Cronus' system: Against the gods

Name: Rex Xander

Level: 38

XP to Next Level: 752,700/1,900,000 XP

Race: Human (Hero of Time)

Your journey continues on empire

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

Strength: 258

Agility: 282

Endurance: 194

Intelligence: 224

Aether: 0/180

Available Ability Points: 0

Active Skills:

Aegis of Eternity (Lv. 1) (XP to next level: 160/300)

Cost: 5 Aether per second.

Description: Create a timeless bubble to isolate from time's flow. Inside, immunity to damage and rapid healing occurs.

Passive Skills:

Fate's Eyes

Titan's Will (Cooldown remaining: 22 hours)

Rex slammed his fist into the dusty stone floor, a wave of frustration coursing through his veins. His system panel floated in front of him, mocking his progress.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"I still haven't leveled up!" he growled. The weight of the number, 752,700 XP seemed like a mountain he could never scale.

Before, with every creature he felled, the thrill of leveling up had surged through him like an electric current. But now, it was as if the universe had decided to chain him to mediocrity, taunting him with unreachable heights.

He pushed himself to his feet, every muscle in his body protesting. The oppressive air of Hades' domain pressed against his skin like a heavy shroud, and the eerie silence of the Temple of Thanatos and Hypnos felt alive, as if the walls themselves were whispering threats.

"Cronus!" he shouted, his voice laced with desperation as he turned to the void around him. "Any idea where I can find some easy kills that'll still fetch me a lot of XP?"

"Thou wants to fight badly and yet thou knowest not that thine enemies are already before thee?!"

"Wait, what?!"

Name: Empousai

Race: Demon

Strength: 200

Agility: 220

Endurance: 120

Intelligence: 150

Origin:

The Empousai are beings born from the unholy union of Hecate, goddess of magic and crossroads, and the primordial chaos that lingered in the shadow of Nyx, goddess of the night.

Hecate sought servants to guard the boundaries between worlds and punish mortals who defied the divine order. From her dark rituals and the blood of the underworld's most feared beasts, she forged the first Empousai, creatures of fire and seduction, cursed to wander the mortal and immortal realms as guardians of vengeance.

Gifted with fiery beauty and monstrous strength, they were tasked with luring the wicked, feeding on their life force, and dragging their souls into eternal torment.

"Great! Another encounter with some vengeance enforcers!"

First, it was the Erinyes, and now something similar but with different origins. "They don't really seem like much though!"

Their beauty was otherworldly, their movements a mesmerizing dance that veiled the deadly intent in their glowing, ember-like eyes.

Long, flowing hair cascaded down their backs, shifting between shades of midnight black and molten red. Flames licked at their feet, leaving scorched marks on the ground with every step. But beneath the veneer of allure, Rex could sense the monstrous power coiled within them.

"Guess evil women really have the prettiest faces!" Rex humphed as he looked at one of the Empousai. Truth be told, they were so beautiful. Their pale faces gave them a chilly yet cute vibe that made him...ahem!

"Careful, Harbinger! Thou shouldst take heed of their spell! They are masters of seductive magic!" Cronus' voice shook Rex off his thoughts.

"Right!" Rex instantly entered a fighting stance, his fists blazed with Aether. No matter their aura, they were still weaker than him, so this shouldn't be too much of a hassle. There were five of them in total.

The first Empousai lunged forward, her flames roaring to life around her slender form. Rex dodged the initial strike, her claws grazing the air where his head had been moments before. Without missing a beat, he retaliated, launching a fist charged with Aether into her midsection. The force of the blow sent her flying backward into the temple wall, leaving a fiery trail in her wake.

Two more Empousai attacked in unison, their fiery tendrils coiling like snakes to ensnare him. Rex spun on his heel, narrowly avoiding their combined assault. He extended his hands, forming twin blades of blue Aether energy. With a swift slash, he severed the fiery tendrils, the severed flames dissipating into the air.

Rex noticed that his Aether was even brighter and more potent than before. The aura it gave off was stronger now but it was still nowhere close to Seraphina or Jefferson's level. "So that's the purpose of intelligence!" Truth be told, he had only noticed it today cause he hadn't been too bothered with his intelligence stats before

"You might be fast but I'm faster!" Rex taunted, dashing forward in a blur. His blades carved through the air, severing the fiery tendrils in an explosion of sparks. One Empousa shrieked as his blade slashed her shoulder, the wound hissing as though the Aether burned her essence.

