Cronus' system: Against the gods

"Dammit! He didn't even give me time to rest!"

Rex cursed under his breath, his voice echoing faintly within the massive golden dome. His muscles still ached from waking up moments ago, but here he was, already being thrown into another ridiculous ordeal. He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair before glancing around.

Gold.

Everywhere.

The dome's surface shimmered under the artificial lighting, smooth and flawless, its reflective sheen almost blinding. The sheer extravagance made his stomach twist. His eye twitched as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Alright, this is officially a cry for help. I really need to call the authorities now, this is getting too much"

The dome had appeared out of nowhere, materializing as if the damn thing had been waiting for him to wake up. The seamless transition had unsettled him, but now that he was inside, he couldn't deny its… excessive grandeur.

Rex's gaze shifted downward, landing on the battle armor now covering his body. It wasn't golden.

Instead, it gleamed a deep, polished obsidian, a striking contrast to the golden surroundings. He flexed his fingers, feeling the weight of the suit. Despite its seemingly heavy material, it moved with him effortlessly. The sharp angles and sleek edges pulsed faintly with some unknown energy. It was then that a realization struck him, the exterior of God Tower was also obsidian. But everything inside? A nauseating shrine to wealth.

He scoffed. "Black and gold theme, huh? What is this, a luxury brand commercial?"

Through the shimmering barrier of the dome, his eyes found Jefferson.

There he stood, his hands clasped behind his back, his face carved into that eternal Lord of Stoicism expression. Watching. Observing. Silent, like some old sage witnessing his disciple struggle to comprehend the meaning of life.

Rex sighed. "Would it kill you to give me a heads-up once in a while?"
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His attention returned to the armor, fingers brushing over its surface. The intricate designs caught his eye, and there were small, rune-like symbols etched across the plating. He could make out several buttons and embedded mechanisms, probably high-tech enhancements but he had zero idea how to operate them.

"Great. Advanced alien-killing armor and no user manual. Fantastic."

As he waved his hands in exasperation, his gaze snagged onto something engraved on the top of his right fist was a number.

Rank 200.

"Huh?" Rex furrowed his brows. "Two hundred?"

Curious, he turned his left fist, and a faint, holographic screen flickered into existence, a floating interface that reminded him a little too much of his system. A mechanical voice rang in his ears, cold and efficient, with each letter appearing in digital clarity.

Name: Rex Xander

Current Rank: 200

Ability: ???

Level: ???

Do you want to begin the God-Slayer Trainee Exam?

| <no>

Rex whistled. "Damn, even the interface is fancy."

Then, God-Slayer Exam.

The words settled into his mind. It didn't sound too bad. Right? Just another test. He'd survived plenty before.

He smirked. "Shouldn't be a big deal, right?"

With that, he clicked "Yes."

The moment he confirmed, the screen vanished, replaced by a new directive in ominous, glowing letters.

THE TRIALS WILL COMMENCE IMMEDIATELY.

STEP ONE: SURVIVE.

Rex blinked.

"...That's it? No instructions? No guide? No tutorial?"

He slumped forward. "At least give me a difficulty setting, damn it!"

As if the universe enjoyed proving him wrong, two massive creatures materialized before him.

The air crackled as the beasts took shape—dragon-like monsters, their hulking three-foot-high forms rippling with muscle. Twin pairs of wings flared against their backs, talons scraping against the golden floor with a piercing screech. Their scales shimmered gold, glinting like polished treasure, their predatory eyes burning with molten rage.

Smoke curled from one of their snouts as it slammed a clawed foot against the ground, a deep, guttural growl rumbling in its throat.

But Rex barely registered their size. Their claws. Their fangs.

No.

What actually bothered him was—

"WHY THE HELL ARE THESE DRAGONS GOLDEN TOO?!"

He threw his hands up in frustration. "What's next?! A golden fireball?"

One of the dragons reared back, jaws parting wide.

A bright jet of fire erupted forward—and sure enough, it was gold.

Rex's eye twitched violently.

"OF COURSE."

As the blazing inferno rushed toward him, he barely had time to react before his boots skidded across the smooth golden floor—which, by the way, was polished to the point that it reflected his own damn face back at him.

Rex scowled. "Great. Now I can watch myself die in HD."

His reflection warped in the golden sheen of the floor, a distorted image of himself caught between exhaustion and frustration. But before he could dwell on it, a blur of movement snapped him back to reality.

One of the dragons lunged.

Its molten eyes burned with primal fury, flames licking at the edges of its jagged maw. Clawed limbs, thick with muscle, tensed mid-air as it descended upon him like a divine executioner.

Rex barely had time to react. As the talons slashed down, a stray thought flickered in his mind—how much gold was spent on making this thing?

He twisted to the side, narrowly evading the attack. The dragon's claws carved deep trenches into the golden floor, sending molten sparks flying.

Rex skidded to a stop, his stance shifting instinctively. His breath steadied. His fingers flexed. The teasing glint in his eyes hardened into something sharp—something ready.

"Okay! Enough humor!" His voice rang out, clear and defiant. "Time to show these gold-plated freaks what I'm made of!"

A brilliant flash ignited in his hands.

Aether surged, coalescing into a blade of pure energy—sleek, radiant, and humming with raw power. He spun it once, the air around him vibrating as arcs of condensed Aether danced along the blade's edge, crackling with barely restrained force.

Before he could make his next move, the second dragon reared back.

Its jaws unhinged, glowing with an unnatural radiance, and then—

A massive sphere of golden fire erupted toward him.

The inferno swallowed everything in his vision, an all-consuming tidal wave of heat. There was no space to dodge, no cracks to slip through.

