Cronus' system: Against the gods

Chapter 47: Rex vs Charon

"Dammit!" Rex groaned "Is he stubborn?!" Rex gritted his teeth in frustration as he stared at Charon who looked like he was trying to avoid a fight by all means. Charon, though skeletal was stronger than Rex in all aspects apart from intelligence and agility.

The difference in agility wasn’t too much to even be considered more powerful. His intelligence was the only thing lacking. He moved almost like he was some programmed robot. His words were always the same anytime Rex tried attacking him "No Obol coin, no crossing"

"Thou hast not even tested thy new might!" Cronus remarked, sensing Rex’s frustration.

"Uh? New might? If it’s about time control becoming a part of me now, that’s no biggie!" Rex said patting his chest. He could now slow time as he willed and without the cost of Aether. Although it still lasted for just five seconds.

"Fool!" Cronus replied and Rex’s stats flashed again....

Name: Rex Xander

Level: 18

XP to next level: 0/100,000

Race: Human

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

Strength: 71

Agility: 76

Endurance: 56

Intelligence: 47

Aether: 50/50

Active Skills

Temporal rift (Level 1) XP to next level: 0/100

Time rewind(Level 2) XP to next level: 0/100

Passive Skills

Fate’s eyes (Cannot be used now)

Titan’s will: Cooldown time left(48 hours)

"So... what’s new?" Rex asked, still staring at his stats in confusion.

"Pay heed, harbinger!" Cronus’s voice practically growled in frustration.

"Oh... I see it! My Aether’s increased to 50, right?" Rex licked his lips with a smug smile. "Nice!"

"Dost thou not see thy new skill?" Cronus asked in an exasperated tone.

Rex’s eyes scanned the list again, slower this time. "Oh, ’Temporal Rift,’ huh? Sounds cool. So, uh… what does it do?"

Cronus sighed deeply, clearly bewildered by Rex’s ignorance. "Temporal Rift enables thee to fracture time and space, freezing thy foe in the flow of time."

Rex’s eyes widened in excitement. "Now that is what I’m talking about!" A grin crept onto his face.

"Beware," Cronus warned. "The more thou dost use this power, especially in the mortal world, the greater the consequences thou shalt face."

Rex rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, you and your ramblings about consequences. What’s the worst it could do? A slight headache? I’ll manage!"

Cronus chuckled dryly. "Slight headache, thou sayest? Thou dost not know what thou treads upon."

"Whatever!" Rex waved off the warning and turned his attention back to Charon, who still stood motionless with his oar, staring with hollow eyes. "For now… let’s deal with this glorified skeleton!"

Without warning, Rex lunged at Charon, fists glowing with Aether as he prepared to strike. Charon deflected with his oar effortlessly, the impact sending vibrations up Rex’s arm.

CLANG!

Rex’s fists met bone and metal, but Charon barely budged. The ferryman moved like a machine, blocking each strike with precision. His movements were stiff yet efficient, leaving no openings for Rex to exploit.

"No Obol coin, no crossing," Charon repeated yet again, his voice echoing through the dark cavern.

"Oh, come on!" Rex growled in frustration, backflipping to gain distance. "Are you a broken record or something?"

Charon raised his oar and swung, sending a shockwave through the air. Rex ducked, barely avoiding the attack, his heart pounding in his chest. The skeletal ferryman was more powerful than Rex had anticipated. Each blow carried the weight of a thousand souls, and it took everything in Rex’s arsenal just to keep up.

"Charon, dude! Can’t we just settle this as two whole men?" Rex dodged another bone-crushing strike.

"No Obol coin, no crossing," Charon repeated, his voice unwavering.

"Seriously?" Rex huffed, his muscles aching from the relentless fight. "I don’t have time for this. wait, actually, maybe I do!"

Rex grinned and activated his Temporal Rift. Time around Charon froze. The ferryman stood motionless, his oar suspended in mid-swing.

"Hmmm.... Not bad getting it on your first try!" Cronus remarked

"Ha! How do you like that?" Rex gloated, leaping forward, ready to land a blow. But just as he prepared to strike, the world around him cracked, and time shattered back into motion. Charon swung his oar, hitting Rex squarely in the ribs and sending him flying across the cave.

