Cronus' system: Against the gods

The Erinyes stepped forward, her crimson eyes glowing with an unholy fire, casting flickering shadows across her sharp, angular features.

Behind her, demonic bat-like wings flapped erratically, their leathery membranes crackling as though charged with anticipation.

The sound sent a chill rippling through Rex's spine, and he couldn't suppress the shiver that betrayed his unease.

"She's an Erinyes," Cronus said, his voice a deep rumble, heavy with the weight of memory. "One of the three creatures born from my Father's blood."

Rex tore his gaze from the advancing figure to glance at Cronus, his brow furrowing. "One of three? Who are the other two?"

Cronus's expression darkened, his tone dropping into something colder, more foreboding. "The Gigantes... and the Meliae."

Rex let out a slow breath, the weight of those names pressing down on him. "Well," he muttered, forcing a smirk, "those sound... uplifting."

Ignoring Rex's attempt at levity, Cronus's gaze locked onto the Erinyes. His next words came sharp, a warning wrapped in ancient knowledge. "The Erinyes hunt only the guilty. Murderers. Betrayers. Especially those who've committed fratricide or matricide. The innocent? They do not harm."

Relief flooded Rex's features, and he shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "Well then, looks like I'm off the hook. No murders here." He laughed nervously. "Right?"

Cronus's gaze didn't waver. "You're wrong." His voice was a hammer against stone. "In Hades, slaying the Shades is a grave offense, mortal. Surely, she has come to condemn you."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Rex froze, the blood draining from his face. "Wait, what? Hey! That's not a crime—I was doing them a favor! I freed them from endless torment!" His voice rose, cracking slightly as his indignation surged. "That's justice, isn't it?"

The Erinyes tilted her head, the motion as smooth and alien as a serpent's. When she finally spoke, her voice slid through the air like a blade unsheathing, sharp, deliberate, and ice-cold. "Mortal, your interference has upset the balance of this realm."

Rex's jaw tightened as his fists curled. "Balance? Lady, I just cleaned up your Shade problem. You're welcome."

Her fiery gaze flared brighter, and she took another deliberate step forward. The whip coiled at her side unfurled with a sound like snapping bones, its barbed ends glinting malevolently. "The Shades were not yours to destroy," she hissed. "Their punishment was theirs to endure. You, mortal, have tampered with their fate."

Rex threw his arms wide, exasperation coloring his voice. "Oh, come on! They were stuck in some eternal nightmare. I did the right thing! You're seriously pissed about me breaking a few chains?"

The Erinyes's lips curled into a grim smile, devoid of warmth or mercy. "Justice is not yours to dispense, mortal. For your arrogance, you shall face the wrath of the Erinyes."

Rex's shoulders sagged as he heaved a sigh, his expression caught somewhere between frustration and resignation. "Of course. Why does every good deed I do come with a price tag?"

Her answer came in the form of a lightning-fast whip strike, the weapon slicing through the air with a bone-rattling crack. Rex barely twisted out of the way, the barbed tip grazing his cheek and searing a line of pain across his skin. A faint wisp of smoke rose from the wound, carrying with it the scent of burned flesh.

Rex touched the cut, his fingers trembling for a moment before his trademark grin returned, sharp and reckless. "Oh, it's like that, huh?" He dropped into a loose stance, his eyes gleaming with defiance. "Alright, lady. Let's see if you're as tough as you look."

Rex quickly looked at her stats once more. Her abilities to be precise since he was stronger than her in terms of physical stats except agility which wasn't by a lot though.

Ability: Curse Infliction: can place powerful curses on those who have committed wrongdoings, such as eternal pain, madness, or misfortune.

Wings of Shadow: massive, bat-like wings grants incredible mobility in battle, capable of summoning storms or razor-sharp feathers as projectiles.

Fire manipulation: Can summon the element of vengeance, Fire, to aid in battle

Rex's eyes flicked over her stats, the glowing readout from the system overlaying his vision. Curse Infliction? Wings of Shadow? Fire Manipulation? He clicked his tongue, shaking his head.

The Erinyes wasted no time. With a flap of her massive wings, she shot into the air, a blur of dark energy. The gust of wind from her takeoff blasted Rex backward, his boots skidding against the cracked earth.

Before he could regain his footing, razor-sharp feathers erupted from her wings, streaking toward him like a hailstorm of obsidian daggers.

