Chapter 43: Russian Rescue?

Kratos is here!

He launched an unbelievable attack.

A massive two-ton water tank was thrown at Electro with immense force.

Thanks to the *Super Strength Throw* skill acquired from Dr. Lizard, Kratos played by Atreus exceeded human limitations by far.

This scene stunned the journalists watching from afar, as well as the TV audience at home.

Another non-human figure!

Electro wasn't afraid of water, but under the laws of the four elements—earth, water, fire, and air—the electricity he controlled belonged to the air element. When clashing with the water element, his power would inevitably weaken.

But at this moment, taking full advantage of the home field, Electro summoned a massive burst of lightning without hesitation, blasting the water tank in midair.

As water splashed and lightning flashed, even Max felt an overwhelming surge of power.

"Come out! You—" Just as Electro, charged with electricity, hung between two power towers like a god descended from heaven, a figure dashed toward him with unimaginable speed.

With the *Wall Running* skill and an insulated suit, it was all too easy for Atreus to conceal his presence from Electro, whose perception was at the level of an ordinary person.

Two specially crafted rubber Chaos Blades struck like venomous snakes, plunging into Max's ribs.

"Ah! You—"

Without giving Max a chance to react, *Rope Control* was activated!

The Chaos Blades, attached to long chains, were swung in a wide arc before Atreus slammed them down. Max plummeted like a meteor, crashing onto a core power line at the plant.

Under normal circumstances, Max would have easily dispersed into electricity to avoid this strike. But overloading on power had left him unable to control his body.

Though this mighty blow wasn't fatal, it seriously injured him.

At that moment, Max saw Atreus standing atop one of the power towers, a cruel smile on his face, snapping his fingers with flair.

"Goodbye, Mr. Magic Power Pack!"

Max froze.

At the same time, far away in the power plant's control room, Louis, the bodyguard leader who had been watching Atreus through binoculars, silently made the sign of the cross over his chest and yanked down the main switch.

In the next second, the entire plant's output surged, sending over 10,000 volts of high-voltage electricity straight into Electro.

Perhaps Electro's body could handle 10,000 volts, but as the voltage kept climbing, when it hit 30,000 volts, Electro's body and soul finally began to break apart.

Large chunks of his body, like red-hot iron, peeled away.

Just three seconds later, a brilliant mini-mushroom cloud of fire rose from the center of the power plant.

Electro… exploded!

Meanwhile, Louis, drenched in sweat, scrambled to shut down the damaged lines and restore power to the city.

Atreus received a reward from the system for taking down *Mr. Lightning Power Pack*.

System Notification:

- "Congratulations, host, for killing Max the Electro! His soul has been successfully consumed and purified."

- "The host's attributes have been upgraded: Constitution +4, Perception +5, Willpower +4."

- "The host has gained the following skills: Lighting Element Mastery Lv5! Lighting Element Resistance Lv8!"

- "Congratulations, the Element System is now unlocked: Based on the host's current constitution, the host's elemental pool is temporarily (Lighting), with a capacity of 233 points of Lighting elemental magic!"

- "Congratulations, you've acquired a new skill branch (Lightning Return): As long as an enemy's Lighting element control ability is not more than 5 levels above the host, the host can return Lighting element attacks back to the enemy at double damage."

Atreus was ecstatic.

Finally, no longer just a simple warrior.

It's not that he looked down on warriors, but like Kratos, Kratos was never just a warrior. Kratos' power lies in his ability to transcend the limitations of one power system and use the abilities of other gods.

Killing a god and stealing their power.

Kratos, the true god-slayer, was the model to aspire to!

Just then, the sound of helicopter blades "thud-thud-thudding" overhead caught his attention.

Say what you will about American journalists—they're bold. As soon as the battle ended, they sent a helicopter right in. A floodlight shone on Atreus face, and the female reporter's voice came over the loudspeaker.

"Hero who saved New York, can we ask for your name or nickname?"

Atreus glanced at the curly-haired reporter in the air and smiled mischievously, "Kratos!"

With that, he activated *Wall Running* again, disappearing from view with a few quick flashes.

Atreus needed to find a place to change back into his old suit.

The insulated suit was useless after beating Electro, but the old one had given him a sweet +12 strength boost.

Meanwhile, another battle was raging around the Empire State Building.

But things were not going according to the script of Green Goblin II, Harry Osborn.

It was late at night, and there were few people around the Empire State Building. Those who were there had fled when Harry took over the building. The few remaining security guards had been slaughtered.

"Who are these people?"

In the surveillance room, *other* Green Goblin frowned.

It wasn't Spider-Man or the police coming for him, but a group of well-trained mercenaries.

These mercenaries, armed with light weapons, headed straight for the top floor of the Empire State Building in the elevator.

Unfortunately for them, their opponents weren't Green Goblin, but—

"What the hell are these monsters!?"

They were confronted by a horde of zombified security guards.

With torn faces and throats ripped out, the "guards" stormed forward. The mercenaries, momentarily stunned, quickly raised their automatic weapons.

5.56mm rounds, while perhaps useless against a villain like Green Goblin, were more than enough for regular zombies.

They swiftly wiped out over thirty of the zombie guards, making their way toward the observation deck at the top of the building.

"Something's not right!" Harry felt a sudden unease.

What kind of rescue mission was this?

Was this that infamous Russian rescue strategy—kill the hostages so the criminals can't use them as leverage?

Harry felt frustrated. If only he had more reliable subordinates, he wouldn't have to rely on these weak zombies.

Spitting in frustration, Harry put on his Green Goblin suit and rushed toward the mercenaries. He had to deal with them before Spider-Man arrived.

Almost at the same time he headed for the elevator, a sharp, brief whistling sound came from the sky.

A fast-moving flying object zoomed in, heading straight for the top of the Empire State Building.

A brilliant diversion!

Harry was momentarily stunned, then furious, finally grinning cruelly, "Almost fooled me."

A winged flying vehicle shattered the glass, crashing down. The bird-like metal *Vulture* swooped in, immediately grabbing the bound Liz.

"Ah—" Liz screamed.

"Don't worry, it's Dad!" Adrian's soothing voice didn't calm Liz; her fear was coming from something behind him.

Unbeknownst to Adrian, another Green Goblin had silently appeared, grabbing his mechanical wings.

Before *Vulture* Adrian could react, the mysterious Green Goblin tore open his metal neck guard and bit down on his neck.

The excruciating pain overwhelmed Adrian.

"Ahhh—"

A long, agonizing scream echoed over the Empire State Building...

(End of Chapter)