Looking at the Blades of Chaos in his hands, Zhang Yi felt completely refreshed, as if he had just had an iced coke on a hot summer day.
Leviathan Axe? Who even plays with that?
A true God of War should wield the Blades of Chaos.
Waving the Blades of Chaos in his hands, he slaughtered all sorts of small monsters along the way.
He stormed into Helheim, the Underworld, and then dug out the gatekeeper's heart.
Although Atreus wasn't there, Mimir's head, serving as an accessory, kept him from feeling lonely. Just like Atreus's 'Father, be careful,' Mimir's head also served cheerleading duties, often mentally encouraging Kratos during battles.
And although the difficulty was the same, without Atreus's bow and arrow assistance, Zhang Yi clearly felt the game's difficulty increase, or perhaps he was just a little unaccustomed to it.
“Indeed, Kratos is just an aging, illiterate old father; the son is the true God of War,” Zhang Yi couldn't help but complain after an exhausting battle that left him drained.
Without Atreus, even fighting minor monsters felt incredibly strenuous.
Fortunately, this journey without Atreus wasn't very long. After obtaining the Helheim gatekeeper's heart, Kratos returned to Freya's abode and successfully healed Atreus.
Here, Kratos also apologized to Freya. Zhang Yi found it quite amusing to watch Kratos's expression as he tried to apologize and convey his feelings.
Leaving Freya's residence, Kratos and his son embarked on their journey once more.
In the cellar, Kratos gave another dagger to Atreus, signifying his approval of Atreus's abilities. He then handed him a bottle of wine, which in Spartan tradition meant Atreus had become a man. This scene felt warm and heartwarming.
However, Zhang Yi soon noticed some differences. Although Atreus was a brat before, as the adventure progressed, it became clear that he wasn't annoying at all; he was even as reliable as Ellie in The Last of Us.
But after drinking that bottle of wine and learning of his divine identity, Atreus's disposition seemed to have changed. When facing the younger of the Dwarven brothers, who had previously helped Kratos and his son, Atreus showed an extremely impatient side.
'Let me guess... your brother isn't as talented as you, his work is trash.'
'You tell me this every time, over and over.'
'Take action to change, or shut up.'
'Yeah! We're tired of hearing about little people's little problems!'
After discovering he was a god, Atreus acted like a nouveau riche. He became arrogant, feeling omnipotent and superior. He even disobeyed Kratos, becoming impulsive, reckless, and conceited.
In the catacombs, when facing Modi, who was beaten to a pulp, Atreus wanted to kill him but was stopped by Kratos.
'No, he's suffered enough; there's no need to kill him.'
The current Kratos was no longer the Kratos who couldn't control his rage and only sought revenge, destroying everything in his path. But Atreus, knowing his divine status, was not as calm as Kratos.
'He must pay for speaking ill of mother.'
'We are gods; we do whatever we want.'
After saying that, Atreus plunged the dagger into Modi's throat and kicked him into the abyss. 'You killed him despite my objections! You're out of control!' Kratos glared at Atreus, as if seeing his past self, finally revealing an angry expression.
'Haven't you always taught me how to kill?' Atreus looked utterly confused.
'I taught you how to survive. We are gods, boy... and because of that, we will be targets. From now until the end of all things, you will be a target, so I did teach you to kill... but that was for self-preservation, not wanton destruction.'
'Nobody cares about him anyway, what's the difference?' Atreus was unmoved.
'Killing a god has many hidden dangers!'
'Why? How do you know? How do you know that?'
'Watch your tongue, boy.'
'Whatever you say.'
A hint of hostility emerged in the father and son's exchange. Moreover, during this segment of the game, the gameplay experience also changed. Zhang Yi found that sometimes, when controlling Atreus to shoot arrows or use skills, Atreus wouldn't listen. Instead, he would rush forward with his bow and engage in close combat with monsters.
“What's going on? How did this brat change so suddenly?”
Zhang Yi gritted his teeth in anger. He had just started to change his opinion of the brat, and now the brat was acting up again! But despite his anger, upon closer thought, this transformation wasn't sudden at all.
It was like a person accustomed to poverty suddenly being told one day that they are, in fact, incredibly wealthy, that millions are just their monthly allowance. Most people would fall into a state of失去控制 (loss of control) brought on by sudden wealth. The most common reaction is retaliatory spending, wanting to acquire everything they couldn't even dream of before, just to see what it's like.
And Atreus, who had always believed himself to be merely a powerful human, experienced this change in mindset after discovering he was a god. He was just being too much!
Especially at the peak of the mountain, Kratos and Atreus once again encountered Baldur, who had initially caused them trouble. Atreus, self-righteously believing that as a god he was omnipotent, even tried to take on Baldur alone. When Kratos intervened, the brat not only showed no gratitude but even shot Kratos with an arrow imbued with divine lightning power. Clearly, in his rage, Atreus had lost his head and was completely out of control, just like Kratos once was when Zeus cast him into the Underworld.
As for the brat Atreus, he was naturally no match for Baldur and was immediately captured. Although angry, Atreus was still his son, so Kratos immediately gave chase and engaged Baldur in an earth-shattering battle on the back of a dragon.
Finally, seeing that Baldur was about to activate the Bifröst to return to Asgard, Kratos had no choice but to temporarily activate the Bifröst himself, teleporting them all to Helheim.
After reaching temporary safety, Kratos finally lost his temper with Atreus. Until then, Kratos had suppressed his anger.
But now, Kratos finally erupted. He fiercely grabbed Atreus's hand and stared wide-eyed at him.
“You listen to me! Don't say a single word back.”
“I am your father, and you, boy, have become a different person.”
“Too easily angered, reckless, disobedient, out of control.”
“This cannot continue. If you want to make your mother proud, abandon the path you have chosen.”
“It’s not too late...”
“Remember! We are here because of you, boy.”
“Do not forget.”
Atreus, lectured by Kratos, said nothing, head bowed like a quail. Watching this scene, Zhang Yi felt a sense of satisfaction. Yes, this brat deserved a good scolding.
What a pity it wasn't the right time, otherwise a good beating with a belt would have been excellent for the brat. Looking at the pitiful Atreus, Zhang Yi expressed his regret.
Atreus, severely reprimanded by Kratos, clearly realized his mistake. This transformation filled Zhang Yi with relief, yet it also brought to mind the previous events.
“It feels like Atreus’s sudden change started after he drank that wine.”
“Could Atreus have a low alcohol tolerance, or perhaps counterfeit alcohol is harmful?”
Exploring the realm of Helheim with Atreus, Zhang Yi couldn't help but let his imagination run wild. And indeed, the more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Where did Atreus’s personality change begin? It seemed to be right after Kratos acknowledged Atreus and gave him a flask of wine, and after that, the brat’s temper became unbearable. Although aged wine is said to be better, who knew how many years this wine had been sitting, and whether it was even real? Atreus chugged it down, so it was no wonder he was acting drunk. Now, frozen in the icy cold, and shocked by Kratos's scolding and the earlier battle with Baldur, had it sobered the brat up?
(End of Chapter)
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