GOD OF WAR: SHADOWS OF THE NINE
Chapter 153 — The Colossus of Endless War
The beam fell from the titan's hand like the judgment of the heavens.
A column of blinding crimson energy ripped through the sky and slammed into the Black Expanse with a deafening detonation. The ground exploded outward in a violent storm of shattered rock and molten earth.
Kratos moved first.
He grabbed Atreus by the shoulder and hurled him sideways just as the beam tore through the spot where they had been standing.
The explosion carved a massive trench across the battlefield, the earth glowing red with heat as dust and fire roared upward like a volcanic eruption.
Atreus rolled across the ground and forced himself upright, coughing through the smoke.
"Father!"
Kratos stood several yards away, the Leviathan Axe in hand, shoulders squared toward the towering figure now looming over them.
The Colossus of Endless War had fully emerged from the broken earth.
It was enormous.
Even the War Dragon they had slain moments before now looked small beside it. The titan's body was forged from plates of ancient war-metal, each piece etched with glowing runes that pulsed like a heartbeat of destruction.
Every step it took shattered the ground.
Atreus felt the air vibrate around him.
"That thing… it's not alive," he whispered.
Kratos' voice was low.
"No."
The First War stood calmly near the titan's feet, watching with clear satisfaction.
"It does not live," he confirmed.
"It exists for only one purpose."
The titan raised its massive arm again, runes blazing brighter.
"To wage war without end."
The beam began charging once more.
Kratos growled.
Then he ran.
Atreus followed instantly.
Another blast erupted from the titan's palm, tearing across the battlefield with unstoppable force. Kratos slid beneath the wave of energy, sparks ripping across his armor as the beam scorched the ground behind him.
The Spartan leapt onto a rising slab of rock, using it as a launch point.
He hurled the Leviathan Axe.
The weapon spun through the air like a comet.
It struck the titan's knee with a thunderous crack.
Ice exploded across the metal surface.
For a moment—
The Colossus staggered.
Atreus saw the opening.
He fired a volley of runic arrows at the same joint.
Lightning erupted across the titan's leg.
The enormous machine groaned as its knee buckled slightly.
The First War chuckled.
"Good strategy."
The titan's other arm swung downward.
Kratos barely dodged as the colossal fist slammed into the ground, creating a shockwave that sent both him and Atreus flying backward.
The battlefield cracked open again.
Kratos rolled to his feet.
The axe returned to his hand with a heavy thud.
He charged again.
The Colossus swung its massive arm sideways.
Kratos ducked beneath it and leapt onto the titan's forearm as it passed overhead.
His boots slammed onto the metal surface.
He ran up the arm.
Chains erupted from his wrists as the Blades of Chaos ignited once more.
Flames tore across the titan's armor as Kratos drove both blades into the metal plating.
The Colossus roared—not in pain, but in mechanical fury.
Runes across its body flared violently.
Kratos ripped the blades free and drove them deeper again.
The armor began to crack.
Below, Atreus fired another wave of arrows, each one striking the glowing runes across the titan's chest.
Explosions of blue energy burst across the battlefield.
The titan staggered again.
The First War watched the fight with keen interest.
"Perhaps I underestimated you."
Kratos reached the titan's shoulder.
From there he could see the enormous glowing core embedded in the creature's chest—the source of its power.
He jumped.
The chains of the Blades of Chaos stretched outward, pulling him toward the titan's torso.
Kratos swung the Leviathan Axe with all his strength.
The blade struck the glowing core.
The impact shook the entire battlefield.
The titan froze.
For one heartbeat—
Everything stopped.
Then the core flared.
Kratos' eyes widened.
"Father—!" Atreus shouted.
The Colossus exploded with energy.
Kratos was blasted off its chest like a cannonball.
He slammed into the ground hard enough to shatter the stone beneath him.
Atreus ran toward him.
Kratos pushed himself upright before the boy could reach him.
"I am fine."
Atreus looked back at the titan.
The glowing core now burned brighter than before.
"It's adapting," he said.
The First War nodded approvingly.
"Of course it is."
The titan raised both arms.
Runes across its entire body ignited at once.
The air filled with a deep mechanical roar.
Atreus felt dread tighten in his chest.
"Father… it's charging something bigger."
Kratos watched the titan carefully.
"Yes."
The Colossus slammed its fists into the ground.
The impact split the battlefield open completely.
From the cracks in the earth, dozens of smaller war constructs began rising—metal warriors forged from the same ancient alloy as the titan itself.
An army.
Atreus stared in disbelief.
"You've got to be kidding me."
The First War spread his arms proudly.
"War is never fought alone."
The constructs began marching forward.
Kratos spun the Blades of Chaos in wide arcs as the first wave attacked.
The chains tore through the metal soldiers like burning serpents, ripping them apart in explosions of sparks and molten fragments.
Atreus fired arrows rapidly, detonating several constructs before they could reach him.
But more kept coming.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
The Colossus stood behind them like a god of destruction, its core glowing brighter with every passing moment.
Kratos cut down another group of constructs and glanced toward the titan.
"We must destroy the core."
Atreus nodded quickly.
"I can create an opening."
He slammed both hands against the ground.
Runes erupted outward in a massive circle.
A shockwave of lightning blasted through the approaching constructs, scattering them like broken toys.
Kratos ran.
He climbed the titan's leg again, dodging blasts from its smaller defenses as he ascended the massive body.
The Colossus attempted to swat him away.
Kratos jumped between its moving arms, using the chains of the Blades of Chaos to swing across its chest.
He landed directly above the glowing core.
Below him, Atreus drew a final arrow.
The boy whispered a rune under his breath.
The arrow ignited with bright blue energy.
"Father!"
Kratos raised the Leviathan Axe high above his head.
"Now!"
Atreus fired.
The arrow streaked through the air and struck the core.
The runic energy shattered the protective field around it.
Kratos brought the axe down.
The blade pierced the core.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then the Colossus screamed.
Not like a machine.
Like a dying giant.
Light burst from the crack spreading through its chest.
Kratos jumped away as the titan began collapsing.
The Colossus of Endless War fell backward with a thunderous crash that shook the entire Black Expanse.
Its glowing core shattered.
The battlefield went silent.
The constructs froze.
Then they crumbled into lifeless metal.
Atreus lowered his bow slowly.
"It's… over."
Kratos walked toward the fallen titan, breathing steady despite the brutal fight.
Behind them—
The First War began laughing again.
Not mockery.
Not anger.
Admiration.
"You destroyed my war engine."
Kratos turned slowly.
The man's silver eyes gleamed brighter than ever.
"But now…"
Shadow began pouring from his body like a living storm.
"We begin the true battle."
The sky darkened.
The ground trembled once more.
And the power of the First War finally revealed itself in full.