Chapter 891: The Release of 'God of War 4' and... The God of War Has Grown Old

"Whew..." It turned out that so-called Valkyrie was indeed rather troublesome to deal with...

Lying on the bed in his own room, Boss Fang let out a long sigh of relief.

After all, he was not the real Kratos, and the synchronization time had a strict upper limit; furthermore, the synchronization rate was not particularly high, and the divine weapon was only a one-time exchange, insufficient to sustain the entire battle.

If it had been a one-hit kill, the disparity naturally wouldn't have shown, but in such a war of attrition, the gap made itself apparent.

After all... despite slaughtering the entirety of the Olympian pantheon, that God of War had never once been seen to grow weary.

Boss Fang lay upon his bed, his eyes staring blankly at the snow-white ceiling: "System, you see how powerful just one deity is. What if a whole group of them comes to the shop to cause trouble in the future? I can always run away, but you... you can run, but the temple cannot hide."

"System upgrading, please do not disturb..."

"Heh... you wretched System, are you truly not afraid that this boss will simply pat his thighs and leave?!"

The System offered no response whatsoever.

"..." A long while passed in silence...

"I swear to..." He hastily extended a middle finger, "This boss is going to practice his cultivation!"

The System's cultivation room required a high synchronization rate, which depended first on one's own cultivation, second on combat techniques, and third on the comprehensive martial literacy learned from the character.

Thus, Boss Fang pulled himself together once more and commenced his training.

...

Nevertheless, a magnificent campaign of deicide had finally drawn to a close.

The entire world seemed to be cheering and celebrating the God of War's victory over that incomparably powerful Valkyrie.

Following the execution of several leaders of the Judgment Sanctuary, both the Sanctuary and the Radiant Divine Kingdom now existed in name only.

Yet, a starved camel remained larger than a horse, and for the time being, no nation harbored any untoward designs against them.

Furthermore, the descent of the Valkyrie had sounded a warning bell for all mankind; in this world, those enshrined deities truly existed, and this time only a single goddess had descended—what if next time there were more, and even more powerful gods?

Perhaps it was precisely because of the trepidation in their hearts that they held an even deeper reverence for Kratos, the mighty God of War who had slaughtered his way across Mount Olympus...

Evidently, the player base for *God of War* had also experienced a massive surge.

...

But in truth, the God of War Kratos was a deity, yet also a mortal.

The players' journey through *God of War* continued.

Inside the Canglan City shop.

These players—elves, knights, and various other factions—gathered behind the computers, watching the powerhouses of the shop clear the final segment of *God of War 3*.

Kratos stood atop the peak of Olympus, before him a world akin to primordial chaos; the laws of the realm were shattered, and the deities ruling this land fell one after another.

The death of Poseidon triggered a catastrophic tsunami, submerging the entire world beneath a vast ocean.

The death of Helios plunged the entire world into absolute darkness.

The death of Hades, Lord of the Underworld, threw the subterranean realm into lawless anarchy...

As the deities representing the world's laws perished, the entire world sank into an apocalyptic cataclysm.

The price of slaying gods was immense, and all rebellion was accompanied by bloodshed and sacrifice.

The fires of vengeance consumed the long-corrupted Mount Olympus and scorched the mortal realm alike.

From the Olympian gods to the ancient Titans, every deity had guided him, yet each guidance was accompanied by repeated betrayals; Kratos could no longer even discern who the true enemy was, much like... Athena.

She had broken her promise on behalf of Mount Olympus, yet returned from the underworld after her death to guide him toward the destruction of Olympus.

"You have done well, Kratos. Freed from the bonds of Olympus and cleansed by chaos, mankind is now ready to hear my divine message." Everyone stared at the screen, watching Athena's spirit stand right behind Kratos.

Beholding a world already destroyed and nearly returned to chaos, Kratos roared in fury: "Look around you, Athena! The world is in ruins! Of what use is your divine message?!"

He had achieved his vengeance, and he had seen its cost, but... Athena was different; she only wished to reclaim from Kratos that power called "Hope" which had once been sealed within Pandora's Box.

She had once guided Kratos to find this power, and now, she intended to use it to become the new ruler.

After the war, not only had all of mankind vanished, but as the commander of the Spartans, the Ghost of Sparta who had once led them and protected them after becoming the God of War, his Spartans were no more.

His eyes gazed into the distance, as if looking out over that nostalgic land; he had not always been alone as he was now, for there had once been an army he commanded—all of them the fiercest warriors, soldiers of solemn bearing, marching through the mountains clad in red cloaks.

Golden shields and sharp spears had gleamed with a dazzling radiance beneath the sun.

Beside the golden fields of flax, a mother and daughter clad in white stood beneath an olive tree, watching their husband and father depart for war.

That was his wife and daughter.

He seemed to see that mischievous little princess break free from her mother's hand, run through the ranks of the ready army, dash up the hillside to his feet, and then be lifted high by him; beneath the warm, pale-gold sunlight, that was the most beautiful smile in the world.

Yet now, only pale white ashes remained, covering his entire body, transforming into a nightmare he could never shake off for eternity!

On his path of vengeance, he had slaved for the Olympian gods, and he had been a pawn for the Titan race; now, he was nothing more than a chess piece in Athena's hand.

The gods of this world were all the same; through numerous betrayals, he had come to realize that these deities were entirely selfish and greedy, and what he had done was merely for revenge—nothing could be changed, and the nightmare entwining the latter half of his life could never be washed away.

And he no longer wished to be manipulated by anyone.

Perhaps his life should have ended the first time he died, but the gods had forcibly dragged him back from hell; now, however, no one could stop him from ending it all.

The crowd watched as he reversed his grip on the Blade of Olympus, driving the sword straight through his own body!

The power of Hope surged from within him, scattering into every corner of this darkened world; he did not choose to surrender this power to Athena, but gave it to the humans trapped in ruin.

Perhaps... once mankind possessed this power, they would usher in a completely new era...

They would have their own order, their freedom, a new civilization, and they would hold their destiny in their own hands.

The path of vengeance had reached its end, and the karmic retribution of a world destroyed by deicide was thus repaid; humanity was finally liberated from the rule of the gods.

The God of War Kratos was like war itself, bringing endless calamity and ruin, yet likewise, the world was ultimately changed and reborn because of it.

This was the war he represented.

And a generation's God of War... had fallen!

At this moment, whether it was the players who had reached this point or those watching from the side, all were gripped by an internal shock, reverence, gratitude, and a myriad of complex emotions, remaining silent for a long time.

Perhaps they no longer knew how to express the feelings in their hearts.

"But... the God of War is dead...? Then why is *God of War 4* on sale!?" Looking at the new game *God of War 4* written by Boss Fang on the small blackboard, everyone was utterly bewildered.

At the very end of the story, they saw that upon the magnificent temple of Olympus, nothing remained save for a pool of blood, while Kratos had long since vanished without a trace.

Destiny had mapped out a demonic path for him, yet he obstinately retained a glimmer of conscience in his heart; thus, it was decreed that even in the abyss of despair and agony, he had to fight onward with a roar—this was his fate.

When all the players opened *God of War 4* and looked upon the aged face of Kratos, who had lost his divine power, their eyes were filled with nothing but bitterness.

Fate had once again dragged Kratos back from the abyss of death, because war... was far from over.

Having lost his divine power, the God of War who had once torn gods apart with his bare hands... had also grown old; watching the aged God of War forced to return once more to the conflict he had endured a lifetime yet could still not escape, accompanied by his young son...

This time, they hoped he could break free from the nightmares of the past and fight for a new hope...

The players in the shop could not help but silently pray in their hearts.