I'm in an American comic book, and all my teammates are main characters and bosses.

Chapter 95 - The plan can be summed up in just two words: Accelerate!

Upon hearing Ron's words, Freya's gaze turned serious. Her sword dipped slightly in her hand, and she asked in a cold voice:

"What do you mean?"

"Because of you, Baldr is now even actively pursuing death," Ron explained. "Your magic is powerful, that much is undeniable. But your excessive protectiveness won't ensure Baldr's safety. And as a prophet who can read fate, you should know that anyone who tries to fool fate will ultimately be fooled by fate."

As he spoke, Ron pointed at Kratos.

"You should know where this guy is from, right?"

"...I know." Freya paused for a moment before saying, "His characteristics were very obvious. Although Laufey's magic protected him for a short time, his true nature was revealed after Laufey's death."

You know his background, but you don't know his fate.

With that, Ron turned to Kratos and asked, "Can I tell you?"

"..."

Kratos remained silent. Ron quickly guessed what Kratos was concerned about. So, Ron called out, "Atreus, come out, stop hiding."

"...Uh...you found me?"

Atreus cautiously emerged from the bushes by the window, a hint of embarrassment on his face.

In response, Mimir laughed and said, "Hahaha, you can't even fully control your own aura, do you really think you can hide under the noses of a group of gods?"

Clearly, Kratos's silence wasn't because he was concerned about Ron telling Freya about his situation, but rather because he was considering whether he should let Atreus know about these things so soon.

Atreus is currently going through puberty, his most rebellious phase. He doesn't even know he's a god yet, and he's already starting to rebel against Kratos. And Kratos, without exaggeration, harbors extreme wariness and hatred towards the identity of a god.

"How long can you hide?" Ron blocked Atreus's view. Atreus could only see Ron and the others talking, but couldn't hear anything. This puzzled Atreus.

However, Ron and the others ignored the boy's doubts. Instead, staring at Kratos, Ron simply said:

"Divinity cannot remain hidden forever simply because it goes unnoticed. Loki's fate still rests on Atreus. Consider what happened in Greece; do you really think deliberate concealment and avoidance can resolve the prophesied misfortune?"

Kratos remained silent, but his shifty eyes betrayed that his mind was not as calm as one might expect.

In every mythology, fate is mysterious and unknown. Looking at most mythologies, almost any attempt to confront fate head-on, or even to undermine it, has failed.

Zeus's father, Cronus, received a prophecy that his power would be usurped by his own child. So, whenever his wife gave birth, Cronus would swallow the child to avoid this inevitable fate.

But in the end, Zeus's mother placed the stone in his swaddling clothes and had Cronus swallow it. When Zeus grew up, he overthrew the rule of the Titans and founded Olympus.

It is worth mentioning that Zeus's father, Cronus, also banished his own father, so that Uranus, the first king of the gods, could become the second king of the gods.

As the king of three generations of gods, Zeus was familiar with his family's traditions and received a prophecy from the Fates: one of his children, bearing a red scar, would overthrow his rule.

At that time, Kratos did not yet have the scar, while his brother was born with a red birthmark. Because of this prophecy, Kratos's brother was forcibly taken away.

To commemorate his brother, Kratos got a red tattoo in the same spot, reminding himself that he had a brother. Ultimately, Kratos also overthrew the rule of the Olympian gods.

Ordinary people may not be able to understand the horror of fate, but Kratos, who came from the Greek pantheon, knew better than anyone the terror of fate and the detestability of the gods.

"Odin already knows the fate of Norse mythology, and the catastrophe known as Ragnarok," Ron said. "Do you think he'll just stand by and let you and Atreus continue your peaceful life?"

"...I will protect him."

"How long will the protection last?"

Ron simply gazed silently at Kratos: "Can you stay with Atreus forever? Even if you could, do you think Atreus would want that?"

Upon hearing this, Kratos clenched his fists in annoyance, but did not refute anything.

If someone can be a thief for a thousand days, how can someone guard against thieves for a thousand days?

"...I need to think about it."

"Stop thinking about it, just decide as soon as possible."

Ron said, "Remember when I told you when Ragnarok began? That's right, it began with the death of the God of Light. And now, Baldr has come looking for us. Now you understand, right? The loom of fate has begun to turn."

"But this time, the other end of the thread isn't Kratos, but... Fabti and Loki."

Farbauti is the Norse name given to Kratos by his wife Laufey. In Norse mythology, Farbauti is a lightning giant, Loki's father, and Laufey's husband. The name means "thug." In the murals of Joseheim, Kratos's name is spelled in runes as "(Fárbauti)".

According to Swedish linguist Axel Kock, the name Fabti means "dangerous strike," referring to "lightning." This seems to be a representation from early nature mythology, as it refers to fire (Loki) being created by lightning (Fabti) ​​striking a tree (Lofe).

Although this setting cannot be directly applied to the God of War universe, it is undeniable that there are some corresponding connections and mappings between them.

Seeing that Kratos seemed interested, Ron added, "Remember the ravens that used to linger around your little house after Laufey died?"

Ravens are Odin's eyes.

Thinking about it, Kratos's lips twitched, and then a suppressed anger appeared in his eyes. However, as a father, Kratos had now learned to restrain himself and hide it... even if his restraint and hiding were quite clumsy.

"I understand... I'll go and tell Atreus myself."

"No problem, but I need to talk to him too later," Ron said, hands on his hips.

"It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I'm quite certain your language skills will make Atreus uncomfortable. Besides, it's necessary for Atreus to know that gods are often used as stepping stones."

"……good."

