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

Chapter 96 - Tearing Open the Wound

Ron's solution to the problems of Freya, Baldr, Kratos, Atreus, and their group was quite simple.

Press the accelerator pedal all the way into the gas tank, accelerate, accelerate, and accelerate again!

"If Ragnarok is inevitable in Norse mythology, let's skip the whole process and end Ragnarok directly. That way, only Odin will be harmed!"

Upon hearing Ron's words, Freya's eyes flickered for a moment, then she gave a heavy snort and said, "That sounds nice, but what guarantees do you have?"

"Do I need to make any promises?"

Ron seemed casual: "You are indeed very strong, but unfortunately, you can't kill me. In fact, as long as I release my aura, Odin will come to protect me without me having to do anything—you know Odin's character, cunning, treacherous, and without any bottom line. He wouldn't risk antagonizing another realm to kill me like you would to protect Baldr's secret."

Upon hearing this, Freya gritted her teeth, but did not attempt to refute it.

Just as Ron had said, Freya knew very well that she could defeat him—this unknown divine messenger from who-knows-where, though not as strong as her, was extremely troublesome due to his status as a member of a divine race. If she were fully prepared, Freya was confident she could wear Ron down.

However, there was nothing she could do. Ron's arrival was too sudden, and she was completely unprepared. In addition, Odin had already hidden the Valkyrie Wings. Freya knew very well that even if she could barely defeat Ron, she would have no chance of killing him.

Moreover, the victory was achieved in a one-on-one fight, without any additional preparations. Like now, the opponent could even easily reveal Baldr's magical weakness and many secrets of Norse mythology unknown even to him…

Freya was certain that this annoying guy had come prepared. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so frivolous and casual, completely unconcerned about sparking a divine war.

Indeed, a war of gods will not break out.

Ron is right... Odin is that kind of person.

Despicable, with no bottom line.

In the main storyline of God of War, for the sake of temporary stability, better control over Norse mythology, and consolidation of his rule, Odin even ordered Thor to suppress the pain of Kratos killing his two children and to negotiate peace with him. It's fair to say that as long as his rule continues, Odin doesn't care about the fate of others.

For this reason alone, Ron, who possesses many secrets including mistletoe, would certainly become Odin's honored guest if he were willing to reveal some information to Odin.

At that time...

"With a wave of Odin's hand, the curse on you will also be applied to me, and you will be unable to harm me in the slightest," Ron said calmly.

"I have every reason to believe that even if I asked him to have his ex-wife serve me, Odin would not refuse, but would wait for me to offer a sufficiently commensurate exchange."

"Despicable scoundrel!"

Freya muttered under her breath, sounding somewhat annoyed, though it was unclear whether she was referring to Ron or Odin. Or perhaps both.

In response, Ron calmly extended his hand and said, "Pleasure doing business with you?"

"...It's only temporary."

Freya extended her hand somewhat displeased and shook it briefly.

Meanwhile, Mimir, who had been trying to spit the rag out of his mouth after witnessing this scene, sighed, "There's a saying in the Takamagahara Divine Realm: 'Compromise is the beginning of depravity.' I think I've already seen it—"

"Pooh!"

Before Mimir could finish speaking, Freya spat on the horned, bald man's forehead: "Shut up! You Odin's lackey!"

"That was so many years ago! I broke off all ties with Odin a long time ago!" Mimir retorted, annoyed. Unfortunately, he had no hands and could only let the drool slide down his forehead.

Having dealt with Freya, Ron then turned his attention to Kratos and Atreus.

Even before getting close, Ron could already feel Atreus's restless excitement.

"I am God?! You mean, I am God? Then, what about Mother? Is Mother God too?"

"No, your mother was just a mortal... well, a giant, but not a god."

Upon hearing this, Atreus sat there somewhat wistfully, a hint of surprise in his eyes: "So, that means I really am a god?"

Upon hearing Atreus's words of surprise, Kratos was momentarily at a loss for words. After a brief silence, he said, "Yes, divine blood flows within you..."

"Father, where did you come from? Greece? Where is Greece? I want to go back and see! My grandfather was the King of Gods, we should go back!"

Atreus's words of surprise caused Kratos some pain. He thought he was mentally prepared, but feeling the arrogance and pride that Atreus exuded after realizing that divine blood flowed through his veins, Kratos was momentarily speechless.

Just then, Ron walked over and said:

"So, did you talk it out?"

"..."

Kratos remained silent, while Atreus stood up and said, "What do you mean, 'speaking out'? By the way, who are you? And why are you with my father?"

Ron was not surprised by the arrogance in Atreus's words.

You know, it's one thing if he just had a bad tone, but in the normal timeline, Atreus would have been ecstatic after learning that he actually had the blood of a god-king flowing through his veins!

He became arrogant and impulsive, often recklessly charging at his enemies. Moreover, Atreus lost the compassion he had received from his mother, Laufey.

In stark contrast to his previous kindness, he no longer hesitated to take lives. Especially with Mordekaiser, son of Thor, who had lost all aggression after being beaten by his father, Atreus still ruthlessly killed him. Because he firmly believed in his divine status, he felt entitled to do whatever he pleased.

This also made him too careless and underestimating his opponents in battle, and he disobeyed orders. When he encountered Baldr again, dissatisfied with Kratos's toughness, he drew his bow and fired a lightning arrow that struck his own father in the shoulder, while Baldr, watching from the side, shouted that father and son were a loving and filial son.

It can only be said that this was a stage in Atreus's acceptance of the truth after being suppressed for a long time.

