Survival in the game world begins with Biochemical 2

Chapter 873 Negotiation Failed
"Squeak-"

With a soft sound, the door of the hut was pushed open, and Odin, leaning on his cane, walked into the hut.

Despite Kratos and his son being on high alert, Odin remained remarkably calm, seemingly oblivious to the tense atmosphere in the room.

He even walked up to the wooden table in the room without any politeness, looked around, and said, "Don't you have a single stool for your guests?"

Atreus opened his mouth as if to say something, but Kratos raised his hand to stop him. Then, Kratos stared at Odin and asked in a deep voice, "What are you doing here?"

Seeing that the two had no intention of sitting down to talk, Odin shook his head and said, "Well, it seems there won't be a chair or a drink. No problem, I understand your nervousness. As the master of this land of the Nine Realms, I am always tolerant."

He looked at Kratos: "I know you were a god of war in the past, but you don't want war now, right? That's good. I don't want any pointless wars on this land either. We're on the same page."

"Loki probably told you as well. My idea from the beginning was to stop Ragnarok, to stop the apocalypse that would destroy the nine realms. There was no conflict between us."

“Loki, you deceived me before and took my mask. And Kratos, you seem to have killed Heimdall. I can let these things go without holding it against you.”

"Peace! That's what I've come to you for—just one small condition, and we can shake hands and make peace. I promise I'll never cause you and your son any more trouble. What do you say?"

Kratos didn't argue that he wasn't the one who killed Heimdall; he simply looked at Odin and understood: "You want your mask back?"

Odin nodded: "As long as Loki returns my mask and helps me decipher its contents, all past grievances will be wiped clean. Simply having that mask is meaningless to you."

"With just a nod, peace will be between us."

Atreus couldn't help but speak: "Father..."

“Loki,” Odin interrupted, “please don’t interrupt. This is between your father and me, and it’s a matter for the person in charge to decide.”

Atreus paused, then his expression turned sour.

Kratos saw his son's expression and also noticed the glint in Odin's eyes.

Kratos, who had seen countless gods, narrowed his eyes slightly, a thousand thoughts swirling in his mind, which helped him make a decision.

"So? What do you say?"

Odin was still waiting for Kratos's answer when Kratos looked at him again and said, "No."

Odin was stunned.

"...No? Why?" The self-proclaimed Father of the Gods didn't even react for a moment before his tone became sharp.

"I can't figure out why you would refuse. Did you listen to your son's nonsense and want to deal with me during Ragnarok? Or did you listen to the instigation of my foolish ex-wife and sharp-tongued subordinate and think I'm utterly wicked?"

His tone grew increasingly chilling, and an astonishing aura gradually rose around him.

"...Or do you know the secret of that mask and also want to obtain the truth beyond the rift?"

At this point, a terrifying glint appeared in Odin's remaining eye.

This aura was completely different from the impression Atreus had of Odin before. It was only at this moment that this seemingly ordinary old man displayed the majesty of the Allfather.

Atreus was momentarily intimidated by this imposing aura, but Kratos, facing Odin directly, didn't even blink.

As a god-slayer who had faced both the Olympian gods and the ancient Titans, Odin's imposing aura, however exaggerated, was nothing more than that in Kratos's eyes.

Kratos, however, spoke in a deep voice: "My son is Atreus, and he is capable of making his own decisions. As for me, my answer is no, I will not give you the mask; you are not trustworthy."

Hearing him say such words, even with a formidable enemy at hand, Atreus couldn't help but turn to look at his father, deeply moved.

Upon receiving this answer, Odin's expression grew even more somber, his remaining eye fixed intently on Kratos, as he gripped his staff tightly.

Kratos simply looked back calmly, showing no sign of panic despite being prepared for battle.

After a long while, Odin finally let out a long breath, and his clenched fist relaxed, his previous astonishing aura subsiding.

"Phew... What a pity you rejected me. In that case, we'll have to meet on the battlefield."

Having said this, Odin stopped dawdling and turned to leave.

Atreus glanced at his father, clearly asking whether they should leave the man behind at this moment, but Kratos simply shook his head slightly.

Atreus is still too young, and Odin's strength is unfathomable. Now is definitely not a good time to make a move.

