Brontar's heavy footsteps echoed like thunder as he emerged from the storm clouds, lightning curling across his massive shoulders. Beside him walked Noctyra, her pale face hidden under a veil of shadows, whispers of madness trailing behind every step she took.
"The Godslayer comes closer," Brontar growled, his voice rumbling like an earthquake. "If he thinks he can stand against us, he is already dead."
Noctyra let out a sharp laugh, her eyes glowing crimson. "Oh, brother, let him come. His rage will feed my madness, his mind will break long before his body does."
They walked side by side, gods united in purpose, speaking of Kratos as if he were already a fallen memory.
The scene shifted. Kratos' eyes snapped open, his chest rising with heavy breaths. The battle scars burned, but his rage burned hotter. Kael, his new ally, sat nearby sharpening the blade of his weapon.
"What do we do now, Kratos?" Kael asked, his voice steady but edged with unease.
Kratos stood, tightening his grip on the new axe strapped to his back. He looked toward the horizon where the sky bled red over distant trees.
"We hunt them," Kratos growled.
Together, they marched into a deadly forest, the ground alive with roots that moved like serpents and the air heavy with the stench of beasts waiting to strike. Every shadow seemed to watch them, every tree ready to kill. The path to Brontar and Noctyra had begun.
As Kratos and Kael pushed deeper into the forest, the silence shattered with the snap of branches. From the mist emerged a colossal bear, its fur matted with blood, eyes glowing with unnatural rage. It let out a roar that shook the ground and charged.
Kratos swung his axe with brutal force, sparks flying as steel tore through thick hide. Kael darted to the side, slashing with precise strikes, each blow carving crimson across the beast's flesh. The bear fought like a demon, its claws tearing through trees as if they were nothing.
With a final strike, Kratos buried his axe into its skull, and the monster staggered, blood spraying as it fell to one knee. Kael lunged, driving his blade into its chest. The beast let out one last roar before collapsing into the dirt.
But before they could even breathe, the ground trembled again. From the shadows of the forest, massive shapes moved—five more giant bears, each larger than the last, their roars shaking the forest to its roots. Their glowing eyes fixed on Kratos and Kael as they circled, snarling, the hunt now turned against the hunters.
The five monstrous bears lunged together, teeth and claws flashing like blades. Kratos and Kael braced themselves for a desperate struggle—but before either could strike, the air split with a sickening crack.
In an instant, all five beasts froze mid-charge, their bodies twisting unnaturally. One by one, they collapsed lifeless to the ground, their blood steaming against the earth.
Kratos' eyes narrowed. Slowly, he turned his head.
Standing behind them, wreathed in stormlight and shadows, were Brontar and Noctyra.
Brontar's massive hammer dripped with sparks, the very air trembling around him. "These beasts are nothing," he thundered. "Only your blood will satisfy the storm."
Noctyra tilted her head, her grin stretching unnaturally wide, crimson light swirling in her eyes. "Run if you wish, Godslayer… but even in your dreams, you cannot escape me."
Kael tightened his grip on his blade, sweat running down his face. Kratos lifted his axe, his jaw clenched, rage boiling within.
The gods had come.
Kratos and Kael roared as they charged, steel meeting storm and shadow. Kael's strikes clashed against Noctyra's blades of madness, each parry sending echoes through the forest, while Kratos' axe slammed against Brontar's colossal hammer, the impact shaking the very ground.
But the gods were relentless. Noctyra's whispers twisted Kael's mind, making his movements falter, while Brontar's thunderous blows grew heavier with each strike. With one devastating punch, Brontar's fist crashed into Kratos' chest, hurling him like a ragdoll against a wall of stone. The rock split and cracked under the force, blood dripping from Kratos' mouth as he struggled to rise.
Before he could recover, Brontar's massive hand closed around Kael, lifting him like a child. Noctyra stepped beside him, her cruel smile widening.
"This boy will serve as a message," she hissed, her voice echoing with madness.
Brontar's storming voice thundered across the forest: "And your weapon of wrath is no longer yours."
In his other hand, he held Kratos' legendary axe—the weapon torn away in the chaos of battle. The storm around it crackled as if mocking its true owner.
Kratos' eyes widened with fury as both gods vanished into darkness, Kael and the axe ripped away before his eyes.