The other three circled him, their auras intensifying. Rex's heart pounded, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He raised his hand, summoning the Aegis of Eternity. A shimmering dome of timeless light enveloped him, and the heat of their flames broke harmlessly against its barrier. Inside, he felt his strength returning.

The Empousai hissed in unison, their once-alluring faces twisting into feral masks of rage. They chanted in a guttural language, and the air grew heavy with power. Flames roared to life, coalescing into a massive vortex above them, the heat scorching even through the shield.

Rex smirked, gripping his blades tighter. "You wanna play with fire? Let's see how you handle time itself."

With a burst of energy, he activated Temporal Rift. The world slowed, and the Empousai's movements froze mid-chant, their fiery vortex hanging in the air like a painting.

"Five seconds is all I need," Rex muttered, his voice echoing eerily in the warped silence.

He darted toward the closest Empousa, his Aether blade cleaving through her chest in a single strike. The moment her form dissipated into a burst of embers, he turned to the next, delivering a spinning kick that shattered her fiery defenses before impaling her with his second blade.

As the Rift ended, the final two Empousai staggered, their spell incomplete. Rex didn't give them a chance to recover. Summoning every ounce of his remaining Aether, he crafted a massive spear, the light of it banishing every shadow in the temple.

"Say goodnight," he growled, hurling the spear with all his might.

The weapon pierced through them both, detonating in a brilliant explosion of energy. The shockwave rocked the temple, extinguishing the flames and leaving nothing but silence in its wake.

Breathing heavily, Rex stood amidst the destruction, his body battered but victorious. He glanced at his system panel, grinning despite the exhaustion

"That was tougher than I thought," Rex muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "Still not enough to level up? Are you kidding me?!"

XP to next level: 1,252,000/1,900,000 XP

"So, they only gave 100,000 each uh?..." Rex deduced.

Before he could stew in his irritation, a sudden shift in the air made him freeze. A sharp, electric pulse zipped past him, ruffling his hair. His instincts kicked in, and he snapped his head up.

What he saw stopped him cold.

A sea of wolves stretched out before him, their hulking forms emerging from the shadows like phantoms. Their fur wasn't just black—it writhed, shifting like living darkness clinging to their massive frames. Their eyes, empty voids blazing with an eerie white flame, pierced through the gloom of the temple. The flames danced unnaturally, flickering in a rhythm that seemed to echo some silent, unholy chant.

The wolves weren't just numerous—they were titanic. Each one rivaled the Cerberus in size, their growls a low, guttural rumble that vibrated the very ground beneath Rex's feet.

Name: Summoned Hounds of Hell

Race: Demon

Strength: 100

Agility: 100

Endurance: 100

Intelligence: 100

"Pfft! Weaklings!" Rex scoffed, though his voice carried a slight edge, betraying his unease. He flexed his fingers, cracked his neck, and rolled his shoulders. Even without Aether, he felt confident he could handle them. But a nagging thought clawed at the back of his mind.

"If these are summoned... then where's the summoner?"

His question was answered almost immediately. From behind the massive wolves, figures began to emerge, stepping forward in unnatural synchronization.

Empousai.

But these were different.

Unlike their fiery counterparts, these ones were unnervingly pale, their skin a ghastly alabaster that gleamed under the flickering flames of the Hounds. Their movements were jerky, almost puppet-like, as if an unseen force guided their every step. Their auras were weaker, lacking the raw ferocity of the fiery Empousai.

Yet something about them felt more insidious.

The silence they carried was suffocating, their hollow gazes fixed on Rex as if measuring him, dissecting him. The wolves stood sentinel by their sides, unmoving, their burning eyes locked onto him like judgmental specters.

"There are three paths of the Empousai," Cronus's voice cut through the oppressive stillness. "The fiery path, the shadow path, and the summoning path. You have defeated the fiery path. Now, only shadow and summoning remain."

Rex slapped a hand to his forehead with a groan. "Cronus, you really need to work on giving me a heads-up before these things show up!"

"Thou hast not asked, Harbinger," Cronus replied, his tone as unbothered as ever.

"Say what now?! I haven't asked?!"

........

Rex lowered his hand, glaring at the pale Empousai and their monstrous hounds. "Fine. If they want a fight, I'll give them one."

The wolves began to prowl forward, their claws scraping against the stone floor with an ear-piercing screech. The Empousai followed, their ghostly forms gliding with an eerie grace. Rex took a deep breath, planting his feet and tightening his fists.

"You all brought an army," he said, his voice calm, almost amused. Then, with a dangerous gleam in his eyes, he added, "Shame it's not enough to make this fun."