The cosmic blade screamed downward, blazing with celestial fire. Kratos swung the Leviathan Axe to block—but he was a fraction too slow.
Asura's roar shattered the stars. Mantra energy flared across his body like a newborn sun, igniting the void around him.
"NOOOOOOO!" he bellowed.
With a monstrous surge, Asura ripped free of Eon's cosmic bindings. Flames spiraled outward as he lunged forward, placing himself directly between the blade and Kratos. The cosmic spear plunged through his chest, bursting out his back in a cascade of starlight and crimson sparks.
Kratos froze, eyes wide, blood speckling his face from the impact. Time seemed to slow as Asura hung impaled, trembling yet defiant.
"…Why…?" Kratos whispered hoarsely.
Blood trickled from Asura's mouth, catching the faint glow of the shattered temple. His blazing eyes met Kratos', fierce even as life slipped away.
"…Because… I hate… gods… more than I hate you. And your boy… doesn't deserve… to die," he gasped.
With a flick of Eon's wrist, Asura was hurled aside like a ragdoll, crashing to the temple floor. Sparks sputtered and faded along his veins as his Mantra weakened.
Retreat or Die
Kratos staggered forward, fists trembling, breath heaving. The Leviathan Axe crackled with icy runes.
"I will kill you—" he snarled.
Asura's hand shot out, gripping Kratos' wrist with surprising strength. His voice, raspy but fierce, cut through the chaos.
"Don't… stay. We… can't win."
"I do not run," Kratos growled.
Asura's jaw clenched, glare a mix of rage and sorrow.
"Then you'll die… and so will your boy."
Kratos froze. Images flashed in his mind—a child's laughter, Atreus' warm hand, blood soaking his own palms. Reality crashed back, each heartbeat thunderous.
"…Damn you," he seethed.
Drawing deep from his reserves, Kratos hauled Asura over his shoulder. Above them, Eon raised the Chrono-Scepter, cosmic energy spiraling along its tip. With a primal snarl, Kratos slammed the Leviathan Axe into the marble floor. Frost erupted outward, fracturing the temple's foundation. The ground buckled, collapsing beneath them, and Kratos and Asura plunged into the swirling cosmic void below as shards of marble and starlight cascaded around them.
A Fractured Cosmos
Between dimensions, stars bled into ribbons of violet light. Reality rippled and tore, revealing glimpses of countless colliding realms. Seas churned into deserts. Trees erupted from ocean floors. Suns blinked like fireflies.
At the center floated Mithra. Her long golden hair lifted in cosmic winds, eyes closed tight. Palms clasped at her chest, Mantra energy swirled around her like a blazing sun.
"Father… where are you…?" she whispered, breath ragged.
She felt it—a raging flame somewhere far away, her father's Mantra intertwined with another aura: cold, iron, ancient. Overshadowing both was a cosmic presence so vast it pressed against her chest like a collapsing galaxy.
A tear slid down her cheek.
"Who… who are you all fighting…?"
Pain flared. Her father's life force flickered like a dying star.
"NO!!" she screamed. Golden light erupted from her chest. Threads of cosmic energy shot outward, probing the void for a path. She glimpsed another realm beyond: frozen landscapes, ancient trees, towering mountains, and a spark of courage and sorrow—a young boy searching for his father.
Atreus Senses the Rift
In Midgard, Atreus trudged through a snowy forest. He paused, frowning as a ripple of power coursed through the World Tree. Birds scattered. Snow fell sideways, caught in invisible winds.
Grabbing his chest, Atreus gasped.
"Dad…?"
A shimmering golden portal tore open mid-air. He nearly fell backward as a girl stepped through, clad in radiant gold and crimson. Her eyes glowed, hair floating as though underwater, and a quiet, impossible power radiated from her presence.
The battlefield had shifted—and a new chapter of the struggle was about to begin.