"This doesn't look like Gaia"
After leaving the world of Shinmai Maou no Testament, Kaito expected to return to Gaia, but instead he found himself somewhere completely different.
A vast green meadow stretching for dozens of kilometers, almost completely empty except for, at the center of a very small hill, barely a meter higher than the surrounding land, a blooming sakura tree dropping a few petals.
A partially cloudy sky with exactly enough sunlight to be comfortable rather than annoying, and a gentle breeze carrying sakura petals throughout the area.
At first glance, it seemed like an extremely peaceful place, the kind of place where you'd find someone resting beneath the tree in a romance anime or an action anime, the genre depending on whether that person turned out to be the love of your life or a retired ancient powerhouse enjoying a peaceful retirement.
Without a doubt, a paradise-like landscape, but the extremely annoying background noise ruined that tranquility.
Kaito walked over to the tree and sat beside it, observing the situation.
There in the sky, two beings were fighting. It wasn't exactly in the sky, since neither of them was flying, their physical abilities were simply so great that they seemed to be colliding all across the surrounding space at impossible speeds.
One moment they were in one place and the next several kilometers away. One moment they reached cloud height and the next they were shattering the ground with their blows.
One of them was a man with long black hair tied in a high ponytail and an elegant appearance. He fought with a longsword, using fluid and graceful movements.
The other was a muscular bald barbarian with nearly pale skin covered in blood-red tattoos. He wielded two short swords similar to daggers attached to chains, using them for long-range attacks.
'System'
Kaito decided to ask the system directly about the situation instead of trying to guess why Kirito was fighting Kratos.
[The sin candidate Kirito has requested the Demon King's assistance.]
[The candidate is not requesting that you complete the mission for him, therefore you have no mission.]
After the two official notifications, Kaito's system spoke.
[It seems Kirito needs your help but does not want you to complete the mission in his place, so you'll have to ask him directly what he wants]
After hearing the system's explanation, Kaito turned his attention back to the battle. Kirito seemed far too occupied to interrupt, the fight was too evenly matched and a single distraction could result in Kirito's defeat.
"I think I understand now"
After watching the battle for a while, Kaito seemed to notice something strange and realized what Kirito wanted.
The battle before him appeared to be one where both sides were giving their all. However, Kaito had spent enough time with Kirito to know that wasn't the case.
Despite Kirito's elegant and precise technique, his attacks were far from his true potential. The reason was that Kirito seemed to be attacking without thinking, as though he were letting himself be carried away by strong emotions instead of analyzing his opponent and reacting accordingly as he always did.
Not only that, but as the battle continued, Kirito's technique grew worse and worse.
"With the example of Lust earlier, it's easy to guess what's happening" Kaito muttered.
Without wasting time, he used the Demon King's Aura to calm Kirito.
Several kilometers away, Kirito, who had been about to strike with his sword, suddenly froze, an opportunity Kratos immediately exploited.
The Spartan hurled both blades toward Kirito, but instead of striking him, they passed by both sides before turning and circling around his body several times, wrapping him in the chains attached to them.
Once Kirito was trapped, Kratos pulled the chains over his head while turning around and slammed Kirito into the ground with all his strength.
Without waiting to see the result, or perhaps knowing it wasn't enough, he tightly wrapped the chains around his own wrists and jumped as high as he could.
Once in the air, he yanked the chains with all his strength, launching himself toward the ground like a meteor and crashing directly onto Kirito.
When all the dust finally cleared, Kaito saw Kratos standing with one foot on Kirito's chest while the latter remained bound by the chains.
Had it been just a few minutes earlier, Kirito would have tried to escape somehow or at least injure him even while restrained. But now, calm once more, Kirito simply looked at Kratos without fear, only genuine curiosity.
"Olympus has fallen, your revenge should have ended. What are you doing here?" he asked after spitting out some blood from his mouth in disgust.
"Sword God, did you think I wouldn't learn of your connection to my family's murder?" Kratos said furiously, tightening the chains even more and heating them, causing burns across Kirito's skin.
Kirito didn't groan in pain. He merely winced and endured it before looking at Kratos with pity.
"So it's you. I truly am sorry about your family, but I had nothing to do with it"
"Why would I believe you? All of Olympus knew. The Sword God of Japan was extremely close to Olympus. Why wouldn't you know about their plans?" Kratos snapped angrily.
"I did know about their plans" Kirito corrected him. "I tried to stop them many times. They never listened."
"You? Stop them?" Kratos looked at him furiously, not believing him in the slightest. Why would a god from another mythology try to stop the God of War from killing the family of a mere Spartan?
