**Chapter 87: The Prop Race**

As the saying goes, "A flurry of actions as fierce as a tiger, only to deal 250 damage," *cough cough,* it might be a bit much to say Penthesilea could force Achilles to lose 1 point of health just by attacking, but at least she managed to break through his armor.

This is something even Hector couldn't do.

Penthesilea's success was all thanks to Atreus's incredible triple-shot skill! This rapid-fire technique far surpasses that of the original master of archery, Hawkeye.

This isn't to disparage Hawkeye, but rather to acknowledge that Hawkeye could never be as versatile as Atreus, who could even infuse his arrows with fire elements, creating magical explosive arrows.

But unfortunately, that's all there is to it.

Penthesilea was left dumbfounded as she stared at the monstrous Achilles in front of her. Atreus, watching her, felt like her eyes were about to pop out of her head any second.

No one else in the arena had as clear an understanding of the Amazon Queen's incredibly awkward situation as Atreus did. To everyone else, this strike was undoubtedly a huge advantage in her favor.

Why? 

She hadn't really broken through Achilles' defenses.

But the force of impact is always mutual.

It's like a car crash.

She managed to stay on her feet, so naturally, Achilles absorbed the full impact of that spear thrust. All the tons of force landed squarely on him.

Everyone around could see Achilles getting sent flying high into the air by that one spear thrust.

"Ooooh!"

"Achilles has been defeated!"

Whether it was true or not, the Trojans were the first to shout it out.

To be honest, this move really shocked the Greeks to their core.

Unfortunately, the Trojans' joy lasted less than two seconds.

Achilles was indeed thrown off his chariot by that spear, but before he even hit the ground, he was already counterattacking.

His two-meter-long golden spear swung in a bright arc in mid-air, viciously sweeping towards the Queen.

Both the Queen and Atreus had fast enough reflexes to duck the attack, but the Amazon warrior who was driving the chariot wasn't so lucky. She and the battle flag on the chariot were both cleaved in two by the tremendous force.

Seeing the chariot about to lose control, Atreus gritted his teeth and took the reins while pushing the half of the driver's body off the chariot—cruel as it may seem, this is standard procedure for chariot riders; they must remove anything that obstructs the chariot's movement.

This was a scythed chariot, with a long, curved battle blade attached to the axle of the wheels. If it grazed past someone, it could gut them on the spot.

In such chariot clashes, falling off or getting thrown out usually means death.

"Retreat! Kratos! Retreat!" the Queen shouted.

"Are you sure?" Atreus could feel the tremor in her voice.

"I'm sure! I must kill Achilles!" The Queen could clearly sense the power of Achilles' "Body of the Styx," but she could not allow herself to tarnish the honor of the Amazon warriors.

Without replying, Atreus, like all the other chariot riders who had finished their charge, began pulling the reins in unison.

If one could look down from the sky, they would see both sides' chariots making a perfectly synchronized left turn, repositioning their formations to charge at each other again.

Atreus's charioteering skills weren't great, but luckily, he was the true star of the show, and the Trojan chariots made way for him down the middle. Even the grand Prince Paris's chariot could only trail behind him, eating dust.

All the riders could see Penthesilea holding her spear high and hear her passionate shout.

"For Troy! Charge—!"

One round of charging had knocked down Agamemnon and Achilles, and the Trojans, unaware of the real situation, had no idea that the scales of victory had never actually tipped in their favor.

At least not on the surface...

Victory (Gone) is Mine! 

They were truly getting fired up! 

Each one of them howled like they were on a rampage!

Only Penthesilea's mouth was full of bitterness. She suddenly placed her left hand on Atreus's shoulder: "Kratos, you're a good man. I'm starting to understand why Hippolyta trusted you so much!"

Atreus responded coolly, "You flatter me."

"Achilles' body is blessed by a goddess. I can't penetrate his defenses; I'm afraid I'm going to die here today," the Queen suddenly whispered the truth, "What a pity! I had planned to pin you down when we got back and have my way with you. Honestly, never having been with a man is my biggest regret in life."

Atreus couldn't suppress his urge to retort: Are all Amazon women this bold? Could it be that certain female warriors aren't actually Amazons? 

He could only respond awkwardly, "Sorry, Your Majesty, but I'm not the type of man who enjoys being dominated by women."

The Queen was momentarily stunned, seemingly unable to believe that Atreus had rejected her. Then, she seemed to realize something: With Kratos's ability to take down Agamemnon, what country wouldn't welcome him? At least as a general.

As a Spartan, even if he immediately switched sides to the Greek coalition, he would be quickly accepted.

After all, both sides worship the Greek gods, and switching sides only requires an oath to the gods.

In the end, it was she who had been impolite.

The Amazon society was matriarchal, and as a queen, she had never held any man in high regard.

Unfortunately, after being battered by the gods and society, the now-humbled Penthesilea had learned many things she couldn't have learned in the Amazon tribe.

After ten years of siege warfare, fighting battle after battle, even the highest spirits have been worn down.

Her voice suddenly softened, "Alright! If we survive this, I wouldn't mind being the one under you."

For the Amazon Queen, who was said to hunt men for fun, to say something like this, it's clear how desperate she had become.

"Your Majesty, don't give up! I've heard a secret about Achilles' weakness. Of course, it's unverified."

"Hmm?"

"If you really can't beat him, you can expose your vital spots, take a blow from him, and then play dead. Leave the rest to me."

"Alright! I'll trust you this once!" Penthesilea didn't believe in Atreus; she was just out of options.

This time, she didn't use her spear; she switched to a mace even bigger than Atreus's head.

This weapon was certainly a rare sight on a Greek battlefield.

In a way, in the age of cold weapons, this was the ultimate "sword of physics" for breaking armor. Centuries later, European noble knights could wear three layers of armor, and ordinary weapons couldn't really harm these tin cans.

At that point, even if a weapon couldn't pierce, it could at least crush, making the mace a powerful tool for breaking armor.

However, the mace has a significant drawback—it's slow. Wielding it almost guarantees that the spear will strike first.

Atreus, exasperated, held the reins with his left hand and pulled out a bootlegged *Blade of Chaos* with his right.

The Queen gave him an appreciative look.

Atreus was going to take the first hit for her.

Achilles' first strike is not something an ordinary strongman can withstand.

On the opposite side, Achilles, who had been thrown from his chariot, managed to call back his two immortal warhorses with whom he shared a mental bond, and with a beautiful flip, he got back on the chariot.

Charging forward again, seeing that the fierce warrior on the other side had switched to a mace, the Greek's top warrior didn't hesitate to thrust his spear.

Penthesilea's heart tightened—could Kratos block the first blow? Am I asking too much of him?

(End of Chapter)