Cronus' system: Against the gods

Suddenly, searing chains of fire erupted from the ground, their molten links snaking around Rex's arms and legs before he could even react.

The chains hissed and crackled, glowing with an otherworldly heat as they anchored him firmly to the scorched earth. Flames danced along their length, licking at his skin, their touch agonizing and unrelenting.

Rex gritted his teeth, veins bulging in his neck as the fiery bonds burned into his flesh. He let out a strangled cry, his struggles futile against the supernatural restraints.

"Damn it! Let me go!" he roared, his voice raw with defiance and pain.

The Erinyes approached with measured steps, each one deliberate, her crimson eyes glowing like embers from a forge.

Her wings folded behind her, their imposing shadow falling over Rex like a dark omen. The whip dangled from her hand, its barbs dripping molten sparks onto the cracked ground.

"If you insist on fighting like the gods," she declared, her voice a low, venomous growl, "then I shall fight you as one!" Her tone reverberated with ancient authority, the ground trembling faintly under the weight of her words.

Rex thrashed against the chains, his muscles straining against the infernal heat. "Argh! Damn it!" he shouted, every word drenched in fury and desperation.

The acrid stench of scorched flesh filled the air, and he could feel his strength ebbing away, the pain unbearable.

With his head bowed, sweat streaming down his face, he whispered through clenched teeth, "Time... rewind!"

In an instant, the world lurched, colors bleeding into one another as the battlefield warped and twisted like a shifting mirage.

The blazing chains dissolved, their heat vanishing as if sucked into a void. Time itself unraveled, and the scene rewound to the moment Rex had landed a fierce roundhouse kick on the Erinyes, sending her skidding across the ground.

He landed in a crouch, panting, the phantom pain of the chains still lingering in his limbs. His mind raced, calculating his next move even as his body screamed in protest.

The Erinyes rose to her feet, her expression a mix of rage and something else. An emotion she clearly didn't recognize or welcome. "Mortal," she hissed, her voice sharper now, her eyes narrowing, "you fight like one touched by the-"

Rex cut her off, his tone sharp, laced with a cocky grin that belied his earlier torment. "Let me guess: I fight like one touched by the gods? Save it. We both know this isn't over."

Her eyes widened, flames flaring in her hands as her fury reignited. "What trickery is this?! How do you, what is this?!" she screamed, her voice rising to a fevered pitch.

Flames surged around her, spiraling upward in a fiery cyclone that seemed to reflect her inner turmoil.

Her wings snapped open, creating a gust of wind that whipped at Rex's hair and clothes. Her entire body glowed with the feral intensity of a predator cornered, her form blazing like vengeance incarnate.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Suddenly, the air grew heavy, charged with an ancient, oppressive energy as the Erinyes began chanting. Her voice was low and guttural at first, each syllable resonating like the tolling of a forgotten bell.

As she raised her hands, crimson light erupted from her palms, spiraling upward like living flames. The glow illuminated her wild, hate-filled eyes and cast long, flickering shadows across the battlefield.

"By wrath's decree and vengeance sworn,

Let fire rise where sins are born.

From molten depths where chaos lies,

Ignite the blaze that sears the skies!"

Her voice crescendoed into an unearthly wail, each word laced with malice older than time itself.

Rex froze, his heart pounding like a drum. "Incantations?! Could this be… a unique type of power?" The realization struck him like a hammer. No. He had seen something similar before—from that shade's memories. The shade had summoned Poseidon… using incantation magic.

Cronus' voice rang sharply in his mind. "Incantation magic is ancient! It's something only the gods or those descended from the primordial families can wield. Do not underestimate her!"

Rex's attention snapped back to the Erinyes as a massive, swirling inferno began forming above her outstretched hand. The fireball expanded at an alarming rate, a molten orb of pure destruction.

Its sheer size defied logic, dwarfing everything around it. The blazing sphere blotted out the sky, its radiance turning the battlefield into a hellscape of flickering reds and oranges.

The heat was suffocating. Rex instinctively shielded his face with his arm, but his eyes remained locked on the fireball. He estimated it to be at least three kilometers wide, a fiery harbinger of annihilation.

