Chapter 180: The New York Sanctuary

Another Gotham battle came to an end.

The debate about superheroes and the government's lack of effective action has been ongoing since the dawn of superheroes.

Various so-called "experts" and media outlets flooded in with reports on the matter.

It’s just how things work—media outlets rely on clicks, and those that don’t attract them risk going out of business.

This wasn’t even the era of social media dominance yet. Back then, a trending topic would lead to hundreds of similar short videos popping up with a single search.

Atreus didn’t expect it, but someone on the internet started a poll about superheroes—who is the true "King of Superheroes?"

It made sense, of course. Debating which superhero is stronger has always been a hot topic among the masses.

Everyone has their favorite hero, and everyone wants to believe their hero is the strongest.

In a country obsessed with guns, some people would even get into fights with neighbors or strangers, shooting off guns as a show of support for their favorite hero.

But when Atreus saw this topic shoot to the top of the trends, he immediately sensed something unusual.

"Obviously, Kratos is the king of heroes. He's incredibly powerful, can leap hundreds of feet, and easily defeats all kinds of monsters. He even has Wonder Woman and the charioteer warrior (Penthesilea) to back him up."

"No, no, the robot sisters are his subordinates too."

"What about the Huntress and Katana? Do they count?"

"Technically, he's also on good terms with Superman, Iron Man, and Batman."

"Sigh, as long as he's protecting America, the White House might as well be a bystander."

...

The comments seemed like they were praising Atreus, but he knew better. This was a setup, an attempt to "kill with praise," especially considering how some people would praise him while belittling others.

There are always naive people among the public who can easily be manipulated.

If a majority of the public subconsciously believes that Kratos, who isn’t under White House control, is better than the government, even President Ellis would face backlash from the elites if he tried to defend the superheroes.

Creating social division, pitting different groups against each other, and keeping them in conflict so they can’t threaten the upper elites' control over the country—this is something the American elite has mastered.

By elevating Kratos to the status of "King," naturally, anti-hero challengers who resent him would emerge.

As long as Atreus couldn’t defeat all challengers and earn the title of the indisputable "Hero King," then the masterminds behind this plot would have succeeded.

It’s an ancient tactic of balance and manipulation.

When Penthesilea warned him of this, Atreus smiled confidently. "If they want me to be the Hero King, then I’ll be the Hero King."

Killing Doomsday, the Kryptonian beast, had given Atreus a considerable boost despite its filthy soul. His strength shot up to 556 points, his constitution to a ridiculous 762 points, and he even gained a *Limb Super-Regeneration* ability.

In addition, he got a unique skill called *Eye of Destruction*.

*Eye of Destruction*: The host can channel elemental power through enhanced Kryptonian eyes, unleashing 300% of normal elemental magic damage as fire-based damage.

The description wasn’t long, but seeing that insane multiplier, Atreus understood why Kryptonians are fond of their deadly stare attacks.

The damage was just that high.

If it weren’t for the note at the end—*"Continuous use of the Eye of Destruction greatly increases the risk of blindness"*—it would’ve been a perfect skill.

But then again, even if he went blind, wouldn’t a Kryptonian's healing powers just regenerate his eyesight?

Anyway, thanks to Doomsday, Atreus officially stepped into the realm of high-tier demigods.

The only downside was his increasingly lopsided stats.

His strength and constitution were absurdly high, while his other base attributes barely moved.

On the magic front, the most significant change was the expansion of his elemental pool, which now had a cap of 4090 points, mainly focusing on fire and wind elements.

Still, Atreus quickly stopped worrying about that.

Why? Because of one piece of news—Doctor Stephen Strange seemed to have lost his way, abandoning medical salvation in favor of seeking answers through mysticism.

The moment word came that Stephen had bought a plane ticket to Nepal, Black Canary immediately put the information on Atreus’s desk.

He summoned two Amazon demigoddesses.

"Prepare yourselves. We might be facing some enemies who can wield space magic soon."

Penthesilea's eyes lit up. "Is this the enemy you've been waiting for?"

"Yes."

Wonder Woman sighed softly. "Sometimes, I’m not sure if lending you the power of the Godslayer was the right choice. Watching you grow into a true demigod makes me proud, but I’m also afraid your relentless pursuit of power might destroy you."

Penthesilea crossed her arms. "Indeed, I’ve seen many mortals consumed by their desire for power. Atreus, you better make sure you can handle this."

Atreus was stunned. He knew the two were concerned about him.

The saying, "I control my own fate," only applies to the true protagonist of a world.

Without the Godslayer system, Atreus would’ve just lived out his life as a carefree, spoiled rich kid.

But he had the system, his own efforts, and the "history" stored in his memories.

So why not go all out?

He took the hands of the two women and sighed, "Earth is already dangerous. For me, for you, none of us have anywhere to run. Destruction isn’t something we can escape by finding an ark. The only ones who can protect us are ourselves."

After a brief pause, Diana nodded. "You’re right. It’s better to take control of our own destiny."

She had a premonition that once Atreus dealt with the enemies threatening Kamar-Taj, it would be time for her and her aunt to return to Themyscira to face the threat of Ares alongside their people.

Meanwhile, unaware of his role as a trailblazer, Stephen Strange nervously set foot in Nepal.

He had hit rock bottom, but not entirely.

His hands were irreparably damaged, and he would never perform neurosurgery again. However, thanks to mysterious financial support from Atreus, he wasn’t in as dire a situation as he might’ve been.

And under the guidance of fate, he still managed to enter Kamar-Taj and became a student of the Ancient One...

At the same time, to show his support for New York, Atreus bought a building.

It just so happened to be across from a historic building, which was publicly known as a private museum.

Wonder Woman knew that Atreus always made preparations before major events, so she cast him a curious look.

"Uh, didn’t anyone tell you? Kamar-Taj has a branch here—it's called the *New York Sanctum*."

(End of Chapter)