Rex dived to the side, the feathers embedding themselves into the ground where he'd stood moments before, leaving glowing fissures that spat embers into the air. One shard nicked his shoulder, a thin line of blood appearing on his shirt.

The sting was nothing compared to the heat radiating from the feather, as though it burned with righteous fury.

"I'm not even guilty, damn it!" Rex shouted, rolling to his feet. He swiped a hand across his face, smearing the blood from his earlier wound. "Talk about overkill!"

The Erinyes landed with a crash, her whip snapping forward once more. Rex sidestepped, narrowly avoiding another strike. The whip dug into the ground, shattering stone, and as she yanked it back, flames erupted from the impact point, forcing Rex to leap backward.

"Stop dodging, mortal!" she snarled, her voice echoing with supernatural power. "Face judgment with dignity, or be consumed by the fires of vengeance!"

"Face judgment?" Rex barked a laugh, his grin taking on a manic edge. "How about I give you a timeout instead?"

With a flourish, he summoned his weapon, a blade that gleamed with dark energy. The Sword of Damocles pulsed in his grip, responding to his adrenaline.

Rex charged forward, his weapon slicing a path through the flames she conjured, parting them like a shield of night cutting through the dawn.

The Erinyes met his assault head-on, her wings unfurling in a wide arc that created a powerful gust of wind. She swung her whip in a precise motion, aiming for his legs.

Rex vaulted over it, the move fluid and acrobatic, and countered with an upward slash. The sword struck one of her wings, the force staggering her, but the leathery appendage held firm, sparking with defensive magic.

Her response was immediate and brutal. Fire erupted from her outstretched hand, forming a blazing spear that she hurled with unerring precision.

Rex's heart skipped a beat as he twisted mid-air, the spear grazing his ribs before embedding itself in a nearby pillar, which exploded into a fiery shower of debris.

Rex landed in a crouch, his teeth gritted against the pain radiating from his side. His free hand pressed against the searing wound, but his grin refused to falter. "You're gonna have to try harder than that."

The Erinyes sneered, her wings flaring. "Arrogant mortal. My power is endless, my purpose divine! Your defiance is-"

She didn't get to finish. Rex was already moving, closing the gap between them in a burst of speed that caught her off guard. He ducked under her whip, his sword carving a vicious arc aimed at her torso.

She backpedaled, the blade missing her by inches, but Rex wasn't done. Using the momentum, he spun and lashed out with a kick, catching her square in the chest and sending her skidding across the battlefield.

She hissed in anger, her claws digging into the ground to steady herself. Her wings folded inward, then snapped outward with a deafening crack. A torrent of razor feathers surged toward Rex, but he responded in kind.

The Sword of Damocles hummed with power as he swung it in a wide arc, releasing a wave of dark energy that obliterated the incoming projectiles.

"You think you can best me with raw strength?" she roared, her voice trembling with fury. "I am justice incarnate!"

"And I'm the guy who's really tired of lectures," Rex shot back, his grin widening. "So let's skip to the part where I kick your ass."

The Erinyes screamed, her form igniting in an inferno of vengeance-fueled flames. She charged, her whip alight with the same fire, and the battlefield became a chaotic blur of sparks, smoke, and steel.

Rex met her head-on, their clash sending shockwaves rippling through the air, the sheer force of their strikes carving craters into the ground around them.

For every whip strike, Rex countered with a sword parry. For every fireball, he responded with a dark blade slash that extinguished the flames.

The Erinyes was faster, her movements a whirlwind of precision and power, but Rex's sheer stubbornness and creativity kept him in the fight.

Finally, as she prepared another fiery spear, Rex spotted an opening. With a burst of speed, he closed the gap, his sword plunging forward and grazing her side.

Her shriek of pain was deafening, but Rex didn't let up. He spun, delivering a roundhouse kick that sent her reeling, her wings flapping wildly as she struggled to regain balance.

Panting but exhilarated, Rex pointed his blade at her. "You're tough, I'll give you that. But newsflash. I don't go down easy."

The Erinyes straightened, her fiery aura flickering but unbroken. Her eyes burned with hatred, but beneath it, there was something else: grudging respect.

"Mortal," she spat, her voice tinged with reluctant acknowledgment, "you fight like one touched by the gods. But this is far from over."