Survival in the game world begins with Biochemical 2

Chapter 870 The Last Fragment of the Mask
"—Knock knock knock."

With just the right amount of tension, unease, and a touch of anxiety, Atreus knocked on the door of Odin's study.

The voices that had been coming from the study immediately stopped, and after a moment, Odin's voice rang out: "Come in."

Atreus then pushed open the door and entered.

Inside the study, Odin had been talking with two other captains of the Heroic Spirits, who were dressed in dark gold armor, but he had stopped talking.

Whether Odin had just finished speaking with the two, or Atreus's arrival interrupted them, Odin waved his hand dismissively:

"Alright, go ahead, Stinnar, Stokell, don't let me down."

The two men didn't say much. After bowing to each other, they left the study together.

Atreus watched them walk away, and thought about the two of them.

Stinnar and Stokell, a pair of brothers among the Heroic Warriors, are quite powerful and are people to watch out for.

While in Asgard, Atreus was certainly not idle. He kept an eye on those who might become formidable rivals in the future, and these two brothers were on his list.

But Atreus clearly remembered that they had been wearing dark silver captain's armor before, not the dark gold armor that represented the battalion commander.

These two were suddenly promoted to battalion commanders. Could it be that something happened to the original battalion commander, Fisk?
Atreus was unaware that his guess had actually uncovered the truth.

Odin clearly didn't explain the promotions and transfers of the heroic warriors to him; he simply looked at him and asked, "Why did you suddenly come to see me?"

Atreus hesitated for a moment before tentatively speaking, "Um... well, I was thinking, should I go find the third fragment?"

Odin glanced at him: "Oh? You're willing to believe me now?"

Atreus said somewhat helplessly, "Whether I believe it or not, I have no other choice but to help you find all the masks. You've shown me the rift, and if you ask me, I actually believe it."

He hesitated for a moment before saying, "...Moreover, I'm very worried about my father, worried that the prophecy will come true while I'm gone, and that I'll have no chance to make amends."

"Plus, I made a mistake last time and didn't find the fragment, so..."

Odin interrupted him: "Alright, you don't need to say anything more. I understand how you feel."

The Allfather looked at Atreus, seemingly wanting to pierce his heart like Heimdall had.

Unfortunately, at least for now, he doesn't have that ability; he can only judge Atreus's thoughts based on his understanding of human nature.

In Odin's view, Atreus's reasons for coming were sufficient and reasonable, and there was nothing to doubt.

...He should have nothing to do with the series of unexpected events that have occurred recently.

The death of Heimdall and the mass annihilation of the Heroic Warriors had already put Odin on high alert. How could he not realize that these recent mishaps were tantamount to severing his very foundation?
So even though Odin was eager for the secrets of the crack and the mask, he didn't rush to send Atreus to find the last fragment of the mask. Instead, he had him stay in Asgard for a while to observe him.

But Atreus showed no signs of contacting the outside world, and his reaction at this point was perfectly reasonable; there was nothing wrong with it.

With that in mind, Odin felt somewhat relieved.

"...It really is time. I was worried you'd be affected by the last failure, but it seems you're fine, so good."

After a moment's thought, Odin finally nodded. "Then go and prepare yourself. Next, you and Thor will go and search for the last fragment of the mask."

Atreus nodded: "Okay."

As for where the last fragment of the mask is, Atreus had already reported it to Odin.

If "Frozen Wind" doesn't refer to Helheim, then it can only be Niflheim, one of the primordial realms, which is where they are headed this time.

Atreus did not wait long before Thor, acting on Odin's orders, arrived at his room. After the two met, Fokkin summoned a flock of crows and sent them to the frozen lands of Niflheim.

……

When the two opened their eyes, they saw a scene of ice and snow; they were in a canyon sealed off by deep blue ice.

The snow and ice here are purer than in Helheim, and the cold winds blowing here are more ancient.

This is the location indicated by the inscription on the mask. Niflheim and Muspelheim, the two earliest realms to be created among the Nine Realms, each contain a fragment of the mask.

"here it is……?"

Atreus was also somewhat surprised by the unfamiliar scene before him, while Thor, who was standing to the side, spoke up for once: "The Eternal Rift, one of the oldest areas in Niflheim."

Atreus turned to look at him with some surprise, but Thor immediately fell silent and didn't say a word.

"Okay, thanks for your explanation, let's go."

