Cronus' system: Against the gods

Chapter 157: Don’t unlock

The air filled with a metallic hum as the mechanical whirring of robots coming to life echoed across the battlefield. A fiery surge of energy radiated from one of the towering war machines, flames roaring to life in its palms.

Its steel frame glinted in the dim light, but what caught Rex’s attention was its eyes, cold, piercing, and unsettlingly human.

Behind it, nine other robots activated in unison, their fiery cores igniting with an eerie synchronization. Jets of flame erupted from their backs, cascading down their arms until their entire forms were sheathed in blazing infernos.

The flames danced like living entities, transforming them into nightmarish figures of molten fury. For a fleeting moment, Rex’s chest tightened; these weren’t just machines. They exuded a presence, a menacing aura that made them feel more like sentient monsters than lifeless constructs.

Rex’s lips curled into a confident smirk. "Monsters or machines, doesn’t matter. You’re going down."

He thumbed the activation switch on the gravity belt strapped around his waist. A soft hum filled the air, and the device pulsed with a faint blue glow, the energy field rippling like liquid starlight. The weight of gravity around him shifted, lightening as he flexed his knees.

"Time to put on a show," Rex muttered under his breath.

With a sudden burst of force, Rex launched himself into the air, propelled by the belt’s enhanced gravity manipulation. Flames surged toward him, one robot aiming a blazing inferno in his direction. Rex twisted mid-air, the heat licking at his heels as he narrowly dodged the attack.

Landing on the ground with a thud, Rex slammed his fist into the dirt, Aether crackling around his knuckles like wild lightning. He looked up at the fiery robots, his eyes gleaming with reckless determination.

"You think you’re hot stuff, huh?" Rex taunted, his voice thick with adrenaline. "Let me turn up the heat!"

The robots began advancing, their footsteps shaking the ground as jets of fire surged toward him. Rex grinned, charging his fists with pulsing Aether energy, the raw power illuminating his form.

"Let’s dance."

With a crack of Aether from his hands, a spear materialized as he aimed it at one of the robots. The robot jerked back, its sensors locking onto the incoming spear. Rex hurled the Aether spear with pinpoint accuracy, the weapon blazing through the air. It struck the robot’s core, detonating in a burst of energy that sent fragments of molten metal flying in all directions.

Rex’s grin turned into a feral snarl. "Seems slashes alone won’t cut it." His teeth ground together, the taste of challenge sweet in his mouth. He flexed his fingers, summoning a new wave of Aether into his palms, a storm of raw power.

"Y’know....I gotta hurry to meet Jeff so this has to stop" Rex growled as he slammed on the Aether belt. His whole body became weightless. He felt like he wasn’t in charge of his body again and that it was acting on it’s own.

"TEMPORAL RIFT!" Rex yelled this ability again with much vigor than the last time. The robot’s movements paused again.

Rex didn’t waste a heartbeat. Instantly, he unleashed Aether into his legs, and the power shot through him, surging like liquid fire through his veins. His speed more than doubled—every movement now a blur of raw, uncontained energy.

He could feel the tension in his muscles, his body barely able to keep up with its own speed, yet instinctively, he moved faster than the world around him could comprehend.

His legs blurred with each step, tearing through the space with a chaotic grace. Even he couldn’t control his own body at these speeds—his legs were a blur, outpacing his mind’s ability to react. But that was the thrill of it. He was no longer a man; he was a force.

Rex’s chest heaved, but there was no time to waste. His legs burned with energy as he propelled himself forward, moving so fast that even he could barely track his own motions.

His fists collided with the first robot, and the sound of metal cracking echoed through the frozen silence. The sheer force of his strike caused the robot’s internal systems to rupture, sparks flying from its core like fireworks.

But he didn’t stop there. His body moved of its own accord, faster than his mind could catch up. He struck again, and again, his fists becoming a blur of power, tearing through the metal and circuitry of the war machines.

One after another, the robots crumpled, their fiery cores flickering out as Rex’s blows dismantled them with violent precision. His Aether-powered legs propelled him through the battlefield like a storm, the speed and force of his strikes growing faster and deadlier with every second.

But as the last of the robots collapsed, Rex’s eyes narrowed. More were coming. From the shadows, additional robots emerged, their bodies gleaming in the dim light, their eyes glowing with a fierce, predatory energy. "Wait, I only asked for ten, didn’t I?" Rex yelled as he saw them approaching

He had told the lady to bring only ten of these basic level robots but now...another wave was approaching! Why?

"Nevertheless, I gotta hurry!"

With a sudden surge of Aether, Rex pulled all the power he could muster into his hands. The room seemed to bend and warp as a massive, glowing ball of Aether began to materialize between his palms. The energy grew rapidly, swirling and crackling with power, lighting up the room with