Chapter 1128: Old Kratos Has a Son? (Third Update)
Kratos lay on the ground, and everyone could clearly see the gruesome wound on his abdomen. The Blade of Olympus had pierced straight through him, staining the ground with blood. But in the final scene, Kratos was gone; the largest pool of blood stretched all the way to the cliff’s edge. The last shot showed a distant sea with lightning flashing and a hurricane rising—a doomsday scene of Ragnarok.
Lin Xue let out a long breath: “So there’s more after all. Looks like Old Kratos probably didn’t die, but… I want to know who he’s going to kill in God of War 4? He’s already finished off all the Greek gods…”
Playing through God of War 1 to 3 in one go, Lin Xue felt exhilarated. The increasingly grand battle scenes, the more thrilling boss fights, and the revenge-and-god-killing storyline throughout gave this game a very unique label, letting players have a great time.
“Ah, okay, time to go back to World of Warcraft for some raiding. Our guild is planning to start Blackwing Lair today…”
“Can we beat it? Joke’s on us, of course not—that’s why it’s called raiding…”
“Huh? Why are you guys still pestering me? You’ve been watching God of War for days, aren’t you tired? … Fine, fine, I’ll just stream the beginning of God of War 4. The rest will come another day.”
Lin Xue had originally planned to save God of War 4 for tomorrow, but the barrage viewers wouldn’t let it go, insisting on seeing it. With no choice, she went back to the God of War altar and started the God of War 4 storyline.
Having just finished fighting Zeus, the players’ emotions were at a peak, and whether Old Kratos lived or died became a huge suspense. Strictly speaking, this was another cliffhanger—no doubt another trick by Serent to boost game sales…
But as soon as Lin Xue said she’d continue streaming God of War, some other viewers weren’t happy.
“Still streaming God of War?”
“You’ve been streaming it for days! Switch it up!”
“Exactly, we’re getting aesthetic fatigue. All day it’s just killing this and killing that. What’s so interesting about it? It was shocking at first, but aren’t you bored playing it now?”
“Honestly, hack-and-slash games are like this. Think about Chen Mo’s Prototype—it’s also that mindless, fun-without-substance type. Who even remembers it now?”
“Right? Serent has fallen. Think about The Last of Us, or The Legend of Zelda—those are the ones with wild imagination, the true game classics that are works of art!”
Before Lin Xue could say anything, the two groups of barrage viewers were already bickering.
In truth, this kind of rhetoric wasn’t new. Quite a few players claimed God of War had no substance, and most of them were cloud players. In fact, if you didn’t experience God of War yourself, just watching a streamer play made it hard to grasp where the thrill came from. The first boss might seem spectacular, but from God of War 1 to 3, cloud viewers who’d seen so many boss fights were already tired of the formula—it was just killing monsters in different ways, all pre-planned moves.
Of course, it’s possible a small group was using nitpicking to show off their “game taste”…
Seeing the barrage rhythm about to take off, the experienced and clever Lin Xue immediately said, “Alright, alright, stop the flame wars, or my moderators will start working. I think you guys who want to criticize God of War now and make a big deal out of it clearly don’t understand Chen Mo. If you’re forcing a hate campaign now, won’t you look foolish when the ratings come out?”
Entering God of War 4, there was a long black screen.
When the soothing background melody began, Lin Xue was stunned.
Clearly, God of War 4 felt completely different from the previous three games. The emotion in the background music conveyed a sense of restraint or desolation.
Soon, Lin Xue’s screen showed an image: on the left, a thick tree trunk with a golden handprint stamped on it; on the right, a bearded Kratos, his eyes filled with sorrow, holding an axe as he approached the tree.
Lin Xue was shocked: “Oh my god, Old Kratos, what happened to you? How did you get so old?”
Obviously, the Kratos appearing here was far older than at the end of God of War 3. Though his body was still robust and powerful, his thick beard, the fine lines around his eyes, and his now calm, resolute gaze all showed he was no longer young. On his chest was the scar from the Blade of Olympus’s stab, clearly indicating that God of War 4’s story took place after God of War 3.
“Oh my god, Old Kratos, what’s wrong with you?! How did you get so old? Where are your Blades of Chaos? Where’s your Blade of Olympus??”
The change in style was too abrupt; Lin Xue hadn’t even processed it yet.
Players who had been eagerly expecting Old Kratos to continue his god-killing spree were also dumbfounded. Everyone thought Kratos would keep his previous image in God of War 4, but who would have guessed—even the character model had been replaced!
And this story clearly took place a long time after the first three games. Kratos had already entered middle age, at least a decade or more later.
Kratos gently touched the golden handprint on the tree, leaned against it, and sank into deep memories.
Then, he raised his axe and struck the tree hard.
As he bent to pick up the trunk, the bandage on his left hand came loose. This seemed to stir old memories; he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then began rewrapping the bandage.
Just then, a mischievous kid ran over. Kratos instinctively turned away, hiding his left hand from the child.
“Get on the boat, boy.”
Kratos threw the trunk into the water, tied it to the stern, and rowed the boat along the river toward another dock.
Lin Xue was completely baffled: “What the hell?? Old Kratos has a kid?? With who??”
It wasn’t just Lin Xue; the barrage viewers were also stunned.
What was going on? How had Kratos gotten so old? And he had a child?
From the looks of it, had he fallen to the mortal realm? This scene didn’t look like the divine realm or Olympus.
And the biggest difference was Kratos’s personality.
The old Kratos had always been angry and violent, giving the impression of being reckless—someone who’d kill your whole family over a disagreement. But this Kratos was very silent, as if he was desperately suppressing the rage inside him. His former arrogance had turned into restraint.
Lin Xue, who had only planned to watch the beginning, soon forgot about raiding in World of Warcraft. This God of War didn’t use grand spectacles or hormones to excite players; instead, it told a story, unhurried and gentle.