"ARGH!" Rex groaned as he crashed into the cold ground, pain shooting through his side. "Okay… that didn’t go as planned…"

"No Obol coin, no crossing," Charon said as he advanced toward Rex.

"Yeah, I got it the first hundred times!" Rex growled, pulling himself to his feet. He had to think fast. Time stasis wasn’t as reliable as he had hoped.

"Thou art still too weak to control it fully," Cronus muttered in Rex’s mind.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Rex groaned.

He activated Temporal Rift again, this time trying to focus harder. Once again, Charon froze mid-step. Rex darted forward, delivering a punch infused with Aether to Charon’s ribcage. The blow landed with a resounding crack.

"Gotcha!" Rex cheered.

But just as before, time broke, and Charon retaliated almost instantly. His oar slammed down, grazing Rex’s shoulder and spinning him backward. Rex tumbled across the ground, panting.

"Okay… two attempts… and I still suck at this!" Rex muttered, pulling himself up once more. "This guy’s tougher than Cerberus!"

Charon stood over him, lifting his oar for another devastating strike. Rex’s muscles burned, his breaths ragged. He had one last chance. Gritting his teeth, he focused with all his might and activated Temporal Rift one more time.

This time, the world around Charon slowed more naturally. Rex took a deep breath, his body moving within the stasis smoothly. "Alright… one last shot."

Rex poured everything he had into his next strike, Aether blazing around his fists as he closed the distance between them. His punch landed squarely on Charon’s sternum, a bright flash of blue light erupting from the impact.

"Take that!" Rex shouted triumphantly.

But when the rift shattered again, Charon merely staggered backward, unfazed by the attack. His skeletal figure straightened, and his hollow eyes fixed on Rex with unrelenting determination.

"NO OBOL COIN, NO CROSSING."

Rex blinked in disbelief. "Seriously?!"

Charon charged, and with one swift motion, he brought his oar crashing down, knocking Rex to the ground once again. Pain seared through Rex’s body as he groaned.

"Stubborn doesn’t even begin to cover it..." Rex muttered, clutching his side.

"Thou hast much to learn," Cronus said calmly in his mind, but there was a tinge of amusement in his voice.

Rex looked up at the skeletal ferryman, wincing. "Yeah, no kidding."

Rex pushed himself off the ground, shaking off the pain, his determination flaring like a wildfire. "Okay, okay! Time for Plan B!"

He took a deep breath, channeling his frustration into resolve. "I might not have an Obol coin, but I have something better!"

As Charon advanced, Rex sprinted forward, using his speed to close the gap quickly. He feinted left and then darted right, throwing off Charon’s robotic timing. With a surge of Aether, he jumped into the air, aiming to deliver a flying kick to Charon’s skull.

"Let’s see you block this, bonehead!" Rex roared, his foot glowing blue as it connected with Charon’s jaw, sending shards of bone flying.

For a moment, Rex felt victorious as Charon’s head snapped to the side. But the skeletal ferryman recovered swiftly, twisting his body to face Rex, his expression unchanged.

"NO OBOL COIN, NO CROSSING," Charon stated, the monotony of his voice contrasting with the chaos of the battle.

"Ugh!" Rex shouted in exasperation. "Why do you keep saying that? You’re not a freaking parrot!"

Rex landed, rolling to regain his balance, but Charon swung his oar again. Rex ducked just in time, feeling the rush of air as it sliced above him. He scrambled back, catching his breath, but there was a fire ignited in his eyes.

"Okay, let’s turn up the heat!" Rex shouted, gathering his Aether for a stronger attack. He concentrated, channeling his newfound abilities into his fists. "I’m not letting you stand in my way!"

With a roar, Rex activated Temporal Rift one more time, and everything slowed around him. The air thickened as he dashed towards Charon, a blur of determination. "This time, I won’t hold back!"

Rex unleashed a barrage of punches, each strike echoing with the power of his Aether. Charon attempted to block, but Rex had learned from his previous attempts. He flowed through the movements with newfound fluidity, slipping past the ferryman’s defenses.

