*Chapter 181: Kratos' ‘Territory’*

“New York again?” Diana frowned.

“It would be more accurate to say that New York is just one of them,” Atreus replied, raising his right hand. A globe, half a meter in diameter and made of flame elements, appeared in midair above his palm.

Despite the fiery display making the Earth's outline a bit unclear, Diana noticed the same symbol appearing in three different locations.

“New York, London, Hong Kong,” Black Canary immediately recognized the significance.

Atreus nodded. “Since the age of myths ended and the Olympian gods disappeared, the Æsir gods have only nominally regarded Earth as their territory, rarely intervening. During this time, Earth didn’t fall into chaos. The real protectors of Earth were [Kamar-Taj].”

Hearing this, the women couldn’t help but feel a deep respect for the brief appearance of the Ancient One.

Atreus continued, “[Kamar-Taj] doesn’t interfere in human conflicts. The order led by the Ancient One only deals with preventing invasions from other beings in the multiverse and expelling powerful enemies from the solar system.”

Catwoman was curious. “So, the monsters from the mythological era…”

“You could consider them extraterrestrial beings. They were thoroughly hunted down and expelled—completely.”

Catwoman raised an eyebrow but said nothing more.

Diana pointed to the three symbols. “Are you saying these sanctums are the pillars of the shield that protects Earth?”

“Yes!” Atreus added, “We and Kamar-Taj differ greatly in both ideology and the source of our power. So, I’m not sure how to approach the Ancient One.”

In the end, the path of a god-killer is still aligned with that of Zeus and his lineage. Kamar-Taj doesn’t give much face to the Greek gods. Being able to coexist without interference would already be fortunate; don’t expect any cooperation.

Perhaps it could happen, but definitely not with the Ancient One, who is about to step down.

Atreus has always hated overly complicated maneuvers.

Too many steps mean too many chances for mistakes.

He prefers to think of himself as a tactical master (nicknamed "the Cunning One").

In fact, he was already tempted to raise the flag of the [Justice League]. Unfortunately, he wasn’t all that righteous, so maybe renaming it to something like the [Defenders’ Alliance] would be more fitting.

Atreus approached the large floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the small New York Sanctum that was only five stories tall. “We can ignore the affairs of Kamar-Taj. But what happens here in New York is something we can reasonably intervene in.”

Atreus wasn’t aware that his typical ambush behavior had already been analyzed by S.H.I.E.L.D.

S.H.I.E.L.D. was holding a meeting to analyze Kratos.

Basically, it was a discussion on how to recruit someone.

Attendees included Nick Fury, Agent Hill, Hawkeye, Natasha, Captain America, and Tony.

Agent Hill began with an introduction: “Let’s not comment on Kratos and his followers' code of conduct for now. This is a map of where he, Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and other heroes have been spotted.”

On a world map, Superman’s activity range was the widest, followed by Kratos, with Batman and Spider-Man as typical one-city guardians.

The beautiful Agent Hill continued, “Kratos primarily operates in Gotham and New York. We have ample reason to believe that his home is somewhere between these two cities.”

Tony smirked. “I have to remind you, New York, Gotham, and the surrounding satellite cities have a combined population of 25 million. Are you planning to conduct a census or issue detectors to find out who Kratos is?”

Agent Hill manipulated the computer, projecting a golden image of Kratos.

Nick said calmly, “That’s why we’re here. Tony, can you create a device to detect the energy waves from his body and locate him? Like when you and Dr. Banner tracked Loki’s scepter. Don’t worry, I just want to have a friendly face-to-face chat with him.”

Tony thought to himself: I already have his phone number and home address.

Outwardly, Tony remained expressionless. “My scanner indicates that the energy waves are currently beyond the technological limits of my equipment.”

Captain America frowned and added, “It feels more like... a kind of spiritual power.”

Natasha tilted her head. “The mythical power of faith?”

Captain America snapped his fingers. “Yes, that’s the vibe.”

Nick was speechless. “So, do you all think he’s a god or demigod who has lived since the mythological era?”

The Avengers collectively shook their heads.

Captain America spoke up. “No, his thinking and way of speaking seem more advanced than mine.”

Tony joked, “Found an old fossil that’s not really an old fossil?”

Captain America rolled his eyes. “Want to do a bone-age test to see who the real fossil is?”

Hill reminded, “An alien’s physical attributes might not follow human growth rules.” She then displayed data on General Zod.

Even though Lex turned Zod into [Doomsday], the dissection and research data on Zod’s body were shared with the military at the time. Now, all of it was being displayed.

After some discussion, the meeting reached a standstill.

Nick sighed, “Let’s consider another angle.”

Hill immediately projected an 8K ultra-high-definition photo. It was a scene from the [Tragedy of Troy].

Nick commented, “This style is very distinctive, isn’t it?”

Tony, well-versed in mythology, replied, “Yes, a Greek chariot. Classic.”

Hill displayed more information. “Based on our analysis, considering its ability to fly, we’ve ruled out many possibilities. We’ve narrowed it down to a few options—Apollo’s chariot, Artemis’ chariot, and... Achilles’ chariot from the Trojan War.”

Tony swiped on the screen. “First, we can rule out Apollo’s chariot; that’s not solar energy. I didn’t detect any high-heat signatures.”

Natasha focused. “Could it be Artemis’ chariot? The driver and that Wonder Woman both have traits of the goddess of the hunt.”

She was on point.

The Amazons indeed have a connection to the worship of Artemis.

“So why Kratos and not the three female hunters?” Captain America asked.

“Couldn’t Kratos be Achilles?” Hawkeye suddenly suggested.

“Clint, do you think Achilles was bald?” Natasha quipped.

That’s what makes it so confusing.

After all that research, they still didn’t uncover anything, like someone’s preferences.

Finally, Tony joked, “Maybe the guy likes beautiful women. Look, his driver, Wonder Woman, and the legendary robot sisters are all beauties.”

Nick suddenly felt a bit awkward: Could it be that I’m a man, so he ignored my call that one time?

Everyone’s gaze involuntarily focused on Natasha.

“Again?” Natasha was a bit exasperated.

(End of Chapter)