'Because it was my mission' Kirito thought, knowing exactly what Kratos was thinking.
Years had passed since he began his Sin Trial. In a world where humans were ordinary people without abilities, it hadn't taken long for the Japanese gods to notice his powers and eventually make him the new Sword God after an honorable duel against Susanoo-no-Mikoto.
Once he attained that position, he was finally able to attempt the mission given by the system: Prevent the death of a certain family at the hands of Olympus.
According to the system, saving the family wasn't absolutely necessary, but if he failed, the mission would become much more difficult.
Today, a decade after beginning the mission, he finally understood why.
But even though he tried to stop them, Olympus and its gods were not exactly known for being good listeners. To put it bluntly, every single one of them was a damned arrogant fool. No matter what Kirito tried, he couldn't change the fate of Kratos' family.
After failing, Kirito withdrew to his territory within the Divine Realm, where he simply continued practicing his sword techniques until today, when someone broke in and the system mission finally updated.
The problem was that anyone who fought Kratos would become contaminated by his rage, eventually turning into a beast that fought purely on instinct.
Of course, Kirito had no way of knowing that this wasn't something that originally happened and was instead something the system specifically created for this trial.
But it didn't matter. The moment Kirito read that description, he immediately thought of calling Kaito, which finally brings us to the current situation.
However, this was something Kirito couldn't reveal out loud, which, in Kratos' eyes, was proof of his lies.
"I knew it."
"You are blinded by rage. You have killed many innocents in your destruction of Olympus. Tell me, during your journey, did you not find some way to restore your family among Olympus' many divine treasures?
This is no longer about revenge. You simply desire a way to calm the rage inside you.
I cannot convince you that I am innocent, but I will give you the chance to leave because of this misunderstanding. I hope you take it, because otherwise..."
Kirito didn't finish speaking, but Kratos understood the threat perfectly.
Although the Japanese Sword God was known as one of the kindest gods, that only applied to his daily life. When he fought, no one was deadlier than him. None of those who challenged him with murderous intent or tried anything against him remained alive.
In truth, more than kind, it was simply that Kirito had no interest in doing anything besides practicing with his sword, especially after learning divine techniques in this world.
Even so, faced with such a threat, Kratos merely smiled and decided to end this.
He drove his foot down harder, intending to crush Kirito's chest to death.
Swinggg!
But he stopped before succeeding, forced to use all his speed when he sensed movement behind him.
"Another sword?" Kratos asked in confusion when he saw a different sword from the one he had been watching.
"Yes. In the end, this is the style that suits me best."
The voice came from behind him, and Kratos barely managed to dodge.
A new cross-shaped scar now adorned his back.
With a sword in each hand, Kirito advanced toward the Spartan without hesitation.
Kratos had no time to think about how Kirito escaped, he was moving far too quickly. He had to give everything he had just to dodge the attacks.
Finally, Kratos spotted an opening.
Kirito, who had been attacking at close range and preventing Kratos from using the Blades of Chaos, suddenly leaped several meters backward.
Kratos moved instantly and without hesitation, not even waiting for Kirito to touch the ground.
He threw the blades toward Kirito. Whether they struck with the blades themselves or the chains, both would inflict damage, and even if they missed, he could still control them in the air.
But faced with the attack, Kirito smiled. The swords in his hands spun slightly as though showing off before he pointed the blades downward.
Ching!!!
The sound of steel and chains colliding echoed through the area, and Kratos could no longer use his blades.
When he tried to pull them back, they stopped. Kirito's twin swords had slipped between the chains, and his landing had driven them into the ground.
Kratos frowned in annoyance but quickly changed tactics, releasing the chains and deciding to fight barehanded.
Between a God of War and a Sword God, it was obvious who would be weaker without weapons.
He stepped forward with enough force to leave a crater where he had been standing a second earlier. He crossed the distance between them in a millisecond with absolute confidence.
Meanwhile, in Kirito's eyes, everything seemed to slow down, as though it were a slow-motion video.
Kirito breathed calmly before taking a stance. He spread his legs, one in front of the other at different angles, slightly lowered his body, closed his eyes, and moved his right hand to the left side of his waist.
Swinggg.
Kirito's hands moved, performing a horizontal slash with his bare hands toward the warrior before him.
Kratos didn't even understand what happened. The next thing he saw was his own headless body before he closed his eyes.
At the end of his life, for the first time in a very long time, Kratos felt at peace. The rage finally disappeared, and he closed his eyes to the darkness.
Hoping, though without much faith, to meet his family in some kind of afterlife.
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80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)