Silence fell, broken only by the sound of Kratos' heavy breaths. His fists clenched, his rage boiling to the surface. He turned to the weapons strapped to his back, the ones he had sworn to use only when no other path remained.
The Blades of God.
Chains rattled as he drew them, their edges gleaming with the fire of his unending wrath.
The war had only just begun.
Kratos stepped forward, his eyes burning like molten steel, the forest trembling beneath his fury. He lifted his chains, letting them whip through the air with a deafening hiss.
"They think they can take everything from me," he growled, voice low and deadly. "They think I will kneel… But I am Kratos. I do not beg. I do not surrender. I destroy."
With a swift motion, he drew a small, glowing device from his belt. Its surface shimmered with runes that pulsed like a heartbeat. Holding it above his Blades of God, he spoke, voice echoing with authority:
"Enchant these blades… bring them to their full power."
The device activated, projecting a holographic image of a massive dragon atop a jagged mountain. Its scales glinted like obsidian, eyes burning with fury. A deep, resonant voice emanated from the device:
"To unlock the full potential of your weapon… you must face the Slayer Dragon. Defeat it atop the peak of the world, and claim its Exile. Only then will your blades reach their ultimate form."
Kratos' jaw tightened, the chains of his Blades of God rattling ominously. His gaze shifted toward the distant mountain, shrouded in storm and shadow.
"A dragon," he muttered, lips curling into a deadly smirk. "Then let it come. It will learn the meaning of fear."
With that, he set his eyes on the perilous journey ahead, the forest around him whispering in awe of the wrath that was about to be unleashed.
Kratos climbed the jagged slopes of the mountain, every step tearing at his muscles, every gust of wind threatening to knock him down. The Blades of God glimmered at his sides, chains rattling like war drums as he neared the summit.
At last, he reached the massive, rune-covered gate that sealed the Slayer Dragon's domain. He raised his blades, ready to strike the seals open—but before he could touch them, the gate shuddered violently and crashed down, smashing the stone beneath him.
From the debris emerged the dragon—a monstrous, titanic beast, its scales like molten obsidian, eyes burning like twin suns. Its wings unfurled, spanning wider than the mountain itself, and it reared back, shaking the peak with sheer force.
Kratos didn't flinch. With a single leap, he slammed one of his blades onto the dragon's back, embedding it deep into its thick scales. The dragon roared, wings beating the air like thunder, and lifted off the peak—Kratos holding on, riding the beast as it soared into the stormed skies.
Wind whipped past him, teeth bared in a snarl, and the mountain fell away beneath them. The battle had begun—sky against steel, god against dragon.
Kratos tightened his grip on the Blades of God. "Let's see if you can survive me," he growled, eyes locked on the horizon as they flew higher into the clouds.
The dragon twisted violently in midair, slamming Kratos against the jagged rocks of the mountain with bone-shattering force. Pain tore through him, but he rolled, barely keeping hold of the Blades of God. Before he could rise, the dragon's massive clawed foot slammed down, pinning him beneath its weight.
Its jaws opened wide, teeth glinting like spears, ready to crush him in an instant. Kratos' vision blurred, the roar of the beast echoing in his skull.
Then, a flashback struck him—memories of Spartan battles, bloodied fields, fallen comrades, and the fury that had always fueled him. The memories ignited something primal within him. His eyes flared red, veins pulsing with unrestrained power.
Spartan Rage erupted. Chains whirled, Blades of God slicing through the air with unstoppable force. The dragon reared, but every strike from Kratos cut through its scales like fire through paper. Claws swiped, tails lashed, and wings beat the air, but Kratos moved with lethal precision, his rage guiding every motion.
The battle became a whirlwind of death and destruction—mountain rocks shattered, clouds roared above, and lightning seemed to bend to the fury of the Godslayer. Every swing of the blades was a strike of vengeance, every leap a promise of annihilation.
Kratos roared, matching the dragon's roar with pure wrath: the mountain itself trembled beneath the intensity of their clash, and the Slayer Dragon finally realized it had met a force it could not crush.
The Slayer Dragon roared, its wings tearing through the storm clouds as it dragged Kratos higher into the skies. Kratos clung to its back, the chains of his Blades of God wrapped tight around its scales. The dragon twisted, trying to shake him free, but Kratos drove his blade deeper, molten blood spraying across the wind.
