Cronus' system: Against the gods
Chapter 48 River Styx My Achilles Heel?

Rex shifted backward, his confident expression faltering slightly. "What the heck!" he shouted. Charon had instantly transformed into a colossal version of himself, a towering green avatar of swirling souls and ethereal energy enveloping his skeletal frame. The avatar loomed over Rex, its eyes glinting like embers, radiating an ominous power.

"NO OBOL COIN, NO CROSSING!" Charon's voice resonated like thunder, echoing through Rex's mind and making him feel like he was being called to join the dead.

Rex shook his head, pushing away the dread that threatened to creep in. "Okay, let's do this!" He planted his feet firmly, summoning the last vestiges of his Aether, his resolve hardening like iron.

With a primal roar, Rex charged forward, unleashing a flurry of punches. Each blow crackled with energy, but Charon merely stepped back, allowing the blows to graze harmlessly off the avatar's spectral form. The giant's reaction only stoked Rex's fury.

"Come on, I can do better than this!" he yelled, launching himself into a spinning kick aimed at Charon's midsection. But the giant avatar raised its arm, the impact echoing like a cannon. Rex's foot connected, but the force sent him sprawling backward, crashing into the rocky ground.

"ARGH!" He groaned, feeling the sting radiate through his body. The green energy surrounding Charon pulsed, and the skeletal ferryman advanced, his oar gleaming with an ominous light.

"NO OBOL COIN, NO CROSSING," the voice thundered again, this time vibrating through Rex's bones.

Rex gritted his teeth, pushing himself up. "You think I'm just going to give up? Not a chance!" He summoned his Aether, feeling the surge course through him, and launched another attack. This time, he focused, aiming for Charon's feet, hoping to trip him.

He delivered a swift kick to Charon's ankle, but the giant avatar didn't budge. Instead, it retaliated with a crushing swing of the oar. Rex barely managed to duck, the air whistling past as the oar sliced through the space where he had been standing.

"Okay, maybe a little more strategy," Rex muttered, scrambling back as he tried to catch his breath. He could feel the heat rising in his veins, adrenaline spurring him on. "Cronus, any brilliant ideas?"

"Thou art a fool if thou dost not recognize thy own strengths," Cronus replied, his voice steady yet laced with urgency.

"Yeah, yeah, I know! Time manipulation! but it makes me feel like a one-trick Pony" Rex sighed, but his mind raced. He activated Temporal Rift again, locking Charon in time, his avatar freezing mid-motion. "Gotcha this time!"

With renewed vigor, Rex dashed forward, fists alight with Aether. He aimed for the glowing core at the center of the giant avatar, hoping to disrupt Charon's power. But just as he closed the distance, the world shattered back into motion.

Charon countered immediately, his massive hand slamming down with an incredible force. Rex barely dodged, rolling to the side, but the impact sent tremors through the ground, throwing him off balance.

"Damn it!" Rex spat, scrambling to his feet as he felt the weight of despair creeping in. He charged again, launching another punch, but this time Charon caught him mid-strike, the giant hand closing around his wrist.

"No Obol coin, no crossing," the voice boomed, dripping with finality.

"Ugh!" Rex gasped, yanking his arm free, but Charon was relentless. With a swift motion, the ferryman swung his oar, and Rex was sent hurtling into the cavern wall, pain exploding in his shoulder as he crumpled to the ground.

"Not again," he wheezed, struggling to rise. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, mixing with the dust of the cave floor.

"You must realize thy own limitations," Cronus's voice echoed in his mind, calm yet forceful.

"Limitations? I'm just getting started!" Rex shouted defiantly, pushing through the pain. He staggered to his feet, fists clenched and resolve hardened.

In a surge of determination, Rex focused on the Aether coursing through him, igniting it with a fierce intensity. He activated Temporal Rift once more, channeling all his energy into the skill, willing time to slow around Charon.

The giant avatar froze, and Rex felt a rush of exhilaration. "Now!" he shouted, darting in with newfound speed. He unleashed a barrage of punches, each one landing with a crack of energy that lit up the dark cavern.

