Chapter 398: Hela Appears
Gazing into Silas's determined eyes, Pietro chose to compromise. What else could he do? He had to accept the training.
Silas wasn't just doing this to help Pietro; he was also using the opportunity to refine his own mastery over the Rabbit Talisman.
"Very good. Starting tomorrow, I will assign you a specific training schedule. I hope you don't disappoint me."
After giving Pietro his instructions, Silas turned and vanished from the room.
"This feels terrible," Pietro groaned, slumping onto the sofa. He had thought he could continue living relaxed. Little did he know, if Silas hadn't changed his fate, he wouldn't even have had the chance to be a lazy fish.
Norway
"Kneel before your Queen." A woman with a lithe, seductive figure, standing tall and radiating a cold, noble elegance, stood there.
Thor's eyes were filled with disbelief. His Mjolnir—his legendary hammer—had just been shattered! It had been crushed by Hela, a sister he had never even known existed, with her bare hands!
To Thor, his hammer was indestructible, forged from the heart of a dying star with a handle of Uru and Yggdrasil wood. He never expected it to turn into mere tofu in Hela's grip.
Two pairs of eyes were watching the battle from afar: Strange and Silas.
Strange, having taken the mantle from the Ancient One, naturally felt the need to protect Earth. This woman was dangerous. Silas, on the other hand, was purely there to watch the show. He wanted to see just how strong Hela really was.
Even without returning to Asgard to reclaim her full power, Hela's strength was already unfathomable.
"You two above, have you seen enough?" Hela's cold eyes turned toward the sky.
The only reason she hadn't attacked yet was because the power emanating from both Strange and Silas made her feel a hint of threat. Before recovering her full strength, Hela didn't want to invite unnecessary trouble. Once she returned to Asgard, she would have all the time in the world to conquer the Nine Realms.
"I am Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme of this era. You may also call me Doctor Strange," Strange said as he revealed himself. To make Hela wary, he specifically used the title of Sorcerer Supreme. In the multiverse, that title carried significant weight.
"Sorcerer Supreme?" As expected, Hela's eyes flickered with caution. When she was young, Odin had told her about the Sorcerer Supreme, the protector of Midgard. With a Sorcerer Supreme present, no one dared to target the realm.
As she grew, she had sensed the Ancient One's terrifying, bottomless power. She didn't realize that Strange, the current Sorcerer Supreme, was still a bit 'watered down'—his magical mastery was nowhere near the level of the Ancient One's. However, he was the most gifted of all; the Ancient One believed he could eventually surpass her.
He just needed time to grow.
"Sorcerer Supreme... I didn't realize that wizard's title was so prestigious. Loki, how does your 'Greatest Sorcerer of the Nine Realms' title compare to his?" Thor asked Loki.
"Shut up!" Loki's face was dark. He hadn't expected Strange to be the Sorcerer Supreme of Midgard. As a master of magic himself, Loki knew exactly what that title meant. No wonder the guy was so proficient.
"And who is this?" Hela asked, wanting to gauge the powerful figures of Midgard to prepare for her future conquests.
"Me?" Silas revealed himself as well, smiling slightly. "Just a passing vagabond."
"Is that so?" To Hela, the latent power within Silas felt even more terrifying than Strange's.
"Haha! You're finished! Hey! Silas, and you, Wizard! Let's take down Hela together!" Thor shouted with a grin.
"No, I refuse," Strange said flatly, his expression cold because Thor had called him a wizard again.
"Sorry, Thor. I won't be helping you this time." Silas sighed and shook his head. This was Asgard's internal matter. If outsiders were meant to interfere, Odin would have asked the Ancient One for help long ago, and Odin wouldn't have passed away so quickly.
"Why?!" Thor was confused. Hela's goal was to conquer the Nine Realms. Strange was Earth's protector, and Silas was his former comrade. They both had reasons to help.
"Idiot!" Loki thought of their father's prophecy before he died. Ragnarok was coming. Loki, being the sharper of the two, immediately understood why they were staying out of it. This was family business.
Hela gave the two above her a mocking laugh. She waved her hands, and two black blades appeared.
"Heimdall! Get us out of here!" Sensing the danger, Loki called for a retreat to Asgard.
"No!" Thor looked at Hela; as a warrior, how could he retreat?
Far away in Asgard, Heimdall opened the Bifrost, pulling the two brothers back.
"Hmph." Hela stepped into the light of the Bifrost. She cast a sidelong glance at Silas, a slight smirk playing on her lips, before she was whisked away.
"Finally gone." Strange had been ready to fight at a moment's notice.
"Don't worry, she wasn't foolish enough to start a fight on Earth," Silas said, watching the Bifrost fade. While Hela looked strong crushing the hammer, she wouldn't have been able to beat Strange on Earth yet. Her power hadn't returned to its peak.
"I'm off. Want to come by for a bit?" Strange opened a portal.
"No thanks. I don't want to be accused of freeloading your tea," Silas joked.
"That's for the best," Strange nodded seriously before flying through.
"I don't think he was joking," Silas muttered. He really thought Silas was a tea-freeloader.
"It appears so, Master," Blacklight added.
Silas shook his head. "Let's go. This is heartbreaking." Silas was swallowed by black mist and vanished from the Norwegian sky.
This was 'Shadow Teleportation Version 2.' The original version required about two seconds for the spatial tunnel to build, but Silas had researched the instantaneous nature of the Shadow Kingdom's movement. This new version combined the flexibility of portals with the speed of the Shadow Kingdom.
System Space
"System, it's time to exchange for the next Talisman. I can't wait anymore," Silas said excitedly.
The events of Thor: Ragnarok had begun! That meant Thanos's arrival was very close. Once Thor triggered Ragnarok and fled with his people, they would immediately encounter Thanos.
Thanos's strength was immense—he could stand against all the Avengers alone. While the movies showed everyone being resurrected, Silas had no desire to experience being turned into dust. Especially since his presence might change the timeline; he could actually end up permanently dead.
"I need to speed up the collection." Silas sat on the grass. His system space had been transformed into a sanctuary for the twelve animals of the Zodiac. Except for the Dragon, which couldn't be found, all the other animals lived here.
[Unlocking clue for the next Talisman... Clue unlocked successfully!]
In an instant, the scenery changed. Clouds of dust rose in the distance, and the ground began to quake.
"Could it be?" Silas's eyes widened. He was only missing the Rat, Horse, and Dog.
The signs pointed to one thing: This was the Horse Talisman!
RUMBLE...
The figures in the distance grew closer, quickly entering Silas's line of sight.
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