"There's no escaping that..." Rex gritted his teeth, sweat dripping down his brow. His mind raced, searching for options, but the Erinyes' shrill voice interrupted his thoughts.

"In Justice's name, die!" she screamed, her voice crackling like the flames themselves. With a flick of her finger, she hurled the colossal fireball toward Rex.

The world around him erupted into chaos. The flames roared like a beast unchained, consuming everything in their path. The heat hit him like a wall, blinding and unrelenting. There was no time to think, no room for error.

"Temporal Rift!" Rex yelled, stretching his hand forward, his Aether flaring with desperation. Time seemed to waver for a moment as he attempted to halt the approaching inferno.

But then, a chilling message appeared before his eyes:

<System Alert: Object is too large to pause.>

Rex's heart sank. His breath hitched as panic clawed at his chest. "Damn it!" he cursed, scanning his surroundings. There was nowhere to run, no cover large enough to shield him.

His jaw clenched as a single thought burned through his mind. If I can't run… I'll endure it.

"Aegis of Eternity!" Rex roared, summoning every ounce of willpower he had. A shimmering, translucent dome of Aether enveloped him, its surface crackling with sparks of temporal energy. The bubble glowed with an otherworldly brilliance, its iridescent sheen pulsating like the heartbeat of eternity itself.

The fireball collided with the Aegis in an earth-shaking explosion.

BOOM!

The impact sent shockwaves rippling across the landscape, flattening trees and scattering debris like leaves in a storm.

Flames licked the edges of the barrier, trying to breach its shimmering surface. Rex gritted his teeth, his muscles trembling as he poured more Aether into the shield.

Inside the Aegis, the air hummed with tension, and Rex could feel the immense pressure bearing down on him. The barrier flickered and wavered under the relentless assault of the flames. Sweat poured down his face, and his vision blurred, but he refused to falter.

<Aether left: 40/180>

<Aether left: 35/180>

<Aether left: 30/180>

Five Aether was passing with each second the Aegis was in activation.

The Aegis flickered, the translucent dome trembling under the relentless onslaught of the inferno. The heat outside was unrelenting, the fireball pressing against the barrier like an unholy tide.

Rex's breath came in ragged gasps. His vision blurred from the sheer strain, his knees threatening to buckle. Every second inside the shield drained him further, each passing moment a gamble with death.

<Aether left: 25/180>

He couldn't hold this for long. Think, damn it! Think!

Through the blinding haze of flame and the roar of destruction, Rex's sharp mind clicked into overdrive.

He replayed every moment of the battle in his head, every action the Erinyes had taken. Her movements, her incantations, her fiery chains... There had to be a pattern, a weakness he could exploit. And then, like a spark in the dark, inspiration struck.

"The fireball… it's her focus. Her lifeline in this fight. She's funneling everything into that attack… which means she's not invincible right now."

Rex's gaze darted to the ground beneath him, cracked and scorched from the heat. Beneath the earth lay an unsteady foundation, loosened by the fireball's earlier impact. A plan began to take shape, risky, desperate, but it might work. He had one shot, and just enough Aether left to make it count.

<Aether left: 20/180>

"Alright," he muttered through gritted teeth, his voice a growl of determination. "Let's end this."

He allowed the Aegis to drop.

The instant the shield dissipated, the searing heat of the fireball slammed into him like a freight train.

He staggered, his skin blistering from the residual heat. But he had no time to dwell on the pain. He threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding a jet of molten flames.

The Erinyes, startled by the sudden movement, hesitated for a fraction of a second, a fatal mistake.

"Temporal rift!" Rex yelled as the space around the Erinyes came to a halt.

"Aether Blade!" he shouted, summoning a shimmering, ethereal blade. With just 10 Aether left in his reserves, the weapon was faint, barely visible, but sharp enough for what he needed.

He darted toward the Erinyes, zigzagging to avoid the lashing chains and bursts of flame. His movements were calculated, his steps precise.

"Got you!" he roared, leaping into the air. With the last of his Aether, he hurled the Aether Blade straight at her.

The blade pierced through the Erinyes' chest, impaling her to the walls behind her. he Erinyes screamed out, her body disintegrating into pieces.