This area is very close to the border of the kingdom where Li You and Tyr first came to find Simara. Of course, if Simara did not wish to, Thor and Atreus would not be able to find her.

Their target was not Simara. Guided by the mask, Atreus led Thor deeper into the canyon.

In this canyon, which has been frozen for who knows how long, there are undoubtedly a considerable number of Netherworld Walkers.

However, for Atreus at this point, these enemies are all within his control, not to mention Thor carrying Mjolnir is also present.

They fought off the ghostly walkers who blocked their path, continuing their exploration deeper into the canyon.

Of course, on the way, Atreus also tried to talk to Thor.

He told Thor about Slud and they talked about their similar backgrounds—both were half-god and half-giant, and both had a stern god father.

Most of the time, it was Atreus who took the initiative to start conversations, trying to get a response from Thor, but at first, Thor didn't react much to what he said.

Atreus was not discouraged; he simply recounted his past complaints about his father being too strict with him.

Actually, it's a few years earlier than the game's timeline, but for Atreus, the journey with his father to the highest mountain in the Nine Realms just to scatter his mother's ashes feels like a lifetime ago.

Then, whether it was Atreus's perseverance that moved Thor, or whether Thor truly empathized with the stories he told, in any case, after once again shattering the ice wall blocking his path with Mjolnir, Thor suddenly spoke, asking Atreus, who was walking ahead:
"Do you enjoy your current freedom? You are all alone, without your father watching over you, and you can decide your own goals and what you want to do."

Atreus turned around in surprise, but saw Thor's expressionless face again, and he almost thought he was hallucinating.

However, after thinking about it, he answered seriously, "I think so. I am still worried about my father, but I feel really good to have some free time."

"However, this does not mean that I do not enjoy the journey with my father. It's just that this kind of freedom is different from my past habits, and it has given me a different experience."

Thor nodded without responding.

But Atreus looked at him, as if he had thought of something, and said, "You just said that you are not interested in befriending me, and your situation is different from mine, which I agree with."

“My father taught me a lot, raised me, and wanted me to become an independent person... or God, you know what I mean.”

“But your father thinks completely differently. He…”

"—That's enough."

Before Atreus could finish speaking, Thor interrupted, "If I want your opinion, I will ask you. Otherwise, don't say anything more."

Atreus promptly shut up, but then smiled and said, "That's a line from my father."

Sol: "..."

Neither of them said anything more and simply continued on their way.

After walking a while deeper into the canyon, Atreus and Thor encountered an ancient frost golem in an open area between the canyons.

It's quite normal for such golems to appear here, after all, this area is the oldest part of Niflheim, and it's a good match for ancient golems, which have existed for who knows how long.

Atreus had intended to bypass the ancient golem, but Thor was too lazy to waste the time and threw Mjolnir out immediately!

"Boom——!!"

His earth-shattering hammer blow awakened not only the ancient frost golem, but also the spectral walkers hidden in the ice surrounding this open area.

Atreus was helpless, but he had no choice but to join the battle with Ingrid, the Sword of Victory, and face the surging enemies alongside Thor.

Fortunately, although these strange creatures, the Ancient Golems, are very troublesome, Atreus had accumulated a lot of experience in dealing with them during his previous adventures with Kratos.

Moreover, in terms of pure destructive power, Thor, the god of thunder, is still superior to Kratos, who has now restrained himself considerably.

This wasn't the first time Atreus and Thor had worked together, and their teamwork was already quite seamless. Working together, they quickly smashed the outer shell of the Frost Ancient Golem, while Thor used his hammer to electrocute its core into charcoal.

"you……"

"Where to go next?"

Atreus had no choice but to remove the mask from his waist again. This time, the mask's guidance subtly pointed upwards.

"what?"

Atreus followed the instructions on the mask and walked forward for a while, finally stopping in front of a tall ice wall.

This ice wall has existed for an unknown amount of time; it is incredibly smooth and so thick that its end is nowhere in sight.

Atreus was startled, thinking the mask was inside the thick ice. Fortunately, upon closer inspection, he realized the mask was pointing towards the top of the ice wall.

"Sol? We might need to get up there... Whoaaaaah—!!"

Before he could finish speaking, Thor threw Mjolnir into the air, then grabbed Atreus in his hand, and using lightning to propel himself up, he leaped to the top of the ice wall!

