Even though Hela had left, Nolan Locke felt no sense of relief.
Her power was terrifying, and that had only been her strength right after breaking free from her seal. Once her abilities fully returned, it was hard to imagine just how monstrous she would become.
And that wasn't even the biggest problem.
Hela was not alone.
Although she had been exiled to the Realm of the Dead, she had also become its ruler. In other words, every undead creature in that world now stood behind her.
Individually, the undead might not be stronger than humans.
But they possessed one terrifying advantage, they were largely immune to conventional physical attacks.
Against enemies like that, ordinary humans had almost no chance of fighting back.
Combined with Hela's overwhelming personal strength, it was no wonder Odin had foreseen Ragnarok.
If Thor had not ultimately chosen to destroy Asgard in order to weaken Hela, then Asgard, as it currently stood, would have had no hope of resealing or killing her.
Nolan turned to Thor and Loki.
"What do you plan to do next?
If I'm not mistaken, Hela has already headed for Asgard."
Thor's expression darkened.
"Of course we're going back to Asgard to stop her!"
At those words, even Loki couldn't help letting out a short laugh.
"My dear brother, honestly, I fail to see even the slightest possibility of success."
Thor shot him a furious glare.
"So what? Just because we can't win, we should give up?
Asgard is our world, and I am its king.
If Hela wants to rule Asgard, then she'll have to step over my corpse first.
No, even if I become a corpse, I'll still stand in her way!"
Loki fell silent.
This was the difference between him and Thor.
Thor was willing to gamble his life for Asgard.
Loki knew he could never do the same.
He turned to Nolan.
"Mr. Locke, Hela threatens far more than just Asgard. Earth will inevitably fall within her sights as well. And with her cruelty, if she conquers this planet, the consequences will be unimaginable."
"And?" Nolan replied casually.
Loki took a breath.
"Perhaps across all of Earth and Asgard, only you possess the strength to confront Hela directly.
I ask for your help. This is our only chance to defeat her.
Once she fully takes control of Asgard, her power will grow even further through her bond with it.
By then, even you may not be able to oppose her.
This is our only window."
His argument was logical.
Thor also looked at Nolan with obvious hope.
But Nolan rejected them without hesitation.
"Hela is too strong. Strong enough that I have no confidence in defeating her.
The only reason she withdrew was because her power hasn't fully returned yet.
That doesn't mean I would've won if our fight had continued.
So sorry, but my answer is no."
"But..."
Thor grew anxious.
Loki shook his head.
"We cannot force a strong man to act against his own will."
"Even so, I refuse to give up!"
Thor insisted.
He was about to keep persuading Nolan, but Nolan had already opened a portal and stepped through, leaving without giving him another chance to speak.
Can't beat her. Really can't.
As the portal closed behind him, Nolan sighed inwardly.
Back at Locke Technologies, Sharon Carter blinked in surprise when she saw him return.
"Did you drive that enemy away?"
The screen nearby still displayed Thor and Loki's miserable state.
"No. She only left temporarily.
Once her strength recovers further, she'll come back."
"Then…"
Sharon hesitated.
"What do we do now?"
"For now, this is Asgard's problem. Even if Hela plans to target Earth, Asgard will be first."
"Hela?
As in the one from mythology?"
"Yeah."
Nolan nodded and explained.
"She's Thor and Loki's older sister. Back then, she helped Odin defeat his enemies and conquer the Nine Realms.
But afterward, Odin wanted peace, while Hela wanted to continue expanding their rule.
In the end, Odin exiled her to the Realm of the Dead.
Now that Odin is dead, the seal is broken, and she's returned."
The amount of information packed into those few sentences was staggering.
Odin was dead.
And Hela was his firstborn, a being so powerful that even Odin himself had been unable to destroy her.
Sharon asked the question weighing heaviest on her mind.
"If Hela conquers Asgard, what happens to Earth?"
"That's why we need to prepare."
Nolan had no illusions that Hela would simply ignore him.
Especially now that they had already crossed paths, and Hela had clearly taken an interest in him.
But charging directly into Asgard to fight her there wasn't realistic either.
Losing was still losing.
Originally, he had wanted to test whether the power of the second-generation super soldier serum would be enough to defeat Hela.
The result was clear.
He could restrain her to some degree, but neither side could secure a decisive victory.
And once Hela's power increased further, the outcome would no longer be in question.
He needed to prepare.
After a moment of thought, Nolan turned to Sharon.
"Call Simon Phillips."
Soon enough, Simon arrived.
As the CEO of Locke Technologies, Simon Phillips was always buried in work.
The moment he saw Nolan, he immediately complained.
"Boss, if you keep being such a hands-off owner, I'm going to work myself to death years early."
Nolan laughed.
"Relax. You're far too useful for me to let you die so soon.
I've already developed something that can extend human lifespan. It's just not ready for public release yet.
When the time comes, you'll be among the first to receive it.
Want to die?
You may have to wait a very long time."
Simon's eyes widened in delight.
"Life extension?
The world's billionaires would go insane for that."
Nolan rolled his eyes.
This guy wasn't even reacting to the miracle of extending his own life.
"You're not wrong.
But immortality isn't a privilege everyone gets."
He had no intention of releasing life-extension technology to the masses.
"Now, let's talk about why I called you here."
Simon immediately grew serious.
He knew Nolan never summoned him just for casual conversation.
"What do you need?"
"How many stocks do we currently hold?"