After leaving the hut, Odin suddenly stopped, as if remembering something, and turned back to say, "By the way, although you refused, I am determined to take back my mask. So don't blame me, I didn't want things to become so ugly."

Having said this, the crows swept in, and Odin's figure vanished. Immediately afterwards, a loud roar echoed through the sky.

Kratos and Atreus were both startled, then they both realized what was happening: "Oh no!"

The two rushed out of the hut one after the other and looked up at the sky. They saw "meteorites" with iridescent edges and indigo bodies falling rapidly, their target being their hut!
Those were none other than heroic warriors descending from the Rainbow Bridge!
Kratos roared, "Prepare for battle—!!"

……

Sindri's Cottage.

In his room, Li You sat on the bed, with the scroll of the Divine Summoning Technique spread out on the wooden table beside him, while he played with several unique props in his hands.

A white sphere with intricate patterns on its surface and a faint, breathing blue glow; a token woven from hard sword grass and stained with blood; and a delicately decorated, brown guardian bell.

These props floated in front of him, and as Li You raised his hand, they flew into his palm one by one. After he rubbed them a few times, he replaced them with the next one.

These items were not something he took out to play with out of boredom, but rather the few most suitable items for use on the battlefield that Li You had selected from his own inventory.

He has traveled through so many worlds and acquired countless items, some of which have been gathering dust in his backpack for a long time. For example, the few items he is taking out now are getting their first chance to appear.

Li You first looked at the sphere, whose patterns rippled and emitted a blue light.

[Angel Core: The core used to create angel soldiers. It can be used on ordinary armor, consuming magic to awaken it into a Platinum Knight or Silver Knight. It can also be worn by other people, amplifying the knight's power to a certain extent, but consuming the wearer's life force.]

At the same time, he also grabbed the token woven from sword grass.

[Undying Army: A sacrificial item. When burned, it grants the user's army temporary immortality, up to a maximum of one thousand soldiers. During the sacrificial period, slain warriors can be resurrected for a short time, but excessive resurrection may cause them to lose their humanity and become insane. The effect lasts until the end of the battle.]

These two items are crucial: one can create a large number of elite combat troops, and the other can temporarily grant a small army immortality on the battlefield. Both are key items that can turn the tide of battle. Of course, as a price, one consumes a considerable amount of magic power and resources, while the other is simply a consumable item—once used, it's gone.

However, since he was facing Ragnarok and Odin's endless army of heroes, Li You certainly wouldn't hesitate to use it.

His envisioned Nine Realms Alliance had no shortage of troops and high-end combat capabilities, but it was severely lacking in elite mid-level generals.

Even if Li You didn't understand warfare, he knew that an army couldn't rely on just having a large number of soldiers and capable generals. Orders from above needed to be relayed, and soldiers at the lower levels needed to be commanded. All of this fell to the middle-level captains.

The mutated Flower Demons among the Night Demons are capable of this role, but unfortunately, their numbers are too small and their breeding is extremely difficult. Even the current core of the Night Demon's lair cannot quickly create enough Flower Demons.

In terms of intelligence alone, the Perception Night Demons can also take on the role of a mid-level captain, but their combat strength is really lacking.

However, if paired with the "angel's" armor, the problem would be solved.

Of course, the platinum knights and silver knights awakened by the angel core are definitely not just for use as equipment for mid-level generals.

With the knights' already considerable skill, combined with the Night Demon's body, they could easily form an elite force capable of soaring through the skies and diving into the depths. If they were further enhanced by the power of the Undead Army and led by a strong general, they could become a crucial force that could sway the course of battle and even deliver the decisive blow.

Even Odin's army of spirits could not possibly stop the advance of this cavalry!
The combination of these two items is one of Li You's greatest sources of confidence in preparing for Ragnarok.

Of course, it's not that the other items are useless in war, but they are either too weak now or have few suitable occasions, so there is no need to prepare and confirm them separately.

As for the final guardian bell, it wasn't used directly on the battlefield, but rather related to an experiment that Li You was considering.

"...Let's give it a try, there's no harm in it anyway."

Holding the last guardian bell, Li You examined it for a moment, then shook his head and chuckled, "It's been quite a while since I've seen him."

Thinking this, he was about to activate the guardian bell when, with a "bang," his door was pushed open!

"Li You, something's happened!"

