"Now that is impressive,"
Lucas couldn't help but praise.
"If you like it," Hela said smoothly, seizing the opportunity,
"help me take Asgard, and I can give you as much of it as you want."
"You still haven't given up on taking Asgard?"
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
"I never have," Hela replied, turning to look at him.
"You know exactly why."
"Because you want to prove to Odin that the daughter he never believed in can still do it,"
Lucas chuckled, shaking his head.
He understood her perfectly.
At its core, it was nothing more than a clash of pride between an overly dominant father and an equally stubborn daughter.
"That's right," Hela said coldly.
"If I don't do this, I won't rest in peace—even in death."
"So everything we talked about earlier was pointless," Lucas sighed.
---
Before long, Lucas and Hela arrived at the entrance to Asgard.
"Stop right there!"
A deep, booming voice rang out.
Heimdall, guardian of Asgard, stood firmly at the gate, one hand resting on his great sword.
"Haven't seen you in a long time, Heimdall,"
Hela spoke first, before Lucas could say anything.
"Hm?"
A trace of confusion appeared in Heimdall's golden eyes.
Then his pupils suddenly contracted.
"Hela!"
"I'm surprised you still remember me, even after a thousand years,"
Hela said with mild amusement.
In truth, Heimdall periodically glanced toward Helheim.
But Hela had changed too much.
Because of her time on Sakaar, she now wore an elegant, evening-gown-like dress, paired with light makeup—completely different from the ruthless Hela of the past.
"You… you brought Hela back from the underworld,"
Heimdall said, clearly recognizing Lucas.
"Take us to see Odin,"
Lucas said casually, shrugging.
---
Heimdall frowned deeply and immediately tried to contact Odin mentally—but Odin contacted him first.
"Let them come, Heimdall."
Receiving the order, Heimdall stepped aside.
"Go ahead."
Hela walked forward without hesitation.
As she passed Heimdall, she said quietly,
"I admire your loyalty, Heimdall. I hope you don't choose the wrong side when it truly matters."
The corner of Heimdall's eye twitched slightly as he suppressed his doubts.
As Lucas passed him, he patted Heimdall on the shoulder.
"It's fine. I'm here."
Only then did Heimdall feel somewhat relieved.
If it were just Hela, Odin's presence meant nothing serious would happen.
But if Lucas got involved… that was a completely different matter.
---
Soon, the two arrived inside the great hall.
Odin was not seated on the throne.
Instead, he sat on the steps below it.
"It's been a long time, Odin,"
Hela greeted him calmly.
"Yes… it has been a long time, Hela,"
Odin replied, lifting his gaze.
"You didn't expect me to return while you were still alive, did you?"
Hela said mockingly.
"That much, I truly did not expect,"
Odin said meaningfully, glancing at Lucas.
"And there are many other things I did not expect either."
Hela ignored that entirely and stepped forward.
"So now tell me—are you stepping down on your own,"
"or should I remove you from the throne myself?"
"Enough!"
Before Odin could answer, a figure charged in from the other end of the hall.
Thor.
He rushed in front of Hela and shouted,
"Is the throne really all you care about?!"
"He is your father!"
Hela looked at him with utter indifference.
"So what?"
"You—!"
Thor was left momentarily speechless.
Hela shook her head.
"You're all still too naïve. You've been completely deceived by the father you so deeply revere."
Thor finally snapped.
Gripping Mjolnir, he charged forward.
Lightning erupted as the power of the Thunder God surged through him.
Electric arcs wrapped around his body like living serpents.
As Thor hurled Mjolnir, immense lightning energy condensed into it.
In that instant, the hammer became a blazing sphere of electricity, shooting straight toward Hela.
Hela calmly raised one hand—
And caught it.
"What?!"
Thor knew Hela was strong, but over the past two months he had trained relentlessly.
His awakened Thunder God power had already been refined to near perfection.
Yet his full-powered strike was caught so effortlessly.
"Mjolnir… are you trembling?"
Hela flipped her wrist, reversing her grip on the hammer.
"You weren't like this before. I didn't expect even you to change."
Mjolnir began to shake violently, as if it had heard something terrifying.
"You're afraid?"
Hela smiled wickedly and tightened her fingers, preparing to crush it.
"…Forget it."
She glanced at Lucas, paused, and casually tossed the hammer back.
When Thor caught Mjolnir, he immediately felt its fear—like a terrified child clinging to him.
"I suggest you stop,"
Hela said coolly.
"You're still far too young, little brother."
---
Feeling completely ignored, Thor roared in fury and tried to charge again.
But Mjolnir suddenly slipped from his grasp and floated aside, refusing to be used.
Thor's expression darkened.
However, now that he had awakened his core power, he could still fight even without the hammer.
"Stubborn to the end,"
Hela said, shaking her head.
She vanished in a flash, evading Thor's charge—
And then drove a brutal kick straight into his chest.
Thor was sent flying.
Boom!
His body slammed into one of the massive pillars of the hall.
He spat out a mouthful of blood before wrenching himself free from the cracked stone.
Hela snorted coldly.
"You're too weak. Stop wasting your effort."
---
At that moment, two sharp daggers suddenly materialized in midair, aiming straight for Hela's temples.
"So you finally show yourself, little rat!"
Hela sneered as two black metallic plates instantly formed in front of her.
Clang!
The daggers struck the plates and were deflected.
Loki's shocked face appeared in the hall.
___
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