Shinji collapsed to the ground, exhaustion disappearing as the glowing light beneath him restored his strength. Still, frustration bubbled up as he complained:

“Why the hell won’t he just stop running?”

Chronus loomed over him, blood smeared across his face, his glowing blue eyes piercing through the crimson mask. His voice carried a cold edge of malice.

“Tell me, child. Why do you fight?”

Shinji frowned, eyeing him warily. “What’s with the sudden philosophical crap? You don’t strike me as the type to care.”

Chronus tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable.

“You humans risk your lives for your goals. Why? What makes them more important than your fragile, fleeting existence?”

Shinji’s tone hardened, his resolve unwavering.

“I fight for the future. For those who can’t fight for themselves. For humanity to rise—stronger than even the Gods.”

Chronus chuckled darkly, his lips curling into an amused smile.

“I like you. No wonder Erebu—” He stopped himself mid-sentence and shook his head. “Whatever. Let’s go find him already.”

Shinji rose to his feet, wiping the blood from his face. His voice was curt, his expression grim.

“Fine. Let’s just get this over with. Can you sense Zeus’ body?”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Chronus raised a bloodstained hand, staring at it as if studying something unseen.

“After touching that… weird substance, I can track his energy flow even from a light-year away. Follow me.”

Shinji narrowed his eyes, suspicion lacing his voice.

“Kronos, why are you dragging me along? You’re way too eager all of a sudden.”

Chronus let out a low chuckle, his glowing eyes narrowing slightly as his grin widened.

“You killed Poseidon—well, the vessel he was using. Having you around makes things way easier”.

Shinji scoffed, running a hand through his hair as he sighed.

“Fine. But I want the dagger”.

Chronus waved dismissively, his voice almost playful.

“That dagger is useless to me. All I want is Zeus body.”

“Why?” Shinji pressed, his voice sharp with mistrust. “What are you planning to do with his body?”

Chronus smiled, his smile was unnerving like it had a hint of malice lodged within, a finger rising to his lips in a silencing gesture.

“Now, now, Shinji. What’s a story without a bit of suspense? Every tale needs a climax, don’t you think?”

His eyes glowed a bright blue edging on a complete white, staring into his eyes made it look like you were in the pearly white gates of heaven.

Before Shinji could respond, the world around them warped. Time slowed, the air thickening as if they were trapped in a bubble outside reality.

“Stay here,” Chronus murmured, his voice reverberating unnaturally. “Come if I call for you, I have some business to attend to.”

In an instant, Chronus vanished, his form dissolving into the very fabric of space, leaving Shinji to follow.

Elsewhere, Nakamura stumbled through the mud, his guards struggling to keep pace. Each step sent splashes of filthy water up his legs, soaking his shoes.

“Faster!” he shouted, panic edging his voice.

Before he could bark another order, crimson spattered across his face. Blood.

The bodies were cut in half, their spines were cleanly cut off as Neila stood in front of him, licking his bloodied hands.

“Y’know? All this blood might give him some weird disease but the taste is so strong and terrible that I can’t help but love it, its bitterness and thickness is like a sensation I can never get over”.

Neila grabbed Nakamura by the neck as he began to struggle violently, thrashing his arms around as he looked around in fear.

Kronos smiled as he stared at Nakamura.

“You’ve heard of me haven’t you? You should definitely know about me, after all I was the only person that killed another God”. He smiled wickedly as he stared at Nakamura’s desperate eyes. “Bring me to Zeus’s main body before I completely eradicate you”.