"A lot. I don't have an exact figure, but it's an enormous amount," Simon answered.
For Simon to call it enormous, considering the scale of Locke Technologies, said more than enough.
Nolan nodded.
"You have one day. Sell all of it."
Simon stared at him.
"You're joking, right?"
Every stock they held was practically a money-printing machine.
Even if the profits were small relative to Locke Technologies itself, those holdings represented both stable income and influence over the global market.
More importantly, unloading everything in a single day would almost certainly crash stock values and potentially trigger worldwide financial instability.
"I'm serious."
Nolan's expression remained calm.
"I need money.
A massive amount of money.
To fight a powerful enemy."
Sharon spoke up.
"Shouldn't we notify every government on Earth? Fighting this enemy isn't Locke Technologies' responsibility alone."
Nolan folded his hands under his chin, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Sure, I could do that.
But if I can solve this myself, why would I?"
"Uh…"
Both Sharon and Simon looked confused.
But Nolan had never seriously considered involving governments.
Yes, he could use government resources.
But the moment he accepted their funding, any superweapons created with that money would inevitably come under their influence.
He'd be buried in contracts, oversight, and endless restrictions.
But if he funded everything himself...
Then those weapons would belong to him alone.
If he could handle it independently, why let others stick their hands into it?
"All right. Go."
He offered no further explanation.
After they left, Nolan headed straight for the central base.
The place was still devoid of human life.
Every experiment and operation was managed by Red Queen and a network of advanced AIs.
Though these AIs lacked true independent creativity, they could still process Nolan's data and perform complex deductions.
As a result, the central base had become increasingly vast and sophisticated.
"Red Queen, pull up the combat systems. We're running out of time.
How is the Mechanical Swarm Project progressing?"
"Completion status: 87%."
Red Queen answered professionally.
"Too slow."
Nolan frowned.
"We need a fully operational Mechanical Swarm system. Finish it within one month."
Conquering Asgard would take time.
In Nolan's estimation, Hela couldn't accomplish it in less than a month.
After all, Asgard was an entire realm, not just a palace.
Controlling the royal palace did not mean controlling all of Asgard.
Still, with countless undead armies at her disposal, she could probably finish the conquest in under two months.
And once that happened, Hela would be free to turn her attention elsewhere.
By then, her power would have fully peaked.
He had to defeat her before that happened.
Otherwise, the only option left would be to trigger Ragnarok and destroy Asgard to weaken her.
And the Mechanical Swarm…
That had been Nolan's vision from the beginning.
A complete autonomous combat system capable of attack, recovery, resource recycling, and redeployment.
As long as sufficient energy was supplied, it could wage war endlessly.
Meanwhile, Asgard welcomed a new ruler.
During Thor and Loki's absence, everything had remained orderly.
The rebellions in the outer realms were still being suppressed by Lady Sif and the Warriors Three.
Standing inside the palace, Sif stared at the empty throne, filled with emotion.
She wanted nothing more than to bring Thor home.
But with two realms still in open rebellion, her hands were tied.
At that moment, a woman entered the palace.
Elegant.
Graceful.
Yet her eyes radiated dominance and absolute confidence.
"It's been a long time since I last returned here.
Everything is still so familiar."
Sif turned, and her pupils shrank.
"Hela…"
She still remembered that name.
Hearing her name, Hela turned and smiled faintly.
"Long time no see."
Then, without hesitation, she strode toward the throne.
Sif's face twisted in alarm.
"What are you doing?!"
She shouted and charged.
But with a simple wave of Hela's hand, Sif was blasted backward.
Moments later, Asgardian guards rushed into the hall.
Hela remained calm.
Suddenly, a massive wolf lunged out from the shadows, tearing one guard apart with a single bite.
The rest were slaughtered just as quickly.
In moments, only Sif remained alive.
Hela slowly lowered herself onto the throne.
The giant wolf padded to her side, lowered its body, and rested at her feet.
The image was overwhelmingly imposing.
"Odin is dead.
From this moment on…"
She leaned back, eyes cold and regal.
"I am the Queen of Asgard."
"That's impossible!"
Sif roared.
Shock and fury burned in her eyes.
No matter what, she would never allow this woman to take Asgard's throne.
"There is only one rightful ruler of Asgard, Thor!"
Hela gazed at her calmly.
Not with disdain.
Because in her eyes, Sif barely existed at all.
"That fool?
He isn't qualified."
Then she glanced around.
"Asgard feels rather empty now."
Outside the palace, blood stained the streets.
Countless undead were slaughtering any guards brave enough to resist.
But Hela was dissatisfied.
Asgard should have had far more warriors.
"Where are the soldiers?
Where is Asgard's army?"
Sif gritted her teeth.
"There have been uprisings in two realms. The Warriors Three led Asgard's forces to suppress them."
"Hmm? Rebellions…"
Hela stood.
"Pathetic."
Then she smiled.
"Since I am Asgard's queen now…"
"I suppose I should go take a look."
Jotunheim.
The Warriors Three were breathing heavily.
The Frost Giants were powerful opponents.
When Thor led them, they had never truly felt pressured.
But now, they finally understood how troublesome these enemies really were.
An enormous Frost Giant stepped forward.
"Asgardian warriors, leave.
From this day forward, Jotunheim belongs to us!"
At that moment, a cold voice sounded from behind the Warriors Three.
"So…"
"Are you trying to divide my Nine Realms?"
…
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