Chapter 895: Boss, Didn't You Say You'd End the Livestream at Noon?

"Let's get this straight, I'm only streaming until noon today; I have things to do this afternoon," Boss Fang explained, his hands deftly guiding Kratos through a series of rapid evasions.

It was perilously close; even these common mobs were formidable, making the entire realm feel fraught with hidden malice, prompting a sudden urge to shut down the stream and log off—damn it all, it was exhausting enough just trying to survive, let alone providing a running commentary for this crowd!

Of course, as a professional—even if streaming was now a mere hobby—Boss Fang maintained his fundamental standard, continuing, "It seems Kratos has amnesia now, and his strength is nowhere near what it used to be..."

"So, you can forget about seeing those old divine powers and ultimate moves."

"There's no Poseidon’s Rage or anything like that in God of War 4?!" Many players clearly retained vivid memories of the devastating magic from the previous installments.

"Boss, can we still get the Blades of Chaos?" Saints like the Elven Queen, Kellynlear, held deep impressions of the signature weapon that spanned the original trilogy; many warriors and knights had even forged replicas of these chained blades, which the higher-tier combatants had already mastered.

Naturally, a sense of nostalgia for the Blades of Chaos lingered, and a flurry of bullet comments quickly followed suit.

"Uh..." Boss Fang explained as he maneuvered around the monsters, "Probably not... After all, those chain blades came from Ares, the former God of War. They constantly burned Kratos and symbolized his enslavement to the Olympian pantheon. It's time to bid farewell to the past."

"Huh? Boss, even you don't know? Why do you sound so uncertain?!" Su Tianji pressed immediately.

In the past, the shop owner had always known everything, even if he kept it under wraps; why did he seem so utterly clueless this time?

Naturally, Boss Fang couldn't reveal that he had played all the previous games but had only ever seen a trailer for this one.

Streaming this wretched God of War 4 felt like walking on thin ice; he hadn't even left the tutorial area and was already on the verge of death. Why did he sense an overwhelming aroma of pure, unadulterated malice radiating from this game?

He desperately wished he could travel back in time to demand the developers who had corrupted them, and why the style of God of War had shifted so drastically. If he, the venerable boss, wiped out here today, he would mail a crate of time-traveling razor blades straight to their office.

He began to suspect that everything he had played before was a sham; compared to the original trilogy, God of War 4 offered a completely independent, entirely novel gameplay experience.

...

"We'll use a staggered dodge to evade the attack, while trying our best to break the line of sight of the other mobs, capitalizing on the recovery frames of their strikes to land a heavy blow!"

"Father, behind you!" Another draugr scrambled to its feet from behind, bringing a rusted blade down with ferocious velocity!

"Dodge!" Fang Qi narrowly avoided a fatal blow at the absolute eleventh hour, the tarnished edge leaving a shallow crimson trail across his skin. "It's too chaotic with this many foes; it's best to back out of the scrum and hurl the axe directly!"

In God of War 4, Kratos's axe could be thrown outright, returning to his hand instantly upon command.

Yet, Fang Qi was far from relaxed, caught between the demands of intense combat and the distraction of giving commentary.

"Ah!" The audience watched in dismay as Boss Fang, clipped a few times in the chaotic melee, saw his health bar dwindle to the absolute brink!

"Left!" Though Atreus could not yet join the fray, he constantly called out dangers lurking in Kratos's blind spots; the moment Fang Qi retreated, several draugr warriors pursued him relentlessly.

As the skirmish dragged on, Fang Qi realized these undead were no fragile skeletons; in both appearance and martial prowess, they conducted themselves as though they had survived countless campaigns in life, retaining exceptional combat discipline even in death!

By comparison, they seemed more like...

"Draugr?"

"So many?!"

Had this been God of War 1, a single Poseidon’s Rage would have cleared the field, and even without it, a sweeping strike of the chain blades would have felled a swath of foes.

But now, the aging God of War—who could be struck back while facing a single opponent—was clearly incapable of activating his usual army-sweeping mode.

"This feels like a total wipeout coming..." Boss Fang's heart sank.

In that tense moment, the hearts of all the watching players leaped into their throats.

"No way..."

"It looks like the boss is getting suppressed by just a few minor mobs..."

"What's going on?" Not only the patrons from the newer branches, but even the veteran players watched in utter bewilderment.

"What is wrong with the stream today...?" Su Tianji chimed in. "Why does it feel like the boss is a completely different person?"

"Hmm...?" Up in the Heavenly Realm, the Valkyrie Isabella watched the display with deep suspicion.