"Take that! And that!" Rex shouted, delivering punch after punch, the glow of Aether illuminating the cavern. The impact of each strike sent vibrations through the ground, but Charon remained resolute.

"NO OBOL COIN...."

"SHUT UP!" Rex interrupted, delivering a powerful uppercut that sent Charon staggering back.

Rex’s heart raced, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he felt the thrill of combat. "You’re not so tough after all!" he shouted, his laughter ringing out in the cave, reverberating against the walls.

But before Rex could celebrate, Charon regained his footing. With a flick of his wrist, he swung his oar, launching a wave of energy that crashed into Rex, sending him flying into the cave wall.

"AGH!" Rex grunted as the air whooshed out of him, pain radiating through his back. "Okay, that was unexpected…"

"Thou hast not yet earned the right to pass!" Charon declared, moving forward with purpose.

Rex groaned as he pulled himself upright. "Earned, huh? Let’s see what I can do!"

Summoning all his strength, he activated Time Rewind. The world around him flickered, and Rex felt a surge of power as he pulled time back to the moment before Charon struck.

Rex stood ready, adrenaline coursing through him. "Time for a little revenge!"

Charon swung again, but this time, Rex dodged under the oar and countered with a fierce kick aimed at Charon’s legs. The blow connected, knocking the skeletal figure off balance.

"YES!" Rex shouted, reveling in the feeling of victory. "Now we’re getting somewhere!"

Charon regained his stance, glaring at Rex with renewed intensity. The fight was far from over. With an unyielding determination, he lifted his oar again, and Rex prepared for the next clash.

"Let’s finish this!" Rex charged forward, feeling the burn in his muscles but unwilling to back down. He could feel the power surging through him; it was time to unleash everything he had.

He feinted to the left, then swung his fist to the right, landing a heavy blow against Charon’s side. "You might be a ferryman, but you won’t be ferrying me anywhere today!"

Charon staggered but quickly retaliated, swinging his oar with a ferocity that shook the cavern. Rex barely dodged, rolling away as the oar smashed into the ground, sending debris flying.

"Gotta get creative!" Rex thought, eyes darting around the cavern for an advantage. He spotted a pile of boulders nearby. With a smirk, he gathered his Aether, forming a massive wave of energy that he hurled at the rocks, causing them to cascade toward Charon.

"Hope you like my fireworks!" Rex shouted as the rocks exploded around Charon, sending up clouds of dust and stone.

In the chaos, Rex charged again, diving through the dust, his fists blazing with Aether. He ducked under Charon’s oar swing, delivering a powerful right hook to the ferryman’s ribs.

The impact echoed throughout the cave, and for a brief moment, Rex felt a surge of triumph as Charon staggered back, his hollow eyes wide.

"Maybe this will finally get through to you!" Rex yelled, panting, adrenaline fueling his next move.

With one final push, he activated Temporal Rift, but this time he did it with the confidence of knowing he had the momentum. Charon froze in mid-air, and Rex launched himself forward, pouring everything into a final strike that would break through Charon’s defenses.

"I’m coming for you!" Rex roared, ready to make this fight count. The world around him was a blur of colors and energies as he unleashed the power of Aether into a single, devastating punch.

Time shattered around him as he collided with Charon, and a blinding light filled the cavern, the force of the impact reverberating through the air like thunder.

"NO OBOL COIN...." Charon began, but the words were swallowed by the explosion of light.

The dust began to settle, and as Rex stood, panting and battered, he felt an unexpected sense of victory. Charon was on the ground, his skeletal form cracked and damaged.

"Okay… now can we cross?" Rex panted, wiping sweat from his brow, feeling a rush of exhilaration.

The skeletal ferryman lay still, and the cavern was silent for a heartbeat before he slowly turned his hollow gaze toward Rex, a flicker of respect in those empty sockets.

"Thou hast an interesting soul but... No Obol Coin...no crossing!" Charon spoke and then his empty sockets glowed with an eerie green light as he drew the power of his soul magic, wrapping his body in it.

{Enemy has activated soul skill: Cries of the Dead}

{Effect: Soul magic powers X3}

"Oh.... you’ve got to be kidding me!" Rex groaned