The dragon spun and dove from the sky, the force ripping through the clouds like thunder. Kratos held on as the beast slammed him into a nearby peak, shattering the mountaintop in an explosion of stone and fire. Rocks cascaded like rain, the world trembling at the clash of god and monster.
Kratos roared back, yanking his blades free, and with a leap he struck both weapons deep into the dragon's wings. The beast shrieked, spinning wildly before smashing through the mountain itself, breaking it in half as both warrior and dragon plummeted into the valley below.
They crashed into the forest, trees splintering into dust beneath their weight. The dragon's tail whipped, sending Kratos flying through entire rows of trees. He rose, blood dripping, eyes glowing with fury. The dragon landed, its bulk shaking the ground, fire burning from its throat.
Kratos charged. The dragon unleashed a torrent of flames that incinerated the forest, but Kratos burst through the inferno, chains ablaze, blades slashing in a storm of steel. He leapt onto its head, driving both weapons into its skull, forcing it back.
The dragon roared, slamming him against the burning earth, but Kratos would not let go. Sparks, blood, and fire filled the forest as the two clashed with a fury that split heaven and earth.
The sky burned. The mountain lay in ruins. The forest screamed with fire and death.
This was no battle—it was a legend carved into the world itself.
The dragon thrashed wildly, flames pouring from its jaws as the forest burned around them. Kratos snarled, chains rattling as he dragged the beast's head down with sheer brute force.
With Spartan Rage surging, he leapt high into the smoke-filled sky, the Blades of God spinning in a storm of fire and steel. He came crashing down onto the dragon's back, both blades sinking deep into its spine. The monster howled, wings snapping as it staggered forward, collapsing trees like matchsticks.
But the dragon wasn't finished. With a roar that shook the heavens, it rose again, launching itself into the air with Kratos still chained to its flesh. They soared higher and higher until the stars themselves burned above. The dragon twisted back, flames bursting from its throat in a desperate attempt to scorch him from existence.
Kratos only growled, pulling the chains tighter, dragging himself up the beast's neck. He leapt forward, landing on its skull. "Your end… is NOW."
With all his fury, he drove the Blades of God down through the dragon's head, the chains wrapping like shackles around its skull. The weapons glowed, rage and fire bursting outward in a devastating shockwave. The dragon's roar turned into a shriek of death as its body convulsed, wings tearing apart, and it plummeted like a burning meteor.
They crashed into the forest in an earth-splitting explosion, the impact shattering trees and rock for miles. When the fire cleared, Kratos stood atop the dragon's corpse, his blades still buried deep, its molten blood pooling beneath him.
From within the beast's broken chest, a strange light pulsed. Kratos reached inside and tore free a jagged, glowing relic—the Exile. Its power surged through him, flames wrapping around the Blades of God as they transformed, their edges now burning with unstoppable fury.
Kratos stared into the night, smoke and fire rising behind him, the chains rattling in his fists.
"Brontar. Noctyra. Your death comes next."
Kratos stood over the fallen Slayer Dragon, his chest heaving, blood dripping from countless wounds. In his hand, the Exile pulsed like a living flame. He lifted it high, pressing it against the Blades of God.
The forest shook as the relic fused with the chains. Fire and lightning surged through the weapons, the steel glowing crimson, the chains rattling with divine fury. The Blades roared to life, their edges burning hotter than any forge, alive with destruction itself.
Kratos gazed upon them, the firelight dancing in his eyes. The blades were no longer just weapons—they were death incarnate.
When dawn broke, Kratos did not rest. His rage carried him forward, each step heavy with purpose. The ground quaked beneath his stride as he ran toward the massive black palace that loomed in the distance, its towers swirling with storm clouds and shadows—the throne of Brontar, Titan of Storms, and Noctyra, Goddess of Madness.
The air itself grew violent as he approached, lightning cracking the skies, whispers of insanity crawling at the edges of his mind.
But Kratos did not falter. His blades burned hotter with every step.
The Godslayer was coming.
From the shadows behind the towering black palace, laughter echoed—low and cruel. Kratos turned, his rage already boiling, and there they were.
