack the hydra.

Austine chuckled "Surprising, isn't it?"

"Dang!" Rex cursed. But wait, if they knew about this, then what about Jefferson? He also displayed Aether in the battle so how come he wasn't also included in the stupid law.

"Unfortunately, you're not Jefferson!" Austine barked after reading Rex's thoughts.

"I'm not Jefferson?" Rex asked.

"Yeah, he's a special case!" Austine replied...

"Special case?" Rex asked again...

"Argh! Enough talking boy, this is it! It's time to accept your fate!

"Okay... switching to fighting mode too I guess, enough of getting me all emotional!"

Name: Rex Xander

Level: 25

XP to next level: 50,000/350,000

Race: Human

Class: Cerberus Slayer (Effect: gains 2x more XP from killing wolf-like creatures)

Strength: 118

Agility: 136

Endurance: 108

Intelligence: 108

Aether: 70/70

Available ability points: 0

Active Skills (cost 5 Aether Each)

Temporal rift: Freezes time in a certain space for three seconds (Level 1) XP to next level: 0/100

Time rewind rewinds time by five seconds(Level 2) XP to next level: 0/100

Passive Skills

Fate's eyes

Titan's will: Cooldown time left(25 hours)

Rex barely had time to react as Austine launched himself forward, fists crackling with energy. The air hummed with power as Austine's punch connected with the ground, creating a shockwave that sent debris flying. Rex rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the brunt of the attack.

"Damn, man!" Rex exclaimed, scrambling to his feet. "Do you always go zero to a hundred this fast? Ever heard of a warm-up round?"

Austine didn't respond, his eyes narrowing as he raised his hand. A crackling sphere of energy formed in his palm, pulsing ominously. "You've been judged, boy. Time to face the consequences."

"Judged, huh? What are you, the principal? Chill out!" Rex retorted, dodging as the sphere shot toward him with blinding speed. The attack grazed his side, the force knocking him back.

Cronus' voice echoed in Rex's head. "Harbinger, thou must take this seriously. This foe vastly surpasses thee in strength. Employ thy temporal abilities or face certain defeat."

"Yeah, thanks for the pep talk, Crony!" Rex shouted aloud, summoning Damocles. The sword materialized in his hand with a golden flash. "Time for some good ol' fashioned slashing!"

Austine smirked. "That flashy toy won't save you." He lunged again, his speed far beyond anything Rex had encountered. Austine's fist collided with Rex's hastily raised sword, the impact sending Rex skidding back several feet.

Rex winced, shaking his arms to rid them of the numbing sensation. "Okay, that's new. Didn't know you packed a punch like a freight train."

Austine was already moving, his movements a blur. Rex's eyes widened as he activated Temporal Rift. The world around him slowed to a crawl, giving him just enough time to sidestep Austine's next strike.

The instant the three seconds ended, Rex retaliated. He swung Damocles in a wide arc, dark flames burning fiercely on the blade, aiming for Austine's side. But Austine pivoted with precision, catching the blade with his forearm shielded by glowing energy.

"What the hell are you made of?!" Rex groaned.

"Something stronger than you'll ever be," Austine replied, his voice dripping with disdain. He shoved Rex back, the sheer force sending him tumbling across the battlefield.

Rex scrambled to his feet, his breathing heavy. "Alright, new plan: run away screaming and live to fight another day!"

Cronus boomed, "Cowardice doth not become thee, Harbinger. Focus! Use thy time abilities strategically!"

Rex gritted his teeth. "Fine, fine! Let's see if I can turn the tables." He activated Time Rewind, the world snapping back five seconds. As Austine's previous attack replayed, Rex dodged preemptively, slashing at Austine's exposed back.

The blade connected, sparks flying as Austine's energy shield absorbed the blow. Austine stumbled, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.

"You, what did you just do?" Austine demanded, his tone icy.

Rex grinned, twirling Damocles. "Oh, just a little trick I picked up. I call it 'Nope.' As in, 'Nope, you didn't hit me.'"

Austine's eyes narrowed. "Time manipulation? That's impossible.

"Guess I'm full of surprises," Rex quipped, dashing forward. He unleashed a flurry of attacks, his blade a blur of golden light and black energy. Austine blocked most of the strikes, but the ferocity of the assault forced him onto the defensive.

"You're nothing but an insect playing with powers you don't understand!" Austine roared, his energy flaring. With a wave of his hand, he created a barrier of crackling force, knocking Rex back.

Rex landed hard, gasping for air. "Well, if I'm an insect," he panted, "then you're the exterminator who really needs a vacation."

Rex quickly deactivated his sword before it sucked all of his Aether...

AETHER LEFT: 40/70

"Gotta make wise usage of this one" Rex sighed