Rex's heartbeat spiked.

"Aegis of Eternity!"

A translucent barrier of Aether shimmered into existence around him just as the flames crashed down. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the air, heat pressing in from all sides, but the barrier held—unshaken, unmoved.

Inside, Rex stood firm, his grip on the sword tightening. The golden fire burned around him, illuminating his face with flickering shadows, but he paid it no mind.

He swung his blade. Again. And again.

With each motion, the Aether thickened, condensing at the tip, swirling into something more—something devastating. The blade pulsed, charged with enough energy to distort the very air around it.

The first dragon, sensing the shift, lunged again.

Rex's eyes flashed.

He dispelled the Aegis.

A sharp exhale. A pivot. A downward slash.

Aether erupted forward.

A blinding arc of energy sliced through the air like a vengeful god's decree, the sheer force of it tearing at the very fabric of space. The dragon's charge halted—too late.

A sickening schlkkk echoed through the dome.

The beast's agonized roar followed.

Its massive body reeled back, golden blood spraying in molten streaks as one of its limbs was severed clean off. The dismembered claw crashed to the floor with a deafening thud, sending cracks spiderwebbing across the once-pristine gold.

Rex straightened, exhaling. His blade still crackled with residual power, the scent of burnt metal thick in the air.

"One down or at least, it's almost down"

The wounded dragon thrashed violently, its golden blood sizzling against the polished floor, filling the air with the stench of molten metal. Its furious, guttural roars rattled the entire dome, shaking the walls as it flared its remaining claw.

The second dragon wasted no time.

With a piercing shriek, it launched itself forward, its massive wings beating with enough force to send golden debris flying. In the blink of an eye, it was upon him—claws stretched wide, fangs gleaming with firelight.

Rex barely had time to react before the dragon swiped at him with bone-crushing force.

Shit—

He raised his blade just in time, catching the strike against the Aether-forged edge. The impact sent shockwaves through his arms, rattling his bones. His boots skidded backward across the smooth surface, leaving deep grooves in the gold beneath.

Before he could fully recover, the dragon pivoted, its tail, thick as a steel pillar, swung around like a battering ram.

Fast!

Rex wrenched his body to the side, narrowly dodging the tail as it smashed into the ground where he stood just seconds ago. The sheer force of the impact shattered the floor, sending razor-sharp shards of gold hurtling through the air.

One caught his cheek, slicing a thin line into his skin.

He gritted his teeth. "Okay, that one actually pissed me off."

The wounded dragon, still clutching its severed stump, snarled before launching itself forward despite its injury. Double attack.

Rex's mind raced. He couldn't block both at once.

Think, dammit!

His fingers clenched around his sword. Then, in a split-second decision, he lunged forward instead of dodging.

The already-injured dragon didn't expect it.

With a wild grin, Rex flipped over the charging beast, twisting his body mid-air and driving his Aether blade straight through its exposed shoulder.

The sword plunged deep.

The dragon shrieked, convulsing as the searing energy of Aether burned through its golden scales like paper. Rex held tight to the hilt, using the force of its momentum to swing himself onto its back.

"Not so tough now, huh?!" he growled.

The dragon writhed in agony, trying to shake him off, but he held firm. His blade crackled, buried deep in its flesh. With a final, decisive pull, he ripped it free, dragging a streak of blue-white energy through the wound.

Golden blood sprayed. The dragon's roars became a choked, gurgling sound before it collapsed onto the floor, spasming violently.

One down.

Rex barely had a moment to breathe before the second dragon struck.

Its jaws snapped forward, aiming to tear him in half.

Too fast!

No time to block!

Rex did the only thing he could. He threw himself forward, diving straight into the dragon's attack.

At the last second, he planted his foot against its snout and kicked off with everything he had.

The force sent him hurtling over the beast, flipping mid-air as its razor-sharp fangs snapped shut just inches behind him. His heart pounded.

The dragon whirled, smoke billowing from its nostrils. Its molten eyes locked onto him, filled with nothing but murderous rage.

Rex landed in a low crouch, sweat trickling down his forehead. His fingers tingled from the lingering surge of Aether.

Alright, time to end this.

He exhaled sharply. The air around him crackled.

His sword began to glow brighter.

Not just a faint shimmer—blinding.

Aether condensed so densely around the blade that it distorted the space around it, like heat warping the air. It pulsed, alive with raw energy.

The dragon sensed the shift.

It snarled, tensing to attack—

Too late.

Rex moved.

Faster than thought. Faster than sight.

One swing.

Just one.

The moment his blade cut through, reality itself seemed to split apart.

A deafening silence followed.

Then.....

BOOOOOOM!

A shockwave tore through the dome. The golden floor beneath them split open, sending cracks racing outward like lightning. Wind howled. The very air trembled.

The dragon froze.

Then, slowly… its body slid apart.

A clean, perfect cut straight through its torso.

For a moment, it didn't even react until golden blood erupted from the wound like a ruptured dam.

The dragon let out a strangled, gurgling cry before collapsing in two separate halves.

Rex straightened, exhaling slowly.

His blade dimmed, the crackling energy fading.

Silence filled the arena.

Two massive dragon corpses lay at his feet, their molten blood staining the once-pristine golden floor.

Rex rolled his shoulders, then wiped a hand across his face.

"Yeah," he muttered, breathless. "That was overkill."

Then he glanced up...

And found Jefferson still watching.

Unmoved. Unimpressed.

The demi-god bastard even had the nerve to slow-clap.

Rex groaned, running a hand through his sweat-drenched hair.

"You know what? Screw you, man."