Brontar, the Titan of Storms, stood like a mountain of muscle and thunder, his massive hand crushing down on Kael's head, bones cracking under the pressure. Beside him, Noctyra twirled her blades of madness, her laughter cutting through the air like glass.
"Your ally screams so sweetly," she whispered, her voice dripping with venom.
Kratos' fury ignited. With a roar that split the skies, he lunged forward and drove his fist into Brontar's chest. The impact thundered through the ground, lightning exploding outward. But Brontar only staggered slightly, his cruel grin never fading.
"Is that all, Godslayer?" Brontar mocked, tightening his grip on Kael.
Before he could crush him, Kratos' blades lashed out, chains glowing with godfire. In a blur of rage, he severed Brontar's grasp, pulling Kael free and throwing him behind. Kael staggered, coughing, but still alive.
"Kael," Kratos growled, never taking his eyes off the gods, "get out of this fight. They are mine."
Kael shook his head, blood dripping down his temple. "How are you going to defeat them both, Kratos? Together they are unstoppable!"
Kratos' eyes blazed, his voice a promise carved in stone. "Then hear me, Kael… I will die for you if I must. But before I fall, I will carve their gods' hearts from their chests."
The palace trembled as Brontar raised his hammer and Noctyra's madness filled the air. The battlefield was set.
Lightning split the sky as Brontar raised his hammer, thunder booming with every breath he took. Noctyra's laughter slithered through the air, a thousand whispers clawing at Kratos' mind. The ground cracked beneath their presence, and the palace loomed above like a watching god.
Kratos roared and charged, the Blades of God blazing with their new, deadly power. He swung in a whirlwind, chains tearing through the air, sparks and fire bursting as they clashed against Brontar's hammer. The force of the collision sent shockwaves rippling through the earth, trees splintering and stone walls collapsing.
Noctyra slid in from the side, her twin blades shimmering with madness. With every strike, visions of horrors tried to crawl into Kratos' mind—shadows of his past, voices of his failures. For a moment, the forest turned into a battlefield of corpses, his family's cries echoing in his head.
But Kratos snarled and let Spartan Rage erupt, his fury burning away the illusions. He grabbed Noctyra mid-swing and slammed her into the ground so hard the earth cracked open, then spun to meet Brontar's descending hammer.
The weapons collided again, this time shattering the ground beneath them. Kratos was thrown back, his body carving a trench into the dirt. Blood dripped from his mouth, but his grip only tightened.
Brontar stomped forward, voice like rolling thunder. "You cannot fight the storm, mortal!"
Kratos lunged, wrapping his chains around the hammer and yanking it down, pulling Brontar off balance. He leapt onto the god's chest and drove both blades into his shoulders, fire searing through divine flesh. Brontar roared, lightning exploding outward, hurling Kratos through the air.
Before he could land, Noctyra was already there, blades slashing. She cut across his chest, shadows exploding from the wound. Kratos staggered but spun, his chains lashing out, wrapping around her neck. With a savage pull, he dragged her into his knee, bones snapping as she shrieked.
Kael, watching from the side, shouted, "Kratos! They'll kill you both!"
Kratos wiped the blood from his face, eyes blazing like fire. "They will learn… I am death itself."
The battle raged on—Brontar calling down storms so massive the palace towers cracked, Noctyra warping reality until the battlefield itself seemed alive. And yet Kratos tore through it all, blades cutting storms, fury shattering illusions.
Every strike shook the heavens. Every roar split the skies.
It was not a fight—it was a war of gods.
The storm howled above as the fight escalated. Brontar and Noctyra moved in perfect rhythm—storm and madness, strength and illusions. Brontar's hammer came down like a mountain falling from the sky, while Noctyra's blades blurred, each strike carrying a whisper meant to fracture Kratos' mind.
Stage One – The Storm Breaks
Kratos parried Brontar's hammer with his blades, the impact detonating the ground into shards of rock. Lightning bolts struck around them, searing the battlefield. Kratos countered, chains spinning as he lashed Brontar across the chest, tearing deep burns into godly flesh. But every hit he landed, Brontar returned with the force of a collapsing world, each blow heavier than the last.
