*Chapter 203: But I Refuse (First Update)*

Ares' voice was filled with a powerful allure. He wasn’t putting on airs, and he didn’t even refer to himself as "I" in a lofty manner. From start to finish, he placed himself on an almost equal footing with the demigods and human warriors in front of him.

Anyone else would have likely accepted the offer.

After all, this was a divine position being offered!

Even Diana, who was not a mere mortal like Atreus, felt her heart skip a beat. Penthesilea's heart was racing even faster.

Although they both believed Atreus wasn't the kind of person to fall for such a temptation, what if?

They couldn't help but focus their gaze on Atreus.

At first, Diana was somewhat worried, but when she saw Atreus's clear eyes tinged with a hint of amusement, she suddenly felt at ease.

No, it was more than just reassurance.

Atreus's mischievous expression hit her right in the heart.

Don’t forget, he was standing before Ares, who had toppled the entire Olympian pantheon, with this kind of attitude.

Ares’ expression darkened. He had focused his efforts on Atreus because he saw immediately that Atreus was the leader of this small group. No matter what, even if he couldn't win Atreus over, just shaking him would be enough to deal a heavy blow to the team.

He never imagined that this human would actually withstand his mental pressure and temptation, acting completely unaffected.

Atreus’s lips moved. Ares expected that Atreus wouldn't say anything pleasant.

But Ares still held onto a glimmer of hope. More than hope, it was his belief that as the God of War, his invitation was impossible to refuse.

The result...

"A tempting offer, but I—refuse."

"What!?" Ares gasped. The two women were ecstatic!

This time, it was Atreus’s turn to wag his finger, "One of my favorite things to do is to say 'No' to those who think they're powerful!"

Atreus’s smug, punchable expression successfully infuriated Ares.

At that moment, Ares could no longer maintain his gentlemanly demeanor. His entire body exploded with rage.

"Ha!"

An invisible aura surged from Ares, blowing away all the furniture, carpets, chairs, cabinets, and chandeliers in the room.

It was as if a top-tier tornado had suddenly swept through.

In the fierce wind, General Ludendorff's white hair and beard fluttered wildly.

"A mere mortal dares to refuse me!?"

The terrifying thunderous voice, combined with divine power, knocked all the guards and servants outside to the ground just by the utterance of a few words. They gasped for air like fish thrown onto the shore, but couldn’t breathe. After just a few seconds of struggle, they passed out.

However, Atreus, who was the main target of Ares' divine storm, seemed completely unfazed.

The scene before him shattered, turning into countless broken mirrors. The divine wind that Ares had summoned couldn't penetrate within two meters of Atreus, and even the couch he was sitting on remained untouched.

Atreus continued to smirk, "Has no one told you that your attempts at manipulation and recruitment are rather low-level? If you're going to poach someone, maybe try focusing on one person first. Dragging Diana into it as well—don’t you think that’s disrespectful to her?"

Atreus didn’t have to say it; it was clear that Ares, this brute, had never done anything like this before. His methods were clumsy at best.

But Atreus wasn’t done. He continued to pour fuel on the fire: "Ares, arrogance is a disease. Even some rats think highly of themselves and challenge cats to a fight. How about this: I, as a 20-year-old doctor, give you some rat poison. Take it three times a day, and you'll be cured in two days. Just take it and sleep."

What?

If not for the tense situation, Diana and Penthesilea would have burst out laughing.

Diana knew that Atreus’s Mirror Dimension probably wouldn't hold a true god for long. After all, a true god could respond to prayers, could descend into avatars. Every true god was at least a master of space.

The Mirror Dimension magic from Kamar-Taj was mystical, but it could only buy time. It wouldn’t take long for Ares to break through.

Without hesitation, Diana let out a loud shout and thrust her sword forward.

In unison with her, her aunt also struck at Ares with a spear.

Neither of them expected Ares to be this powerful.

He raised both hands, effortlessly blocking the sword and spear with his palms.

In the next instant, a terrifying heat of over ten thousand degrees Celsius erupted from his palms. The visible flames turned into unstoppable destructive force, reducing the weapons to ash and shattering them in their hands.

"Impossible!" Penthesilea screamed.

Diana, as if pinned in place by an invisible force, opened her mouth wide, gasping for air, unable to utter a word.

Her aunt's weapon had also come from Themyscira's armory. Her mother wouldn’t give her aunt anything subpar. And Diana’s sword? It was the carefully guarded Godkiller.

The Godkiller had been destroyed in one move?

Diana's worldview was shattered.

"The Godkiller... it..." Diana instinctively stepped back.

Ares sneered, "There has never been a weapon specifically for killing gods. Only divine power can fight divine power. Only gods can kill gods. The real Godkiller is you!"

Having repelled two Amazon warriors in one strike, Ares turned his attention back to Atreus. "As for you, mortal! You trampled on the goodwill of a true god, a rarity in a thousand years! Now it’s time for you to pay the price."

Suddenly, lightning surged from his hands. The violent thunder snakes hissed as they appeared, writhing like Angry souls. When the lightning shot from the God of War's fingertips, it emitted an eerie shriek, tracing arcs of blue light in the air.

At almost the same moment, the cracked mirrors before Atreus truly shattered.

The space collapsed without a flash, only showing Atreus’s figure, which transitioned from a fragmented image back to a complete form. The two women’s hearts sank.

But to their surprise, the violent lightning from Ares didn’t crush Atreus’s body like a steamroller. Instead, it froze in midair.

Atreus... had caught Ares’ lightning with his bare hands.

"This is impossible!" Ares muttered in disbelief.

Ares hadn’t used his full strength—that much was true.

But this wasn’t a move any ordinary demigod could withstand.

Before Ares could react, a thunderous roar echoed through the fractured mirror dimension.

"Thunder Rebound!"

The lightning... was sent back!

—

PS: Damn, failed to update on time. 

(End of Chapter)