To put it another way, yesterday you were worrying about how to make ends meet with a monthly salary of 3,000 and rent of 800. The next morning, your dad tells you, "You're 18 now. And to tell you the truth, I'm the richest man in the country. Our detached villa is finished, and I've already transferred 5 million to your account. Be careful with your money." Then, with a click, a bank transfer notification arrives…

It might seem unbelievable at first, but once the first phase of "accepting the facts" is over, the second phase of "the big silver party" will begin.

Atreus is currently in the first stage, his fragile little heart slowly accepting the truth. But it's clear that Atreus has already developed a bit of arrogance even in the process of accepting the truth.

Ron wasn't too surprised by this, and even seemed quite mild-mannered, saying casually:

"Are you proud and honored by the divine blood flowing in your veins?"

Hearing Ron's direct question, Atreus paused for a moment, then glanced hesitantly at Kratos. After a brief silence, Kratos nodded and said coldly from the side, "He's my friend. If you want to talk, then talk."

Upon hearing this, Atreus nodded and said, "...Yes, is there a problem? I am a god! An omnipotent god! I can do whatever I want!"

"That's not necessarily true." Hearing this, Ron chuckled and pointed at Kratos, saying, "Do you know your father?"

"...I don't know." Perhaps because of Ron's casualness, Atreus wasn't very reserved. Of course, it was also possible that Atreus had realized he was a god, and his long-suppressed inferiority complex had been fully nourished, causing him to lose the humility and vigilance he had as a human, becoming slightly arrogant without realizing it.

"Your grandfather was Zeus, the king of the gods in the Pantheon of Olympus, Greece."

Ron said, "Don't you feel proud and wonder why your father, with such a high status, never tells you?"

"Of course!" Hearing the titles like Greece, Olympus, the Pantheon, and King of the Gods, Atreus was extremely proud, and a flush of excitement rose to his face. Having grown accustomed to being ignored, it was no wonder Atreus was so excited upon suddenly realizing his extraordinary origins.

The reason Kratos doesn't tell you anything is actually quite simple: because they're all dead.

"Well?"

Looking at Atreus, who was suddenly stunned, Ron continued, "The Greek gods are not fundamentally different from the Norse gods. In fact, because Zeus's rule was too stable, the Greek gods lost their desire for the supreme position and thus shifted their attention to other things."

"Indulgence is the least harmful thing. What truly gets them hooked is gambling by unleashing plagues, curses, and disasters upon the mortal realm to see whose chosen one will emerge victorious. They enjoy it immensely, and your father was one of them."

As Ron spoke, his voice was calm and devoid of any frivolity; it even conveyed a sense of solemnity. This even changed Mimir's opinion of Ron—at least, Ron didn't recount Kratos's painful past in a joking or teasing tone.

Even so, after hearing about the past, Kratos sat on the ground, somewhat lost and dejected, head down, without saying a word.

Ron said, "You once had an uncle named Demos, but because of a scar he was born with, he was taken away by the gods when he was young and suffered torment in the Dead Zone. In the end, your father found him, but during the battle together, he was smashed to death by the Primal Death God against a stone wall."

"You're not Kratos' first child either. Before meeting your mother Laufey, he had a family in Greece, originally named Cassandra, and you also have an older sister named Calliope. You might not know them, but they've always been there for you."

"Stay by my side? What do you mean? I've never seen them before!" Atreus was puzzled, and there was some doubt in his eyes.

"Is what you're saying true? Dad, is what he's saying true? I'm not your first child?!"

"..." Kratos merely opened his mouth, then said, "Listen to what he has to say."

He then remained standing there in silence. At this point, Kratos was at a loss for words. He decided to simply leave the situation to Ron… at least Ron could recount those painful memories more calmly than he could.

Looking at Atreus, Ron pointed a finger at Kratos and said, "Have you ever wondered why your father was so strong?"

"Because my father is a god! And so am I!" Atreus said. "I used to wonder why my father was so strong, but now I understand. Because my father is a god, and I am a god, I can be just as strong; it's only a matter of time!"

"No, you've got it wrong. What I want to ask is, don't you find it strange that your strong father's skin is so pale, as if it's been painted with a slightly grayish white?"

"...Why is that?" Atreus had a bad feeling as he met Ron's ambiguous gaze.

"Those are the ashes of your great-aunt and your sister," Ron said gently. "Your father was once the most powerful general in Sparta. To resist the barbarian invasion, he prayed to Ares, the god of war. In the end, your father became Ares's puppet, constantly waging war, until finally, in the temple, he personally killed his wife and daughter. Accompanied by the sage's curse, the family's ashes merged with your father's, just like..."

"That's enough!"

A violent divine power exploded outwards, the surging shockwave spreading in all directions. Caught off guard, Atreus was blasted away. It was only because Ron had been watching Kratos's condition that he managed to reach out and grab Atreus's ankle in time, preventing the boy from being blasted away.

Noticing something amiss, Freya quickly manipulated plants and magic to seal the area tightly, preventing anyone with ulterior motives from peeping.

Staring dumbfounded at the white patch of ground blasted away by Kratos's burst of energy, Atreus was initially shocked by his father's power, but soon, through the pain in Kratos's eyes, he realized something—what this man in black, who came from nowhere, said seemed to be true!

In a mere blink of an eye, Kratos appeared directly in front of Ron, grabbing him by the collar. Looking into Ron's eyes, Kratos wanted to shout something, but meeting the calm in Ron's gaze—his fists clenched—Kratos ultimately released his grip, letting out a heavy breath and gritting his teeth as he said:

"Enough... that's enough. This matter ends here!"

(End of this chapter)