Noctyra circled, illusions clawing at reality. Kratos saw Kael's corpse on the ground, his family screaming, shadows of his past rising from the dirt. He staggered for a moment—and in that instant, her blade slashed across his back, black fire erupting from the wound.
Kratos roared, burning through the illusion, and hurled a blade into her shoulder. She shrieked, but Brontar's fist slammed into Kratos' ribs, sending him crashing into the palace wall, stones exploding around him.
Stage Two – Wrath of Madness
Noctyra closed in, pressing her madness deeper. The battlefield twisted, skies turning red, the ground turning to flesh. Kratos' senses reeled, every sound a scream, every sight a nightmare. Brontar's hammer smashed through this nightmare, real and unrelenting, crushing the ground where Kratos once stood.
Kratos dragged himself up, blood dripping, eyes blazing. He swung wildly, shattering illusions, fire erupting from his blades. He caught Noctyra mid-lunge, wrapping his chain around her arm and tearing her across the battlefield like a ragdoll. Brontar intercepted, slamming Kratos back, thunder exploding from the strike.
Stage Three – The Mountain Trembles
All three collided in a storm of fury. Kratos' rage pushed him forward, carving lines of fire into Brontar's flesh, while Noctyra's blades cut across his legs and arms, wounds opening everywhere. Kratos slammed his blades into the ground, creating a fiery explosion that threw them back.
Breathing hard, covered in blood, Kratos stood, chains rattling. Brontar cracked his neck, grinning through blood. Noctyra wiped crimson from her mouth, her eyes glowing with even more madness.
The battle was far from over.
Their weapons shattered into fragments, sparks lighting the ground like falling stars. Kratos growled, blood dripping from his fists, and shouted, "Now I will also fight bare handed!" He shoved the Blade of Gods into Kael's hands. "Take it… hold it safe."
Then, veins burned red across Kratos' body, his roar splitting the heavens. He unleashed the most powerful Spartan Rage he had ever called upon. The ground cracked beneath his feet, mountains trembled, and the skies thundered as his aura tore the air apart.
Brontar and Noctyra stumbled back for the first time, feeling the weight of his fury. With nothing but his fists, Kratos rushed forward like a storm incarnate, punching Brontar so hard the Titan crashed through the palace walls, stone exploding into dust. Noctyra slashed at his mind with madness, but Kratos' rage burned through it, his eyes glowing brighter than fire.
Every strike echoed like thunder, shaking forests, shattering rivers, and splitting peaks. Brontar roared in fury, but Kratos caught his punch mid-air, twisted his colossal arm, and slammed him into the earth. Noctyra screamed and launched shadows, but Kratos tore through them, grabbed her by the throat, and smashed her against Brontar.
With every blow, his rage grew wilder, the air itself scorching from his fists.
The ground shook as Kratos's eyes burned with unrelenting fury. His body swelled with the full force of his Spartan Rage, crimson energy erupting from his veins like molten fire. Brontar and Noctyra charged together, but Kratos met them head-on, bare fists crackling with godly wrath.
He slammed Brontar's jaw with an uppercut so devastating it sent the Titan crashing through the palace walls, mountains splitting in the distance from the shockwave. Noctyra shrieked, summoning waves of madness to claw at Kratos's mind, but he roared, his will overpowering her illusions. He grabbed her by the throat mid-air and smashed her into the ground with bone-splintering force.
Brontar rose again, storms raging around him, but Kratos leapt, driving a flaming knee into his chest, breaking his ribs. He unleashed his deadliest combo — fists striking like meteors, knees and elbows flowing in unrelenting rhythm. He pummeled Brontar's face into the earth, shattering the Titan's skull with one final blow.
Noctyra, weakened, tried one last scream of madness, but Kratos ripped through it with a roar of his own, grabbed her head with both hands, and twisted violently — silencing her forever. Her body crumpled as shadows dissolved into nothing.
The battlefield was silent. Kael stood frozen, clutching the Blade of Gods, watching the impossible victory. Kratos, chest heaving, blood covering his fists, staggered back. The Spartan Rage flickered away, leaving him scarred and drained, but alive.
He turned to Kael and growled, "It is done."
The two of them collapsed beside the ruins of the palace, resting amidst the smoking remains of Brontar and Noctyra's reign of terror. For the first time in days, the night sky above was calm.