Kratos nodded in agreement, then stood up and walked toward Atreus, his eyes filled with a mixture of complex emotions and weariness.

"Child, let's talk..."

Watching Kratos leave, Ron nodded, then turned his gaze to Freya, who had been waiting for a long time, and slowly recounted Kratos's... or rather, the many efforts made by the Greek gods to resist their destined death.

From Uranus, the king of the gods, to Cronus, the king of the Titans, and Zeus, the king of the gods, all the way to Kratos.

Almost everyone who tries to defy or outmaneuver fate ends up outmaneuvering it.

"As a prophet, you should know this very well, Freya," Ron said.

"Anyone who tries to fool fate will be fooled by fate. The moment you see the future itself, the future has already changed accordingly because of your observation. And how can you be sure that what you see is yourself, and not what fate wants you to see?"

"It's easy to say, but how can you understand the despair a mother feels when she has just given birth to her child, hasn't even seen him grow up, and then witnesses his death?"

Freya approached Ron, Valkyrie's Sword pressed tightly against his neck.

"And now, I hear you... Tell me, who is Loki? And what does Ragnarok have to do with Baldr?!"

"I really don't understand."

Ron nodded in agreement.

After all, when other people die, they really die; they kick the bucket on the spot. If they're unlucky enough to run into Kratos, they might even end up tearing a chicken apart with their bare hands.

But Ron is different!

"You might not believe it, but I'm a government employee. Even if I were to be sent to a government agency, it would just mean I'd be reborn into a world of debauchery and endless sex parties. If OAA came, I'd have to obediently gender-swap him and let him choose from a multitude of options: innocent romance, hypnosis, time stop, female dominance, ahegao, immediate fall, female fall, contrast, NTR, etc. To be honest, I've already thought of all the terms. I don't care about anything else, but I definitely need over-the-knee socks."

"...?" Freya didn't understand for a moment. Although Norse mythology certainly had its share of daring and elaborate plots, it mainly revolved around Loki. Main gods like Odin, with their positive image, were portrayed very favorably by the warlike Vikings.

And, God of War is, after all, a game aimed at a broad audience. Although it's rated M (Mature) and 17+ due to its gore and violence, it primarily focuses on profanity and violence, rather than being 18+ or R18g. Because of the sheer number of elements, Freya couldn't immediately grasp what it all meant.

Ron was unfazed by Freya's threats. He knew perfectly well that Freya wouldn't lay a hand on him until he revealed Baldr's death.

Thinking it over, Ron then said:

"You can interpret it as something that happened in other Norse mythologies, or you can interpret it as a prophecy. Simply put, the beginning of Ragnarok stems from Loki killing Baldr, the god of light."

"Impossible." Freya narrowed her eyes and looked at Ron, saying, "No one can hurt Baldr, not even Odin! I taught him all his magic, and I know the limits of his abilities. Unless, someone reveals the fatal flaw in magic..."

Without a doubt, Freya's Achilles' heel was mistletoe. And because of Ron's words, "You don't want Baldr to know about the mistletoe, do you?", Freya now truly harbors murderous intent towards Ron.

Because Freya was certain she had never once told anyone about this fatal flaw. In other words, at least killing Ron… then killing Kratos and the others… no, not necessarily killing them. Just making them swear an oath would be enough to restore everything to its previous flawless state!

but……

Do you think this is possible?

Ron looked at Freya: "You can destroy all the mistletoe in sight, but you can't stay by Baldr's side forever. No matter what you do, it's all in vain. Why don't we look at Baldr's death from a different angle?"

"What angle?" Freya asked coldly.

"Put the sword away first."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Freya sheathed her sword. Ron then said, "Ragnarok began with the death of Baldr, and it was from there that Norse civilization began its march towards destruction."

"But let's look at it from another angle. Badr's death is just a wedge, but the wedge itself isn't really important. You might find it unacceptable, but for some people, it's simply a matter of fearing it will affect them, nothing more."

"So? What are you trying to say?"

Freya stared intently at Ron. Ron, however, remained unhurried and said, "So let's skip straight to the result, fast-forward Ragnarok to the end, and join forces to kill Odin, isn't that enough?"

Upon hearing this, Freya's eyes flickered a few times. After a moment, Freya said coldly, "Don't you think this is a bit wishful thinking?"

Is this really wishful thinking?

Ron countered, "Although Odin is the king of the gods, those who oppose him have never disappeared. As the former king of the Vanir gods, you should know this."

"It's different. The Odin of today is no longer the Odin of the past. He is more powerful, more cunning, more vicious, and more treacherous!"

"So what?" Ron said, pointing to Kratos whispering to Atreus in the distance.

"Excuse my bluntness, but while Odin is powerful, as the king of the gods, his strength and authority are far inferior to Zeus of neighboring Olympus. And the Spartan ghosts who killed Zeus and slaughtered all of Olympus are on our side. What's there to be afraid of with just Odin?"

"Besides," Ron said, "do you really want to maintain this strained relationship with Badr forever?"

"You stubbornly believe that everything you've done is for Baldr's good, but Baldr doesn't see it that way. Let's look at it from another angle. Actually, Baldr's thoughts are easily satisfied. He follows Odin now, but is he truly loyal to Odin? No. When you were banished, the only reason he chose to follow Odin was out of hatred for you. Therefore, killing Odin is not something unacceptable to him."

"I bet he'd be more than willing to be the first to attack Odin if offered the reward of having his seal removed."

Ron continued, "All we need to do is detonate Ragnarok ahead of time, bringing all the tragedy to its end before it even begins. Isn't that better for all of us?"

(End of this chapter)