Just as Atreus shouted his warning from the left, Fang Qi turned his head only to feel a violent gust of wind rushing at his face; almost instinctively, he raised his left arm to block.

With a sharp, metallic ring, a circular shield suddenly snapped out from the bracer. Fang Qi had prepared himself to absorb the blow with an injured left arm, but to his surprise, the round shield deflected it entirely!

Kratos held the Leviathan Axe in his right hand, while his left was equipped with a peculiar gauntlet; unlike standard arm guards, it concealed exceptionally rigid segments that, when fully deployed, transformed from an unassuming piece into a complete medium-sized buckler.

Even so, caught off guard, the sheer momentum of the sword blow forced him back two steps.

Seizing the opening, several draugr pressed the assault.

"He's in trouble..." the audience in the shop murmured in low voices.

"Does he... not know how to use this weapon?" The Valkyrie Isabella narrowed her eyes, seemingly discerning a flaw. "What is this? Why does he seem even weaker than me?!"

At the very least, were she in his place, even with depleted strength, she could have dispatched a few undead at the cost of minor injuries.

"Can this shield on the arm be used like this?" Right at that moment, almost by sheer reflex, Fang Qi parried with the round shield on his left arm!

Clang! It was an even more hurried parry; normally, even if Fang Qi managed to block such an onslaught, the momentum would have sent him stumbling into an inescapable envelopment.

Yet, everyone witnessed a subtle, masterful technique applied to Fang Qi's shield. It did not merely absorb the force perfectly, but with a swift backhanded flick, it jarred the two monsters off-balance, sending them reeling backward!

"To deflect the opponent's strike so fluidly despite such haste?!" Up in the Heavenly Realm, the Valkyrie Isabella stared intently at the screen. "What kind of martial technique is this?!"

She discerned immediately that this was neither brute strength nor magic, but an extraordinary mastery of combat skill!

"A... a parry?!" Everyone watched wide-eyed.

"He actually... pulled off a parry in God of War?!"

(Note: God of War 4 features a parry mechanic, including a perfect deflection system for spells, unlike Dark Souls where specific shields are required.)

Immediately following, Fang Qi commanded Kratos to deliver a ferocious slash with his axe, sending one monster hurtling through the air.

Previously, he had controlled his swinging force to chain rapid airborne slashes; this time, however, because the preceding parry had been so rushed, the impact threw the draugr warrior too far, leaving no time for a follow-up combo.

Without a second thought, he hurled the Leviathan Axe forward, simultaneously sweeping his shield toward the neck of another undead.

Right then, the bullet commentary erupted into a frenzied storm of praises.

"Look at that monster!"

"A parry, a heavy strike, and a flying axe—it pinned it straight to the cliffside and instant-killed it from full health?!"

"Amazing!"

"Holy crap?! God-tier play!"

"What?!" The Valkyrie Isabella stared blankly at the corpse pinned high upon the rocky wall, which stood like a grim monument of deterrence.

They had already witnessed how thick and resilient the monster's hide was, yet now...

It truly felt as though an entirely different person had taken the reins!

...

Unlike the earlier entries of God of War, where Kratos had carved his path through unyielding willpower and immense divine strength, his current power was vastly diminished.

Consequently, relying on magic and overwhelming might to sweep across the battlefield and showcase domineering, army-destroying spectacles was no longer an option.

Thus, departing from the raw empowerment of the previous titles, the system version of God of War 4 placed its emphasis heavily on martial finesse.

And after the settling of ages, what an aging God of War accumulated over a lifetime of conflict should inherently be an extraordinary level of combat refinement!

"I think I understand how to play this now..." A sudden spark of inspiration flared within Boss Fang's mind.

Blending his previous combat style with these new techniques, an entirely integrated combat system seemed to manifest.

Clang! With a resounding impact, Fang Qi targeted a precise angle to position his foe, using the attacking draugr to physically obstruct the advance of the others flanking it, creating a brief one-on-one pocket; simultaneously, the shield on his left arm moved with seemingly sentient precision to catch the opponent's sword, executing a diagonal deflection before a heavy axe slash launched the monster away, followed immediately by the throw of the Leviathan Axe—all occurring in less than a single breath, executed in one flawless, unbroken motion!

"I know how this game is played now...!"

...

"Boss, didn't you say you'd stream until noon and then log off?" someone in the bullet comments inquired at that moment.

"Huh? What did you say?" Mr. Fang had just failed several more attempts at nailing enemies to the wall. He turned back around, laboring away as he searched for lesser monsters to impale, and then...

"Hiss... Can a monster this massive actually be nailed!?"

"Ah!" came a wretched scream.

"Eh...?" Everyone looked at one another in utter bewilderment.

.