With the newly forged Blade of Earth's Wrath in his hands, Kratos burst forth from Gaia's realm and returned to the world under the sun.
He had no clear plan, no strategy, only a destructive instinct guiding him forward.
The first to cross his path of destruction was the faun "Pan", who was playing his reed flute and frolicking with nymphs in the mountains and forests.
"Pan" was the spirit of the mountains and forests, with the hooves and horns of a goat, his lower body covered in coarse fur.
He was the embodiment of joy and the sound of nature, but at this moment, he was unaware that the shadow of doom had enveloped him.
Woo——
The melodious and cheerful sound of the flute echoed through the valley. The nymphs danced to its tune, and the grass and trees seemed to sway along.
This vibrant scene, however, was like the sharpest mockery, piercing Kratos's heart, which was already riddled with holes.
Joy? He had long lost it.
Love? It had long been defiled by the gods.
Roooar!
An inhuman roar tore apart the harmonious music.
Kratos fell from the sky like a bloody meteor, crashing heavily between Pan and the nymphs, enveloped in smoke and dust.
The sound of the flute abruptly ceased.
"Pan" looked in astonishment at this uninvited guest, sensing the killing intent and resentment on his face, and his goat-like pupils suddenly constricted.
The nymphs screamed in terror and fled into the mountains and forest.
A breeze swept through them.
"You... who are you? Why disrupt 'Pan's' banquet?"
"Pan" raised his shepherd's crook, his voice trembling.
Kratos did not answer.
The answer to Pan was a giant blade tearing through the air!
The dark red blade light swept upwards!
"Pan" hastily raised his shepherd's crook to block.
Crack!
The shepherd's crook, which had accompanied him for countless years, snapped like a dead branch before the Wrath of Earth!
The blade wasn't finished; it cut across "Pan's" chest!
Thud——!
Golden divine blood gushed out, staining the emerald-green grass yellow.
"Pan" let out a mournful cry, no longer the melodious flute, but the howl of a dying beast.
He felt his divinity being frantically absorbed by this strange weapon!
Not just wounding, but plundering his very essence!
"Fo... why..." "Pan" staggered back, his eyes full of confusion and fear.
He was not a major god; he had no quarrel with the world. Why had he suffered such pure calamity?
Kratos pressed forward step by step, no emotion in his eyes, only a burning void.
He swung his blade again, this time aiming for Pan's iconic goat head.
Hand rises, blade falls.
The head with its curved horns flew upwards with an expression of disbelief, and golden blood gushed from the headless neck cavity like a fountain.
The wild and joyful divinity of "Pan" rapidly dissipated, like a popped bubble.
His remaining divine power and life essence were greedily devoured by the Blade of Earth's Wrath, then returned to "Gaia" far away in the depths of the earth.
In the cavern, "Gaia" sighed contentedly.
"More... I want more..." she whispered greedily, transmitting an urgent thought to Kratos.
Kratos wiped the blood from his sword, not even glancing at Pan's gradually cooling body, as if discarding trash.
He took a step and continued moving forward, seeking the next prey.
Meanwhile, in the secret camp, Alexander paced back and forth irritably.
Before him lay scattered maps, marking the spheres of influence of the known gods and suspicious points of fluctuation.
"You still haven't found him?!"
Alexander abruptly stopped and looked at Odysseus, who was in charge of reconnaissance, his voice full of uncontrollable anxiety.
"Kratos! We need him! We need his chaotic power, we need him to draw Olympus's attention!"
To go to war head-on with the entire Olympian system, especially against "Zeus", who wielded the thunder, they needed more variables and a stronger 'spear'.
And Kratos, this avenger with incredible combat effectiveness, was undoubtedly the best candidate and the most perfect 'shield' to draw firepower.
Odysseus calmly wiped his dagger and frowned slightly: "All the spies we sent have found no trace of him. He seemed to have vanished into thin air. The last reliable news was that he appeared near a barren mountain range, and there has been no word from him since. That area... is said to be connected to the ancient 'earth'."
"Earth?" Alexander's eyes froze.
"Gaia?"
"Possibly, but not certain. It's very chaotic and hidden; our detection methods have difficulty penetrating inside."
