Chapter 229: I Like to Keep a Little Something in Reserve

Black Adam was so shocked that his scalp almost flew off.

“Wait!”

Before Black Adam could finish speaking, Atreus cut him off, following his belief that “explaining is just hiding, and hiding is cowardice.”

Atreus took a step forward in midair—

With just one step, he seemed to become a gust of wind, crossing over a hundred meters in an instant.

The dazzling sword light slashed through the air in a brilliant arc, almost cutting into Black Adam’s thick, bull-like dark neck.

Startled, Black Adam instinctively retreated. His eyes narrowed as he quickly floated backward like a ghost.

Anyone with sharp enough eyes could easily tell that Black Adam’s speed was no match for Atreus’s.

Under normal circumstances, this strike would have landed solidly.

At that critical moment, Black Adam decisively activated the **Psychokinesis** granted by Aton, turning into a black streak of light. When he reappeared, he was already 300 meters away, floating in midair.

What happened next stunned all the spectators.

Kratos didn’t change the posture of his powerful slash. Yet, he somehow transcended the boundaries of space and time.

Shards of space shattered like broken glass in front of him, clearing a path for Atreus, who appeared right in front of Black Adam just as he completed his teleportation.

Black Adam was terrified, his soul practically leaving his body. In sheer panic, he quickly shouted, “Don’t be so ruthless…”

Atreus hesitated briefly, then chuckled. “I like to keep a little something in reserve.”

The two weren’t speaking aloud but communicating through divine telepathy. However, Black Adam, in his desperation, had broadcasted the conversation on an open channel, making it easy for all the surrounding extraordinary beings to hear.

In fact, the entire exchange took less than a tenth of a second.

The great sword continued its swift descent.

At that moment, the radiant golden light from the sword illuminated all of New York City as if it were daytime. Black Adam, who normally didn’t need weapons, could only instinctively raise his arms, hoping to use his **Endurance of Shu**-enhanced body to withstand the blow.

Wishful thinking!

The golden light effortlessly sliced through his left arm, striking the ruins of the Vought Tower beneath him. This already-destroyed skyscraper, now reduced to just five floors, was cut apart once again.

It’s worth noting that this building was built on the edge of Manhattan Island, with much of its foundation extending into the river.

As the sword descended, the entire riverside dock was sliced in two, and the outer section exploded into rubble, sending massive chunks of rock weighing several tons crashing into the Hudson River.

Immediately, the rubble on top of the ruins collapsed into the river, forming countless white whirlpools on the water’s surface.

In the sky above, Black Adam’s scream echoed loudly.

In his terror, he finally understood what Atreus meant by “keeping something in reserve”—he literally kept a hand in reserve!

“Ahhh—” Ignoring everything else, Black Adam used both **The Speed of Horus** and **Psychokinesis** to drive his body away from the terrifying demon who had easily severed his left arm.

His body broke through the sound barrier in an instant, leaving several sonic booms behind him as he fled toward the ocean like his life depended on it.

Atreus didn’t give chase. Instead, he casually picked up Black Adam’s severed left hand. In a vision only he could see, large clusters of red souls emerged from the arm and merged into his chest.

“Huh?”
What a pleasant surprise. Black Adam’s arm gave him about 20 points of strength and constitution. He had to admit, the guy was quite the muscleman.

Even though Atreus’s base stats were already ridiculously high, he wasn’t about to pass up any extra gains, no matter how small.

As for skills, there were none to be had this time. The system informed him: **The target’s skills belong to a different pantheon than the host. Do you wish to forcibly absorb the power?**

Atreus declined.

He wasn’t afraid of the Egyptian pantheon.

Even compared to the Greek and Norse gods, the Egyptian gods barely ranked as third-rate on Earth. Not to mention how entire families of mummified pharaohs were shipped off to British museums.

There was hardly any divine legacy left.

Atreus was mainly concerned that, having only recently ascended to godhood and not yet fully mastering the power of war, absorbing the power of another pantheon might leave some lasting issues.

After gaining the vital stat points, Atreus casually tossed Black Adam’s left arm. The arm, which would have survived being submerged in molten lava, was instantly reduced to ashes under Atreus’s divine flame.

The battle had been fierce, but it ended swiftly.

To bystanders, it appeared as though Black Adam had suddenly attacked, destroying the entire Vought Tower, and then, for some reason, ended up facing Kratos and Superman.

Shortly afterward, the once-arrogant Black Adam had his arm cut off by Kratos and fled in a panic.

The whole thing happened so fast that by the time the two Spider-Men and Iron Man arrived, the fight was already over.

At the time, Tony had been in the shower, Peter was busy with his three girlfriends, and Gwen was in the middle of an experiment. They all arrived a bit too late.

When they got there, the main players had already left.

There was also a small, lesser-known incident:
Before leaving, Atreus returned to Black Widow’s side.

He calmly sheathed his great sword on his back and said, “You can report what happened here truthfully. As for how you frame it, that’s up to you.”

One thing was clear: he didn’t care.

“Got it.”

Without saying anything more, Atreus opened a portal, and his group left.

The next morning, after crawling out of bed and turning on the TV, Atreus froze for a moment when he saw the news.

On the screen, the anchor was announcing with a somber tone:
“Last night, **Black Adam**, number one on the Superhuman Most Wanted list, launched a cowardly attack on Vought Tower. Led by **Homelander**, the **Seven** valiantly fought back. With the help of two extraordinary heroes, Superman and Kratos, they succeeded in severing Black Adam’s left arm. Tragically, the Seven sacrificed their lives to protect America.”

As she spoke, the anchorwoman teared up, her voice choked with emotion: “Among the fallen were Stan Edgar, representing Vought’s board of directors, and over 500 innocent victims…”

The camera cut to a hall with seven coffins, each draped with an American flag, while countless grieving fans, mostly women, tearfully circled the coffins to pay their respects.

Atreus and his companions, watching the scene, couldn’t help but feel disgusted.

“Hmph! We were the ones who…” Faora fumed.

But Atreus, after a brief moment of surprise, flashed a mischievous grin. “No! This is perfect. Don’t you think? In a country that’s turned **superheroes** into a complete commercial product, isn’t it fitting to honor these two-faced clowns with the national flag?”

(End of Chapter)