Chapter 735: Can't Stop (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Recalling how the desperate Kratos had jumped off the mountain, trying to end his own life, Zhang Yi was filled with emotion.

Ultimately, it was a lack of cultural understanding; a brute couldn't outplay a scholar.

Kratos wanted the gods to make him forget his past memories, but the gods told him they had already forgiven him. Whether he forgave himself was his own business.

Combined with Kratos's past manipulation by the gods, Zhang Yi had no good feelings left for any of these deities.

As the protagonist of the game, if one were to scrutinize Kratos, he was, in fact, an absolute scumbag. As a Spartan general, Kratos believed in the iron law of the jungle, thus he disregarded human life, and countless innocents died by his hand.

However, Kratos also had admirable qualities, such as his devotion to his wife and daughter. It was this devotion that led to the quest for the divine fruit. And precisely because of this importance, Kratos, who appeared to be a tough guy, always chose to evade the past of killing his wife and daughter, rather than bravely facing it.

In contrast, the renowned gods of Greek mythology presented a different facade.

After becoming the God of War, Kratos uncovered more secrets. In Atlantis, Kratos found his mother and brother, but his mother was cursed and turned into a monster, forcing Kratos to kill her with his own hands. Afterwards, his brother also died in the depths of the Underworld, planting the seeds of hatred in Kratos's heart.

Upon returning from Atlantis, having lost all his family, Kratos used his power as the God of War to help his people conquer territories. This made the Olympian gods quite displeased with this new god, who was originally a mortal, but Kratos also held the gods in contempt.

Ignoring Athena's warnings, Kratos went to Rhodes to help his devoted Spartan citizens in conquest. But at that moment, a white eagle used a spell to shrink Kratos back to mortal size and activate the Colossus of Rhodes. Believing Athena had ambushed him, Kratos fought his way to the Colossus.

In front of the Colossus, Zeus appeared, claiming to help Kratos, and even bestowed upon him his Blade of Olympus. However, Zeus's true intention was to strip Kratos of his divine power and kill him. Because Kratos's uncontrolled abuse of power finally made his existence intolerable to Zeus, and Zeus also feared Kratos's power would surpass his own.

"Zeus!"

Accompanied by Kratos's enraged roar, the de-powered Kratos was mercilessly killed by Zeus. From initially believing in the gods to doubting them, and then being betrayed by Zeus in Rhodes, Kratos now harbored only the fury of revenge.

More diverse BOSS battles and more gameplay options, besides the Blades of Chaos bestowed by Ares, the God of War, at the beginning. Later, Kratos could also obtain various weapons in the game. The Barbarian Hammer, Lance of Destiny, Bow of Apollo, and Claws of Hades, combined with various magical skills, were truly an adrenaline rush.

Especially as the game's story progressed, the scope of the scenes players encountered grew larger and larger. The Olympian gods had become Kratos's target for revenge.

Of course, the game's story was only one part of the gameplay. Using a variety of weapons and different magical skill combos to brutally defeat BOSSes – this was the experience that excited players even more about God of War.

Furthermore, compared to the numerous and complex puzzles in its previous incarnation, Chen Xu also made many appropriate optimizations. And, of course, there was the much-loved red soul extraction mini-game.

On a stormy night with thunder and lightning, after dispatching a horde of small monsters on a ship, Kratos found relaxation inside the ship's cabin. After destroying a colossal statue on Rhodes, Kratos cleansed his body and mind in a hot spring. And Kratos's proud record of 'one against eight' during the years he served the gods before avenging Ares left countless players stunned.

However, these mini-games were mostly for players to regulate their mindset. What truly captivated players was the ultimate aesthetic of violence. If Kratos was already violent before becoming the God of War, then after being framed by Zeus, Kratos fully demonstrated what true madness was.

A series of interconnected plots made players utterly unable to stop.

It was like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

While experiencing the content of God of War, players could clearly feel all of this. Players could even resonate with Kratos in the game.

The scale grew, and the fury deepened.

The fire of revenge burned relentlessly in Kratos's heart.

Kratos, after being stripped of his divinity and killed by Zeus, did not die. Instead, he met Gaia, the Mother of the Titans. Gaia told Kratos the story of the Titans' struggle against Olympus, and how they shared a common enemy in Zeus. This was also Gaia's reason for saving Kratos. After telling Kratos these things, Gaia informed him that if he wanted to reverse everything and get revenge on Zeus, he would have to seek the Three Fates to rewrite history.

Harpies, Minotaurs, Gorgons, Griffins, Cyclopes, countless monsters and heroes from Greek mythology appeared on Kratos's path to the Isle of Fate. However, nothing could stop the single-minded Kratos, driven by revenge; all were swiftly dispatched by the enraged Kratos.

Ultimately, after successively defeating the Three Fates, Kratos successfully returned to the past, to the moment Zeus had ambushed him, and reclaimed the Blade of Olympus to battle Zeus for dozens of rounds. However, just as he was about to deliver the final blow to Zeus, Athena suddenly appeared and took a strike for Zeus, allowing him to escape. Before she died, Athena revealed the truth: Kratos was actually Zeus's son, and Zeus feared Kratos would follow his footsteps in patricide, which was why he plotted to kill Kratos.

But Athena's death did not extinguish the rage in Kratos's heart. Afterwards, Kratos joined forces with Gaia and other Titans, returning together to the era of the Great War. Their goal was singular: revenge against Zeus, and against Olympus!

And the Greek gods all gathered on Olympus, preparing to eliminate the threat that was Kratos. Below Olympus, Kratos raised the Blade of Olympus and roared defiantly.

Previously, Kratos's opponents were ordinary sea monsters, various creatures from Greek mythology, or heroes; gods were quite rare. But in this final revenge, all of Kratos's opponents had become the Olympian gods.

………………

It must be said that the feeling God of War conveyed up to this point was absolutely explosive. The increasingly exaggerated violent executions delivered an indescribable sense of exhilaration.

However, aside from the diverse weapons and magic, Zhang Yi was also deeply moved by the game's story. It seemed that God of War told a tale of a mortal's adventurous journey to slay gods.

Yet, Zhang Yi felt there were many points worth pondering. For example, the main reason for Kratos and his brother's separation in the story was that Zeus knew of a prophecy: his reign as the King of the Gods would be overthrown by a Spartan warrior with a tattoo. Kratos's brother was born with a tattoo, so he was taken away by the gods. But to commemorate his brother, Kratos got an identical tattoo himself. This meant that Zeus's actions, while removing one tattooed warrior, created another.

And a more crucial point: Kratos was actually Zeus's son. Of course, this was very consistent with Greek mythology; incestuous relationships and kinslaying were common themes in Greek myths. What truly made Zhang Yi ponder was Kratos himself. Before this, Kratos exhibited extreme violence, yet he also had a soft spot: his wife and daughter, his brother and mother—these familial connections.

Moreover, during his earlier adventure to break Ares's blood oath, Kratos also had a friend. These points all showed that Kratos possessed emotions. So the question arose: was Kratos's intensely violent side a manifestation of his humanity or his divinity?

Of course, these thought-provoking questions merely flashed through Zhang Yi's mind, because when he entered this final chapter of God of War, Zhang Yi was utterly stunned. He had previously wondered if this aesthetic of violence, when directed at the Olympian gods, could possibly evolve further. The answer was yes, and it was even more fantastical and shocking.

(End of Chapter) <>