"Boom-!!"

Thor slammed Atreus down onto the top of the ice wall, and once they reached this height, the view they saw was completely different from before.

"There's such a beautiful view here..."

They felt as if they were atop a frozen mountain range, with an endless expanse of blue ice plains stretching out before them, concealing a boundless and desolate atmosphere.

Of course, Atreus didn't just admire the scenery and forget their goal. He took out his mask again and continued forward. After dealing with the spectral walkers blocking their path with Thor, they arrived at the front of a deep canyon.

Judging from its depth, the canyon below was much lower than the height they had just jumped up from. Even with Atreus's sharpshooting eyesight, he could only see a deep darkness below, as if it were an abyss.

And the mask's guidance points right here. "It should be here; let me think about how to get it."

Atreus stood at the edge of the abyss, holding half of a mask in his hand.

If we refer to the previous experience of finding mask fragments, then there should be a natural attraction between the two pieces of the mask.

So Atreus, on a trial basis, pointed the mask in his hand toward the direction from which the attraction was coming.

The next moment, a tremendous suction force suddenly arose, almost pulling Atreus down into the abyss!
Atreus: "!!"

He immediately gripped the mask tightly with both hands and pushed off with his feet, trying to stop himself from being dragged.

However, beneath his feet lay only a patch of snow and a slippery ice surface, offering no foothold. Despite his best efforts, he was dragged inch by inch towards the abyss by the immense suction force.

"Ugh...!!"

Fortunately, a muffled thunderclap sounded the next moment, and Thor slammed his hammer into the ice behind him, creating a foothold, while grabbing Atreus by the back of his collar with his other hand.

With his support, the attraction that kept fluctuating between the two halves of the mask finally drew the last fragment of the mask from the abyss to Atreus.

"Click."

This last fragment merged with most of the mask in Atreus's hand, forming a mask with intricate inscriptions.

At this moment, even Thor couldn't help but turn his head to look at the mask.

Atreus's face lit up with joy: "We did it!"

Thor nodded, about to speak, but suddenly realized something and unusually moved quickly toward Atreus, startling Atreus.

But Thor simply leaned close to him and whispered, "I need you to do me a favor. Get your little toys ready."

Atreus was immediately taken aback.

Before he could even figure out what Thor meant, the big man had already stepped back, and not far behind them, on the ice, crows flew about, and Odin's figure flashed into view.

"You did it, Loki!"

The one-eyed old man was so excited that he ignored Thor and quickly walked up to Atreus.

“Great! In this way, we can immediately do things that no one has ever imagined before, and the mysteries of the world will be revealed to us! Here, give me the mask.”

Upon hearing this, Atreus hesitated for a moment.

Although he didn't know what Odin wanted to learn from the rift, he knew very well that if the mask could really allow Odin to see through everything, then it absolutely could not be given to this person.

But even this momentary hesitation was noticed by Odin, and the Allfather's expression immediately turned cold.

"What are you doing? Give it to me right now!"

At this moment, all the kindness and friendliness Odin had shown in front of Atreus vanished, leaving only a chilling and sinister aura.

Atreus's mind raced, and he came up with an excuse: "Well, after I collected all the masks, I found that the inscription on them said there seemed to be a small fragment..."

But he knew very well that this mask was no ordinary object. The aura it emitted the moment it was pieced together was completely different from when it was still a fragment, so his words could not be hidden from Odin.

However, Atreus was merely stalling for time.

But Atreus was still a child, and his little schemes not only escaped Odin's notice, but even Thor, who was standing nearby, saw through them and sneered, "Little tricks."

Odin's expression turned completely cold: "You..."

Atreus's heart tightened, and his other hand gripped the special World Tree Key in his pocket.

Just then, a flock of crows swarmed around them, and from among them emerged Thor's wife, the goddess Sif, accompanied by two captains of the Heroic Spirits clad in dark silver armor.

Odin turned to look at them: "I'm so sorry, what are you doing here?"

Sif then looked at Atreus: "He has already collected all the fragments of your mask, so they are useless to you now."

"He and his father killed Manny and Modi. Only this father and son had the ability to kill gods, so Heimdall's death was most likely related to his father. And Versetti knew that his father had appeared in Helheim!"

“I’m going to take him down now and make him pay for what he and his son did to our Aesir.”