But just as victory seemed within reach, Charon's eyes flared with an eerie light. The frozen moment cracked again, and the ferryman broke free, his oar swinging down like a guillotine. Rex barely managed to dodge, but the edge of the oar clipped him, sending him sprawling once more.

"ARGH!" Rex roared in frustration, pain flaring through his side as he clutched it. "Why won't you just go down?!"

"Foolish mortal!" Charon intoned, his voice a symphony of whispers from beyond. "Thou art merely a leaf in the tempest!"

"Then let's see how strong that tempest really is!" Rex yelled, rising to his feet, sweat dripping from his brow. He summoned every ounce of Aether, his eyes blazing with determination.

With a defiant cry, he charged again, fueled by rage and resolve. "I will cross this river!" Rex shouted, launching himself at the giant avatar, fists glowing brightly. "And you won't stop me!"

{System alert: 5 Aether left}

"Shit! At a time like this?!" Rex screamed out cursing at his bad luck.

"I warned thee! Aether is thy ally and yet it can also be thy Achilles heel!" Cronus remarked.

Then a sudden realization struck him! "That was it! Achilles right?" A smirk played on his lips.

He had heard about the popular Phrase "Achilles heels!" And thence, the origin. The legends said Achilles' mother dipped him in the river Styx when he was a baby, hence granting him immense physical abilities and courage. Would that same theory apply here?

"I wonder if the legends are true!" He thought as he eyed the river behind him. He wasn't a swimmer but then.... He was only gonna dip himself.

In a swift motion, he dashed towards the river and dived inside. Just as his body connected with the river,

"Aha! Finally, thou hast realized the true purpose of river Styx!" Cronus chuckled

{System alert: Strength + 20

Agility + 20

Endurance + 40

Intelligence + 30

Aether reserves Filled up!

His new stats displayed:

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: 71-91

Agility: 76-96

Endurance: 56-96

Intelligence: 47-77

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)

Rex erupted from the river, his body gleaming with newfound power. Every muscle felt reinvigorated, his mind sharper than ever, and the weight of exhaustion that had threatened to overtake him vanished in an instant. He clenched his fists, feeling the Aether pulsing through him, now in perfect harmony with his body.

Charon's towering avatar turned its gaze back to Rex, the ominous green energy swirling like a storm. "No Obol coin, no crossing!" the ferryman bellowed, but this time, Rex didn't flinch.

A grin spread across Rex's face as he wiped the blood from his mouth. "Looks like I just bought myself a free pass," he said, his voice steady and confident.

With a burst of speed, Rex launched himself forward, moving faster than ever before. In an instant, he closed the gap between him and Charon, his fists blazing with Aether. His heightened agility allowed him to weave around the avatar's massive attacks with ease, each movement precise, like a masterful dance.

Charon swung his oar, but Rex sidestepped effortlessly. Time seemed to slow as Rex activated Temporal Rift once again, but this time it was different. His boosted intelligence allowed him to control the skill more precisely, maintaining it longer without draining as much Aether.

As the world around Charon froze, Rex seized the opportunity, aiming directly for the glowing core at the center of Charon's avatar. His fists connected with a resounding crack, sending shockwaves through the air. The giant avatar staggered, its once impenetrable form now flickering and unstable.

"Gotcha!" Rex growled, landing blow after blow, each one charged with the full force of his newfound strength.

Charon roared, the eerie voices of the dead echoing through the cavern, but he could no longer keep up. Rex's relentless assault left the ferryman reeling, his once fearsome avatar now struggling to hold its shape.

Rex could feel victory within his grasp. "This is the end!" he shouted, pulling back his fist for one final punch. The Aether around him flared, enveloping his entire arm in a brilliant blue light. With a mighty roar, Rex drove his fist straight into the core of Charon's avatar.

The cavern was filled with an explosion of light as the core shattered, and Charon's avatar crumbled, the swirling green energy dissipating into nothingness. The ferryman let out a final, ghostly wail as his form reverted to its skeletal self, weakened and powerless.

Charon fell to his knees, his empty eyesockets staring up at Rex. "No... crossing..." he whispered, his voice now barely a shadow of the thunderous roar from before.

Rex towered over him, breathing heavily but victorious. "Guess I don't need a coin after all," he said, turning his back on the defeated ferryman.

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