Kratos and Atreus begin their journey to spread Faye's ashes to the highest peak in the Nine Realms. But as they venture through the realms, they come across two devils not of their world. Together, Denji and Nayuta accompany them on their quest, and they will learn what it means to overcome one's past to become better..
Blades and Chains
is a God of War (PS4)/Chainsaw Man Fusion Fic written by CiscoTheSoto. The premise follows Kratos, a former God of War, preparing to venture across the Nine Realms to spread his ashes while training his son Atreus. Though their party of two becomes four when they come across two Devil siblings, Denji and Nayuta, who end up stranded in their world and accompany them in the hopes of finding a way back home. Can the two groups work together to accomplish their goals while also overcoming their past demons?
This fanfiction assumes the reader is familiar with the God of War lore and caught up with the Chainsaw Man manga. Thus, all spoilers for the two series will be unmarked.
Blades and Chains provides examples of:
- Due to the Dead: The story opens with Kratos and Atreus burning Faye's corpse in their mountain home. Later, they would collect her ashes and set off to spread them at the highest peak.
- Force and Finesse: Kratos serves as the force as he has the strength to fight enemies head on using his Leviathan Axe while his son is the finesse as he stays on the side firing arrows and providing support when possible.
- Foregone Conclusion: In Chapter 5, Fami reveals that she spoke with the Future Devil who foretold that Chainsaw Man and Control would return to Japan in a month and a half.
- Getting Eaten Is Harmless: Denji ends up going inside the Justice Devil so he can destroy him from the inside out.
- In Medias Res: Denji's story starts with him in the middle of the Falling Devil Arc where the titular devil chases after him and Asa.
- Language Barrier: An obstacle that the two groups struggle with in the beginning is their inability to fully understand their respective languages of Old Norse and Japanese. It isn't until they meet the Witch Freya that she casts a linguistic spell on Denji and Nayuta that allows them to understand Old Norse.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: In the second chapter, Kratos gets into a brutal battle with a tattooed stranger who refuses to leave him alone.
- Our Wights Are Different: The first enemy monsters to appear in Midgard are Draugr, slain warriors who refuse to move on and wander the Earth to fill their bloodlust.
- Point of Divergence: On the Chainsaw Man side of the story, Nayuta interfered in Denji's fight with the Falling Devil by forcing her to open a door to send her patron back to hell. This unfortunately results in Denji being knocked inside too with her having to follow along.
- Rite of Passage: Invoked. Kratos initially planned to take Atreus on the trip to scatter his mother's ashes so that he can grow into a proper man. But he decided against it because he wasn't emotionally ready. But the surprise attack by the stranger forces him to begin the journey anyway and hope that Atreus will be able to prove himself.
- Tough Love: Kratos does genuinely love his son. But given his rigorous upbringing and lifetime of fighting and trauma, he has difficulty with openly expressing his emotions and tries to keep an emotional distance. It doesn't help that Faye just passed away so the father and son are still dealing with their losses mixed with Atreus needing to be trained to survive the upcoming journey.
- Trapped in Another World: Denji and Nayuta end up trapped in the world of Midgard after entering an over-powered Hell Door during the fight with Falling.
- Vagueness Is Coming: Along with learning that Denji and Nayuta would return thanks to the Future Devil, Fami also learns that powerful players will accompany them in their return home.
