Holding the Blades of Chaos, Zack felt completely refreshed, like drinking an ice-cold cola on a summer day.
Leviathan Axe? Only losers play with that!
A real God of War uses chained blades.
Wielding the Blades of Chaos, he cut down all sorts of minor enemies along the way.
He charged into Helheim, the underworld, and dug out the gatekeeper's heart.
Though Atreus wasn't with him this time, Mimir's head, as an accessory, made sure he wasn't lonely.
Like Atreus's "Father, be careful," Mimir's head also acted as a cheerleader, often offering Kratos encouragement through their minds during battles.
And though the difficulty was the same, without Atreus's bow and arrow support, Zack clearly felt the game's difficulty had increased, or perhaps he was just a bit unaccustomed to it.
"Seriously, Kratos is just a clueless old dad, and his son is the real God of War." After a fierce battle that left Zack exhausted, he couldn't help but complain.
Without Atreus, even fighting small monsters felt incredibly difficult.
Fortunately, the part of the journey without Atreus wasn't very long.
After obtaining the heart of the underworld gatekeeper, they returned to Freya's home and successfully healed Atreus.
Here, Kratos also apologized to Freya. Watching Kratos's expression as he tried to express his apology was incredibly amusing to Zack.
Leaving Freya's home, Kratos and his son embarked on their journey once more.
In the cellar, Kratos gave Atreus another dagger, saying he now recognized Atreus's abilities.
Then he handed him a bottle of wine. In Spartan tradition, this meant Atreus had also come of age.
The scene felt heartwarming.
However, Zack soon noticed some subtle differences.
Although the previous Atreus was a bit of a brat, as their journey progressed, it became clear he wasn't annoying. In fact, like Ellie in The Last of Us, he was quite reliable.
But after drinking that bottle of wine and learning about his divine identity, Atreus's temperament seemed to have changed.
When facing the younger of the dwarf brothers who had previously helped Kratos and his son, Atreus showed extreme impatience.
"Let me guess… your brother isn't as talented as you are, and his work is all trash."
"You always say the same things over and over."
"Take action to change, or just shut up."
"Yeah! We're all tired of hearing about the petty troubles of insignificant people!"
After learning he was a god, Atreus seemed to become like a nouveau riche.
He became arrogant, feeling seemingly invincible and superior.
He even started disobeying Kratos, becoming impulsive, reckless, and imperious.
In the ruins, facing Modi, who was beaten within an inch of his life, Atreus wanted to kill him, but Kratos stopped him.
"No, he's suffered enough. There's no need to kill him."
The Kratos of today was no longer the Kratos who couldn't control his rage and was consumed by vengeance, wanting to destroy everything in sight.
But the Atreus who knew he was a god was not as calm as Kratos.
"He has to pay for speaking ill of my mother."
"We are gods, we can do whatever we want."
After speaking, Atreus plunged the dagger into Modi's throat and kicked him into the abyss.
"You killed him, ignoring my warning! You've lost control!" Kratos looked at Atreus, seeing his past self, and finally showed anger.
"Didn't you teach me how to kill?" Atreus looked very confused.
"I taught you how to survive. We are gods, child… which means we will be targets. From now until the end of all things, you will be a target. So yes, I was teaching you how to kill… but that was so you could protect yourself, not to act on a whim."
"No one cares about him anyway, what difference does it make?" Atreus remained unmoved.
"Killing a god has many hidden dangers!"
"Why? How do you know? How do you know?"
"Be careful what you say, child."
"Whatever you say."
A hint of animosity emerged from their father-son exchange.
Furthermore, during this part of the journey, the gameplay experience also changed. Zack found that sometimes when he controlled Atreus to shoot arrows or use skills, he wouldn't listen and would rush at monsters with his bow to fight them hand-to-hand.
"What's going on? Why has this brat changed so much all of a sudden?"
Zack gritted his teeth in frustration. Just when he was starting to have a better opinion of the brat, he started acting up again!
However, despite his anger, upon reflection, this change wasn't so abrupt.
It's like someone who's been poor their whole life suddenly being told they are actually extremely rich.
For most people, suddenly having hundreds of millions as their monthly allowance would lead to a loss of control.
The most common reaction would be impulsive spending, wanting to get their hands on everything they could never afford before, just to see what it was like.
Atreus, who always thought he was just a slightly stronger human, experienced a similar shift in mindset after learning he was a god. It was just that he was acting out too much!
Especially at the summit of the mountain, where Kratos and the others encountered Baldur, who had initially troubled them.
Atreus, thinking he was a god and could do anything, even wanted to deal with Baldur alone. When Kratos tried to stop him, the brat not only didn't appreciate it but shot an arrow with divine lightning power at Kratos.
Clearly, consumed by anger, Atreus had lost all reason and was completely out of control, just like Kratos was when Zeus cast him into hell.
Of course, Atreus, the brat, was no match for Baldur and was easily captured.
Though angry, Atreus was still his son, so Kratos immediately chased after them and engaged in a thunderous battle with Baldur on the back of a flying dragon.
Seeing that Baldur was about to activate the Bifrost to return to Asgard, Kratos had to activate it himself to teleport them all to Helheim.
Temporarily safe, Kratos finally exploded at Atreus this time.
Before this, Kratos had been suppressing his anger.
But now Kratos finally lost it.
He grabbed Atreus's hand firmly, stared into his eyes, and yelled.
"Listen to me carefully! Don't say a single word back."
"I am your father, and you, my child, have completely changed."
"Too quick to anger, reckless, disobedient, out of control."
"This cannot continue. If you want your mother to be proud, abandon the path you are choosing now."
"It's not too late…"
"Remember! We are here because of you, child."
"Don't forget."
After being severely lectured by Kratos, Atreus didn't say a word, head bowed like a quail.
Watching this scene play out, Zack felt extremely satisfied.
Yes, this is exactly how the brat should be disciplined.
It's a shame it wasn't the right time, or giving this brat a good lashing with a belt would have been excellent.
Seeing the pitiful Atreus, Zack felt a great sense of regret.
After Kratos's stern reprimand, Atreus clearly realized his mistake.
While this transformation brought Zack relief, it also reminded him of the earlier events.
"It feels like Atreus's sudden change started after he drank that wine."
"Is Atreus prone to getting drunk, or is it just bad booze?"
Exploring the realm of the underworld with Atreus, Zack couldn't help but ponder.
And surprisingly, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
Where did Atreus's personality change begin?
It seemed to be right after Kratos acknowledged him and gave him a jug of wine. After that, the brat became so annoying.
While aged wine is considered better, who knows how old this wine was, and whether it was even real. Atreus chugged down a whole jug, so it's no wonder he went on a drunken rampage.
Now, being frozen in this icy wasteland, combined with Kratos's angry scolding and the fright from the battle with Baldur, had it scared the drunkenness out of the brat?
(End of chapter)
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