"Damn it!" Alexander punched a stone pillar beside him, fragments flying into the air.
"Time waits for no one! Olympus is already on alert. Although 'Athena' and the others seem to be dragging their feet, no one knows when 'Zeus' will completely lose patience and deliver divine punishment! We must find Kratos as soon as possible and lead his 'blade' towards Olympus!"
He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
"Send more people to expand the search. We must find him, no matter what!"
On the other side, Hercules was leading a squad on a routine patrol along a fast-flowing river, incidentally surveying the terrain.
This powerful demigod hero seemed troubled at the moment.
At that moment, a hum with a playful smile came from the nearby forest.
"Hmm The mortal soldiers here look a bit stronger than ours"
A pink-gold light flashed, and a miniature figure flapped its wings, hovering in the air—it was Eros, the little love god from the world of Chaos.
She had just been 'directed' by Hecate and was aimlessly searching for a way to 'complete herself' when she stumbled upon Hercules's team.
"A god!"
"It's Eros, the love god?"
"Prepare for battle!"
The other heroes in the squad immediately became nervous and raised their weapons.
In this world, any god appearing without permission could be an enemy!
"Stop!" Hercules let out a low roar, like a lion's, shaking his comrades who were about to attack.
His piercing gaze was fixed on Eros, looking her up and down.
This Eros... seemed wrong.
He clearly remembered that intelligence showed that the "Eros" of this world had long disappeared, and might not even exist in this timeline.
More importantly, he did not sense from this Eros the unpleasant arrogance and decadence that the gods of this world usually carried.
"Put away your weapons," Hercules commanded in a deep voice, then looked at the astonished Eros, his tone softening slightly, with a note of confirmation:
"Eros? From this world? No... there is no active Eros here. And you... from our world?"
The heroes behind him looked at each other.
From our world?
One of us? No, one of our gods?
Eros saw that Hercules had stopped the attack and recognized her 'origin', and her 'brash' nature immediately resurfaced.
She put her hands on her hips, hovering in the air, and looked down at Hercules condescendingly, her small nose almost pointing to the sky:
"Hmph! You have some eyesight! That's right, I am Lord Eros, the great and beautiful love god from over there! I have received a secret order from His Majesty the King of Hades to come here to execute... um... carry out an important mission!"
She was making it up as she went along, trying to look promising.
"You rough guys, did you really want to do something to me just now? Do you know what happens if you offend Eros? Believe it or not, I have a golden arrow that could make you fall in love with that wild boar over there?!"
She pointed at an exceptionally strong warrior in the squad and threatened proudly.
The soldier's face paled, and he subconsciously took half a step back.
Hercules looked at Eros's stern and cocky demeanor, and instead of anger, a look of softness with some helplessness appeared on his rugged face.
He shook his head and formally confirmed to his companions behind him:
"Brothers, relax."
He looked at Eros, who was still humming, trying to maintain her 'majesty', and felt a slight amusement and a touch of emotion.
In this hostile world, the chance to meet a 'god of one's own' from home, even if she was a troublemaker, brought a strange comfort.
"So, the executor of the 'important mission', Lord Eros," Hercules deliberately used the honorific with a hint of mockery.
"What are your next lofty opinions? Do you need us, 'rough guys', to be of service?"
Eros blinked; she hadn't expected the other party to be so talkative and so 'accommodating'.
She tilted her head and thought about it: the path pointed out by that wicked woman Hecate was ephemeral, and she didn't know when she would find it alone. Perhaps... it wouldn't be bad to let these guys, who were good at fighting, help?
"Hmph... For your sincerity!"
Eros cleared her throat and struck a pose: "I grant you permission!"
"This god does indeed need help! I am looking for something special to... perfect my divinity! Yes, that's it! You are responsible for protecting me and assisting with news matters!"
She lowered herself, approached Hercules, and added in a low voice that she thought was mysterious: "Especially regarding the 'origin of the divine power of Eros', have you heard any news?"
Hercules looked at the little Eros before him, whose face practically had 'I need help' written all over it. He suppressed a smile and solemnly nodded:
"Understood. We will be on the lookout. Welcome, Your Highness Eros."
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