Freya appeared in the doorway and said to Li You, "Kratos and Atreus have been attacked by Odin's army of heroes!"

Li You was immediately taken aback!
……

Midgard, highland forest.

Kratos and Atreus held their ground, repelling the onslaught of the surging army of heroes.

“Ahhhh——!!”

The Leviathan Axe spun out, cleaving the bodies of several heroic warriors in one fell swoop. Then, the flaming double blades, dragged by chains, danced through the air, severing a large number of heroic warriors in front of it!

Meanwhile, Atreus also activated the Wrath of Sparta without hesitation, transforming into a giant bear and tearing apart the charging heroic soldiers.

In terms of combat power alone, either the father or the son could annihilate a large number of heroic spirit warriors, and even a heroic spirit captain leading a fully equipped squad would be no match for them.

But at this moment, what was descending from the sky and launching an attack on the father and son was more than just an entire legion!

If it weren't for the inappropriate setting, this scene would even evoke images of Ragnarok.

Kratos and Atreus, father and son, were not afraid of these heroic warriors, and it would be difficult for them to be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. However, there were more than a dozen heroic captains present, and they were taking turns to fight, just like in a siege or a battle against a giant beast. Even if the father and son could cope with them, they were powerless to escape.

This time Odin is really serious, sending out such a large number of heroic warriors to fight before Ragnarok.

If Kratos and his son could truly wipe out all these heroic warriors, Odin would be utterly crippled.

However, the heroic warriors have learned their lesson. Whenever they are seriously injured and on the verge of death, they will choose to detonate all the magic power in their bodies and willingly face death.

In this way, they could both inflict damage on the father and son in front of them and avoid the situation where their souls would be destroyed after they died at their hands.

Unlike Li You, Kratos and his son do not possess the ability to inflict massive damage on enemies—though Kratos from the Greek era might have had that ability—so in the chaos that has raged on, the number of heroic warriors they have actually killed is very small. The souls of the dead have returned to Asgard, where they have been reassembled and cast back here.

Since the start of the war, Atreus has remembered clearly that he had already hit the same Heroic Spirit captain twice with a finishing blow, but both times the enemy detonated his body, thus escaping death.

The current situation is clearly extremely unfavorable for Kratos and his son. Even though they are gods with an absurd ability to sustain themselves in battle, they are ultimately no match for the endless army that possesses immortality.

So Kratos was also observing the situation. He naturally understood that the current situation was not good, but Atreus had already requested reinforcements from Li You through the Imitation Tear, so reinforcements should already be on their way.

However, when they will arrive is indeed a problem.

When the army of heroes first appeared, Atreus considered returning to Sindri's hut through the mysterious portal.

However, after trying, he discovered that Odin seemed to have tampered with the space around him, and even the Key to the World Tree could no longer open the mysterious portal for teleportation.

They couldn't open it, and clearly, they couldn't do it from the other side either. Even if Li You reacted immediately, it would probably take some time for him to reach the battlefield.

If Li You and the others did not arrive in time, Kratos planned to unleash his divine power and break through with Atreus.

Although the army of heroic spirits before him was troublesome, he could not stop them once he unleashed the Wrath of Sparta.

The only problem is that the mysterious door is now unusable, and which way to go after breaking through is another question altogether.

Fortunately, the worst-case scenario did not occur. Just as the snow covering the land around the hut was completely stained red with blood, a booming echo came from the sky, and a black dragon engulfed in flames emerged from the clouds!

"Ugh——!"

A chilling roar echoed, drawing the attention of many of the heroic warriors engaged in fierce battle below. They instinctively looked up, their eyes filled with awe.

The black dragon's body was enormous, though not as large as Jormungandr's, but it coiled in the clouds, completely obscuring the surrounding sky and cutting off the light.

The next moment, a shadow appeared on the horizon, and Yuzu, in the form of a dragon, carried Li You, Freya and her group at full speed!
Li You stood at the very front, his eyes sweeping over the army below, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Odin is really willing to spend that much!
He then looked at the Undying Dragon coiled in the sky above, his gaze turning cold, and said without hesitation:

"Move! Don't let a single one of these heroic warriors go back!"

The Immortal Blade Dragon had been waiting for those words, and immediately let out a long roar before joyfully swooping down!
"Roar--!!"

(End of this chapter)