Upon hearing this, Atreus's expression changed, and Odin's face also showed uncertainty.

Thor's eyes flashed. He first exchanged a subtle glance with his wife, then looked at Atreus, and then at Odin.

Thor's expression remained unchanged, but his eyes awaited Odin's answer.

Odin's expression changed several times before finally settling down. He looked at Sif and said, "...No, don't touch him, that's an order."

For the Allfather, although Atreus had already collected all the masks, seemingly rendering them useless, the ability to decipher the inscriptions on them still depended on the child's skills.

Before everything is resolved, even Odin will not turn against Atreus, much less allow Sif to defeat Atreus.

Sif seemed to have anticipated Odin's choice.

A barely perceptible hint of sarcasm appeared on her face as she glanced at Thor before walking up to Odin: "You said the Aesir would never shed blood again, you said our families were the most important thing to you."

"And then what did you do? You invited this murderer's son into our house and let him sleep in your dead son's room!"

"Is this how you protect us and your family?"

But Odin didn't want to talk to her anymore.

“Loki didn’t kill your son, nor did he kill Heimdall. Instead, he saved your daughter. That’s what Slud herself said. If you’re going to go crazy, go find your husband yourself. Don’t get in my way.”

Sif and Odin stared at each other for a moment before finally looking away.

But she didn't give up. Instead, she turned to her husband and walked towards him.

Sif stood in front of Thor, placed her hand on his chest, and said, "Manny and Morty, our children, do you remember? We used to play with them, tell them stories by the fire, and carve little ponies for them out of wood..."

Thor's expression shifted slightly, while Odin coldly watched the two of them.

Odin was already annoyed enough with his son, but to make matters worse, he married a self-important wife. He was extremely disgusted by all those who interfered with him.

He then turned to look at the two Heroic Spirit captains that Sif had brought, and his face darkened again.

Don't these idiots have any ability to think for themselves? Following Sif's madness? Are they just asking for trouble?

Thinking of this, Odin coldly summoned the two men to him: "You two come here."

The two Heroic Spirit Captains approached Odin somewhat timidly, but Odin didn't even bother with a reprimand. He simply raised his hand, and a gray light appeared in it, which he then placed on the head of one of the Heroic Spirit Captains!
He actually intended to completely cleanse the consciousness of this heroic captain and then instill loyalty in him from scratch!
However, because of this, Odin did not notice that Sif, who seemed to be whispering in Thor's ear, actually had a completely different mouth shape than what she was saying if viewed from a different angle.

With her back to Odin, she was using this method to tell her husband some secrets.

Thor's eyes flashed after reading what she wanted to say.

Following what Sif had just said, Thor seemed to naturally pull out Mjolnir and look at Atreus.

"You... a giant."

Lightning flashed on Mjolnir.

"I almost forgot that you still have my blood debt on your hands."

Atreus's expression changed drastically. He wanted to say something, but Thor didn't waste any words. Blinding lightning flashed on Mjolnir!

"Boom——!!"

Such a commotion naturally caught Odin's attention, and the Allfather's expression changed drastically for the first time: "What are you doing?! Stop it right now!"

However, he was casting a spell at the time, and even if he immediately stopped the output of divine power, it would be too late to stop him.

The next moment, Thor's infamous Mjolnir was already crashing down on Atreus!

At this critical moment, Ingrid on Atreus's back flew out on her own, bringing with her a dazzling sword light, and struck Mjolnir!
"clang!!"

At the same time, Atreus crushed the World Tree Key in his bag!

A mysterious door appeared behind him and instantly engulfed him!
"No--!!"

In the instant before he was teleported away, Atreus heard Odin's furious roar and saw the enigmatic light in Thor's eyes.

Atreus was startled, but before he could think further, he plummeted heavily towards the World Tree branch below.

"boom--"

"Atreus!!"

Meanwhile, Kratos, who had been anxiously waiting, helped Atreus up after he fell.

"Are you alright?"

……

At this time, in Vanaheim.

Li You was sitting on the back of Youzi, which was in the form of a flying dragon, heading towards the next battlefield.

However, even in his busy schedule, he managed to watch the adventures of Atreus and Thor through bionic tears.

Li You noticed, and he also noticed, the unusual behavior of Thor and Sif.

Li You waved away the clouds and mist in front of him, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly smiled.

"Sol...have you finally decided to seek an answer?"

(End of this chapter)